It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

kezlou

Lauren just had to say , ignore those comments, that person was truly ignorant. your fantastic to be able to say wthis is my plan and that's i'm going to do it. I must say i still ahem do use wipes when i'm out for the day for my 6 yr old because he still has accidents. but at home its all reuable stuff and i ahem can't bear to throw material away.

Just wanted to send my support to you x

floss2

floss2 wrote: »

That's because the last time the blues were in power, they sold off most of the family silver - BT, gas, electric, water, steel etc and so there is nothing left to flog off except those things and nothing to provide an income to the country when it needs it.

Charis wrote: »

Didn't help when GoBro sold off the country's gold reserves at a low price ....

But don't forget that if the previously publicly owned industries / organisations had not been sold for a quick buck, there would possibly not have been the need raise funds by selling off the gold reserve. Those organisations have made a good income for their share holders - it's a pity they could not have remained publicly owned and keep an income trickling into the coffers to keep the country afloat in times of need.

Larumbelle

According to this article, cutting welfare spending has a direct effect on the nation's health - to the point that it kills people. And if that weren't bad enough in and of itself, this places the NHS under even more pressure, presumably meaning that any money saved on welfare will have to be ploughed back into the NHS. Interesting and terrifying reading :eek:

In any case, I think NHS spending is a red herring. What we should really be asking is why it's acceptable to raise £11 billion in benefits cuts but only £2 billion from the bank levy? :mad:

ginnyknit

Lauren, my Dd has a totally MSE baby who apart from a new transport system (200 off in a sale) which was bought by Great Nanna Vena and Nanna Karen, has everything gifted, bought in charity shops or borrowed. She is very proud of her acheivements and so she should be. I think attacking a pregnant woman is pathetic and not understanding your posts even worse. I admire you for standing your corner and trying to get your point across, it isn't your fault it wasn't understood. I did wonder if I had stumbled on the wrong website at one point!!!

As for the neighbours - Grrrr get rid of your rubbish anyway you see fit. The rag and bone man is a very old tradition which I for one am happy to see having a revival.

Now have a cuppa and relax, we admire you and wish you luck.

Silver charming is right there were a lot of red herrings in that budget but we will all carry on doing what we do and get through this. :beer:

Bobbykins

smileyt wrote: »

I don't have outlook on my computer so I couldn't report any of the posts for abuse, otherwise I would. I don't usually get involved in arguments on forums cos life's too short, but that one takes the biscuit!

it's OK smileyt - I reported some of it as abuse earlier today.....I'm pleased to see that at least one of that person's vitriolic (and disgusting) comments has been removed.

I'm a very long time lurker and once in a blue moon poster and very rarely read anything but OS board. I've just popped in to say "Well done Lauren" you put all those acid remarks behind you and carry on doing exactly as you are, you can put them all to shame with the dignity and resourcefullness you are showing.

smileyt_2

silvercharming wrote: »

According to this article, cutting welfare spending has a direct effect on the nation's health - to the point that it kills people.

Well there we are then - the Scrooge budget - the poor 'had better die and decrease the surplus population'. If we can't force 'em into work, we'll kill 'em instead.

Charis

[FONT=&quot]I’ve just had a sun tanned young man call at the door and ask if I want to buy.........numbers for my wheelie bin. (Huge stick on, white on black numbers) 'Er, no thank you. I’ve already got the number on the bin, I think everyone has’, says I. Oh do you? You might be surprised, I’ve sold quite a few.’ He’s right, I’m thinking. I am surprised how many Momoths live around here, as they’re all pensioners. Momoths? More Money Than Sense. I used a permanent black felt marker pen and I haven’t lost my bin yet ;-) :rotfl:[/FONT]
Charis
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]

