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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

for being annoyed that our tax is paying for people to buy wallpaper.

536 replies

suzexxx · 31/05/2013 07:51

I saw a post from a girl on facebook asking whether the social could help her buy things to do up her home e.g wallpaper and paint. Alot of people commented that she could get some vouchers to use on a certain paint brand and B&Q etc.

AIBU to think this girl should save some money or attempt to get a job for extra luxeries before expecting the social to foot the bill?

I'm moving house next month and the whole house will need decorating. However i am realistic in the fact i won't be able to afford to wallpaper the whole place at once, instead doing a bit at a time as and when i can afford it. My partner earns a moderate income and i'm currently on maternity leave, so money is tighter at the moment, but would never expect someone to pay for something i could manage without like wallpaper.

I completely understand people using the social to buy essential items such as a cooker or fridge, but not non essentials.

OP posts:
JaquelineHyde · 31/05/2013 11:57

OP can you link to the posts on the selling page please as I would like to see the context of the conversation you are reporting to us.

CorrStagnitto · 31/05/2013 12:00

Yes i would be interested to see this facebook selling page too? as a FB business page owner myself its not something i would put on my selling page so does seem a bit odd Hmm

Birdsgottafly · 31/05/2013 12:00

Salbertina, the OP said that she was a Nurse, but didn't work for the NHS.

I want to know about the private patients that she treated in prisons, tbh.

LegoAcupuncture · 31/05/2013 12:02

Was the person maybe referring to a social loan? Where she has today so much back from her benefits?

I live in a council house, both DH and I work and pay full rent, have done so since we became council tenants in 1999.

Back in the day they didn't give you vouchers for decorating but they did give you x amount of free weeks rent so you could use your rent money to decorate.

The property we live in now, we moved in here three years ago, we got £245 in B&Q vouchers. The house needed decorated from top to bottom. The previous tenants had lived in the house since it was build in the 1950s. There was 7 layers of wallpaper in the living room, took us through the decades when removing it. It needed decorating not only because of the old wallpaper/paint but also because the council had to being the property up to date as had not been done since it was built. The £245 certainly didn't cover all the rooms.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 31/05/2013 12:03

Have we got on to suggesting poor people use newspaper instead of bogroll yet?

I do hope we're all remembering to judge that extravegance. Myself, I re-use the newspaper so as not to be extravegant.

Original poster
suzexxx · 31/05/2013 12:06

I'm not going to get into the pros & cons of nursing as a career as thats a different thread and causes debate. Obviously i work for the money, but nursing isn't too well paid i earn only a little bit more compared to when i worked a shop manager, with less stress and hours. My main reason for doing nursing was to help people, i don't really know lots about patients social life, i wouldnt judge someone at work. Of course i judge people in real life (sometimes without meaning to) it's human nature and i'm no saint just because i'm a nurse. And thank you to the poster being nice to me, i did apologise further back in the thread.

OP posts:
CorrStagnitto · 31/05/2013 12:07

LRDtheFeministDragon why waste tress when you have a perfectly good hand to wipe your ass with?

purpleflower123 · 31/05/2013 12:08

I moved in to a 2 bed bungalow. I got £160 b&q vouchers and they offered to leave the living room carpet (which stunk and I couldn't have my crawling baby on) The vouchers specifically said they couldn't be used towards flooring or any building supplies (plaster board tape to help with the cracks etc)

I've now swapped in to a 3 bed pre-fab made of steel, asbestos and plastic cladding that should've been torn down by now.

My vouchers in the first place didn't go very far. If the HA had paid someone to do it it would've cost them a hell of alot more as I did the labour for free.

JaquelineHyde · 31/05/2013 12:10

Please link to the selling page OP, I would like to see what this lady has written for myself.

Original poster
suzexxx · 31/05/2013 12:11

The post from the girl on the selling page was deleted by the moderator as it caused a lot of arguements when the girl said all childminders were paedos.

