well enough off to have decent household equipment that was likely new when bought, covered by guarantees/warranties and less likely to break down anyway
Not really no. I cant tell my family I claim JSA. I currently have a broken applicance, that resulted in weeks of calls from a family member asking why its not been replaced and offers of them to pay it if i cant. But i know that would make them feel entitled to know my current state of financial affairs. Even tho they now i made redundant when heavily pregnant. My oven had been broken for a year - so we've done without (it broke christmas eve 2016) couldnt afford the £30 to replace the broken part. So I've made do without. A past poster said theyve had the panic of the washing machine daring to make a weird noise! Same! I cant afford to replace anything. Even when I had money I have a make-do-and-mend attitude and conversative habits, as a result of childhood experiences. So it's prepared me for this kind of situation.
My toilet flush broke in May, it was a fixed badly by plumber so when it broken again i couldnt afford to fix it again, because he'd have to remove the wall again as its a complicated modern unit, so did without the toilet working properly until November. He actually did it very very reduced price, as the first fix hadnt worked, but i didnt know he'd offer that, so had spent ages trying to avoid another bill. It's the fear factor l learnt to live with and try to avoid.
Couldnt afford to fix the lights in the kids bathroom with no window so was an useable room, pitch black.
The debts relate to the difference in fixed fees i still have to pay each month that are not covered by benefits, ie. parking, ground rent, ridic high service charge thats almost as much as the mortgage.
I couldnt even afford to hire a (20ft) ladder, so applied to local fire station for a safety check (you can get one if in an at risk demographic) . They helped me changed the batteries in 2 smoke alarms (which some new-build-housing numpty has installed as permanent wired fixture, 24ft high up). Their first ladder was too short, so sent a second engine with bigger rig.
Yes, too poor to change a fire alarm.
So what would I have done without credit.....I make do, I go without, things stay unreplaced, unfixed, credit is purely for things i cant now avoid that im tied into from way before so those debts builds up so i dont default on bills,
And i rely on very generous benefits and public services like the fire service example. To maintain us.
I hope to God I'm never made redundant or unemployed again.
But im grateful theres a generous system, and yet i dont think it's particularly fair iv done so well out of it while others work their ass off to maintain themselves.