What are you going to do when you just run out of money?

[batvixen123]

My situation - I'm currently working from home. DH is on furlough, but is bringing in considerably less than he would do normally due to the cap on earnings. Am aware we were v lucky before. DH's company is one which relies on people being allowed to interact in public - they can't work while mass gatherings, and hospitality is shut down. Currently the company owner is pretty honest about the fact that they know the company will go bankrupt, but they're keeping it open on paper in order to be able to get their staff furlough pay. Once furlough pay stops, the company goes into liquidation.

DH has worked in his industry for over 20 years. I think it would be challenging for him to get a new job in another industry. Especially if he can't leave the house - he has severe asthma and so is meant to be shielding. If shielding continues until we have a vaccine, potentially 1-2 years, he won't be able to work.

If DH can't work and his furlough pay stops, which we expect will happen well before a vaccine appears, then we won't be able to pay the mortgage. We have savings that will last us maybe 4-5 months but not more. Certainly not years. I don't see how we can put the house on the market to sell it before foreclosure if we are meant to be shielding. I don't see how we can move house without massively breaking shielding.

If we're going to have to break shielding anyway, is he best off just finding some kind of work when furlough ends and he loses his job, even if it involves going out for some of the time? Are there any other options?

What are other people in the shielding category going to do when they stop receiving furlough pay etc if the expectation is that they can't engage with the world again until there is a vaccine?

i have clients who receive £1200 in childcare alone, then rent top ups and credits and CB in addition. People get a lot more than £2k a month handed to them already

If they are working, they are exempt from the cap anyway.

Working 16 hours is the way around the cap.

Working 16 hours is the way around the cap

Not if you're a couple.

A couple of what ?

bat, many furloughs allow you to get a different full time job - in some cases people are doubling their pay in furlough at tax payer expense so your husband tomorrow could get a job in Tesco etc. I would not wait until furlough is over but get him applying for jobs tonight.

@Xenia - the issue isn't the furlough, it's the shielding. If he ignores shielding I'm no worried - worst case scenario he's a fully qualified electrician, and has experience in a bunch of trade stuff. And we have savings for the short term. What I'm panicking about is how we keep him safe inside the house and stay afloat. I would happily ditch the house in a heartbeat if the alternative is my husband being at serious risk.

Sit in the house with no gas or electric, wait for bailiffs to turn up again, get thrown out of house.

The 16 hours is for single people and those on legacy benefits, no? All new claims are UC, however, different rules.

If he is an electrician, could he repair stuff, maybe using his contacts in the music/theatre business to pick up some work? Drop off a broken amp and collect it when it is repaired etc?

Perhaps not the most lucrative, but keeps his contacts up and allows him to gain some work while shielding.

I can see all us women working and men staying at home as we are 50% less likely to die from the virus.

Exactly, it worked in the war when the men were fighting.
I was laughed at for saying there were similarities to war time.
The kids will be sent out to help on the farms, too, I bet.

I was laughed at for saying there were similarities to war time.

How so? The men were not sat at home then, but working themselves in capacities including soldiering and sailing which most assuredly risked their lives.

The kids will be sent out to help on the farms, too, I bet.

To get away from what? There are no bombs dropping.

Could he work on new builds? I think social distancing would be easier on small building sites. Does he have his own van?

I don't know his level of vulnerability but a lot of building projects are continuing with distancing eg a house 3 doors down - massive project sill going on as there are2 painters working huge distances apart and no doubt people inside. End of my road the private school has builders every day on the new sports hall who are very distant from each other. I have sky repairman coming on Monday to work outside only on the satellite dish. My son drives groceries every day and does not have to meet anyone as the food is left on the door step.

Sometimes a bi of physical risk is worth it to avoid financial disaster.

Obvious one here - but have you applied for child benefit. (If he earned more than £50k before.)

Mumoftwoyoungkids - I'm a complete idiot and didn't even think of that! Yes! We are eligible now!

Good news about the child benefit!

Furlough Scheme has been extended to June. This is from the Telegraph’s live rolling Coronavirus coverage today:

Chancellor extends furlough scheme to June
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has extended the government's furlough scheme for a further month, as the coronavirus lockdown rumbles on.

Following the decision to extend the social distancing measures for a minimum of three weeks, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will run until the end of June.

The scheme, which allows firms to furlough employees with the government paying cash grants of 80 per cent of their wages up to a maximum of £2,500, was originally open for three months and backdated from the 1 March to the end of May.

Mr Sunak, said: " With the extension of the coronavirus lockdown measures yesterday, it is the right decision to extend the furlough scheme for a month to the end of June to provide clarity.

“It is vital for people’s livelihoods that the UK economy gets up and running again when it is safe to do so, and I will continue to review the scheme so it is supporting our recovery.”

Furlough, fine for those who have it but plenty of the rest of us will be paying through the nose for schemes from which we get zero benefit next year. I hope those whom we have helped are eternally grateful!

Fuck off with your whining Xenia.

We’re fortunate enough not to be eligible for any of the current support measures too.

Not everyone who pays a lot of tax begrudges seeing others get help when they need it.

Not everyone who pays a lot of tax begrudges seeing others get help when they need it

Exactly this. We’re a high earning family, and are just thankful our income isn’t currently affected rather than being bitter that other people are getting something we don’t. And yes, our taxes will go up to pay for it. Aren’t we lucky that we earn enough to pay higher taxes.

Do you think it might be a bit tone deaf to be bitching and moaning about this on a thread that is specifically about people who are shielding Xenia?

If society doesn’t take care of each other, it will fall apart so it benefits everyone

Yes I would think anyone who is shielding would in a heartbeat prefer to be on the other side and carry on as they were before this. And we are grateful for the potential lifeline that is coming but the future beyond the furlough and self employed grant period is worrying both financially and with the prospect of being shut inside indefinitely.

Xenia has said clearly she thinks people like us in the shielding group should just be allowed to die so her business can continue as normal.

I’m in a similar boat OP. The mortgage holiday has helped keep us afloat, but that only lasts two more months. After that, barring some sort of miracle (lottery win?) we will have to sell the house - and I don’t know how we’ll be able to do that in the current climate. We also have a baby on the way - talk about bad timing! It’s ridiculously stressful.