It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

turfy6

I have also noticed an increase in prices in the past couple of weeks. I know we do may more here in Ireland for some things, tinned toms are now 32c in lidl and have been 29c for ages. They have also hiked up the price of lots of stuff for christmas ie packet fruit which you need for your cake etc. I got into buying that around Sept. I agree in that the supermarkets do play games with us. Hadn't been to Tesco in ages but got some vouchers where you buy 50 euro's worth and get 15 off, so I called in there on Thursday, armed with calculator and shopping list to make sure I didn't go over budget. I noticed a lot of prices had gone up and as it wasn't my usual store was unsure of where the bargain stuff was. Anyway managed to stock up but still needed to go to Lidl and Dunnes for my bread & milk. Thanks to the good ideas on here Im much more aware of how much I now spend, or am prepared to spend on things. Must keep up the good work.

ceridwen

Mardatha

Bet they've got one big stomachache right now:rotfl:

I shouldnt laugh - poor wee fellow critturs! I'll "blame" you for that - shall I - you bring out the "class clown" in me....;) and I aint a'gonna forget your yell "I want my mum" on another thread in a hurry lass.

Jorgan_2

NoahsPennilessMummy wrote: »

Westy so sorry to hear about your DS! Its so unfair when he is a hard dependable worker.
I agree with others on here things are getting ridiculous. You sometimes wonder why you bother trying in this country. I have been a qualified nurse for nigh on 20 years and still cannot afford a house and am renting. As other nurses will know it was hard work getting my qualification.....I spent 3 years getting my degree while working full time on wards and earning a pittance.....and it seems for very little reward at the end of it. :mad:
Although I love my job I sometimes wish I had gone into a job which gave me a good standard of living.
We are paying more money out all the time, our gas and elec went up from £80 per month to £142 recently and now we have been told from jan it will be £178!!!!:eek:
I can`t understand it as we are in a small terraced house with 2 bedrooms
and I have the heating on 1 hour in the morning and 3 hours at night.....I sit and freeze in the day rather than put heating on just for me. Only have it on at night when DS is in as he is only 5.
The recent bill was estimated so OH is going to venture i nto cellar later to read meter......am hoping it is way out in a good way. :rolleyes:

Speak to your energy provider to see if you landlord is eligible for a grant to improve loft/cavity wall insulation or check out the energy saving trust website.

Pitlanepiglet

calleyw wrote: »

Sorry to everyone who has or may lose there jobs.

I had my lightbulb moment in September 2006 my husband had a stroke at 44 he spent 3 and half months in hospital with only my wage coming in. He has been left disabled with the real possibility of never working again and being on benefits.

I realised that as long as I have roof over my head and clothes on my back and food in belly I am doing ok. Everything else is extra.

Sorry to hear of your husbands problems.

Unfortunately for some of us a "roof over our heads" is going to be a real problem. We rent currently and if I get made redundant we won't be eligible for enough in benefits to pay our rent etc. here so we will have no option but to move 90 miles away to my Dad's as we would struggle to rent privately on housing benefit and no jobs. We won't be be eligible for local authority housing as we have no children so we're clearly a long way down the list.

I'm not actually sounding off at those that have lived the high life on credit, it's the whole "house of cards" of our economy and the global economy that "someone" (I don't even know who!) has allowed things to come crashing down to this extent.

I know things could be worse, we are happy and healthy, I think it's just that after four years of struggling, the thought of going through it all over again is pretty soul destroying.

Pitlanepiglet

ceridwen wrote: »

I often see people announcing they have just become pregnant in one breath and saying how they are in debt in the next breath - and I've just given up yelling at my P.C. screen "WHAT! WHY? Why didnt you wait till you were clear of debt ?"

I'm glad that's not just me

anniewoo

Westywoodpecker,sorry to hear the news about your son.My DS has been out of work for 2 months.He is an IT consultant doing contract work.He thought he had found another position,went for the interviews,they were very impressed with his CV and he was just waiting for the final details to be sorted out and then he heard yesterday that it had all fallen through :sad:

Apparently,the project that he was going to be involved in was changed at the last minute and so they don't need him now.I am so worried about him,he is married with 2 young children and if he doesn't find something soon,they are going to be in real trouble and I can't afford to help them unfortunately :sad:

(((((( hugs ))))) to everyone who is affected by redundancy at the moment.

moanymoany

I agree with everyone who is saying that those of us who have lived within our means seem to be getting a raw deal.

I think that those people in debt who complain how hard their lives are forget that they spent the money in the first place. :rolleyes:

Many people who will spend what they have ‘left’ on their credit cards to have a good Christmas, iyswim, will find themselves overwhelmed if the worst happens and they lose their jobs in the New Year. If someone has loans and credit cards to the hilt – on top of a mortgage that was at the top of what they could get, and suddenly they have no income and the outlook is hardly bright, the obvious answer is bankruptcy!

