It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

nannaC

Per couple according to the pension credit web site
Who is eligible?


If you're aged 60 or over

If you're aged 60 or over and living in Great Britain, you may be entitled to the 'Guarantee Credit' element (which guarantees a minimum income if you're on a low income) if either of the following applies to you:

• you're single and your weekly income is below £124.05
• you have a partner and your joint weekly income is below £189.35

Guapa1

Cinny91 wrote: »

Go Mardatha!

I've been reading the blog of a guy in the UK who is going a whole year without spending anything. In his first blog there was a link to a news report of a man who got trampled to death in Black Friday sales in America. Really makes you think. Sadly, I've lost the link!

:mad: I was so angry when I read that, there was a pregnant woman who got taken to hospital, luckily the baby was ok. All for a $299 laptop? We've lost the plot!

wigglebeena wrote: »

Who else goes to the market instead of any of the supermarkets (budget ones included) for fruit and veg? My freezer is still packed with blanched potatoes and carrots from a trip weeks ago, plus bananas frozen before going off (ready for banana cake when my current batch of scones runs out). Plus apples and pomegranates still in the fridge. I can't have spent more than three quid and that wasn't all I got at the time, I think there were tomatoes and onions too. (Lovely tomatoes, properly ripe like you never get in a supermarket, nice on home-made toasted bread with pate from a 29p tube).

I used to, but unfortunately I can't get there anymore without assistance and there is no one around in the daytime to take me. Also, more market stalls in my market started doing bowls for a pound instead of a cheap price. As a single person it just wasn't worth it! What would I do with 15 bananas? Actually I did buy them once and made myself sick :rotfl:

Caterina wrote: »

Guapa, check whether you could swing full pay for the year, I am not sure of the details but you might be entitled - ACAS (the link I gave you) or even the Health and Safety Executive http://www.hse.gov.uk should have this info or be able to direct you.

The CAB is also good but it is always difficult to see them as they are so busy!

Best wishes

Caterina

Thank you Caterina. I just left a pain clinic and there was a lady who came to give a talk and I think she was from ACAS. I didn't get to speak to her as I was in pain that day and didn't leave my bed. I got her card though, so I'll give her a phone. Thank you :beer:

Bargain_Rzl

Guapa1 wrote: »

Also, more market stalls in my market started doing bowls for a pound instead of a cheap price. As a single person it just wasn't worth it! What would I do with 15 bananas? Actually I did buy them once and made myself sick :rotfl:

Well the first 7 you could have one a day for a week...

And the rest you could make into banana cake, banana bread, etc (and freeze it if you don't fancy it).

Recently my fave use for bananas is to chop one up and mix it into my porridge of a morning - top with a sprinkling of demerara sugar :drool:

Guapa1

Well the ones usually in the bowl can't last seven days. I probably could find use for them, it's more the fact there is no one to take me. I did however suggest to a couple of stall owners that instead of having 20 carrots, 15 onions etc in each bowl they do a little mix for the single people.They looked at me like I was mad!

Sylvan

Thanks nannaC. Good to know that we might get some help when he reaches 60.
Presumably that also means the boys will be eligible for the maximum student loan. :cool:

chardonnay_2

happytails wrote: »

My dad came round to visit today he is generally (touch wood) ok at the moment re redundancies as well as my mum and sit with the heating on for most of the day. He came in a jumper and was freezing the whole time and told me it was freezing in my house but we cant afford to have the heating on alot and tbh dont think id want to, we manage, i know it will have to be on more when my little munchkin enters the world - there goes all my money - damn pre paid meters :mad:



Sarah xxx

happytails - ask your electric company to change your meters - when we first moved here we had those and they were a nightmare - seemed to eat money constantly. we are now on an online tarriff and have saved so much money.

ceridwen

Guapa1 wrote: »

Well the ones usually in the bowl can't last seven days. I probably could find use for them, it's more the fact there is no one to take me. I did however suggest to a couple of stall owners that instead of having 20 carrots, 15 onions etc in each bowl they do a little mix for the single people.They looked at me like I was mad!

More fool them then - considering how many single person households there are in Britain - divorced, widowed and never-married. Why miss a good business opportunity thinks me....I wouldnt if I were in business;) You could try "educating" them a bit with basic facts and figures and how much profit they might be missing out on (I have actually done that a coupla times with businesses - and they saw my point, i.e. that they were losing potential income - and I got what I wanted!). I just tend to take the view personally that sometimes its worth putting my "business head" on and looking at it from their point of view and explaining that "lost profit angle" to them - what have you got to lose by trying?

Cinny91

I heard this on BBC radio 1 this morning:

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/article1993526.ece

Hoping if anyone is living their you managed to stay nice and snug!!

I'm guessing this could be the first of many?

*edit*
oh oh oh, woke up to snow this morning! :j was really heavy but it died down on the way to work.

mardatha

Kelso isnt too far from me but we have no gas here anyway so we cant lose it But we woke to 6" snow and OH had to go out and start shovelling to clear the road (we live in a cul de sac on a steep hill, & the gritters never visit us )

mardatha

We live on pension credit and find it ok really. The less you have, the less complications it brings ! When we were both working we made a lot more but spent a lot more, sort of running to keep still really..
edited to add -I just read a report on BBC Scotland site saying that for the last 40 years, Scotland has had the highest proportion of poor ie people living on the breadline- and the shortest life espectancy. Almost a third of the population are officially classed as "living in poverty". That's TERRIBLE in this day and age, esp when this is the coldest part of the UK.
I bet sooty & sweep down in Downing st arent losing any sleep over it...