Page 9 | Things have changed so much , so quickly?!

Icantcope · 22/08/2022 22:12

Babyroobs · 22/08/2022 21:57

I think maybe she means NI contributions rather than tax. But she should still look at Universal credit as a couple on a low income. They would get help if renting.

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Thank you... I think you are right about it being NI. ( I think ) After i received a letter from them saying i wasn't entitled to anything but giving no reason -- Just stating I didn't qualify - I phoned the number on the letter and they advised I hadn't paid enough in year 2020 to claim in 2022 .. i've probably misheard/ misunderstood. I've never heard of Turn2Us ( do they cover Scotland?) I will try to contact CAB for advice.. there isn't an office near us but I will search on line for a contact number... thank you - TheFormidableMrsC & others for taking the time to reply, it's such a relief just pouring all the fear and frustration out . Thank You

djdkdkddkek · 22/08/2022 22:13

antelopevalley · 22/08/2022 22:10

There is an incredible shortage of adapted houses with enough bedrooms for her dependent children.
Adapted council places tend to assume you have no children.

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so?
she can at least ask?

motheroftheyear95 · 22/08/2022 22:18

Icantcope · 22/08/2022 22:12

Thank you... I think you are right about it being NI. ( I think ) After i received a letter from them saying i wasn't entitled to anything but giving no reason -- Just stating I didn't qualify - I phoned the number on the letter and they advised I hadn't paid enough in year 2020 to claim in 2022 .. i've probably misheard/ misunderstood. I've never heard of Turn2Us ( do they cover Scotland?) I will try to contact CAB for advice.. there isn't an office near us but I will search on line for a contact number... thank you - TheFormidableMrsC & others for taking the time to reply, it's such a relief just pouring all the fear and frustration out . Thank You

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Yes just Goggled covers Scotland, I genuinely hope they can over you help and support.

motheroftheyear95 · 22/08/2022 22:19

*offer

Cyw2018 · 22/08/2022 22:19

I have no issue with you budgeting to take foreign holidays OP, however if you are physically up to the long days of traveling to an airport, through the airport, flight, then the other end and still being able to function, then I don't understand why you aren't able to work (WFH). With you academic achievements there should be something you can do that earns a reasonable amount even on part time hours.

oakleaffy · 22/08/2022 22:20

doodlywoodlydingdong · 22/08/2022 18:07

I just had my grown up kids around for dinner, not unusual but it got me thinking how much things have changed in the last 3 years. We are a very typical family. I'm 45 , 4 kids aged 13-25. Between me and my DH we have an income of around £34k but very soon it's going to drop by £4k annually.

Three years ago I would go food shopping and buy pretty much whatever I wanted. If I fancied it, it went into the trolley. Full English breakfast every Saturday, big fat roast dinner with a nice joint every Sunday. Two v cheap foreign holidays a year. I enjoyed making our money stretch as far as it possibly could with holiday bargains etc. Christmas was always glorious with loads of food and some nice gifts. Lots of entertaining. fast forward 3 years.

Today I was stood in the kitchen picking the meat off 6 chicken thighs to feed seven adults and a baby. The roast dinner was totally packed out with veg and spuds. Barely any chicken compared to what I would have served 3-4 years ago. I can't stretch to a joint of pork anymore, a whole chicken is a rare treat. So thighs it is. My kids are eating more and more pasta /noodles based dishes with hot dogs as protein. I have to think twice about what is the most efficient method to cook whatever meal it is to save money on the electric. My dogs are now on the cheapest possible kibble I can find. I was actually relieved when my lovely old cat suddenly died (?!) as I wouldn't have to find the extra money for vets fees as she was knocking on a bit. Thats now £ 18 a month I'm saving on litter and food and I feel like a monster for even typing that.

I use the l local food waste project wherever I can, save every penny I can, but ultimately I'm going to have to give up my mobility car as the money would be much better in my pocket . The trade off is that I will then be house bound and that "freed up " money will be going straight to EON from October .

AIBU to have a feeling of almost grief over all of this? It's been very slow and gradual trickling of price increases etc but suddenly it's taken 6 chicken thighs to push me over the edge and be ridiculously angry and upset about how our money can purchase so much less these days?

I feel exactly like you.
Too afraid to think about price rises.
Goodness knows how I’ll manage.

cestlavielife · 22/08/2022 22:20

Can you get in two lodgers? Tgat woukd bring in few hundred a month even after adfitionsl heating costs

Eastangular2000 · 22/08/2022 22:20

@Icantcope you should check your energy bills because you have definitely misunderstood something or signed up for a v expensive DD without checking the details.

antelopevalley · 22/08/2022 22:21

@Cyw2018 You think being transported by car, then in a wheelchair through the airport, then flying, wheelchair again, and being driven in a car to a hotel means you can work full time? Really!!

Letsbefriends · 22/08/2022 22:22

I struggle to understand people who think this is ok because other people are worse off.

It is a rubbish situation to be in OP.

We shouldn’t be getting worse off. Our standard of living should not be falling.

Eastangular2000 · 22/08/2022 22:23

antelopevalley · 22/08/2022 22:21

@Cyw2018 You think being transported by car, then in a wheelchair through the airport, then flying, wheelchair again, and being driven in a car to a hotel means you can work full time? Really!!

