Live on £4,000 for a year - 2009, Part 3

cw18

More thoughts about rent.....

If he's on low income (which I assume any kind of apprenticeship would be?), then it may be that he can claim for help with rent in his own right. He'd only be allowed for '1 bedroom with shared facilities' due to his age, but in my area the weekly rent allowances stack up as

1 adult + 1 dependant child = 2 bedroomed entitlement = £98.08
1 adult 25 or over = 1 bedroom self contained = £80.77
1 adult under the age of 25 = shared facilities = £60

so if he can claim, then even if they downgrade you to shared facilities (as that's what you'll effectively have), then between you you'll actually be entitled to more than you are now

Savvy_sewing

I have been looking at our councils website but I cannot find the answer I need. I think they will take his income into consideration, and off set it on my allowance as we do still need a two bedroomed house. I think I will call tomorrow and ask advise. Better to be forewarned. Problem is I dont know what his wages are going to be. (If he does get the job afterall!).
Time to go and water the garden or it will be all shrivelled up, and no veg for us!!

taka

Congratulations Whitewing!

Frugaldom

Mooloo, have you tried feeding the relevant details into the site at www.entitledto.org.uk ?

cw18

Nyk, I actually find that site pretty inaccurate.

Over the past 3 years it has been consistent only in telling me that we 'might' qualify for things we didn't by a long shot..... and also in not mentioning things that I dug out for myself :eek: I now steer well clear of it, hence the call to the council today rather than trying 'what if' scenarios through that site

savingfortravel

COPIED FROM OLD THREAD! sorry for repeat.
Nyk-Need some help. When we lived in our 3 bed bungalow our energy bills (gas and electric) were £76 per month. Now we live in 1 bed cottage with no radiators-just multifuel burner and some storage heaters (with lounge/dinning area/kitchen/bathroom/small conservatory downstairs and bedroom upstairs). Have got a summer fuel promotion and could buy some of our taybrite now (think that is what it is called). Any ideas how much we should order? We have no idea.
Probably won't get free wood this year but are keen to make paper logs-trying to save all scrap paper at school. Kids in my class are collecting up the pine cones-got 2 big bags. Should they be collecting sticks as well? What kind?
Can you help with some guidance? Thanks


Have a great evening
sft

Frugaldom

nykmedia wrote: »

SFT - I have budgeted for a tonne of coal, 6 loads of logs @ £40 per load delivered, and £1,200 :eek: for electricity with 3 of us here. This will be supplemented with as many cones, sticks, paper bricks and wood as can be obtained freely and all we have is a single open fire that doesn't heat the water, if your multi-fuel stive has a back boiler then it could save you at least 150kWh of electricity per month (£10 to £20 depending on whether or not you have E7 rates). Energy prices are a major source of contention in this household, as there are so few alternatives when the house is rented and landlord won't allow any changes to existing system. If you are relying more heavily on a woodburner for water etc, I'd double up on the logs and reduce the coal & electricity accordingly. This is just a quick assessment from my point of view, others may see it differently. Your electricity won't be as high as ours if you are both out at work during the day, but storage heaters make little difference to that. Hope this helps

Copied from my previous reply to you, SFT, but I meant stove and not stive

CW, apologies for suggesting a site, I'll butt out and mind my own business on that one. I already explained that I know nothing about benefits and, thankfully, have never had to rely on them. Self employment scuppers you for most things, as do savings, unless you know otherwise?

Savvy_sewing

on to the fuel. I think I better start gathering those pine cones from BF's. He has three trees at the back of his garden. (One of his neighbours complains about it dropping the cones, perhaps when I go to visit I should offer to collect them up!).
How do you make paper bricks? Sorry if its been told on here before, but there is so much on this site I get so lost! Spend half my life reading it and still getting nowhere fast!!

Savvy_sewing

I have been on that site, and do find it reasonably helpful to push me in the right direction.
When I was self employed I was able to get Tax Credits, and Child Tax credits, and even some housing benefit and Council tax 25% as a single person. But that was a few years ago. Before Bankruptcy.
I find keeping up with the changes in the rules is the difficult part. Once upon a time I knew how things were worked out, and I was the one in the street that everyone came to to ask what they were entitled to and how to budget etc. So why have I lost the plot. ? The stroke I had nearly 5 years ago perhaps! The medication I am on? Who knows but it could just be old age creeping up on me!.

I appreciate all the helpful comments on here. I think I would have gone under a long time ago if I hadnt joined MSE!.
Its a complete inspiration to me.

cw18

nykmedia wrote: »

CW, apologies for suggesting a site, I'll butt out and mind my own business on that one

Wasn't meant as a dig at you - sorry if it came over that way. I guess it must work for some people else I wouldn't have picked it up from so many recommendations on MSE, but I've yet to get a reasonably reliable anwer from it.

That could be down to 'non-standard' scenarious (IB with a job held open for me, IB with DLA for DH, and a mortgage etc in the first instance..... and now complicated by widow pensions from both a private source and the state - though the latter is only payable while I still get CB).

I have a feeling that Mooloo's scenario will be far enough off the 'norm' for it to kick out some very unreliable results though