It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

blackcoffee

JoolzS wrote: »

This made me :eek:. £1,000 is more than I paid to buy my car, get it through an MOT two months later, tax it, and insure it. What sort of car costs £1,000 to service???

Julie

well it made me :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :mad:

it needed 4 new tyres, brake pads and disks and something else that i dont recall as it had just done over 60,000 miles, and a load of other things that made no sense to me either.

blackcoffee

MRSTITTLEMOUSE wrote: »

I know what you mean and I feel exactly the same.I also feel that things are going to get much,much worse in the future.Saying "the lunatics have taken over the asylum" seems very apt in the circumstances.I think this government is realy clutching at straws and just trying to pacify us all in the short term.I also think we're in too deep for any of the things in the budget(and too late in the procedings anyway)for anything to help us.
By the calculator we'll be £131 better off,big deal.In years to come we're going to be much more worse off.
The VAT decrease means nothing unless you've got money to spend.In our own case and a lot of other people I know off who rely on yearly bonuses to make up salaries we can't spend as this year we just did'nt get bonuses as the companies were'nt paying any out to anyone.It was a case of bonuses or jobs.That means a loss of about 8k in our case I/3rd of our income.There's no way we can make that up.Still at least my OH has his job a lot in the same company lost theirs.
I can honestly say I fear for the future.

we are one of those families waiting to hear what dh's christmas bonus will be !!

We do have a rental property fully owned, that we could mortage, the rent would easily cover the mortage, and leave some spare to save, at the moment that rent gets paid into savings, however no one is lending at he moment, so we dont even know if we could get a mortage on it and that is our retirement fund.

Cinny91

blackcoffee wrote: »

it needed 4 new tyres, brake pads and disks and something else that i dont recall as it had just done over 60,000 miles, and a load of other things that made no sense to me either.

My boyfriends car is a money pit. :rolleyes: Constantly in the garage for something or another.

On the brightside this afternoon I read a book of my mothers on self-sufficiency. I am now fully read up on how to chop up a whole pig, roll a fleece, sheer sheep, kill rabbits and make butter :rolleyes:

Came home from work, put some soup on, nipped upstairs and I've since been wrapped up in my dressing down, sat next to our wood burning fire with my cats!

moanymoany

Cinny91 wrote: »

My boyfriends car is a money pit. :rolleyes: Constantly in the garage for something or another.

On the brightside this afternoon I read a book of my mothers on self-sufficiency. I am now fully read up on how to chop up a whole pig, roll a fleece, sheer sheep, kill rabbits and make butter :rolleyes:

Came home from work, put some soup on, nipped upstairs and I've since been wrapped up in my dressing down, sat next to our wood burning fire with my cats!

You can't just drop this info in like that Miss Cinny, dish - what is the book called? Please

Cinny91

It's called 'The complete book of Self-Sufficiency' by John Seymour.

Just checked on amazon and it's at £37.60 :eek: Flippin 'eck, wont be leaving it by the fire again!

Thankfully, he has a new one called 'The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency: The Classic Guide for Realists and Dreamers' for £13 on amazon.

irishwexford

We are living mostly from end of day reductions from our local Rainbow store. During mid afternoon I pick up lots of things like meat and milk (for freezer). In the evening they reduce their organic and specialist bread sometimes down from £1.30 to 25p. I like eating a sandwich of sun dried tomato bread which I got cheap. I felt like a pauper at first but we eat like kings so my OH gets in on the act now. Tonight we had stew made with finest beef (half price) and veggies from allotment, there is enough for tomorrow as well. I am de-frosting milk bought for 51p and will be making a curry later in week with chicken thighs instead of breast (reduced to £1.50)
I buy milk reduced as I make custard and cheese sauces. We are not in debt but I do enjoy a good bargain and I can afford to have the heating on a bit more if I cut down waste on other things. Took my aunt to M & S 20% off day as she wanted a coat but got carried away and bought £96 worth of clothes for myself :eek: . Next day I looked at them again and decided I did not need new clothes so took them back. :T

happytails

Hiya, thanks for the new thread Kittie :T

Quick re-intro from me, Im Sarah, 19 and expecting my first baby (a girl) with my partner who is 20. We live together in a rented house, have 1 car and 1 scooter and only have our £700 overdraft to pay off now :j

We couldnt last out with the no heating. The central heating is on for 2 hours in the evening and the fire isnt going on EVER! Feeling a little disappointed as wanted to last out until Dec 1st but oh well.

Trying to figure out how to pay off this overdraft and start some savings in an ISA for a deposit for a house for this time next year onwards as hoping things will be getting back to normal - any ideas? We are going to be on one income of about £1200-1500 a month with me being on Maternity with minimum benefits - about £50 a week if im lucky. Our outgoings are generally £1000 but then there is food, petrol and expenses like the car breaking unexpectedly etc etc

Also dp wants a bike and a punch bag in his bid to get fit (id also like a bike for after bubs is born but not too fussed) so hoping to find something on Freecycle or in our local Market place in Tuesdays paper! Cant afford brand new really

Sarah & bump
26+4 today - almost reached third trimester
x

Westywoodpecker

My DS is an apprentice & has been told that redundancies are highly likely. As there are 4 of them, we don't know how they are to make their decision, but he was last in.

Would my husband & I be able to "pay" him instead, in return for his completed aprentaship We find out on Thu who will go

Never in my wildest dreams did I envisage this when he started 18mts ago :eek:

Re central heating, we have a rule that it's allowed on for two hours only! (so it's normally in the evening)

Yategirl

Happytails - keep an eye on ebay as well for a bike! I got my friend a bike on freecycle - needed new tires but otherwise fine, I managed to get myself a bike on ebay in the summer for £10 - a old bike but barely used and will do me just fine!

Dh came home with news last night... they are facing redundancies.. we find out on friday whether dh has a job or not... am greatful that christmas presents are sorted - at least the children will have a nice christmas. We had hoped we could turn the heating on for an hour a day but have decided we better hold off until we know what friday holds..

Cinny91

Yategirl wrote: »

Dh came home with news last night... they are facing redundancies.. we find out on friday whether dh has a job or not... am greatful that christmas presents are sorted - at least the children will have a nice christmas. We had hoped we could turn the heating on for an hour a day but have decided we better hold off until we know what friday holds..

Yategirl - I hope your Dh's job is okay. So many people are facing redundancies at the moment it's getting scary. Hopefully (if the worst comes) you'll be able to ride it out. As always, you've got plenty people on here if you want to vent.