No they think it means that the OP may be able to do some sort of WFH, possibly part time HTH

Icantcope · 22/08/2022 22:23

Eastangular2000 · 22/08/2022 22:05

Sorry but this cannot be accurate. Standing costs for gas and electric are not 290 a month. You have misunderstood something somewhere

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I so wish I had but I have it writing from them .. they insisted they could only put us on a green flex tariff .. and the letter we have received from them states D/D is Electricity £91.29 per month and Gas £185.47 per month..
I called them.. and after nearly 2 hours getting bump from one person to another i was told that this was our monthly charge before any usage costs.

midlifecrash · 22/08/2022 22:24

Just sitting and thinking about your non-financial assets OP:
your resilience
your budgeting and planning skills
your family
I was wondering if you have been trying to shield the children from all of this, and whether some of it could be shared with the adult ones? I don’t mean they should give you money, just whether it would help to have them on board if younger ones question why no ice cream today, etc… not trying to be Pollyannaish and please ignore

motheroftheyear95 · 22/08/2022 22:25

antelopevalley · 22/08/2022 22:21

@Cyw2018 You think being transported by car, then in a wheelchair through the airport, then flying, wheelchair again, and being driven in a car to a hotel means you can work full time? Really!!

FGS many disabled people work, I’ve worked with a couple of wheelchair users myself.

antelopevalley · 22/08/2022 22:26

motheroftheyear95 · 22/08/2022 22:25

FGS many disabled people work, I’ve worked with a couple of wheelchair users myself.

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I am well aware of that. But being able to go abroad on holiday is not the same as being able to work.

Whyareyouasking · 22/08/2022 22:28

CurlyhairedAssassin · 22/08/2022 21:28

The issue is that those in charge or on huge City salaries will NEVER understand. I was thinking the other day about percentage increases in salaries and food and what it actually means for different people. Compare the increase in take home pay in 2 situations, both people getting a 3% pay increase:

Someone on 100k (approx £65,596 take home). Their pay increases to £103,000, which is approx £67,659 take home). This is a take home pay difference of £2063.

Someone on 30k (approx £24,204 take home). Their pay increases to £30,900 which is approx £24,805 take home). This is a take home pay difference of just £601.

The first person's take home increases by £2063. The second person's take home pay increases by £601, quite the difference. For people in the first category it's unlikely, then, that they're going to notice the effects of inflation as much as someone on a much lower salary whose salary increases don't actually MEAN particularly much in real life, who has already cut out luxuries and is looking to their pay increase to cover the essentials of like food, fuel and heating.

The more well off will say "oh well, I do have a large mortgage to pay you know, we NEED that big salary increase." They don't stop to think that if needs be they CAN always downsize to reduce their mortgage. Or change their car from a luxury new one to something more economical. Or stop the pony lessons, or only go on a skiing holiday every other year. Or make a few less trips to Waitrose and M&S, and shop in Aldi more instead.

When you're already IN the smallest house that your family can fit in, in the cheapest area - before your payrise - and when you have ALREADY sold your car to save on petrol and upkeep and when you have ALREADY turned the heating off except for an hour a day, and when you ALREADY shop for yellow labels, or economy brands, or even go without meals sometimes so your kids can eat etc etc, that £600 a year pay rise doesn't actually really go very far at all to cover inflationary rises of their basic spending.

Perhaps it's time to freeze the pay of those individuals on the very highest salaries and maybe they'd then start to feel it a bit.

Your figures are totally off. The 100k getting a 3k pay rise hit that threshold they will lose 60% to tax and then NI. Actually you’ve given a really bad example because in that scenario, having just tipped into what is effectively 60% income tax. They would only have a couple of hundred more than the person with a £900 pay rise despite on paper, gaining 3k.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 22/08/2022 22:28

antelopevalley · 22/08/2022 22:21

@Cyw2018 You think being transported by car, then in a wheelchair through the airport, then flying, wheelchair again, and being driven in a car to a hotel means you can work full time? Really!!

It certainly sounds more tiring than a computer-based part time WFH job would be, yes.

motheroftheyear95 · 22/08/2022 22:29

antelopevalley · 22/08/2022 22:26

I am well aware of that. But being able to go abroad on holiday is not the same as being able to work.

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Going to work is probably the safer option than travelling abroad to be honest!

Astrabees · 22/08/2022 22:29

Sometimes I’m so pleased to be a vegetarian, our roast costs around £3 and feeds 2of us for 2 days.

Eastangular2000 · 22/08/2022 22:31

Icantcope · 22/08/2022 22:23

I so wish I had but I have it writing from them .. they insisted they could only put us on a green flex tariff .. and the letter we have received from them states D/D is Electricity £91.29 per month and Gas £185.47 per month..
I called them.. and after nearly 2 hours getting bump from one person to another i was told that this was our monthly charge before any usage costs.

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A quick look at the scottish power website makes it clear you have misunderstood. It seems likely you have signed up fo an expensive fixed tariff but you have totally got the wrong end of the stick re standing charges.

motheroftheyear95 · 22/08/2022 22:31

Astrabees · 22/08/2022 22:29

Sometimes I’m so pleased to be a vegetarian, our roast costs around £3 and feeds 2of us for 2 days.

Good for you

Icantcope · 22/08/2022 22:31

Babyroobs · 22/08/2022 21:52

Do you have rent to pay? If so have you looked at whether you'd qualify for any Universal credit ? I hope things improve for you soon.

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Yes we pay full rent and council tax... we have always done so .. I will try phoning the benefits agency tomorrow and ask about Universal credit.. the person i spoke to there original just told me I wasn;t entitled to anything and that was it... I wasn't aware we could apply for this.. Thank you

Blossomtoes · 22/08/2022 22:31

Way to miss the point @Whyareyouasking. It’s the principle that matters, not the details.

SavingsThreads · 22/08/2022 22:33

now listen, lots of people earn a below average salary. And if they do, we shouldn’t expect them to eat dirt and live in rags and squalor. How very dare OP have lived a decent lifestyle?

Because Op's house isn't on below average income so that's why people are taking umbrage with the 'can't afford a joint of meat'

threecupsofteaminimum · 22/08/2022 22:34

Brexit. Tories, Boris Johnson.

That's why.