to be worried about Universal Credit

[idiuntno57]

I am in the lucky position of not needing to claim this but I am so worried about its implementation.

Its coming in in the Autumn and is going to be an online only, monthly, postdated payment. It will be paid to one adult in the family unit.

All well and did if you are god at managing your money, internet literate and in a stable relationship. But in the real world....

How are the most vulnerable in society going to have a chance with this?

Already the council tax changes are coming in and as far as I understand people are confused and shell shocked by it. UC is much bigger and no one is prepared.

it is true i have worked in some very deprived areas and most shops are

co-op expensive
iceland not as cheap as some people think.

im fortunate live in big city new aldi is 45min walk, lilds 30mins
co-ops best for reductions here.

we have loads pounds shops

poundland, piund worly, 899p stores b&m and they all sell food. great for cleaning stuff or i buy sainsburys basics some stuff good case of trying.

Btw even if those are not her circumstances its not your place to judge anabel

I mentioned survey sites upthread.

Surveyhead and OnePoll are the most reliable. You won't retire on the proceeds, but its tax-free and if you're diligent, it's a big help.

If you have the energy and patience and are lucky enough to have several large supermarkets close (including Aldi) have a go at putting your shopping list on mysupermarket. Once you've done that and gotten the cheapest list you can at one supermarket note the prices per 100g/item down and then swap your online basket to the other supermarket and find the items that were cheaper on certain items. Then note down which Items you're going to get from which supermarket and then, if transport allows...got to Aldi first and get the things that trump both other supermarkets first (and not everything in Aldi is always cheaper) and have a calculator with you too if you're a bit slow on the mental maths like me. Last week, and I hold my hands up and say I do have transport so it makes it easier and the 3 supermarkets are all close together - I saved £13 as opposed to just going to the supermarket that had the cheapest basket online.

Pearlywhites I know what was worst was that i moved areas in april so got school uniform for her than she went to high school. It was in 2008 in Lincs.

That time I went without a winter coat
( my primark 5 £ from the sale rack one fell apart after 3 years)

I just wore three tops and found a massive blokes fleece at carboot ( 1£) for me I looked stuipd but I was warm.

Charity shops are great for basics, coats, jumpers, etc.
Even better, offer to volunteer in one. CV enhancing and first pick at the bargains too .
I love a good charity shop bargain

If you do have access to Aldi - think first about the supermarkets value ranges...they are often cheaper than Aldi. Now there are some value things that just aren't "value" IYSWIM - but washing powder - Asda's huge value washing powder box is way way way cheaper than Aldi's and does just as good a job IMHO.

The reusing stamps is postal fraud, so don't do that.

YY to the Asda value washing powder. Cheap and just as good as Persil, etc.

Even Waitrose and Ocado essentials are a good bet on occasions, and if you're flexible on delivery times, you can get slots for 99p or even free.

lol love the stamp tip.

Thanks 2nd coming-I cant spend pressies or stockpiles of food so its like savings of non monetary side.

Another thing is other peoples pressies

mothers day
fathers day
random kids parties can all derail the budget.

I know as daughter had 2birthday party invites and it was week before payday last week. went to b&m so advise if flush

then stockpile

cheap cards-store 21 did do 10pack kids birthday cards to £1 so 10p each
wrapping paper 3 for 2
sellotape-i also use for ebay parcels.

What I need to do this week hubby gets paid tommorow is

buy small pile boy girl pressies and put at bottom of wardrobe so imk not on mad expensive pressie dash as ladt min when we skint.

I joined local selling group and buy lots of my kids pressies 2nd hand and even got some free unopend johnsons baby products last week bit bottles oil, powder, bath bath..

join freecycle.

be ruthless declutter and sell anything dont need.

i sell kids old clothes to fund next size up.

if i see stuff even few sizes ahead cheap i buy it and stash it been doing this with kids shoes latly.

at xmas after 6weeks my daughters new school shoes broke and shop had shut down as was closing down sale. got some boots from charity shop £3.
they just broke so brought freind daughters old shoes.

