It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

[Deleted User]

aril I agree with you re keeping the strong front for the dh. Mine is very sensitive too and can`t wear worry. Many is the time that I have been asked something or dh does something and I have explained to him what to do loads of times previously. I mutter something in my head, where only I can hear and smile sweetly whilst giving him the positive response he needs. Lol, women the weaker sex, my eye!!!!!

re immune system Mardatha: stress, keep it away, it is physically destructive. If feeling stressed then let it all out here on the board. It turns internal as we all know, butterflies in stomach and needing the loo etc are only surface signs. It gets deeper than that

Eat lots and lots of veg in all colours. eg Soups with a lot of veg and a chunk of wholemeal bread. Cooked tomatoes valuable esp tinned and bright red ones

Keep meat to a minimum and eat oily fish

D3 see Ted Hutchinson posts

You all know the rest re smoking, booze, lack of sleep. Electromagnetic waves etc.

ceridwen

Icemaiden wrote: »

I wasn't going to comment on this as I know its is a very touchy subject but, if you rent your property and claim benefits you are considerably better off then if you have a mortgage. Whilst you might only receive £60 odd pounds a week from one agency you then have your rent paid in full and your council tax paid. Surely this should ALL be taken into account when totting up the final amount or is it that because HB is paid directly to the landlord/council/HA that people don't include it

Hugs to all who are in dire straights atm,

There but for the grace of god.....

Ice
x

'Tis true re the rent - but that assumes that one isnt deemed to be living in bigger (ie more expensive) property than is deemed necessary by the powers-that-be. As a single person - I'm not even sure that all my rent would be covered for a one-bedroom flat and think its possible I might be expected to pay a contribution towards it out of that £60.50:eek: . The safest position to be in right now is to be living in public-sector rented housing of the same size the authorities would think is suitable for your size household. That way - all the rent will be paid okay and you wouldnt have to find the money to insure your home itself or to maintain your home. We are all in a variety of housing situations - with my home being my own then I know I can keep it okay, despite the fact that it would be deemed to be too big for me (4 rooms/kitchen/bathroom) - so thats a plus. On the other hand - thank goodness I dont have to take into account not getting some of the mortgage "interest" money I would be due for (ie that disqualification period at the start of a benefit claim) - as I paid off my mortgage in anticipation of this Depression. The down side is that - as a home-owner - I have to insure the house, as well as its contents. I also have to maintain the house. From queries I made the other day - it seems that the DWP no longer gives that extra few £s per week in benefit that home-owners need to cover that insurance/maintenance (so that would need to come out of the £60.50 as well!:eek: - so I anticipate that personally, as a home-owner, I would only have about £52 per week after setting aside money for the building insurance and building upkeep). I'm not sure if that £8.50 would cover all that in fact - when I bear in mind that my house needs about £7,500 of work right now - yep....thats basically maintenance...down to it deteriorating since I bought it....I estimate that only about £1,500 of that money is down to previous owners neglecting it. The other £6,000 is just maintenance - because of things that I did now needing re-doing - as they have deteriorated so much.

ceridwen

Hmmmm...scanning the papers for the day and see:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/britain-is-facing-return-of-threeday-week-1515307.html

Well.......I've had a distinct suspicion for the last few weeks that the Government has been giving a "nod and a wink" to employers to cut the workweek - rather than make people redundant.......and I reckon this confirms I was right.

After all - it suits the Government better for several people to go down to a 3 day workweek for instance, rather than one of them lose ALL their job. If they all lose PART of their job instead - then the unemployment figures look like they are smaller than they really are - but a "job worth" of work would still have vanished between those several workers.

So - just urging people to remember that the law apparently doesnt allow employers to IMPOSE a shorter workweek on employees (and I guess if the British Govt tried to change that - then we could/would go off to the European Court to stop them). The employee concerned can refuse to take a cut in hours. Obviously - there would be the risk of redundancy/early retirement if they do - but that is up to each individual person to decide which is the "lesser of two evils" to them personally and assess what the risk level is of being made redundant if they refuse.