If people have negative equity, 100% mortgage, loans, maybe both secured and unsecured, credit card debts, store card debts (and just a quick glance at DFW shows this is no exaggeration) what do they have to lose by becoming bankrupt!

Is it me – or is this insanity?

mardatha

Ceridwen -- considering my mum's been dead for 25 years --if she ever does come when I yell, then I'll know I'm in BIG trouble !! LOL
Re the "credit crunch", debt, spending et al -- I can't be judgemental (too lazy). I think we are all given the same chances in life, we choose our own path & then we get on with it. What goes around comes around --so all things have a price, the choice is ours. My OH's fav words are "blame" and "fault". I dont waste time on them, I just find a way to cope And coping is much easier with the good people in here.

Folio

moanymoany wrote: »

I agree with everyone who is saying that those of us who have lived within our means seem to be getting a raw deal.

I think that those people in debt who complain how hard their lives are forget that they spent the money in the first place. :rolleyes:

Many people who will spend what they have ‘left’ on their credit cards to have a good Christmas, iyswim, will find themselves overwhelmed if the worst happens and they lose their jobs in the New Year. If someone has loans and credit cards to the hilt – on top of a mortgage that was at the top of what they could get, and suddenly they have no income and the outlook is hardly bright, the obvious answer is bankruptcy!

If people have negative equity, 100% mortgage, loans, maybe both secured and unsecured, credit card debts, store card debts (and just a quick glance at DFW shows this is no exaggeration) what do they have to lose by becoming bankrupt!

Is it me – or is this insanity?

It is utter and complete madness. I have a brother who took bankruptcy - he will be bankrupt for just 1 year and never have to pay back the £35,000 plus he squandered on cars, meals out, Saturday shopping and spoiling his kids. Nor will he have to pay back the £250,000 mortgage he couldn't afford - but that's Ok - the council re-housed him! :mad: .

Sorry if I sound bitter - and yes I know that the council had a duty of care to his children....but whatever happened to personal responsibility? Seems to me too many people now think they can have or do what they want, when they want, and expect society to look after them when they come a cropper.

I have 4 kids, I've been a single parent, and I'm now married for the 2nd time. I have lived through two recessions and never have I once not been able to struggle through. Sometimes I've had to rely on benefits but it's only been until I could get back on my feet which I attempted to do ASAP. I've always cooked from scratch, made do and mended anything and everything, and never bought what I couldn't afford. That is not to say I haven't borrowed money - but like Ceridwen, I only borrowed what I knew I could repay. And I have repaid it all, even though I did hit a sticky patch I did make it through.

Of course anyone can fall on hard times and end up defaulting on a loan if unexpected redundancy or sickness strikes. I have sympathy for these people (and I've been very sorry to read some of the posts on here about job losses - hugs to you all) But people like my brother borrowed money knowing he could never afford to pay it back. he used to say jokingly that if he couldn't afford to keep his house, the council would have to find him somewhere - and they did! within 3 weeks! He also has a grown up son who is a single parent. He had a baby after a 1 night "relationship", the mother didn't want the baby after the first 3 months so my nephew took the baby on - because, in his words "HE COULD GET A COUNCIL HOUSE AND BENEFITS IF HE DID" :mad::mad::mad: And he has exactly that - a housing association house free of charge and benefits. He lives in deep squalor and I worry all the time about that baby. But I also worry about how much longer society can afford to fund benefits for anyone - both those who claim by choice and those who claim out of desperation. And eventually those who HAVE to claim through no fault of their own are going to find that even a spindly safety net has been worn away by the sheer weight of hangers on.

Folio

mardatha wrote: »

Ceridwen -- considering my mum's been dead for 25 years --if she ever does come when I yell, then I'll know I'm in BIG trouble !! LOL
Re the "credit crunch", debt, spending et al -- I can't be judgemental (too lazy). I think we are all given the same chances in life, we choose our own path & then we get on with it. What goes around comes around --so all things have a price, the choice is ours. My OH's fav words are "blame" and "fault". I dont waste time on them, I just find a way to cope And coping is much easier with the good people in here.

Good post Mardatha (but then I enjoy most of your posts - I lurk more than I write) But I really feel that soon the choice won't be ours - because too many people have thought they could choose to do what they like, when they liked and as the pool of tax payers shrinks, and the call of payments to cover government debt and social security payments grows, then there will be nothing left to help anyone and the blameless will suffer alongside those who are to blame...hope that makes sense - I now what I want to say but feel so angry today I can't get my words out!