I try to give some stuff away to mums at school and baby groups.
they do likewise get random bits from freinds.
some of it not to my taste so goes charity but some fab and appreciative.

Wannabe makes good point.

People in work also struggling too everythings going up wages are not.
only too happy to share our tips.
Some might judge me a sahm living off rich husband but living on 1 income has meants we really have to tighten out belts last few years.

I have been in lidls with last fiver week before payday.
cried over mot
run out nappies and wipes.

think my coping strategies just got better.

Did anyone see the mp helen goodman labour try live on £18 a week its on you tube and looked at her pile and thourght blimey some of what shes brought was expensive ie £1 teabags from iceland when basics 35p, saying she couldent afford coffee eating sandwiches and poatoes felt she dident shop around and lacked imagination.

Asda value flaovoured crisps - avoid....tasteless, nasty..complete wast of money.

HOMEBARGIANS!!!!! - often cheaper than aldi! 4 cans chopped tomatoes for £1 - you can't find Asda value range for under 31p.

Tescos value broccoli and value kidney beans are cheaper than Aldi and all other competitors at the moment.

Sainsbury's value 1.5kg carrots are cheaper than anyone else.

Aldis fruit and veg are almost always cheaper if you can get there.

Gumtree....free to join, some amazing deals and you can flog your stuff on there.

Oh, never buy Aldi coffee unless you have had your taste buds surgically removed.
It's the only item they stock that I can't get along with. I love Aldi round here, it's full of MC shoppers hoovering up the deals of the week

Katie - I learned that one the hard way a couple of weeks ago - it was like drinking tar with acid added...

It has been known that I use soda crystals in the washing manchine if I run out of washing powder. It works a treat and smell ok as most manchine still have redisue from the last wash in the system so smell fresh. Plus i use it in the kitchen for surfaces and tge floor.

Trust, the aftertaste is quite something too, no?
Still, it did encourage me to brush my teeth and gargle with a lot of listerine....

Are universal criedits likely to reduce the amount of benefit I recieve? If so by how much roughly?

I'm a coffee fascist, Katie, and Aldi's Colombian is not too offensive.
Also, Aldi do decent boots and so on. The shop has an app so you can check out its special buys (like guest items, usually seasonal) on a Thursday and a Sunday. Got some great snow boots and socks for DC last December....DD's are still going strong.

I once bought a plum tree for 99p from Aldi.
After a year or three it now produces enough fruit for eating, giving away and copious amounts of plum jam.
Best buy ever.

Farmfoods if you have do massive tins of tinned tomatos ( one tin equales the same and normal two sizes) they were up last week doing those big tins 2 for a pound normal price 89p worked out cheaper as got price of 4 tins normal size for 25p
looks at tin cupboard in kitchen full of massive tins of tomatos

Plus having beans/tomatos on toast is a good cheap breakfast for kids before school my dad used to make this all the time for my sister and myself in winter.

Crawling - the official line is that you'll get the same - just one monthly payment rather than different payments spread out. Although there is going to be a cap of £26,000 a year. So people getting more than that currently will lose out unless someone in your household gets DLA.

I think that is correct?

I love tomatoes, go through loads her both tinned and fresh. Will pop up today to stockpile on tins. Cheers for the heads up.
Disclaimer, I'm not poor, just tight

Where did I say I was "happily" scrounging? Pretty sure I mentioned the lack of jobs. If I were able to support us, I would do so.

minou - 27, but it's not looking as though there'll be plenty of decently paid jobs around in eight years, so it made more sense to try before declining fertility and increased chance of abnormalities kicked in. The point I was trying to make (and wording very badly) was that I was looking at a lifetime on benefits anyway, not because I'm a scrounger, but because there are no jobs here. I'm just sick of the suggestion that poor people shouldn't breed.

Anyway, daughter has just woken up so excuse me a while.