Alice-Azania Jarvis: Temptations of wealth are nothing compared to the threat of the law

In The Red

And so, finally, my finances are almost in order. By “almost in order”, of course, I certainly don’t mean robust – or anything even remotely resembling healthy, for that matter. But they are, at least, temporarily under control and, as such, in a rather better state that they were this time last week (so to those concerned readers who wrote in, I’d like to say thank you, but worry no more; I will – probably – be fine).

With more than a little resentment, and to the detriment of all my attempted savings, I have finally paid off my service charge. (I’m still somewhat bitter: all that money going straight to my building’s management agency – the very same agency that has so far refused to replace the wall that it smashed down in my bathroom to repair a communal leak. But it had to be done, I suppose; I was gaining nothing but interest charges from my principled refusal).

And I’ve paid off that pesky energy bill that was waiting for me on my return from holiday (not even late I might add; it happened to arrive just as my financial blitz began). I’ve also – and this, in particular, is a major relief – managed to bring my mortgage payments up to date, so at least there’s no (immediate) threat of homelessness. Finally (but not less significantly) my boyfriend has repaid that emergency loan I gave him when we were on holiday, an incoming that has provided a slight sweetener to my various outgoings.

So, there we have it: I am now approaching near financial stability. What an odd feeling. But, oh, what a relief!

I was beginning to think that the mounting mass of paper in my “to do” draw was never going to get looked at. But, after a mammoth Sunday of emergency life administration (I sat down at 9am and was able to stick to the task for the whole day – not getting up until gone 5pm that evening) things are starting to look up. It’s curious, really, how paying out money – paying out money I barely have, in fact – can be so therapeutic.

Though I suppose, if one has no choice in the matter, it makes things considerably easier: it is either repayment or bankruptcy via the bailiffs. I, for one, know that I sleep easier when I don’t owe money, even if my bank balance is considerably lower as a result. The temptations of wealth are nothing compared to the threat of the law. Clearly, I’d make a terrible bank robber.