A young mum with a daughter has been desperately trying to save up enough money to cover the cost of a DRO (Debt Relief Order) which costs £90. Every time she gets close an emergency crops up and the money is needed elsewhere. In the meantime she is being relentlessly pursued for money she doesn’t have. She was diagnosed with anxiety and depression over 10 years ago, but lately it has become even harder for her to bear. She got into this mess when she found herself unable to cope financially and began to rely on credit to get by, just with basic items, not luxuries. The father of the child contributes but it is only minimally, and she works part-time, but is limited as to how many hours she can work as she needs to cover child care costs. The mother is constantly focused on what she cannot afford to buy and feels her daughter is missing out as she cannot send to her birthday parties as she has no spare money at all to afford a birthday present for her daughter to gift at the party. She is unable to sleep properly and the stress of worrying about money is impacting her mental health, plus she feels her and her daughter are very isolated because of their financial situation. The child’s daughter are supporting the family by providing extra help for the daughter in class to help her socialise more.
We agreed to send her £120, £90 to cover the cost of the DRO and £30 as a small boost for her and her daughter. Hopefully with this and some budgeting advice she will be able to get her life back on track.