It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

Charis

Gigervamp wrote: »

The last few years that I've tried growing tomatoes I've not had any luck. Don't know if it was the wet summers or what. I used to be able to grow them ok, but I lived in London then and there's a different micro climate there.

It might have been the wet summer. I'm just over the border in Herefordshire and my tomatoes in the garden suffered badly from blight last year. The ones in the greenhouses excelled themselves and I was still eating home grown in December. I am one (large) greenhouse short now, due to vandalism, but have two lovely new raised beds in its place.
Chris

floss2

No increases on tobacco, alcohol or petrol/diesel. 10% extra tax on cider withdrawn.

Child Benefit frozen at current rate for the next 3 years.

Public sector employees (councils, civil servants) earning over £21k have had pay frozen for 2 years. 1.7m low-paid staff in public sector will gain £250 increase each of those 2 years (approx £13 a month).

Personal tax allowances to go up by £1k next April.

Tax credits cut for families earning over £40k.

Sorry, didn't pay much attention to the rest!

elizabunny

Pheeeww, I personally am breathing a sigh of relief at the budget. In many previous budgets I felt that no one had actually noticed that we existed. We didn't benefit from any benefits increases because we didn't/don't get any. We didn't get any of the child related benefits because ours are all grown up (I used to get £1 CB per week for my first born!). We didn't/dont earn high wages, only one of us working and earning a modest wage and often on a four day week, but we always seemed to be getting chunks cut out of our small income for this, that or something else. No rise in the personal allowance this year, no wage rise, no guarantee of ever being back on a five day week. Didn't benefit much from the decrease in VAT because we couldn't afford to buy anything. So what's changed? For once I don't feel that we've been forgotton, for once we too will get the boost from the rise in the personal allowance, we don't have to fork out another load for national insurance, petrol isn't going up at the pump tonight as usually seems to happen on budget days and the VAT increase hasn't been extended to food and childrens clothing, Yippee! Plus we have another 6 months to get used to the idea. I understand that those in the public sector must be feeling really worried about their jobs and I truely understand this fear because DH has been faced with the possibility of losing his job plus the four day week for nearly two years. However for once I don't feel that we are carrying the can for everyone else, it's unfortunate but we're all going to have to pay the price. As for the hike in VAT, well I couldn't afford to buy much when it went down and the fact that it is going up isn't going to change that. I can live without a new flat screen televison or a new car, but I cannot live without food. I am a happy girl today.

smileyt_2

I think the rise in VAT will not hit the old-stylers as hard as some because most of us seem to only buy the basics anyway and cook from scratch. And like elizabunny, I can't afford and don't buy non-essentials, I could live without a flash tv etc. And like a previous poster said - time to start stockpiling, one extra thing each week. And start training the family now to use only a blob of toothpaste, a couple of sheets of loo-roll, a squirt of showergel instead of a huge handful.

NB vegetable seeds are zero-rated and should remain so, thank goodness. At least they didn't slap VAT on basic food items.

I do feel sorry for those on Disability Living Allowance though. I know from my days as an adviser at the Citizens Advice Bureau how vicious/insensitive/downright evil some of those medical examiners can be. There'll be a lot of disabled people very worried now. My ex foster-son has just been given a five year award of DLA because he has severe mental health problems (he's psychotic, for a start) and it looks like he'll have to go through the process all over again now. I understand the Govt wants to weasel out the cheats and the shirkers but there'll be a lot of inarticulate and vulnerable people who'll be caught in the crossfire from this. All I can say if there's anyone on this board in this position is - don't go it alone - seek advice right from the very start and always tell the examiner how it is on a bad day!


ETA Actually, I do live without a flash tv!!

bluemoon_3

smileyt wrote: »

I think the rise in VAT will not hit the old-stylers as hard as some because most of us seem to only buy the basics anyway and cook from scratch. And like elizabunny, I can't afford and don't buy non-essentials, I could live without a flash tv etc.

