Our Welfare Coaches support local people with all kinds of issues around benefits entitlement, housing, family welfare, and money management. The Financial Fitness programme has been designed to help with learning more about how to manage an income, reducing outgoings, budgeting, getting into work, and much more.
Read on for N's experience of the programme:
N was spending £100 every 2 weeks on food, but since attending the Financial Fitness course, she has now reduced this to £50 through planning her food menu and shopping budget. As she sticks to the plan using all the ingredients, she no longer has any wasted food. She has also started experimenting with batch cooking lots of new, healthy meals that were suggested on the course. N had never eaten lentils before or thought of adding things to bulk out a meal and make it last longer.
“I'm adding veg to bulk out the food – didn’t think I liked lentils but I actually love them! It's make me feel really good about myself, I’m enjoying shopping and planning, enjoying the cooking, and it’s a lot more convenient as I only order what I need.”
N absolutely enjoyed the whole course! She’s started “proper” cooking, thinks about every purchase she makes, and has taken time to shop around for cheaper alternatives - not just in food, but all purchases.
She used to spend about £30-£40 every 2 weeks on takeaways but she’s now replaced these by cooking 'fake-aways' and freezing them for late night meals (when she would have previously ordered takeaway).
When we asked 'what are you planning to do with the extra money?', N said she’d been able to pay off outstanding bills, felt more confident she could afford to live and even treat herself occasionally! She’s been wanting to decorate for ages but not had the money, and now she can save up to do it. This has improved her mental health, given her motivation and alongside eating more healthily, N is starting to feeling good. She is now more motivated to get involved in other things locally too, like joining clubs or walking groups.
What an amazing outcome! We're so proud of N for sticking with the programme and really taking on board the learning.
Think you might benefit from the Financial Fitness course? Get in touch on 0114 213 4065.
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