So fed up!!

[Champagneandpringles24]

I am a single woman 36 with no children. I left my husband following years of abuse.

I have a full-time job earing just under £30,000 a year.

I privately rent because I my banding on social housing was lowest priority banding because in black and white I can afford to keep a roof over my head.

I tried to buy a shared ownership property because it works out cheaper than renting but because I cannot get life insurance due to a serious medical condition I was rejected.

I have today had to get myself an evening/weekend job just to be able to afford food.

Between my rent, bills and running a car I cannot afford to feed myself.

I have a serious terminal lung condition, asthma & obstructive sleep apnea (due to my lung condition) and applied for PIP but this was denied.

I just don't know how people are expected to survive.

My rent goes up 1st March, my council tax in April, my electricity etc etc. My wages will also go up slightly but any awarded payrises we get we have to wait for. Like last April's payrise we are not getting until this months the extra £86 I will earn per month won't even touch my increases.

Life just feels like one long miserable battle at the moment and I am so fed up.

Working these extra hours is really going to impact my health but I have no other option.

My job role is a progression role but it takes time.

Living like this is just making me feel so miserable. I worked so hard to leave my marriage and yes I live an abuse free life which is priceless but I am no happier because I cannot afford to live.

It is no wonder people feel stuck in horrible situations. I am really starting to hate the UK and how unfair the system is.

I didn't work much during my marriage because he didn't want me to because I was handy at home, cooking, cleaning and looking after his children. I was young and naive.

I have had to start at the bottom of my chosen career ladder

I can't afford a divorce and we have been separated almost 2 years now.

IId get some advice and reapply for PIP. Someone else will give better advice on how to to do this.
Do you have a financial settlement in place with ex?

If you are struggling to afford to eat then you need to get some help. I would go onto Facebook and put (an anonymous if you like) post on one of the local groups for advice.
There maybe food banks you don’t have to be referred to, although I’m sure your GP would do that anyway. There are schemes where I live like community supermarkets where the food is very cheap to buy and fruit and veg boxes.
This will immediately take the pressure off.

Talk to citizens advice and see what you might else be entitled to. Is there a charity for people with lung conditions that maybe able to advice/support? Might be able to help with PIP also.

If you are not divorced then under no circumstances buy a property. This will count as a marital asset and the last thing you want is to gift half of it to your ex. Honestly, OP most single people I know are in house shares. I was in one until the age of 38 so that I could save enough money for a deposit. It's shit but it's something that may just need to happen to let you catch up, save for a divorce (not sure what it is now but can't be much more than £600) and then make a solid plan to house hunt with a bit more financial stability and noone with a claim to your assets.

Support with PIP applications is a major part of my work and it is not dependent on diagnosis. It's dependent on level of function - being able to cook, shower, dress and get places independently. It sounds as though OP is able to do it which, I assume, is why she was denied. By all means get CAB advice but, on surface level, it seems unlikely that you will qualify.

That’s a pity.

OP I would think about lodging with someone. It’s not forever and you will have more fixed out goings so you can concentrate on saving. It might even be nice to live with another woman for a while with some of the pressure taken off.
I think being a single household sometimes is just too much money.

Just wanted to double down on what others have said. Maybe consider taking in a lodger/moving into a houseshare and reapply for PIP.

It sucks, it really does, but children get priority for housing (rightly so).

Also, stay on the council housing list and have a look around in other areas too.

Also, have a look on "entitled to" to see if you can claim some benefits such as a further reduction in council tax (I assume you're already claiming the 25% but some do more if you're on a low income) or universal credit.