If things get tougher?

JoeyEmma

I don't get tumble driers. We had one briefly when I lived in a rented flat, but apart from that, its always been a washing line, maiden or radiator. We call the bannister on the landing the "magic bannister" as everything on it dries so quickly (there's no radiator up there btw). I have never dreamt of having a tumbler. Now a breadmaker, thats a different matter all together.

PasturesNew

katieowl wrote: »

... (Last time this happened BTW we went into recession....)

This will be the next banned word

tiredwithtwins

I sincerely take my hat off to you all ... i hope the new year brings you prosperity and an upturn in your finances.

sue xxx

Ches

Sarahsaver wrote: »

...

I also pay 22% tax :eek: because i get an occupational pension which is measly(just under 8 years' service)

I hope this is not out of order to ask but does this mean that your personel allowances are against your pension rather than your wages? This is how I paid my tax and like you paid basic tax on every £ of my wages. Each year I photcopied my 2 x P45s (1 from pensions and 1 from wages) and sent them to the tax office with a covering letter asking them to check the amount of tax paid. As my pension was less per year than my allowances I received a tax rebate every year.

JoeyEmma

Sarahsaver wrote: »

...if indeed they pass the drop onto customers ! alliance and leicester are only too quick to hike up the mortgage as soon as a rate increase happens but since they have gone down I have had no letter saying my bill will be less.

We are lucky as we have a tracker mortgage, so the cut in interest has to be passed on to us. The downside is when we come to the end of our tie in in June, the increase in arrangement fees are going to be massive. When we took this mortgage out (June 06- only tied in for 2 years as we are FTB and nervous at the time) they were £399, now they will be nearer £800, and I have no idea where we will find money like that.

Sarahsaver

Yep the pension uses my allowance but like i said it isnt a big pension about 5k a year.

johanne

I also feel the irony of this thread re-appearing today...My water bill arrived this morning, and they have increased my direct debit by 57% as of jan!!! So i have to find an extra £6ish a month now... just when my already small income was about to drop as i go onto maternity allowence at beginning of feb!

The council have also hiked up my council tax due to THEM taking 3 months to sort out issuing a new bill after i was entitled to 3 weeks council tax benefit (i was lucky only to be on jobseekers allowence that long back in sept) so its now its £90 a month... not £67 like i had budgetted for.

Add to that the increase in food prices for even the basics.. and train fare increases due next year (i live 4 doors from train station - closest and cheapest transport available to me)... i can see 2008 being a very tight year! Made tighter with the arrival of my bump..!

Hardup_Hester

Hi all
I posted on this thread earlier about how little leeway I have in my finances. I'm dreading the increase in the water & council tax, I did get a payrise, but it's just under £8 a month & think food prices have probably eaten into that.
We had a few good months when hubby got 2 weeks work that lasted a few months, but that is now almost over, he's had a couple of days a week for the last 2 weeks. But he's been hit by a massive cut in wages, his pay has been cut to £25 a day, & depending on where he's working his fare can be as much as £14 a day. In some ways it's hardly worth him getting out of bed, but he'd rather work for £11, than not work at all. We really couldn't survive without the lodgers money, so despite all the problems she poses, we're hoping she stays for a while.

ceridwen

kittie wrote: »

I think that time is coming. I posted the link on the electricity/gas board but it is also relevant here. Forewarned is forearmed

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/utilities/article3050075.ece

Dont really understand this - as I thought we'd been told that fuel prices would start coming down about now (not go up again)??

Savings I could make:
- cut out buying booze
- when my area goes digital then I reckon I can forget about the getting tv detuned and connection to aerial removed and just not go digital and, if I gave back the freeview box to Virgin then that should be enough for the tv licence people if they came investigating. I would still have my video recorder sitting visibly there - but that would only be for playing existing dvd's on. Cant see how they could argue with that.
- suppose I could cut out the luxury-type foods I buy (but as that is the only "sensual" type pleasure in my life courtesy of being "single" - then thats very much a last resort:rotfl: )

katieowl_2

<< I would still have my video recorder sitting visibly there - but that would only be for playing existing dvd's on. Cant see how they could argue with that.>>

Just make sure it it's suitably de-tuned so that it can't pick up any TV signals.... I did have a weblink about this, but I can't find it off-hand.
Also make sure that any of your Videos are not recorded off the telly, otherwise you need a licence for that too....

There is so little on TV these days I'd happily get rid of ours, but OH likes to watch the news... I listen to the news on radio 4 while cooking dinner...I don't need pictures

Regards