She's On The Money - MONEY DIARIES: Hope After Homelessness

Episode Date: February 19, 2023

This week's Money Diarist has overcome so much! Having found herself homeless at 17 years old, she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, PTSD and IBS. It was then that her life started to turn a corner for the better, after receiving NDIS support. She's now working on a budget with her Occupational Therapist, has savings, and even has an emergency fund for her cats! She's extraordinary and we can't wait for you to meet her. Today's chat discusses mental health struggles and addiction, if this is tough for you please listen to another episode. If you or anyone you know is facing homelessness, here are some helpful resources... Ask IzzyMelbourne City MissionAustralian Red Cross   Acknowledgement of Country By Natarsha Bamblett aka Queen Acknowledgements. The advice shared on She's On The Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's On The Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs.  Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN - 321649 27708,  AFSL - 451289.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello, my name is Natasha Nabanunga-Bamblett. I'm a proud Yorta Yorta, Kernai, Wolperi and Awadjeri woman. And before we get started on She's on the Money podcast, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which this podcast is recorded on Awadjeri country, acknowledging the elders, the ancestors and the next generation coming through. As this podcast is about connecting, empowering, knowledge sharing and the storytelling of you to make a difference for today and lasting impact for tomorrow. Let's get into it. She's on the money.

She's on the money. hello and welcome to she's on the money the podcast for millennials who want financial freedom welcome back to another one of our money diaries where we get to talk to one of our incredible She's On The Money community members all about our journey. Now, this week, I do want to give you guys a little content warning before we get started. This episode talks about mental health concerns, including BPD and PTSD, and we also talk about addiction. So let's jump straight into it. We got a message this week and it went a little bit like this. Dear She's On The Money, I was homeless at 17 and navigated that system for over a year before

getting into a more secure position, only to move back in with my dad and then need to leave again. After things got incredibly tough, I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, PTSD, and IBS, and this helped me to start turning a corner. I'm now the most stable I have ever been, and I'm receiving NDIS support. I've been working on a budget with my occupational therapist. I finally have savings and even have an emergency fund for my cats. Money Diarist, welcome to the show. How exciting. Thank you so much for having me, guys. It's an absolute privilege. Oh my gosh. No, it's a privilege to have you on. I am so excited to learn a bit more about you. That sounds like a journey. So do we want to just start at the start with first things

first, if I asked you to give yourself a grade, what would you grade your money habits from A through to F? I thought about this a lot. I'd probably say I give myself a C. I feel like I'm pretty average but do try my best. All right let's learn a little bit more about it. My friend can you tell us a little bit about your money story? I guess I'll kind of start from the start from 17. I mean I kind of always grew up with very little money and my mum is a single mum. I did have my dad in my life for a little bit but he wasn't financially contributing at all. It was just my mother's income and her income was the disability support pension and we lived in housing commission. And it was very tough growing up. Money was always kind of a thing we didn't speak

about. And if it was spoken about, it was usually out of frustration on my mom's part, the stress that she was going through trying to manage myself. And I also have two siblings. So money was very tight and it was kind of something we didn't ask for. So even if I needed it for my Mikey, for example, to get to school, it was just not something I asked for. I would just fair of eight because it was just better to do that and it was just less stress in the home and then things continued that way as I got older and it was when I hit 17 that I was pretty much just couldn't cope with the family life anymore and the home life was getting really bad and I had spoken to a couple support workers at the time and they encouraged me to move out and

to try and find some independence and a safer environment. My family home life was heavily affected by drugs at the time and my mum was getting a lot worse with her own mental health so that was when I decided to take the leap and move out. I managed to find some amazing connections through a couple youth organisations. They were really good and got me into a refuge and that was in Burwood which was quite nice so it was a nice little refuge it wasn't far from where I was used to and I spent maybe six weeks there before getting into some commission housing myself and I moved in with another person at risk at the time and that was quite good and I kind of fell on my feet a little bit more and it was kind of around this time that things started to feel a

little bit better but then something quite wasn't right I started to feel like really negative all the time. My emotions were fluctuating. Things were too overwhelming. I was trying to juggle a diploma at the time while also trying to juggle finding accommodation, while also juggling the way I was feeling. And I reached out and got some support, which was the best thing I did. I said to my GP, I just don't know what's going on and I need someone to talk to. And she pointed me into the direction of a psychiatrist who could do a diagnosis. And that was when I saw that psychiatrist and the diagnosis was given to me which was actually borderline personality disorder it does get confused with bipolar disorder quite a lot it is similar in a way but a little bit

different and I also got diagnosed with CPDSD at the time and I've just been since that diagnosis working through getting different therapies and finding what's worked for me and unfortunately I did have to leave my diploma and defer from the study at the time it all got too much and that's when I was also going through the process of being diagnosed with IBS, the IBS presented as just like vomiting every single day and going to the bathroom too frequently, which made it hard to diagnose because they couldn't really do a test and figure out what it was.