I'm afraid I'm not so optimistic about this. Most of us buy the bulk of our food from supermarkets who sell many, many things which will be affected by the rise in VAT. All the supermarkets care about is their bottom line - and since they will still want to offer competitive prices on flash TVs, I suspect they will protect their profits by putting up prices on food basics. Besides, the costs of food production will go up because of the VAT rise, which will have a knock-on effect. My worry is that OSers will be affected most of all - precisely because our spending is already carefully monitored and controlled.

I do feel sorry for those on Disability Living Allowance though. I know from my days as an adviser at the Citizens Advice Bureau how vicious/insensitive/downright evil some of those medical examiners can be. There'll be a lot of disabled people very worried now. My ex foster-son has just been given a five year award of DLA because he has severe mental health problems (he's psychotic, for a start) and it looks like he'll have to go through the process all over again now. I understand the Govt wants to weasel out the cheats and the shirkers but there'll be a lot of inarticulate and vulnerable people who'll be caught in the crossfire from this. All I can say if there's anyone on this board in this position is - don't go it alone - seek advice right from the very start and always tell the examiner how it is on a bad day!

Yes, I also have experience of this because of those close to me, and I am very, very worried. I know the perception in the tabloids is that DLA is easy to get, but anyone who has been through the process (and especially the appeals process) will tell you the truth of the matter. Making it harder is going to hit the genuine claimants hardest. There are a lot of sick and disabled people with shoulders tensed up around their ears today!

ETA: Just wanted to add that I don't think I've posted on this thread before, but I do keep up with reading it (I'm just a quiet person ). It always makes me feel 'among friends'.

charlies-aunt

:cool: The budget isn't as I thought it was going to be. . . .so a big sigh of relief for that.

However, its looking increasing like my contract is not going to get renewed in November so we are trying to stash away extra groceries to tide us over until I can get another job.

Because I won't get to know one way or the other until August, I am finding the uncertainty unsettling as I'm in my 50's and the thought of being back in the job market is quite daunting an a bit scary.

Going to make/buy a Christmas present every week now too - hm presents will be the order of the day!

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

ceridwen

From my - rather quick - look at info to date on the Budget - there are various positives:

- the higher personal tax allowance due for standard rate taxpayers

- the State Pension having its link to earnings reinstated:D:T

Some of the other stuff - most of the other stuff in fact - I am pretty pleased with personally. I basically approve of the Budget.

I don't know what the impact will be as regards benefits - so will be waiting to see what this will amount to in impact on those who require benefits due to no fault of their own - eg those with disabilities. Obviously - I don't think anyone would wish to see those who are disabled having any more financial problems than they already have.

So - to me - it still looks like a case of "Wait and see how things develop"...

mardatha

I found it the most humiliating thing I've ever had to do, was to go through an appeal for DLA. much much worse than having 3 kids. I won't go through it again no matter how much money I lose. Some things matter a lot more than money
I think the budget was ok, could have been worse.

Hippeechiq

mardatha wrote: »

I found it the most humiliating thing I've ever had to do, was to go through an appeal for DLA. much much worse than having 3 kids. I won't go through it again no matter how much money I lose. Some things matter a lot more than money

Well said! :T

I was made redundant in January and I am more hard up now than I have ever been in my life, but I don't claim JSA & I don't claim Tax Credits, even though I am entitled to both, because I don't need some snooty bint with a stick up her @r$e, looking down her nose at me like something she's stepped in because I'm making a claim....been there, done that (once) and no amount of money is worth being treated like that......as you quite rightly say mardatha some things matter a lot more than money

Pitlanepiglet

I am also in the huge sigh of relief camp. I'm childless and OH's are fully grown, I have watched budget after budget where I have been worse off. Something has to be done to balance the books of the Country and to me this looks pretty good.

VAT should never have been reduced to 15% last year - it was always a daft move and now we are paying for it...

I do feel for those in public services but as has been said, many of us in the private sector have been going through this for the last two years whilst the public sector seems to have been oblivious to the problems. I have friends who have moaned like crazy about their small pay rises, whilst I (and many others ) have taken pay cuts to keep our jobs.