Does it sound like I can manage my own money?

DX'd - Other
1

Social services are my appointee (This means they control my disability benefits) I finally got an appointment with intellectual disability Psychologist for assessment to see if I can manage my own finances. I had my first appointment last Wednesday and she asked loads of questions like how do I spend my weekly £135 personal allowance, I told her about my friends always asking for money and I give them it, she asked if they pay me back and I said sometimes. I told her I want to live without support and have my own house and she said what bills would I need to pay and how much would they cost. I said about £700 for them all and she asked what happens if you don’t pay your bills and I said nothing as nothing happened last time I didn’t pay any of them but I could end up homeless and live in a tent. I told her I was rubbish with money but needed to have appointee stopped as I want to live on my own and get a flat or house but social services don’t want me moving out of supported living. They are making if difficult for me. She asked how do you set up a direct debit and I said go into the bank and do it but I’ve never set one up before

I’m unsure how I did? I have another appointment with her next week and she’s doing some tests or something. How do you think my answers were to the questions? I can be rubbish with money but still have capacity? They said last time I lack capacity when I’m unwell with psychosis. The DWP (disability benefit people) won’t stop the appointeeship without letter saying I can manage my money.

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My psychiatric care provider was my Representative Payee on my Social Security Disability benefits (USA). After several years my case manager thought I could manage my own money, so he wrote a letter to Social Security. I already had a checking account, so I went to the Social Security office and had them direct deposit my check into my checking account.
The only thing is after I got control of my own money, I ran myself into debt, and finally filed for bankruptcy. My sister thinks I’m not able to manage my money, and wants my psychiatric care provider to take control again.

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3

Well, what you don’t know about money; you can learn.

I hate to say it (and this is only my opinion) but you did not come off very good. You did not present yourself as very responsible. But you can learn.

I mean I’ve been managing my own money for many years, probably more than thirty years and I made many mistakes too. I’ve taken care of my bills pretty well, and I never starve for the most part but I’ve run up thousands of dollars in credit card debt at several periods of my life and only got out of debt by luck and my dads help.

Right now I’m just cruising, I’ve had at least a couple grand in my checking account since October of 2019. I only have a couple recurring bills and I have to buy gas for the car and food and rent of course.

But just four years ago I got myself into debt because of credit cards, I owed about seven thousand dollars. And my income is SSDI and a part time job. I got out of debt only because I started getting groceries for free from a local food bank. After rent, food is my biggest expense.

I was saving like two hundred dollars a month by getting free groceries and vegetables. I got a couple raises at work and started making two or three hundred dollar payments each month on my credit card debt. I also got a few hefty tax refunds which went toward my debt. I thought I would be in debt for ten or more years but I paid everything off in three years!

Oh yeah, I don’t know how I almost forgot this but I was paying more than a hundred and fifty dollars in just interest payments each month so I transferred my big balances to a couple cards that offered 0% monthly interest for like 18 months. That was a huge step in paying those down.

Anyways, yeah, I’ve made many mistakes with money but just got lucky like cashing in my 401k early and putting it towards my debt. My step-dad also used to give me a hundred dollars a month.

Sorry for digressing, I was just trying to show by experience how having your own money can go. Setting up a debit card is not the most difficult thing. The bank does most of the work and they’ll walk you through it.

Like I said, you can learn how to manage money, lots of people have the same problem.

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Good heavens. No. Pretty clear that you have no business managing your money. Sorry man, maybe later, but definitely not now.

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I agree that I’m bad with money. My support staff make sure I get my food shopping when I get paid every Thursday and they then leave me to my own devices with the rest of my personal spends/allowance. I just spend it on beer and takeaways. My housemate is constantly asking me for money as he chain-smokes 4 packages (120g ) of rolling Tabasco a week. He also asks for money so he can buy drugs/coke. He promises to pay me back on his payday but most of the time he doesn’t. It pees when off when he owes me money as he buys a 1litre bottle of vodka instead

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You gotta stop giving your money away to your roommate. He’s using you. That’s wrong of him. He shouldn’t be using your money to do drugs and alcohol. You should save that money to buy yourself nice things that you want or give to charity not drugs. Wouldn’t you like a nice new sweater or something? Or a new cellphone? Or how about take an actual friend out to dinner? This guy who’s taking your money sounds like a creep. Until you can learn to not be taken advantage of this way you probably shouldn’t be handling your own money. If you had all your money this guy would get it all for cocaine and you would have nothing for rent and electricity and all your other bills. It’s hard to keep track of everything you have to pay every month. You have to pay it first and what you want like takeaway and energy drinks and sodas comes last. Do you have the discipline to do that? And what happens when you get symptoms, who will pay it then? I think you’re better off with a payee, but get a different roommate. Tell someone he is using your money for drugs and alcohol and you need help stopping him.