It was just going to the hospital every couple of weeks and different routine tests, different blood tests, different scans to try and figure out what was happening. I got to a really low weight. 39 kilos was the lowest I got to. and then that was when my GP said I had to either stop my studies pull the plug and just focus entirely on my recovery or I was going to end up in hospital and I decided I was going to just stop because I couldn't cope and then yeah that was that and I got pretty much told I had to leave

my studies and that was when I just decided to fully recover and put all my energy and all my capacity into just focusing on myself and that's when I reached out for that NDIS funding to help me get some more therapy. Oh, I'm so glad you did that. I'm so glad you did that. I've heard that NDIS funding is really hard to secure. Did you find that a challenging process? Yeah, that took about a year in itself. And that was with support as well. That's with someone helping me the entire process, helping me write reports, helping me, you know, tell my therapists that I already had in place what reports to write, what language to use, because they are very particular in the language they need. And I was still knocked back once because my condition had only been diagnosed

at 17. So they didn't believe the permanency of it, but we obviously provided more evidence and that was put through and everything was okay. But I am very lucky to be approved because it is really hard and it did take a long time. Yeah, that's crazy. It breaks my heart that it takes so long to get approved. What did you do in that 12 months while you were, you know, struggling to get on support because being unsupported when you're going through situations where you have BPD and you have PTSD and IBS is debilitating. How are you surviving, my friend? Not well. My strong point is resourcefulness. I just tried to utilize everything that I could and I don't have family support. So I just have my little brother. So he has been a big part of my journey and always

someone I can rely on and I relied on my doctor my GP a lot she's absolutely incredible and I relied quite heavily on my psychologist that I was able to see with the Medicare sessions so that was still something I could access at the time which made the absolute world of difference even if it wasn't for you know every week it was only once a month that I could do because of the limit of sessions but it was still something and Lifeline was great all those kind of little services that you can use and utilise and you definitely shouldn't feel any shame utilising them because that's what they're there for and they are really great. Yeah, 100%. Oh my gosh. So the next question is what do you do for work and how much money do you earn? We know you have the NDIS supporting you

from my understanding you've got Centrelink but you do a few things on the side as well. What's that? Well, I'm unemployed but I do volunteer for a shelter and that shelter I work with the cats. So I have three cats at home myself and I am a massive animal lover. Same friend, same. Yes, I've heard much about your baby. It's all I talk about. It is literally all I talk about. It is my first point of conversation.

If I meet someone, I'm like, you got pets? I get especially excited when I hear they have cats because I'm like, oh, we're both cat people. Nice, nice. We must be good people. Yes, everyone's pretty solid who loves cats. Yeah, exactly. It frustrates me when they're like, oh, I don't really like cats. I'm like, you've never met a good cat then.

Full stop. End of story. Yeah. No argument. Like, absolutely not. If you're not a cat person, you haven't had your own cat. Yeah, 100%. You've never met a good one. So meet mine and you will love them. 100%. I definitely agree. And other than that, I do dog walking sometimes. My OT helps set that up. So I'm hoping to continue doing that as I go into my bachelor's degree, which I was just accepted for. Congratulations. That's so exciting.

I'm like just over the moon, to say the least. This is what I've been working towards and my focus is going to be pretty much entirely on that and my supports and hopefully continuing to grow and see where it takes me. I'm obsessed. What are you going to be studying? My Bachelor of Health Science. So I'm going to be majoring in Disability and Inclusion and Psychology for Allied Health. Beautiful.

You couldn't be a better person to be doing that. That industry absolutely needs you. I'm so excited for you to do that. You mentioned before that you are working through or you were working through your budget with your occupational therapist. What is currently your big money goal? What are you working towards? My big money goal would be to go on a holiday. I have never been on a plane. So that is something that I would like to do. And Bali is my big destination. So I've been working through some small goals with my OT and you're working towards staying from the home for a few days. And I'll eventually build up to being comfortable from being away from

my cats for you know a week while I go away and working towards that savings goal has been really good but another one of my big savings goals is just having money for myself and my cats that if anything goes wrong I can be there and I can provide that and it's already proved to be beneficial to me my cat Nala actually needed to have her tail partially amputated which was completely out of nowhere and she was okay she wasn't in any pain but they noticed it when she went for her teeth cleaning I said there was a little scab on her tail do you guys just mind shaving it while she's under having a little look and then yeah when they had a look there was a little bit of bone exposed on the end yeah and she needed that amputated so that's been amputated but I didn't have to

