It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

Primrose

beingfrugal - time for your sister to investigate a car share possibly. I know it's not as convenient as having your own car and being able to come and go as you please but we may see more of these initiatives happening as more councils seek to increase their revenue. I believe most of them are expecting up to a 40% cut from the grant they get from central government after the Autumn spending review so I imagine they're having to come up with all kinds of imaginative ways of making good the deficit.

floss2

beingfrugal wrote: »

My sister just called (she 'works for the council') They're cancelling all parking permits for workers parking in the city. It's going to cost her £9 a day to park in the car park or £1.77 a day for park and ride. £1.77 isn't bad but it's all these extra things that will need to be budgetted for. Over £20 a month for nothing.

How can that be cutting back though. It costs the cuncil nothing to have workers in their car park..aaah taking up revenue I guess.

Do you think it's a council idea that's always on the cards or orders from higher up?

As a council employee, I guess it will be one of the savings they are being forced to make. We have just lost £5m in grants, and also have to make further 20% savings across the council, and that money has to come from somewhere. Staff parking is on dodgy ground here too.

What irritates me is all this talk of the "public sector" and assumptions that local government workers have the same terms & conditions as civil service when it comes to things like pensions & redundancy payments - we don't!! We are a completely different kettle of fish, we don't get bonuses and are subject to the same redundancy terms as any other organisation (apart from the civil service!) and have just as much employment insecurity.

maman

Pee wrote: »

My boyfriend has not been working properly, he is self employed, for a few months but things are looking up now and there seems to be some more work coming in. Hopefully this means his clients are not tightening their belts too much!

A drastic drop in income has meant we have really been trying to be more frugal, and there are some easy cuts to make which hopefully we will keep up once work is back to normal.

Could this be because clients want work done before the VAT hike in January?

UnluckyT

im definatly going to have to tighten my belt, ive got into such bad habits, esp when im bored or feeling down.
never been too bad with money, but not been brought up to handle it and being 'thrifty' and the like, so it even more imperative now i nip it in the bud and learn how to be thrifty on the whole, without loosing out on the fun and still having the odd treat side.

floss2

northwest1965 wrote: »

Do you think that they might sell off the land that is being used for the cars?

Depends if there are any planning restrictions on the land....

[Deleted User]

I have always been fairly frugal at the best of times as I grew up during and after WW2 and knew how hard it was to stretch a penny.I think I am pretty good at saving for eventualities and have a 'rainy day fund ' and I always use my old Mums method .Whats left over after everything is paid divide by three one third for food one third to save and one third for 'happy cash' It doesn't mean you have to go out and spend it but if there is something you want its a great way to get it.
I have cut back on unnecessary spending by limiting myself to only buying what I really need foodwise and using my store cupboard more. I have no debts at all which is fortunate and keep my spending in check by asking myself do I need it, can I live without it and if the answer is no & yes then I just don't buy it.Doesn't mean that I scripm on anything but I'm more careful about spending This morning I went to my local Savacentre and bought my DGS a webcam that he had been wanting for ages .He has done well at school, and his report was a good one It was in Argos reduced to £5.99 from £9.99 so I know he will be so pleased with it tonight whan I see him.I could have gone into Sainsbobs, but thought 'no if I do that I will probably buy stuff I really don't need and I'm a bit stuck for space in the freezer anyway so i just turned round and came home feeling quite pleased as I know I really didn't need anything. walking away from the temptation to spend is a great way to stop spending.I am away on holiday next month so I know I can live quite well on the stuff I have in the freezer. By the way the shops were looking very empty this morning so I think a lot of folk are doing the same Thinking before they splash out on anything.

the_cat

beingfrugal wrote: »

My sister just called (she 'works for the council') They're cancelling all parking permits for workers parking in the city. It's going to cost her £9 a day to park in the car park or £1.77 a day for park and ride. £1.77 isn't bad but it's all these extra things that will need to be budgetted for. Over £20 a month for nothing.

How can that be cutting back though. It costs the cuncil nothing to have workers in their car park..aaah taking up revenue I guess.

Do you think it's a council idea that's always on the cards or orders from higher up?

If the council workers cars weren't in the car park, would the spaces remain empty? Or would someone be prepared to pay the £9 a day for that space?

If so, that space is worth well over £2,300 in revenue to the council per year. Add that up by the number of staff spaces and you could be talking about a very sizeable sum.

Whilst I sympathise with your sister (and think that £9 per day is an extortionate sum to pay for anyone:eek:), we are in the position of having to look for cuts which hurt the least and gain the most. If your sister can make alternative arrangements and only by approx £20 worse off a month and the council can gain nearly £200 a month, maybe that is a 'least bad scenario'?


ETA ...... assuming of course that this means the council will be able to keep some service going or manage to retain staff with the savings which would otherwise not happen

dandy-candy

I'm carrying on as before but it's working out more expensive than a few months ago because food prices have gone up. That said I never was a big spender so even with the increases i'm living well within my means. I'm a pretty easy going person on what I wear/eat etc anyway but my DH is terrible with food! He loves naughty treats and if I ask him to pick up bread and milk on his way home he is guaranteed to walk in through the door with 3 carrier bags full of dips and puddings from the Marks and Spencers near his work because "They're a new range" - that's why I usually do the shopping!

smileyt_2

mardatha wrote: »

What spam? Lost here lol

Hi Mardatha - the spam post has been deleted, that's why you can't see it. Thanks to our lovely board guide(s)!

floss2

the_cat wrote: »

If the council workers cars weren't in the car park, would the spaces remain empty? Or would someone be prepared to pay the £9 a day for that space?....

The space would probably remain available for other visitors/ shoppers / tourists who would pay for 2/3/4+ hours - 2 x 2/3 hour visits is still generating more income than a free space for a member of staff.