It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

pagangirl

Just seen on Beeb news: -

A single person in the UK needs at least £14,400 to live to an acceptable standard.

A couple with 2 children need £29,200 for a minimum acceptable standard of living.

(from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation)

Well that lets me out out then ! I'd think it was me birthday & Christmas rolled into one if I got that type of money.

Also heard 26 schools in the local area have rebuilds cancelled. Not looking good.:eek:

mama67

DH is officially on a 4 day week as of now with a possibility of reducing to a 3 day week if things don't pick up.

So we are going to once we have sorted some stuff out use his day off each week to try to do a carboot sale weekly. We have some on Wednesdays and Saturdays here as well as the usual Sundays.

At least it is the right time of year to try and do these.

Veggies and salads are coming along nicely so that will help with the food bill.

Primrose

I find it terribly sad that so many people are now having to put their lives on hold, waiting for an axe to fall on the employment of one or both members of their working household, and other who do not deserve it, are struggling to get by financially when none of this enormous national deficit is their fault.

For many years this situation has been building up and I truly wonder about the competence of some of those we elected to govern us that they did not eventually realise that it would come to this eventually when the money, and the ability to borrow more money would run out. I am glad I'm not a politician in government at the moment. I realise they have no choice but to impose these horrendous cuts but I think it's now up to us as voters to sit up take more interest in politics and those we elected to ensure that they act in a competent and responsible manner going forward. It's mot much of an excuse to say "I'm not interested in politics or what the government does - I elected them to get on with it" but would any of us hand over our personal finances to people who have pushed the economy to such dire straits and feel that our savings were in safe hands?

From now on we should be demanding a lot more personal responsibility and accountability from our politicians, and if they don't deliver, they should walk the plank instead of taking golden handshakes.

Larumbelle

I'm always a little sceptical about those figures though. According to that article you need what is basically a well paid job to have an 'acceptable' quality of life, even if not the one that they would like in an ideal world. But most people I know don't earn that kind of money, yet have a standard of living that is more than acceptable. From what I remember from my degree course (politics & sociology ) the Rowntree basically defines 'acceptable' by surveying people "do you think you need this?" And of course most people don't know the difference between "need" and "want" anyway - they "need" Sky TV, new clothes, ready meals and all the rest. So it goes with "habit" ways of doing things rather than "frugal" ways and consider a lot of what I would consider to be "luxuries" as "necessities". The BBC article mentions the dread word "poverty". In my opinion the word "poverty" is used too often when people really mean "inequality" or "below (unrealistic) expectation levels" So the concept of "poverty" as a relative term rather than the absolute is devalued to the point of meaning nothing whatsoever.

Mama67, short time officially sucks. OH went down to as little as three days per fortnight last summer :eek: and is still only back up to a 4-day week now (and now he is I wonder how on earth we managed to struggle on his full wage!). I kind of hate that "keep calm and carry on" poster but it is good advice. Plug away at saving/earning extra money wherever you can but try not to worry. Try and make sure he does something constructive with his extra time off and if he's anything like my OH try not to make too big a fuss about the reduced income - his inbuilt breadwinner's pride will be dented.

rubytuesday

maccanut wrote: »

Hi smileyt i still don,t know how to put your comment on with reply will need to ask ds how to. No i couldn't buy his blazer for school as it has to be a certain one from a certain company along with school sweatshirt wont tell you the price, and he has to have badged t-shirt at 12pound a pop i don,t spent that on ourselfs, we are really struggeling and mil comes in and said shes going to buy him a pair of trousers, im suppossed to look pleased at that one not. I had to give up work to look after my lovely dh and went to the dss and they told me all i would get is 97p a day because dh has a very very very small pension and to live on that.
sorry ranting things are getting me down at the moo
blessings
abigail

Hi maccanut to quote some one click on the quote button on their post and then write underneath it.