stress when they called me I was like oh my baby it wasn't or money it was oh my baby but then I could still cover that there was no question about her treatment how empowering is that because that is such a stressful thing. Like the vet is so expensive. I remember being in university and I had my cat Bailey for the first time and Bailey was already a massive financial undertaking. I think I've spoken about it on the podcast before. I think I had like maybe $300 in my account or just under and Bailey was a rescue and the rescue cost was $250. And I still did it because I was like, I really need him. I really want, you know, this support. And I think that one thing people don't understand is that if you have mental health issues pets are therapy in a way and they can be

so powerful and I just knew that I needed him so I got him and knowing that I had vet bills coming up knowing that I had to pay for these things and I didn't realize how expensive teeth cleaning for an animal was like I just it blew my mind so it's one of those things that you don't realize but is also for me a mental health cost because I was like well I'm not going to not have my cat he is my saving grace. And I'm sure that's absolutely the same thing for you. So to just feel empowered around vet bills as well, it's just, it's crazy to think how much they add up and so quickly. And obviously you're not going to look after them, but also the idea that you were able to go, oh, my baby, instead of, oh, how am I going to afford this? It's just, it makes my heart

so happy to know that you're in that position because regardless of what financial position you're in, knowing you have a bit of a buffer, a bit of an emergency fund to when unexpected things pop up, it can be absolutely life-changing. 100%. And that's what Nala was for me. I got her when I was 17. So she was my absolute little angel, my saving grace all throughout everything that happened through commission housing. And I couldn't be without her. So she's definitely worth it. Oh my gosh. All right. Next question I've got is, do you invest? If so, what in? No, currently not. Unfortunately, I do have $140 in a bank account that I've labeled investment fund. Oh, exciting. She's got plans. So I've got plans. I've bought the investing book,

so I'm going to read it as well. And I've spoken to my support worker who said she's going to help me set up my super and I can make my own contributions to the super myself because there's nothing going in. So I want to make my own contribution. Yeah, that's so smart. And it's one of those things that can make you feel even more financially secure. And I think a lot of people who currently aren't employed do forget to care about and obviously in your circumstance it might be a while before you're fully employed and do earn super so you can put yourself ahead by considering that and even just small amounts over a long period of time can really add up but also make you just feel so much more secure make you feel like you're building towards a secure financial

future and it's just there's something so powerful about that even if it's just small amounts over that long period of time exactly and that's what motivated me to look into it was hearing you talk about like you know from small things big things grow and I just had a thought like you know why can't I just put you know twenty dollars a fortnight fifty dollars a fortnight just towards that and see it slowly grow and have that to look at as well and know that that's there for me even though I haven't been working and contributing I'm still making my part yeah oh my gosh you have the best mindset around this ever. I'm obsessed. All right, let's put a break on this for a hot second. We'll head to a break and when we come back, we'll dive right in.

All right, Money Diarist, we are back and I can't wait to dive back into this conversation. The next question I want to know is, do you currently have any debts? If so, what are they? Yes, I do have my debt from when I did my diploma and didn't complete it, But I did get one credit point for that for my bachelor. So it was worth something. So money wins. Before it was just a debt. Now I actually got a credit point for it.

So not a money loss now. Not the biggest money loss. Yeah, not the biggest money loss. University can add up. I know that for sure. Like it is crazy. So I think it's about a grant that's in there. I think, yeah.

That's all right. That is okay. That is debt that is contributing towards your super financially secure future, which I'm really excited about. I want to know, obviously, you're getting good at budgeting. You've started to change your life. Absolutely. What is your best money habit? I'd have to say it'd be resourcefulness. Growing up, it was very common for my mum to utilise services like St. Vinny's and Salvo's to help with grocery costs and food bills. So we had food to get on the table. And that was something that I did utilise when I was homeless and when

I was struggling for money was utilize those services when I didn't have enough to meet ends meet and I would try my best just to have enough to cover rent roof over my head bills enough money for my cats and try and use all the resources that I had available to me and reach out when I needed to so that what I'd say would be my best money habit and I would say now that I'm not having to reach out to those services anymore and I do have that. I would say that my best money habit would probably be, it's a bit tough. I'd say it's still resourcefulness, but it's a little bit different. It's not resourcefulness that I'm seeking other support. It's more that I'm like seeking support from donations or whatever. It's

more that I'm seeking support from my OT and how to budget better. I'm seeking support from you guys in regards to like, you know, different tips and tricks. So I feel like it's just kind of learning as much as I can to better my situation. Resourcefulness is very, very powerful. And I feel like that's one of the best money habits to have, because it doesn't matter what you've got, if you know where to go and how to get it and the services to lean on, you will always be okay. Money, Darius, I want to know on the flip side, what's your worst money habit though? I'd say it's kind of my guilty pleasure. I love fresh fruit and vegetables and everything fresh and everything good quality produce. So that's something growing up I didn't have. So now when