OP posts:
JumpingJackSprat · 31/05/2013 12:11

I don't think she is getting too hard a time, I'm bloody glad she's getting flamed as it might make her think twice about her judgemental, nasty attitude. What if after childcare, that girl wouldn't have enough to live on? You're fortunate that you're able to live off your DPs earnings and SMP while you're doing what she is doing - looking after your respective children. What if she doesn't have a DP to rely on, and hasn't had the opportunities you have had to get trained as a nurse or into another career? You have no idea what she may have gone through and how much of a struggle she may have to get by and I think you need to get your head in the real world and realise that a life on benefits IS NOT FUN. £100 will maybe get you a few cans of paint and a brush, and wouldn't recarpet a room. Wallpaper is probably the same cost as painting a room once you take into account the cost of preparing the walls for paint.

Never mind eh OP you sit up there safe and sound in your lovely ivory tower and cast judgements on everyone else.

CorrStagnitto · 31/05/2013 12:12

deleted? oh how convienent

CorrStagnitto · 31/05/2013 12:13

which selling page was it?

Original poster
suzexxx · 31/05/2013 12:17

Not sure why i would lie to start a thread. The moderator deleted the post as its a selling page and didn't want arguements. Posting about benefits on that page causes different opinions.

OP posts:
CorrStagnitto · 31/05/2013 12:19

nobody said you were lying, which selling page was it? i use most of them for my online business so will probably know of it

ItsallisnowaFeegle · 31/05/2013 12:20

I fully support you in saying that as human beings we make judgements about everyone we are exposed to.

My personal opinion is that it's how we manage that, that makes us better people.

flanbase · 31/05/2013 12:21

I am surprised that people in social housing get money to pay for decoration. I would have thought it better for the people who own the housing to provide a proper place to live than giving this sort of cash to those living there.

Cloverer · 31/05/2013 12:28

It would be flanbase, but redecorating and carpetting a 2 bed flat, plus labour, would cost them more than just chucking the tenant a £200 B&Q voucher.

boxershorts · 31/05/2013 12:37

yeh suzexxx I see what you mean. But if we knew everything we spend tax on we would all have a list as long as yo with some people at Govt junketting, bullets and bombs, MPs expenses.

If we knew the truth about what taxpayers money is spend on, it would make us very, very cross.

Would you really like to know? Or is a little bit of ignorance bliss?

boxershorts · 31/05/2013 12:38

I have never been all that comfortable about big figures involved in govt expenditure. But my hunch is that it is full of fiddling at the top.

pinkballetflats · 31/05/2013 12:42

The thing is OP you've seriously offended people - including me.

Would you like to hear my story? Its a corker and its not uncommon.

You need to remember you are one health disaster/tragedy/divorce away from entering on the precipice yourself - life on benefits can happen to anyone.

Oh and I didn't assume you were claiming tax credits - I asked - to assume would be thinking that you do claim them.

Original poster
suzexxx · 31/05/2013 12:44

It was on buy, sell,swap, free facebooks biggest carboot. Will post a link later as i'm on my phone now. I know the thread got removed as i was following it and it was removed from my notifications.

OP posts:
Original poster
suzexxx · 31/05/2013 12:47

I've been there before as i've mentioned in previous posts. If it were to happen again i would do everything i could to get myself out of the situation and wouldn't expect everything for free, not suggesting everyone does, but people do.

OP posts:
Birdsgottafly · 31/05/2013 12:49

There is a big difference to making judgements based on ignorance, which the OP does and making an informed judgement.

I am sick of it being said that all of us make judgement without knowing the facts, many of us don't, we bother to inform ourselves about our society and how it is constructed and created.

Then we rationalise and think about what we are actually judging before we would attack someone personally, or declare that they should live without what a good majority of people in our society have.

Low wages, lack of employment/opportunities, lack of decent affordable housing and being a lone financially responsible parent are all out of the lower end of society, individuals control.

Birdsgottafly · 31/05/2013 12:59

We have created a society that makes "winners and losers" and be thankful that those that are "losers" are happy to be thrown the odd £200 and told to sort themselves out, with a bit on top to survive on each week, otherwise we would be living in anarchy.

We need a percentage of people to be happy to live on benefits, there isn't jobs for everyone and we couldn't afford to have full employment.

Those that create the wage system, would never give enough to have everyone live independently.

That is why those in power are happy for this to continue and every now and gain throw a bit extra in. To create a fair society, that would level everyone out, would make those at the top "a loser" just like most people and they enjoy being a "winner" and sitting back and creating these "moral panics" that the likes of the DM love.

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