AIBU to think that I shouldn't have bothered working and paying into National Insurance for the 35 years I have done so?

[HauntedBungalow]

When all I will get is the bare State Pension. Whereas other people who did not make these contributions and/or did not work will get Pension Credit plus all the other nice little add ons like Council Tax Support, free boilers and now Winter Fuel Allowance? AIBU to think I'm a mug for bothering to work all those years?

How can you downsize if you are already in a tiny one bed flat?

Nobody living in an owned home should need policing, the fire service, refuse collection or public services of any sort by your logic then.

This is all getting very reminiscent of the WEF assertion that we should own nothing and be happy.....

Why?

A tiny 1 bed flat won’t be worth much unless it’s in Kensington, perhaps they should introduce a cap and claim back the proceeds from the sale of property after death.

No, homes get repossessed because you can't afford to pay to pay for them. Mine is paid off... fully owned. Why do I need to sell and downsize?

I don't think Rainbowsponge is posting in good faith. I think they're enjoying giving us a kicking to be honest.

I think you are right.

Well you don’t speak for everyone.

I’d have loved to have worked part time to spend more time with my DC. But we couldn’t afford it, so I went back to work before they were 1.

We also had 2 children rather than 3 as we don’t expect other people to pay for them.

Why is everyone so accepting of a system by which even white collar professionals struggle to make ends meet? Where families with two people working full time still need state top ups? Why is no-one up in arms about this? About employment and housing being so precarious? About health care and social care being a shambles? About those in power doing very nicely thank you at the expense of the people they allegedly "serve" ?

What about the fact that government's can be sued by corporations if they dare to interfere with their profit making ability? What about lobbyists and the revolving door phenomenon? The fact that our Lords and Masters can shuffle public money around in their own interests yet see children in poverty and shrug?

Oh no, it's all the fault of poor people. All of it.

Are you really suggesting people who cannot work should be left to die in the gutter by our society? Unless provided for by charities? I'll tell that to my 65 year old friend, who hasn't worked in 43 years. She's been a wonderful mother and carer for her severely disabled child for all that time, to the detriment of her own health. But by your standards, they should both be destitute? I'm so disgusted by your attitude. Many people have valid reasons for not having been able to work. If by any chance you didn't mean to include them in your cruel sweeping statement, please watch your words in future - they wound the unfortunate even more. I think you'll find the charity of those with the most in our society is sadly lacking - many seem to hoard wealth. In my experience, those with less often have more generosity. I'm glad I had the privilege of going out to work, and didn't receive a penny of the benefits my friend had no option but to claim!

Spot on

Epitomises the unfairness of it all. My family and friends could never have afforded 5 children and they are working

I think the point is, should someone like OP who's worked all her life and paid NI, but not been able to build up much of a private pension still get Winter Fuel Allowance? Of course she should! Even Sainsbury's gives me some money off my shopping if I go there every week. They don't say 'other people need it more so we're going to give your points away to a food bank!'

DH PAID INTO A FUCKING PENSION AND THEY WENT BUST He has a very small private pension of £32 a week rather than the full amount. Topped up by Pension Credit. So bugger off with your handouts crap.
We live in a small one bedroom social housing flat. Got no kids so no handouts for that See? Not nice is it.
Another point is if i had reproduced we wouldnt still be in this tiny little sweatbox Oh and DH worked First for Marconi Comminications then as an engineer until an accident at work and then volunteered at a day centre for the disabled which is where i met him.

If that was my parents or retired loved ones I would be encouraging equity release - it feels like pretty much the perfect situation for it.

I don't think people should receive benefits to enable them to afford a large luxury home, of course assets should be taken into consideration when it comes to means testing.

What are you talking about? Seriously? If Labour could win an election on the basis of votes from people on benefits how would we have had a Tory government?

Trouble is means testing against pensioners homes that they own outright and forcing them to sell is skewed by the fact that house prices have been inflated so an average family home or bungalow may command a luxury price tag, but isn't actually a mansion. Down sizing in realistic terms from a high price area might mean ending up far from family and support networks. Moving house is in the top three stressors and imposing it on a generation who may be already suffering health challenges could be very detrimental and cancel out perceived savings to the state in terms of extra health support then needed.

There are no easy answers obviously but residential care eats up the value of an average home pretty damn quickly as it stands.

Our system has been built on inherited wealth and for a while the working classes were encouraged to join in. However geopolitics and stock market shenanigans have precluded subsequent generations from working their way up and owning property, which has become another useful tool in the divide and rule arsenal so beloved of today's politicians.

you don't think clearly. We all live with the amount we got, get now , will etc. If some get it through benefits, big deal. You get what you get. Be glad you did it the moral way. Some call it carma, some God and we all will give account

@MistressoftheDarkSide I agree it is V complicated, of course an average sized house should not be considered a luxury house because of the inflated price tag!
Realistically benefits wouldnt be enough to afford the upkeep of a very large place and so you'd have to move somewhere where the upkeep is lower, or release equity.
Both of which are also complicated!

The people who don't/didn't work have actually probably been better off. I work, my partner works. We have 2 young children. We rent privately, pay cou cil tax, child care fees etc etc. We have enough left for a decent life, don't get me wrong but we still have to be careful. Now, I have friends and acquaintances who do not work. They get most of if not all of their rent paid. Vouchers for food. Council tax discounts. Universal credit. Free childcare from the age of 2 and they get free child activity days in clubs for FREE so they can sit at home doing eff all and yet we pay for our childcare so we can work. Alot of them go out and buy their designer clothes/bags/ shoes, get their hair and nails done regularly. They don't pay prescriptions or dental fees. Sorry but o think the ones who don't work have it much better than the ones who do.

@Shmee1988 I agree it’s unfair but I do think it’s right there are clubs and activities to make the children’s lives nicer (as parents won’t/ can’t).

Not just your post but everyone that mentions, when writing regarding these types of senarios, that a person/person's getting this, that and whatever "FREE* is a bit misleading.

A brunt of it is courtesy of the tax payers.