I go to the grocery store, I want the freshest fruit. I don't want frozen veg. So I have to try and make sure I'm sticking to my meal plan and sticking to my budget. Otherwise, I'll end up buying copious amounts of fruit and vegetables and then having too much food waste in the end of it. So that's probably my worst money habit. But I actually found out that Coles and Woolworths do a direct to boot and that's kind of where I end up picking up too much stuff as coals wool worse and then the little treats at the ends of the aisles and that kind of bits so I've done the direct to boot where they just bring it to my boot and then I do my main shopping at Aldi where I don't get that temptation yeah yeah yeah and then I'm doing the rest just direct to my boot

so I'm not even going into the shop I'm not looking at the treats I'm not looking at the things I don't need. See resourcefulness, resourcefulness. She's a smart woman. I love it. So I'm slowly working on this, but yeah, no fresh fruit and vegetables and all those little treats from the grocery store is my little weakness. Oh my gosh. I feel like I can resonate with that as well. Like there's nothing better than fresh fruit. So I can see exactly where you're coming from. Like a punnet of raspberries to snack on. Yeah, when they're not $7 a punnet, it's summer, So it's okay. But when there's $7 upon it, like I can't even justify that. I can't do it.

Absolutely not. I will have frozen berries until they come back in season. Money Diarist, you were saying before that you grew up in a house where your parents were drug users. They separated. You lived with your mom. It was a little bit tumultuous. Your mom relied on support growing up. Am I right in assuming that you're one of the first in the family to go to university and do a degree? Yeah, in my immediate family. So I do believe, yeah my auntie did a degree but in my little immediate circle yeah that I'm the first one to go do a bachelor is that exciting because I feel like you're changing the narrative of what your future is going to look like it is it is exciting I am very excited yeah I've told my mom

and I've told my brother I'm yet to tell anyone else but I'm me I know you know but I'm just keeping it on the low because yeah I don't know I'm still a bit shell-shocked by it not sure if it's really true. No, you'll absolutely smash it. I'm so excited to see where you go and what you achieve. But the last question I have for you is I want to know what your grade would be now that we've gone through your money story and your money story is powerful. So powerful. Like not only are you going through mental health issues, IBS is so debilitating. You've grown up in a situation that is not exactly conducive to being the most successful person, but you are going on to doing a degree. You were homeless at 17. You currently have three cats, which are all

financially dependent on you and you can look after them. You have an investing account. You haven't started investing yet, but it's called investment account and you've got money in it, which is epic. You are one of the most resourceful people we have met. Do you really think you're only a C? I would say I'm more a B because of how resourceful I am, but I just feel like I'm so excited to be able to earn my own income and to see how I grow once I do because I feel like I'll be able to just set myself up for the future that I never thought I would have so it's just really hard to be like you know I'm doing so great when I only have so much to work with and I am doing really good with what I have but I'm extremely excited for my future. Oh my gosh

no I'm so proud of you and that's why I asked because I'm like you're not a C you are absolutely smashing it out of the park and I feel like maybe a bit of comparison of what other people are doing and where their circumstances are is leading you to maybe not be as strong in your opinion of how well you're doing. And I just want to remind you that you are doing so well and it makes me so proud to see where you are. But last question before we leave, I want to know if there are people listening to this that are in similar situations to the situation you found yourself in at 17, what advice would you have for them? The biggest thing is just to reach out. It is to understand that you're not alone and that there are services out there that can help you and even

if you just google what to do when homeless because that's exactly what I did and there will be resources that come up there's this thing called ask izzy as well which is a government resource that you can just type in your situation if you need food if you need shelter if you need assistance and it will direct you to your nearest point of access and just don't stop and don't give up because you are worth it and it will get better it just takes a long time and unfortunately a lot of waiting and a lot of pushing but you've just got to advocate for yourself oh I love that I'll make sure that the resource ask Izzy is in our show notes because that's something we haven't spoken about on the podcast before so what a good contribution again I'm insanely proud of you thank

you so much for joining us on money diaries and sharing your story with us it has been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for having me. The advice shared on She's on the Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's on the Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs. Victoria Devine and She's on the Money are authorised representatives of MoneySherpa PTY LTD ABN 321 649 27708 AFSL 451 289. Thank you.