Housing Benefit isn't enough!!

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

I'm sorry to LadyKhan for goin off track a little - but on a £12K salary, which i had when i was 16 down here, that was approx £800 after tax - well that would barely cover rent in the south so yes, if someone was on £12k with a child they'd deffinately either be entitled to high HB and CTB or a council flat. So my origional point stands true in fact!

As someone else mentioned, a studio flat cost £550ish, and one bed £650-£750, and a 2 bed £800+ And this is not even in London. I think you might appreciate my point a little more now. I am aware that rent is an awful lot lower in the North, trust me i have been tempted to move north in the past, but unfortunately for everyone, including those in the northern half or the country, the jobs seem to be more readily available in the south.

I think i can now see where the arguement has come about - you simply did not realise the costs and i couldn't understand why you found it so hard to beleive. Unfortunately this is the harsh reality!

OrkneyStar

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle wrote: »

I'm sorry to LadyKhan for goin off track a little - but on a £12K salary, which i had when i was 16 down here, that was approx £800 after tax - well that would barely cover rent in the south so yes, if someone was on £12k with a child they'd deffinately either be entitled to high HB and CTB or a council flat. So my origional point stands true in fact!

As someone else mentioned, a studio flat cost £550ish, and one bed £650-£750, and a 2 bed £800+ And this is not even in London. I think you might appreciate my point a little more now. I am aware that rent is an awful lot lower in the North, trust me i have been tempted to move north in the past, but unfortunately for everyone, including those in the northern half or the country, the jobs seem to be more readily available in the south.

I think i can now see where the arguement has come about - you simply did not realise the costs and i couldn't understand why you found it so hard to beleive. Unfortunately this is the harsh reality!

Perhaps in the south yes, but not all over the country.
It is a valid point that the cost of living varies from area to area- houses are cheap(er) up here, however other things are not (the cheapest I have found a litre of diesel recently is 116.9p!....Yes some may say a car is a luxury, but living on a rural island a car is more of a need - which is why one of the last things we bought before I started maternity leave, other than baby stuff, was a decent diesel car that does at least 55mpg most days).
To go back on topic, I am not sure where the OP lives, so not sure how expensive her/his rent is in comparison to other similar properties in the area ?

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle wrote: »

£50 a week on food to feed 3 = £200 a month minimum

We spend about that 2 on 2 adults, 1 DS and 1 cat, however if you want to try reducing it (which we are trying to....not doing that well though!) pop over to the OS board as there are loads of tips over there on how to eat well for not a lot of money!
Anyway I fear we are digressing from original topic...................................

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Oh of course, car is a neccessity for some. I know when i lived right out in the sticks (very short burst of time) i seriously would have struggled without one. Luckily for us we now have transport links (well one train, one bus) so we were able to cut that cost, but to be fair if you don't have a car and have to travel daily you usually end up paying nearly the same which i suppose is why most like the luxury of having a car and being able to travel on their own terms. I certainly miss mine (OH doesn't drive). It's all dependant on personal circumstances, which is why our income is not actually as high as it seems when you factor in the rent and ct. Its kind of a no-win situation for most of us on this site i think though but we get by which was what i was trying to point out in my very first post - perhaps it came accross wrong and as if i was whinging, oops, sorry guys .

Oh god we have tried to cut down on food, we used to spend about £80 a week when i was working too :eek: - its tough but we feed 2 adults, 1 child, 2 dogs and 1 rabbit on £50 a week, lol! I know the pets are not a neccessity so i didn't really add them when i mentioned it before As long as they are insured which is really cheap I will never send them to a new home, lol!

OrkneyStar is correct, Moneysaving Old Style is fab - i deffinately reccommend the OP check it out - even with things like cleaning your house cheaply, tips to keep the house warm while turning off the heating - and plus just knowing your not the only one watching the pennies is great comfort as everyone seems to help oneanother get through is great. :T

livinginhope

Ladykhan
I wasn't going to reply to this thread as I know very little about any benefits,but soon will as my hubby is redundant as of tomorrow.

I understand fully where you are coming from and feel the need to both hug you,but thump you too I too am a fellow Crohn's sufferer,I have very severe Crohn's and have had 4 ressections in the last few years,I no longer work due to my condition,I just haven't had any periods of remission in the lasy 9 years.I too have found no medication that suits my body and have to attend hospital usually 3 monthly,but sometime weekly.I fully understand the need for a car,for those that do not suffer in this way,you really cannot imagine what it is like,just to picture it for you,you are on your way,you need the loo NOW! not when a driver can find somewhere,NOW! quite often you mess yourself,being on public transport when this happens is so humiliating and nobody should have to endure this,having the security of a car,to take yourself home in this situation is a pure lifeline,not a luxury,I have often found myself in tears with mess running down my legs,soaked through,trying desperately to get to my car for sanctuary,please don't deny the OP her car.

As your consultants would have told you,smoking is the worse thing you can do for Crohn's,so good luck with your appt.

I often don't take meds because I can't afford the prescriptions and some of that has to be blamed on the medical team,they prescribe so many things which may or may not work,but have no thought to the cost,if you do find something that works ask for a larger amount so that you only need one script

Good luck hope you manage ok

LIH

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Livinginhope - i am glad you have posted actually as it has made it clearer for us (allbeit maybe embarrassing for you to admit) to understand the OP's situation. I think this gives a very clear picture of why the OP does NEED her car when she has been telling us so.

I am very surprised this is not considered a disability in the eyes of the benefit system. Is there no way this point can be argued into to getting some form of higher rate of income? (i honestly don't know too much about the benefit system either so not sure how it could be done, maybe someone with more knowledge of the rules of DLA could advise)

jennie09

I hope the op gets everything she is entitled too, she obviously has health problems, the benefit system is there to help those who need it the most

Oldernotwiser

livinginhope wrote: »

I often don't take meds because I can't afford the prescriptions and some of that has to be blamed on the medical team,they prescribe so many things which may or may not work,but have no thought to the cost,if you do find something that works ask for a larger amount so that you only need one script
you manage ok

LIH

That's just silly; you can buy a prepayment card for about £10 per month and it will cover all your prescriptions. There's no earthly reason to go without.

itsnotfair_2

And at a certain level of WTC you get free prescriptions, eye tests, free dental, and transport to hospital appointments.

krisskross

jennie09 wrote: »

I hope the op gets everything she is entitled too, she obviously has health problems, the benefit system is there to help those who need it the most

It appears that the OP does get what she is entitled to. Just isn't enough to cover all the things she wants.

LizzieS_2

livinginhope wrote: »

I fully understand the need for a car,for those that do not suffer in this way,you really cannot imagine what it is like,just to picture it for you,you are on your way,you need the loo NOW! not when a driver can find somewhere,NOW! quite often you mess yourself,being on public transport when this happens is so humiliating and nobody should have to endure this,having the security of a car,to take yourself home in this situation is a pure lifeline,not a luxury,I have often found myself in tears with mess running down my legs,soaked through,trying desperately to get to my car for sanctuary,please don't deny the OP her car.

Not having a go at you here, I am just struggling to understand why a car is essential when 'accidents' will happen even in the middle of doing the shopping, ie if you cannot get to a toilet in less than a minute you're stuck with mess.

I certainly think the car option is a modern day theory - after all what did they do when few people could afford cars?

It may sound terrible, but those adult 'nappies' are intended to spare embarrassment.

£100pm for the OP in car insurance and fuel alone, plus MOT, plus repairs, plus road tax. Is it not cheaper touse a friendly local taxi service instead?

Also have you approached your local primary care trust? Some do pick up patients for appointments - surely they would view your embarrassment as being needy of such service?