Yvonne

Read the story of Yvonne, whose struggle with personal finances went from an incredible stress to something manageable with the help of Riverside Money Advice.

I had always struggled in school because teachers and parents didn’t understand dyslexia – they thought I was just being distracted and lazy. No-one really helped me with my education because teachers didn’t understand my brain was wired differently. Reading and words were not my strong point and I lost my self-esteem because people thought I was thick. I needed people to spend time explaining things in a way I could understand. Much more is understood now about dyslexia but, at that time, I absolutely dreaded reading big books and receiving official letters.

I fell madly in love and married a real hard-line Teddy Boy Rocker Biker. Our marriage was hard work and full of plenty of arguments. My mum taught me never to get into debt, but my husband had completely opposite approaches to money, so we argued constantly. I only wanted to buy what we could afford and keep on top of our money matters but he had different ideas. I had a fear of buying ‘on tick’ – the debt was like a dead weight hanging round my neck until the last instalment was settled. Debt just tipped me over the edge, and I would get very anxious about bills. When my kids were growing up and my marriage was really stressful, I tried to put money aside for things like uniform and clothes, and had a catalogue account to save for Christmas. But too many harsh words were spoken and there was a lot of shouting about money.

Eventually I had a full mental breakdown, and I left the family home. My husband became the one looking after the kids on a day-to-day basis. I got support from local charity Moseley & District Churches (now GreenSquareAccord) and my doctor supported me through the tension and depression so I could begin to piece my life together again.

I discovered Riverside a long, long time ago. I got a job as a cleaner at Riverside House, a role I loved. My boss, Keith, was great and always treated me with respect, bringing out the best in me. However, my health conditions deteriorated, and Riverside Money Advice (RMA) helped me to successfully apply for Personal Independence Payments. This enabled me to retire early and take things a little easier.

I don’t have a smartphone or computer skills, so I can’t do online transactions. My dyslexia makes dealing with forms very difficult. I need face-to-face support to understand what is going on and to understand paperwork. I panic when letters come through the post as I can’t understand what’s going on… it’s like my worst nightmare!

It is important for me to face up to my shortcomings and get the support I need. RMA are a lifeline for me – they have been there to help, and don’t make me feel judged when I ask for support. It has certainly been less stressful for me with RMA watching my back! Over the last four years, I have brought all my financial worries and correspondence to the team. What a support it has been to get the help I have needed to stay on track.

Universal Credit: I needed to set up an account and had to go to the Job Centre to do this. This seemed so complicated as I don’t use email or have a computer – so I didn’t pursue my entitlement and walked out.

Council Tax support: I was missing out on support because I didn’t have the online access the council was insisting upon. I had to talk to someone in person which was hugely time-consuming.

Utility bills: I got very confused about my gas and electricity bills because of all the jargon and acronyms. I couldn’t look up different options as I had no way of doing any research. Once again RMA came to the rescue!

When I reached retirement age, my small private pension did not start. It took six months of work by RMA to finally get payments flowing, despite phone calls and letters to Aviva and regular chasing. As I tried to plan for the future, I organised a funeral plan. I didn’t want my family to worry about these sorts of expenses after I died, and I was concerned about having debt that wouldn’t be settled if I wasn’t there.

Those modest savings resulted in my housing benefit being cancelled, so it felt like I was being penalised for attempting to make future provision! This triggered a whole mess over savings and payments, and RMA had to intervene to help me deal with rent arrears that were caused. They helped me catch up on payments and get direct debits in place for bills, as I had been used to paying bills manually at the Post Office for everything.

I thought everything was finally in place, but this last year has rocked me substantially. I had always assumed that family are there for each other, but this trust has ended. A regular payment bounced from my account, and I went straight to RMA to help me understand what had gone wrong. A look at my bank statement showed that thousands of pounds had been withdrawn from my current account without my permission, and I hadn’t noticed. All my savings had gone. We contacted NatWest but their position was that, as it had been going on for a number of months, there was no indication that it was fraud and that I had clearly given permission. They refused to refund any money because someone we knew had gained access to my account.

RMA had told me to open a new account, and they would help transfer over the direct debits. At the branch, I was told to “do it online”, despite it being clear that I couldn’t! RMA immediately made an appointment to visit the bank with me. The bank staff couldn’t help me to open a new account. RMA refused to leave until they made it possible for us to access their phone helpline. RMA helped me secure my account so that it could not be accessed by anyone else.

As I get older and although I’m aware of my financial shortcomings and mental health issues, life seems to get increasingly confusing. RMA’s holistic support and advice resulted in me setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney so that someone I trust can look after my finances. All this legal stuff causes me so much anxiety – for my peace of mind, I need to know my finances are all in order when I die. With RMA’s support, I can manage that anxiety.

If I was to give advice to other people, I would say, “Don’t struggle on your own.” Live within your means and don’t rely on credit cards. Don’t be naive or trust people with your money matters, unless you know they have integrity. Always keep an eye on your bank account to make sure money isn’t going out of your account on things you haven’t approved. My mum would say, “Act now – and don’t delay doing what needs to be done! Stop wishing things will be different – get advice and start doing something to help yourself!”It is important to be open and find help when you know you need it.

I learnt to trust RMA and I found precious people that have helped and supported me through the last few years. I am grateful for the budgeting advice that I have received, now my savings have gone. I am also thankful to the church and to God for the way people have stood by me over a long period, giving me one-to-one advice in a way I can understand.