One other thought that strikes me is that its impossible for low-paid childless workers to even go down to a 4 day workweek (never mind a 3 day one). Reason - as a full-time worker - if they cut my workweek down to 4 days even - then I would be on less than 30 hours per week. As a childless person I cant do that if I wanted to - as childless people have to work at least 30 hours per week to be eligible for Working Tax Credit to make up as much as they could of that missing salary. People with children might agree to a 3 day week (as they would still be working at least the 16 hours per week they have to do to qualify for W.T.C.).

EDIT: people might have to wait to read that link later - looks like the server is inundated with people reading that newspaper website right now...

mummysaver

Interesting thought Ceridwen, I wonder how it would work financially for the average paid worker if hours were cut and those with children did 16hrs and those without under 16s or 18s did 30hrs? One thing I'm pretty certain about is that if it happened on a wide enough scale then this inequity between those with and without children, concerning the hours necessary to work before claiming WTC, would have to change - people would realise that it really is unfair.

wigglebeena

Aril wrote: »

Hugs to all those who are in need today. I picked up the free Tesco instore magazine today and it has a week's worth of menu for feeding a family on a budget. I'm sure the Old Stylers could reduce the estimated cost yet further but it could make a starting point for those new to meal planning or feeling too stressed to do the thinking involved.

I was looking at one of those 'Feed a Family for a Fiver' leaflets in Sainsbury's yesterday and it was a joke: commented to the OH that by OS modifying the ingredients a touch, I could feed the same family for about £2.50 and have a lot of ingredients left over to contribute to other meals. They choose a lot of expensive stuff to put in and assume we're so stupid we won't notice that the end result is to actually increase our weekly spend while feeling 'frugal'.

I do dislike Mr S.

calleyw

wigglebeena wrote: »

I was looking at one of those 'Feed a Family for a Fiver' leaflets in Sainsbury's yesterday and it was a joke: commented to the OH that by OS modifying the ingredients a touch, I could feed the same family for about £2.50 and have a lot of ingredients left over to contribute to other meals. They choose a lot of expensive stuff to put in and assume we're so stupid we won't notice that the end result is to actually increase our weekly spend while feeling 'frugal'.

I do dislike Mr S.

I think you will find the £5 covers the cost all the ingredients even if there is some left over. So say you buy a bag of peas the whole cost is included. Not just the portion that was used.

Most people on O/S tend to work their meal pricing on what they used not the overall cost of the ingredients.

Yours

Calley

wigglebeena

What I was thinking of was that they used ingredients that were more expensive and came in smaller bags/portions, e.g. arborio rice that's over a pound for a tiny bag, instead of a huge economy bag of long-grain.

mardatha

Re benefits to home owners v tenants... I think if we get the full rent paid, then you should get the full mortgage paid. It's the same thing, its the roof over your head and I don't see any difference between the two, so I dono how the govt does !
My dad was a miner, almost communist at times although he said that communism was a great idea but that people were not great enough to live up to it .. He always said never EVER buy a house. So I didnt ! And just as well, since the OH worked in the docks and was always on strike or out of work. Then he had to re-train as a gardener on very low wages. We would have been re-possessed umtpeen times by now.
You're right re stress being a killer Kittie.. I now blank out all family squabbles - but I struggle with the biggies like my elder son who just walked out of a job he's been in for 8 years. Although it was a horrible low paid office cleaning one, it was none the less a job ..I never worry about money though - just family.

[Deleted User]

I worry about family too mardatha but I try not to these days. Just think back to how grown up you were at their age and how we learnt to bear the results of our own decisions. We never worried about our parents being worried and our grown up children would not want us to be worried for them. So I try not to worry any more

I am feeling very vengeful with tesco this morning. I cycled there yesterday as I wanted some fresh air hence me not using the local shops. I have a times subscription ie a token for every paper. T short changed me yesterday by 60 pence and I only realised this morning, so I cycled there again. They are kicking against me getting my 60p back, saying that it is against their policy. I am going back there tomorrow and will cause ructions if they don`t stump up.

I got some moral revenge just now. I had no intention of doing an online shop but I thought at least I will feel better if I can get something out of tesco. I spent £55.42 online and found a £5 voucher. Delivery is £4.50 and I think I might also get a petrol coupon for 5p a litre. They are mainly things to add to my storecupboard anyway and almost everything is at half price, so I am having the last laugh in a way
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

mardatha

aye -- never mix it wi a granny on a bike !! we are KICK !!! WIMMEN ! whoohooo Kittie !