Do you miss anything from your "old life?"

Penelope_Penguin

mummysaver wrote: »

Without wishing to get involved in a house fracas, is housing benefit not payable to those with no or very low incomes everywhere? I have a friend who may well end up homeless with her two boys, and after visiting the benefits peeps they suggested that rather than just stay with me that I should rent a room to them. I am quite happy for them to stay here as long as they may need to should the worst happen, and was quite surprised by the rental suggestion! But anyhoo, I just wondered whether HB was available to all, could be worth asking for anyone in a similar situation.

From your point of view, take a look at the Rent a Room Scheme HB is administered by the Local Authority, and they have a statutory duty to award it to everyone on low incomes. I can't find out if it applies ti the rent a room scheme though (I'm a debt specialist, not housing ) but a call to the LA or Shelter might give you the answer. Well done on helping out your friend :A

Reverbe wrote: »

Penny

I am more than happy to name and shame my council where they charge well over £1000 council tax and several people are on well over £100,000 for a small town and where they place junkies and thieves in the flats below us.

The London Borough of Hillingdon.:mad:

I can see that it might be annoying to you, but in what way is homelessness legislation being flouted

Penny. x

Reverbe

Penny please see my previous posts where I described why my council is unwilling to help the legitimate homeless in the borough who don't fit into some categories such as drug dependent or asylume seekers. I understood your post was asking us to name and shame??

ceridwen

Reverbe

Always worth keeping an eye on your local Council policies - in case they change in favour of childless working age people at any point. It seems to me that Councils always do discriminate against childless people - and if you're both working age and childless - you have severe difficulties in getting help with housing from them.

Who sets these darn policies?

Anyways - at a practical level - do watch them closely (and neighbouring Councils) just in case. Occasionally I gather Councils specifically let "hard-to-let" social housing to young/childless people - eg I've heard of higher floors in tower blocks being designated that way. Far from ideal - but if it were possible then it might be a stepping stone to something better.

taplady

I have to say we seem to have strayed from the original OP's question and got into a debate about Reverbe's situation. Maybe we could get back to the subject in hand.

mummysaver

Apologies! I am partly to blame for the detour!

On another thread there was a discussion about wine, and not giving it up and what other things people wouldn't give up, chocolate and cake were mentioned more than once! Made me think that it's life's small pleasures that keep us going - so perhaps whilst going OS might make you decide to give up something you may well replace it with some other little thing?

So a bottle of wine with every meal might become a bottle with a nice homemade takeaway on a Saturday night, or a box of chocs become a couple of bars, an expensive huge cake be replaced by a homemade version, exotic holidays replaced by a budget weekend away.

What I'm longwindedly trying to say, is that sometimes it's not that we give stuff up that we enjoy, we just find a new way to enjoy it, that perhaps fits in better with a more OS lifestyle. Sometimes we might just be living an OS lifestyle to enable more money to be spent on the things we love and enjoy.

CCP

That's certainly true for me, mummysaver. I get most of my fruit and veg from an organic box scheme: it's far from the cheapest way to buy them, but I find it's the closest I can get to the flavour of home-grown (I only have a small patio garden so my actual home-grown is limited to what fits in a few pots).

To be able to afford the veg boxes, I have had to cut back on the amount I spend on other things, particularly meat, of which I now eat far less. It's a trade-off I'm happy to make - although, if my financial situation was to change, I would probably have to reconsider and re-balance my priorities.

NoahsPennilessMummy

I agree....we get an order of meat for the freezer from a local farm and the meat is wonderful but it is a bit more expensive so we now eat less meat than we did. I would rather have less good quality meat than rubbish meat everyday

mummysaver

Hmmm! I hadn't thought of meat, but yep, that's one of the things I now spend less on. I buy a whole lamb, half a pig and a lot of cow parts (not sure exactly how much cow, but a lot), it's a lot cheaper than buying it all separately, and poss more os this way. Though I do buy meat normally as well, from the butcher, farm shop and the local Morrison's butchery counted (even oh was impressed by the rib eye steak from there, and he's a fussy whatnot about steak!) I do find that os cooking makes everything stretch so much further though, so perhaps less is needed anyway?

For instance yesterday I put a piece of brisket in the slow cooker, half will do for roast dinner tonight, the liquor it cooked in had loads of veg added last night and they were cooked through, half will be diluted down and become soup, the other half will have a can of guinness and poss some toms added and most of the remaining brisket will be put back in to become stew, the other bit of brisket will be used to make pasties with some of the veg fished out of the soup! Should there be more stew than needed it'll be turned into a pie! Whilst I know this is common OS practice to stretch meals, it isn't something that everyone does so perhaps since the beef will be used as the basis for so much it makes sense to spend a bit more on good quality meat.

funkymonkey849

I don't miss anything!

I don't miss having no money left at the end of the month
I don't miss having to worry about paying bills
I don't miss going to the supermarket twice a week, having nothing good to eat in the fridge and it costing me twice as much as it does now

I was always quite MS but I did used to waste money here and there and not really have a plan, now I plan everything and I have savings and going to buy a house soon! :T

I have learned to get enjoyment out of simple things, and not need to buy things and spend money to be happy. I have also learned to be happy with what I've got and not worry about what other people have that I haven't, which is much cheaper than being constantly dissatisfied and wanting more, and makes me much happier as well! Treats that have been saved for are far more enjoyable than guilty purchases which haunt you and your bank balance after!

So I am loving the OSMS, it feels good to be doing my bit to reject this 'spend spend spend' culture that exists at the moment, every little helps: whether it be less food miles, less waste, less energy, less chemicals, less stress!

I am feeling the love

Zazen999

Reverbe wrote: »

I have never said I am unhappy with my living situation, only that I miss my OH which is an entirely different matter. Please do not presume to speak for me nor put words intyo my mouth. I would not do that to any stranger on here nor should they do that to me.

Reverbe wrote: »

I might miss the tv when it goes soon. Flatmate has cancelled the cable and we can't get tv without it.I do miss nicer quality food and the days when I didnt have to examine every purchase in detail.I miss nights of sleep without nightmares.

Aside from that nothing really and it is great looking for bargains and finding os pleasures. Never ate out or went out anyway and didnt have a social life.Never holidayed.Used to buy a lot more magazines but I don't really miss those. I do wish I had more money cos then I might actually meet some friends to spend time with. But I do feel very lucky.

I could become homeless soon if flatmate goes bust and has to lose his flat cos he can't afford the mortgage so right now I guess I am feeling lucky every morning I wake up and still have somewhere to lay my head.I will also miss the football if I have to give this up.I am covered for this season but might have to give up going if I become homeless.

I obviously misread your first post on here as well. It doesn't sound like a barrel of laughs, but perhaps that's just me. You seem to be attacking everyone who tries to help you - but perhaps that's your way.

Reverbe wrote: »

I have seen enough people on the board who have a good income and do OS as a hobby while getting things like organic veg boxes etc and conversely people who are OS due to financial reasons.

I am old style and also a higher tax payer. Does that make it a hobby? No, it's a way of life. I go to high powered high tech meetings and talk about my allotment/greenhouse and share out the garlic/courgettes with Directors/CEOs who slip them into their M&S Food bags with grins on their faces.......I made jam last night and will probably give a few jars out just before Christmas as pressies.

You don't have to be on the breadline to be OS; that's missing the point completely.