Primrose

You can always tell when we're in difficult financial times because this normally triggers a huge increase in the number of door knockers trying to sell you something or other. I guess a few of them may be amaateur entrepreneurs trying to spot a gap in the market for something but on principle I won't buy at the door because I feel I'm being forced to be a captive audience and I've no chance to make comparisons with other products. Ooccasionally in the past when I have bought something (especially those poor looking people selling dusters, etc). the quality has been absolutely dire. I remember as a child just after the war ended, we were continually besieged with doorstep sellers. My mother must have spent a small fortune over the years with the Kleeneze man because he was injured during the war, and every time he called, she felt morally obliged to buy something. The cupboard under her sink was absolutely overflowing with yellow dusters in a pristine state. I don't know why she always bought dusters - probably because they were the cheapest item, but she hated dusting and did as little as she could get away with.

Spendless

ohhhh VAT rated food. I used to work in a wholesalers cash and carry and could have told you everything that had VAT on it cos you could tell by our shelf edge labels. There were some strange ones (to me anyway). This is a while ago though in case anything has changed. Disposible nappies did not have VAT on them but sanitary towels did (now a reduced rate I believe). Cake including chocolate cake does not have VAT, biscuits don't unless they are chocolate ones. Jaffa cakes don't have VAT cos they are a cake (there was a famous trial over this in the 1990s). Mind you did any of you need to know this aren't you all eating twinks hobnobs.:D

I rang tax credits today to tell them about my new job- I decided to wait till after budget and got thru pretty easily and she was helpful depite me not having details of hubby's income at hand and having to guess- oops! never had any problem with JC staff politeness, only issue I had was one telling me I couldn't claim JSA cos I had a working husband- said I was claiming contribution based - which went on my earnings and had nothing to do with my hubby. Fortunately I knew I was right, but I wonder how many would have walked away assumming the info given was correct.

Still on a quest to empty the freezer prior to defrosting it. It always takes me ages then I think it will and then when it's full I wonder what we are going to eat ...why is that???

DS (age 10) keeps ripping his school trousers, but I really, really don't want to buy any more before school breaks up. Needle and thread time methinks.

ceridwen

Charis wrote: »

Didn't help when GoBro sold off the country's gold reserves at a low price and then we got invoved in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, racking up billions of debt. :mad:

Apparently the Canadians are not doing too badly, because they managed their assets better in the first place. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10409354.stm

Charis

£20 billion was the figure I read the other day as to how much the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost Britain:eek::eek:.

As I've been arguing for years - quite apart from the moral angle (ie its THEIR countries...) - Britain simply cannot afford to throw away money like this.

EDIT: and back to the spending priorities topic - the thing is that life is harsh/hurts for ALL of us. Its a matter of degree as to how much it hurts and how well we cope with that hurt and none of us handle it absolutely perfectly - we all struggle through and deal with the hurt and the damage as best we know. Some of us handle the hurt better than others...some worse than others. But hurt is there on everyone's plate - "We all have our cross to bear". The point I am making is that money is in limited supply and, with this being the case, those who accept the responsibility for doing WHAT THEY CAN (which may be more or less than the person standing next to them) to handle the hurt/problems in their own lives shouldnt be expected to "take a lower place in the spending queue" to have others who do have the necessary wherewithal (time wise/emotionally/etc) jumping the queue on the ones who have made what effort they can to keep their lives in order as far as its under their control to do. No-one has an unlimited budget - and that includes the Government - and priorities do have to be set and someone somewhere loses out because of it. It would not be fair for those who are making all the effort they can (from their own POV) losing out to others who arent making all the effort THEY possibly can (which may well be a lot less than the first person - because they genuinely arent capable of putting in so much effort no matter how much they try).

The point I am making is that everyone needs to take responsibility for themselves and make as much "effort" as they personally are capable of - and I do fully acknowledge that some are genuinely not capable of making as much effort as others (because they are too ill etc to do so). I think everyone accepts that some people honestly arent able to make as much "effort" as others - due to no choice or fault of their own.

Getting myself "tied up in knots" now trying to explain where I'm coming from - hopefully I've explained myself clearly....