It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

Primrose

kidcat and scaty - sorry about your misfortunes. Whilst everybody seems to be distracted about expenses scandals and elections, they forget that daily hardships and anxieties are still happening to ordinary people. I hope that you both find a way out of your difficulties. Kidcat - if you're thinking of setting up a business of your own, a very helpful book to get hold of - preferably free to borrow through your local library is "What colour is your parachute?". It's a very practical and helpful handbook of issues, hints and questions to consider if you've lost your job, are job seeking or are thinking of setting up in business for yourself for the first time. It covers a lot of issues that most people may not have thought of.

calleyw

Primrose wrote: »

Calley - haven't posted on this thread for a while but was sorry to hear your news. I just hope that by the time autumn comes the economy may have picked up a little and you'll still be OK. I don't know whether it's better or worse to have this much advance notice. At least you have a little more time to think the situation through but it also means more time to fret and worry about it. A double edged sword really.

Primose,

Thanks for you kind words. We are better off than most we have savings and a small mortgage making going down to interest only very easy to cope with.

I does worry me but then on the other hand it does not as it has been hanging over my head since I started 3 years ago. And I have other stuff to worry beside losing my job.

I feel bad as there are people a lot worse off me than.

And my thoughts go out to everyone who is having a tough time. It never seems as if there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But it is there and you will all get there.

Everyone take lots of care.


Yours


Calley

sammy_kaye18

scaty wrote: »

Hi,

• lost boyfriend when moving to another rented property - just didin't make it to the new house:o think he lost his way.
• She found she was pregnent christmas time - not a good time for us
• while on maternity leave (just started) the company is to close all UK shops and her maty money will stop- (as not got 2yrs behind her), worrid she wont be able to have her tax credits, pay her rent, - basically be broke

Scaty - my friend has a 3 bedroomed home and gets all ehr rent/water/council tax paid for her (should add she is a pain with no intention to work at all)

Has your daughter applied on housing association list/council list?? as these are cheaper housing options and if she was to move into yoru property which is too small - it can be classed as overcrowded and that would go in her favour points wise if this is how your council scores things - we moved back in with my mother in law when Benj was 6 months old and had 4 adults, a newborn a dog adn an 11 year old in one house and we were re homed within 5 months into a 2 bedroomed flat.
Does your daughter know the sex of the baby yet? Im not sure on rules about rooming 2 children of different sexes together but could they not share a room for now if she could downgrade to a two bedroomed place?

Has she claimed her maternity grant? and the Health in pregnancy grant? for the baby? as these can help with baby items.
I think you need to be on income support to claim these or a cingle parent in receipt of child tax credit.

I would tell her to contact her local CAB to discuss her situation and contact some housing authorities as she may get put as priority for re homing if she is pregnant. Other than that could she go private and find a landlord with a smaller property who is willing to accept DSS?????

scaty

Hi
Thanks Sammy_kaye18, she currently has a private landlord but the rent wont be fully covered until the baby is born - boy by the way. I don't think there are smaller houses than the one she is in. The cot is up at the moment and the room is full. It is counted as a room but the size would not take a single bed.

There will not be enough bedrooms for all of us - baby in with mum when he comes but after a year???? I am turning my own box room into a bedroom for GD - promised to paint it and get curtains.

She is going to CAB this week - she has been waiting for the company to get in touch for confirmation of her situation.

Yep she has had the grants etc. and has been obtainting the essential baby stuff. Luckily some things have been donated by friends and family, so he will be clothed for the next year.

I have been off work but will be definately looking forward to going back - DD2 and me in the same space arrrrrghhhhh.

It doesn't get easier when they get older - the problems just get more complicated.

Patchwork_Quilt

Well Scaty I think you are being very supportive of your family. I hope something turns up to ease the situation

scaty

Thanks Patchwork Quilt, but there is no choice.
There is a big waiting list for houses in my area and I think the only other option would be a refuge for them. people in my street had to go there a couple of weeks ago.

I have been on other threads and got coupons for nappies and baby stuff already, so, I'm now adding to my store cupboard now. Treats wil be the

I will be demonstrating the use of the slow cooker - as DD2 is more of your fastfood/open a packet cook. GD already makes cakes with me (- had a kenwood chef from freecycle), will move on to pastry (jam tarts etc) and simple meals.

The hard bit will be the close proximitry of her, I predict lots of walks and looking on the bright side maybe a bit of weight loss with the stress:rotfl:

My house has had a massive declutter and found old favourites which the foot went down and I have saved. The rest a friend has taken for her car boot - I don't have the staying power to do it myself. Some bits, like my mums' prints and my dads' war stuff I'm giving to my DD1. Came accross his map for D Day, he had marked areas and drawn tanks on it - a bit of a sob handling his stuff but it is time for things to move on.

I had soooooo many books. I like to re-read them after a while, I find that I can enjoy them over and over again, even though I know the ending. Got rid of mostly books to do with my job - mostly out of date now. Not doing any more qualifications now, had enough of that kind of stress:T.

Well that's all for now folks.

kidcat

Scaty - good luck, I know a few years back it looked like we might have to move in with my parents (we had three kids then!!) and I wish they had been as accomodating as you are being.
Mine simply said I am not moving my computer out of the small room ,you will all have to camp in the other bedroom. She refused to have any of our furniture or pets and we were in the postition of farming all our stuff out, luckily we were able to stay here (turned out to a mix up with landlord and agency paperwork!!) but I would have hated every minute.

Has your daughter got any kind of union memebership? If she does they offer full legal advice and such and they should be able to help with her rights etc.

My understanding of the benefits situation is that if you have no income you can claim income support this in turn entitles you to housing benefit and council tax benefit.

There is a website called entitled to . com that has really good calculators for Housing benefit etc. It is possible that even if she doesnt get ful help with housing benefit she may get nearly all, depending how high her rent is and what the allowances are for the area she is in, have a look at that site and put her figures in, it should give her some sort of indication as to the amount of shortfall.

elizabunny

Evening everyone, sorry I've not posted for awhile -too many ups and downs here at home. So sorry for everyone on here still experiencing difficulties. The media maybe moving on from the recession and hopefully there willl soon be an end in sight, but for many of us, who are still stuck right in the middle of it, things are very hard.
kidcat -I was interested to read that you may start your own business and if you do decide to, I hope it goes really well for you. DH and I had our own business for five years, luckily we were out of it before the recession started. I have to say it was the one of the best, most challenging things we have ever done. On reflection, we could have done with starting it when we were a bit younger, but then we still had children at home, so the time didn't feel right for us at that point (a personal feeling only). However, we will never regret the experience of suceeding at something we built up from nothing -so good luck to you in your venture if you go ahead with it.
scaty & calleyw-I hope your situations improve soon.
mardatha -You are right a garden is a social life and it can be quite rewarding -we can get invited to lunch with people and handover home grown goodies as a thank you:j

andan

Just wanted to bump this up and see how everyone was coping now? If those who were facing redundancies have managed to sort their situation out or still finding things a struggle.

I hope everyone is coping ok.

kidcat

andan wrote: »

Just wanted to bump this up and see how everyone was coping now? If those who were facing redundancies have managed to sort their situation out or still finding things a struggle.

I hope everyone is coping ok.

Still no definate answer here, seems we liv ein limbo for a while longer yet, had bad news couple of days ago that we may have to move out of our rented home, lived here for ten years and would be devastated if we have to go. Private rentals are difficult to find and way more than we currently pay/ can afford. Council waiting list overfour years long!
Difficult times ahead all round.

Hope everyone else having better time.

Does anyone know how Sammykayes partner got on with his eye op??