Fed up and skint!

Damian_Evans

Hi.

I earn 20k a year. I have a wife and a 3 year old, with a baby on the way. My mortgage is £700 p/m on a 50/50 repayment/interest only arrangement. Other bills total £350 p/m excluding food. Then I have a car to run, petrol maintenance etc. I have virtually nothing left after being paid. I thought about getting the home insulated (cavity wall) as this would save on the heating. To my disgust, I have found that it will cost me at least 200 quid!! All the companies I talked to asked if I was receiving any kind of benefit at all. I told them I was not. Apparently, if I WAS receiving benefit, the insulation would be done for nothing! So it appears to me, working my @rse off trying to make ends meet to support my family, I get nothing; but if I was a lazy, good for nothing so and so with no job, claiming dole, council tax benefit etc, I would also be entitled to free insulation for my home!!

Something just does not add up here. Work, and you get no help, shirk and you get everything given to you on a plate!

I'm fed up!!

dmg24

Welcome to the Benefits board. The board is here to help people get their benefits entitlement. Would you like help with your benefits entitlement?

bonnie_2

Not another one, perhaps you would like to try living on £94.50 a week dole money for a couple. Then tell us how you feel afterwards.
Obviously your mortgage is too high for you to afford.
What bills are you paying for them to equal £350 a month.
My weekly shopping comes to £60 a week for 4.
My outgoings = £281. water, gas, elec, sky, tv licence and phone and internet.
£16 £100 £21 £12 £40
Council tax £93

Car tax £16
Car insurance £38
Petrol + £60

liney

Well you certainly should be getting child tax credit, even if its only at the minimum rate - would that make you entitled to the free insulation? And Child Benefit of course.

Have a look on entitledto.com to give you an idea of anything else you might be able to get help with, and what you will get once baby number 2 arrives.

Damian_Evans

I think I have that sorted thanks. Child tax credit is all I am entitled to, unless you know differently, then I would appreciate any advice, thanks.

The thing is, if I work hard and get a rise next year, that rise, say £1000, less income tax and NI equates to approx £670. Punch £20000 into the governments tax credits calculator, make a note of the figure, then punch in £21000 (new salary) and deduct the result from the previous result (for a 20k salary). Then take this result away from my net rise of £670, and my net rise is worth, well, not a lot really! Is there a way my employer can legally pay me part of my salary cash in hand???


Thanks.

dmg24

No, there is no way that salary can be paid cash in hand. You may receive expenses, and some employers offer salary sacrifice schemes, but you would not receive cash in hand. That would be fraud.

Damian_Evans

bonnie wrote: »

Not another one, perhaps you would like to try living on £94.50 a week dole money. Then tell us how you feel afterwards.

I have a lot less than that a week Bonnie! I bet your outgoings are not what mine are? You must get the roof over your head paid for by the state, or live with mummy and daddy! Also, which bit of the country do you live in? I am in the south, it's expensive. If you live in the North, then your cost of living is less than mine anyway.

tom9980

By the way you decided to take out that mortgage, you wanted to have a child and you again decided to have a 2nd on the way. Most people on benefits dont want to be living off them at all, i would happily swap positions with you in a heartbeat if i had the chance.

As for not getting this grant you might not be claiming all your entitled to and there is maybe something that would get you the grant to get the insulation that you want.

trogen3

Hi just to let you know its not all milk and honey living on benefits. I live on £60 a week job seekers and I may get my rent paid and my council tax but I still have to feed my pre pay meters pay other commitments and pay my water bill no help with that hopefully going back to work soon benfits stops no run on benefits not out of work 26 weeks dont know how I am going to cope for the first month wont have money for bus fares. I am going back to work earning less then you and I am surporting my son at universty no help from my ex husband I get no money for my son no tax credits . I carry what little shopping I can afford home never had a car you can live with out one.
We are not all idle scroungers living on beniefits. I worked full time at my local hospital caring for people with cancer my take home pay was £800 a month I was the wage earner unitl I became ill you need to look at your udget.

Damian_Evans

dmg24 wrote: »

No, there is no way that salary can be paid cash in hand. You may receive expenses, and some employers offer salary sacrifice schemes, but you would not receive cash in hand. That would be fraud.

I thought as much.


Thanks anyway.

[Deleted User]

No need to be sarcastic. If it's cheaper to live in the north why not move?

Why not try going on the the other boards for advice on saving money on your outgoings rather than moan about those receiving benefits. This is not the reason for the boards being here.