to wonder how they can afford it?

[ChickenLickn]

have been reading the christmas costs thead, and wondering how people who are jobhunting cope at christmas on an income of £67 a week. There is not even a winter fuel payment.

Serious budgeting and saving all year round. Charity shops an d car boot sale presents. Buying the minimum you need to celebrate. Making stuff yourself instead of buying ready made.

they save - have a

Budgeting? Going without? Does it matter?

My DCs went out thieving of course hand-made and decorated ginger chocolate biscuits for their grandparents.

I saved although I earn more than £67 a week.

If you earn under a certain amount you can get a kind of winter fuel payment. Although it goes onto your electric meter in March though..

buying a little here and there. on the lookout all yr round for a bargain. one item per week into the shopping basket from october with the regular shop. chocs, non perishables.
savings jar for pound coins.

Yes, very good budgeting form about August onwards.

Christmas is a bugger for those on low incomes, just when you're managing to make ends meet and have enough for an occasional treat, a large mountain of stuff suddenly needs to be bought.

But on the XmaS costs threads people were spending ridiculous amounts, I think op was refering to that.

i don't understand, perhaps those who spent lots have more income, is that what you mean op.

i am not sure if those genuinely on 67 a week would be spending ££££££. maybe they would go into debt tho.

I'm more bemused at how they have such a grip on how much they spent... I'm usually pretty hot on keeping account of my finances but as far as Christmas goes, have absolutely not a scoobydoo what I spent.

Well they obviously don't spend £100s because they don't have it.

The only people receiving just £67 a week will be those without health problems or resident children.

Shall I be the first to suggest that if they don't like being skint they should try getting a job?

shopping all year round I have always done it like this. I don't believe in maxing out credit cards/catalogues etc christmas isn't worth the debt Xx

Have you not heard of the unemployment problem/lack of jobs, princess?

I can't bear that Christmas costs thread .
People have more money than sense and values on there.

< ignores princess comment >

Bore off Hogmanay. Are you seriously pretending every single healthy jobseeker without dependent children out there is really looking for a job?

Those sorts of threads are always Im-richer-than-you V Im-frugal-and-proud.

I got made redundant almost a year ago oh to have a job would be fabulous.

I was recently told that a chackout post at B&M bargains had over 200 applicants.

Please princess if you know where jobs are so easily to come by please let me know!!

I'm self employed. I hit my client with his bill, which paid for Christmas.

All of those threads, though - the ones saying "what do you spend per child on presents?" or "what do you spend per week on food?" always end the same way - you end up looking like a lottery winner or a skinflint. Never anywhere in the middle.

I spend a comparative shedload on food each week but am apparently a Christmas tightarse.

I was made redundant last summer and my Christmas job ended a couple of days ago so will be jobseeking again from tomorrow. Talking amongst the forty or so other temps I worked with has made me realise what competition there is for a handful of jobs, however lowly.

I wish people would stop judging those on benefits and low wages and turn their attention to the very rich who don't pay what they should.

deffo going to get one of those tins i have heard of on here, that you have to open with a tin opener to save £ coins. or even 2£ coins. rarely get those though.

be fun to see how much i could have by novemberish.

oh my life is soooooooooooo exciting!

I wish people would stop judging those on benefits and low wages and turn their attention to the very rich who don't pay what they should

I do hope you're not including me in that, seeing as I'm on benefits myself and am more than aware of what the reality is.

No princess, it's just the general feeling - I've always been cheered by the reactions on mn towards people in these situations, most anyway.

It's suddenly become very hard to find any type of work, and I'm surrounded by lots of people who never thought they'd be in this position, all looking for the same thing.