The_Thrilla

northwest1965 wrote: »

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

They could be about to use it as a commercial car park. Another scenario is that they are about to sell not only the land but the office block as well. Our county council have gone bust and are supposed to be selling their swish, recently-built offices to a chain of hotels.

Ceridwen wrote:

Outa interest Thrilla - what part of the world do you hail from then? - if I may be so bold as to ask ...

Sorry, I thought it was obvious that anyone nicknamed The Thrilla would come from the Philippines.

The Thrilla from Manila

mama67

silvercharming wrote: »

I'm always a little sceptical about those figures though. According to that article you need what is basically a well paid job to have an 'acceptable' quality of life, even if not the one that they would like in an ideal world. But most people I know don't earn that kind of money, yet have a standard of living that is more than acceptable. From what I remember from my degree course (politics & sociology ) the Rowntree basically defines 'acceptable' by surveying people "do you think you need this?" And of course most people don't know the difference between "need" and "want" anyway - they "need" Sky TV, new clothes, ready meals and all the rest. So it goes with "habit" ways of doing things rather than "frugal" ways and consider a lot of what I would consider to be "luxuries" as "necessities". The BBC article mentions the dread word "poverty". In my opinion the word "poverty" is used too often when people really mean "inequality" or "below (unrealistic) expectation levels" So the concept of "poverty" as a relative term rather than the absolute is devalued to the point of meaning nothing whatsoever.

Mama67, short time officially sucks. OH went down to as little as three days per fortnight last summer :eek: and is still only back up to a 4-day week now (and now he is I wonder how on earth we managed to struggle on his full wage!). I kind of hate that "keep calm and carry on" poster but it is good advice. Plug away at saving/earning extra money wherever you can but try not to worry. Try and make sure he does something constructive with his extra time off and if he's anything like my OH try not to make too big a fuss about the reduced income - his inbuilt breadwinner's pride will be dented.

Thanks Silver, it was actually his idea to try and do the carboots mid week; we knew they were held on Wednesdays so he has opted to have that day as his day off so we can do this. Luckily for us the boys are old enough to be left for a few hours ; especially when the school hols hit as they neither get up much before 11am anyways.

He also has a list as long as your arm of household jobs that only he can do, so he'll also work thru those.

Larumbelle

Primrose wrote: »

For many years this situation has been building up and I truly wonder about the competence of some of those we elected to govern us that they did not eventually realise that it would come to this eventually when the money, and the ability to borrow more money would run out.

Yep. It's hard to criticise individuals who have managed their finances badly when the government has done the same on a massive scale with all of ours finances. Is there a CCCS for governments?

Primrose wrote: »

It's mot much of an excuse to say "I'm not interested in politics or what the government does"... From now on we should be demanding a lot more personal responsibility and accountability from our politicians, and if they don't deliver, they should walk the plank instead of taking golden handshakes.

Unfortunately even now too any people show no interest in politics - I know people even now who can't see the relevance in their own lives, or who believe the protestations of "we had no other options" to such a degree that they really do think it is all inevitable, whoever is in office. And for all of Clegg's talk of reform, I think his proposal of fixed-term parliaments is actually a step back from democracy.

Larumbelle

The_Thrilla wrote: »

Sorry, I thought it was obvious that anyone nicknamed The Thrilla would come from the Philippines.

The Thrilla from Manila

Now you mention it, it is kind of obvious, but I didn't make the link either :rotfl:

The_Thrilla

unixgirluk wrote: »

A friend who works in a charity shop said they are getting busier. People trying to get bargains. Unfortunately I've noticed some of the bigger charities are hiking their prices in their shops (I think they think some people are stupid). A well known charity shop chain was charging £15 for a Matalan dress near me, its price new was £20!

Hi unixgirluk

Yesterday, (Monday) there was a feature on Radio 5 Dead's Wake Up to Money programme at about 5:30 in the morning. They had someone from some society of charity shops who were having their annual conference. He was saying that the amount and quality of donations had gone down. Less people were giving their stuff to charity, and more were selling it on ebay or at car boot sales.