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I told the staff here and my community nurse. Thing is I have no choice who I live with. The care company only care about profits so move people here with the highest care packages without checking compatibility if people will get on.

The person who’s constantly asking for money isn’t that bad compered to other people they’ve moved here in the past. So far we’ve had a fecal smearer who was extremely abusive towards me - again he had a large package = $$$$ for company - he lasted 9 weeks before they kicked him out. We’ve had somebody from a forensic mental health hospital, he was in there for setting fires. Two weeks after moving in he set’s two staff members cars on fire outside the house. He got kicked out. We had a sex offender/pedeo move in to one of the other properties run by this company. The company don’t care.

The guy always asking for money isn’t that bad, he isn’t aggressive, just got addiction problems and can’t manage money and I feel bad and can’t say no when he asks for money, it could be worse.

I wanted to manage my own finances so I could find somewhere else to live, I can get my own house. Social services are not helping me move. I spoke to the supported living coordinator about moving and there is only two placements in my County. I need to get a private houses to rent.

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Well how much do you make? And how much are houses where you live?

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I can easily afford my own private accommodation. I’m on maximum benefits which is around £1.300 4/weekly. I’ll also be entailed to housing benefit (This is benefit that government pay towards your housing costs) I would be entailed to £400 a month housing benefit. To rent a terrace house in my town is between £550-£600 a month. I would need to make up the shortfall so £200. I get £1.300 so can afford it.

I need benefits paid back to me to prove affordability and regular income. This is the kind of house I’m looking at, this one is £575 a month in nice part of town. My credit score is Fair.

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So basically you want a nicer place to live, without a roommate? Which is totally understandable. But you are going to have to get really serious about paying your bills. None of this “nothing happened last time I didn’t pay them” crap. You have to pay the bills first each month. Rent, electric, gas, water/sewer, garbage. Then you have to make sure you have enough food in the house and household needs like soap. Then you need to setback some for emergencies. Then what’s leftover is what you can spend on takeaway and whatnot. It’s going to be hard. You know what I do? I get a pen and paper and write out each expense rent 600 electric 75 water 40 etc. then I list all my credit cards and total everything up and minus that out of my monthly amount, whatever is leftover is how much I have left to play with. It usually goes to extra on credit cards for me. But you can do that now as a practice to learn how to be better with money. It will help you keep track of what needs to get paid and basically how much things will cost. If you aren’t sure how much a utility will be you can contact the utility company and ask how much it typically costs for your budget.

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11

Don’t ask Appointee for money!

Don’t drink Alcohol from 3rd October

October 2020

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** Ireland Holiday payment from Anthony**

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12

I already make goals. Mainly for holidays

13

I also have over £5.000 saved in my appointee accounts. I can afford to move out.

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14

Rent 600
electric 75
gas150
water/sewer 100
garbage 50
food 400
household 100
savings 150
total 1675

pay 1800
net 125

15

A good policy about lending money: don’t.

You get assistance. You need that money. Even if your friends are somehow worse off than you, they may be making poor decisions.

16

Back when I went to church I was friends with a married couple on welfare.

They would get me to get 2-3 HUGE sheet pizzas for the four or five of us.

The woman limited how much I could eat so they could get 2 free meals with what they brought home.

I was subsidizing the meals of people that already got subsidized meals.

Never again.

17

Money management is my best practical skill. Sometimes I spend quite a lot(can be quite impulsive)but never to the point of owing lots of money… Bills are paid by direct debit. Credit card paid in full each month by direct debit. I try to keep myself at least £3K in the black; but I don’t always succeed. Last month I was £40 short…

18

I think the only problem was telling her that you loan money that isn’t always repaid. It doesn’t sound like you can afford to do that. If they think you’re giving your money away, they may continue an appointee.

19

Do you understand you have to do something about that roommate? I’ve fallen into that trap of continuously lending money to housemates. You have to face the fact that this guy will never stop “borrowing” money. If you don’t take drastic measures he will never stop borrowing money. I’ve been in the same position before. Once these guys get their hooks in you they never stop. It’s your money, not his, and you don’t owe him anything. If you don’t make changes, nothing’s going to change.

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As others have said - dont lend out your precious money even if they are begging for it.

I work out my money in fortnightly segments - and usually got a couple of hundred to spare. I dont see why you wouldnt get full housing benefit either - unless your not single and renting out a property with more than one bedroom.

I dont know you that well but Best of british luck to you.