Do I still fit in here if...

Fire_Fox

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Which benefits people told you this pearl? If it was Income Support then they don't actually administer your CTB anyway. You would still have to apply to your council ( I am going back a good few years so things may have changed!) - although they would have provided proof of I/S.

IIRC it was the JSA telephone service - the one you ring when you are a new claim. I rang them when I was told my hours were being cut, as that was the only thing I was certain I would be entitled to. In the end I didn't have to claim, my employers didn't want to lose me so we came to a compromise! :T

jackieglasgow

Kunekune, I think you are right, and I certainly don't want to be renting for the rest of my life, and if you are fortunate to get a longterm assured tennancy, as we did, then it is a relief and a lifeline. I won't bore you with the details, but I was homeless in every sense of the word a long time ago, and it was horrific, and that maybe colours my view of things for Mortgage vs Rent, in a way that brings me into dispute with my OH. I certainly don't want to keep renting for the rest of my days, and dream of a mortgage, rentfree life. I will make it a reality one day, which was why the OS lifestyle came into being, long before it was essential for survival!!!

Back to the OP (I seem to have become something of a thread killer these days, I'm sorry!!) Of course you still fit in Cecilia. My battle against OS and having no money is relieved by buying my kids a magazine once a week, in lieu if any pocket money. I know they don't need them, I know they have access to loads of books, and I know that some weeks it is a stretch to buy them. But they don't expect them, they never ask for them, and they absolutely love getting them. That's my bottle of wine, I suppose.

I've been thinking about your posts all day, as I've been dipping in and out of MSE whilst working hard at the PC on other stuff, and I think you should do whatever you can to make you feel happy and settled. Good luck

ceridwen

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

That's how If you were on income-based JSA, you'd get full council tax benefit.

I don't know what you mean by service charge and ground rent. Are they included in housing benefit (also paid in full for people on i-JSA).

Penny. x

Which I believe would mean just £76 per month to live on for everything elese. I have a feeling service charge and ground rent may not be included to JSA claimants. I stand to be corrected if I'm wrong on that one.

£76 per month :eek::eek:

ceridwen

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Penelope I am an ex housing benefit officer and that was a common feeling in our office. I had a colleague who often said that if everything goes wrong ( i.e lose job) I am selling up and renting ( she had no equity as a new home owner in the previous recession)

...but then she'd have lost her "home" and find it even more difficult/maybe even impossible to get one again. Also landlords, as I understand it, dont look kindly on benefit claimants as potential tenants.

I must say I find it literally impossible to understand why anyone ever would sell a "home of their own" once they had one - no matter what happened to their finances. I guess to some of us certainly - we live, we breathe, we eat, we own our own home - all those aspects are totally equal and essential in our minds. The thought never crossed my mind for one that I wouldnt own a home the first chance I got - and then, after that, that I wouldnt even think about selling the place - except to move to a better one. To me personally - the question of "whether" to own a home or no has literally never "been on the table"/never will be - its part of how my whole lifestyle/way of thinking goes....and thats that. I dont know how many people feel like that. I understand the "cushion" of living in public sector rented housing - so do see why some people would think it was the safest option and indeed, for them, it probably would be. I just personally couldnt even envisage a life where I didnt own my own home - well....I do have daydreams of living in a yurt sometimes.....but apart from that...

Re Penelope's controversial point about homeowners putting money to one side "in case" - I understand the reasoning - but I dont think it would be possible to designate any savings AFAIK as "DWP - dont take into account - this is set aside for my housing costs". I presume P.P. is thinking in terms of people taking out insurance in case of unemployment - I gather that doesnt cover everything the DHSS (as was) used to cover in terms of mortgage interest?? I've heard of people having problems getting these firms to pay up okay when called on to do so. I dont quite know what I would do "if I had my time again". I just thank goodness that, at the time I bought my house, I knew the DHSS (as was) would cover literally every penny of mortgage interest from Day 1 for however long I needed them to (I can see that that would cost the DWP a LOT more money now - as the population of this country still keeps on increasing and increasing - and there aint no more land - so the cost of housing keeps on increasing and increasing in real terms - rationing by price in effect).

Penelope_Penguin

ceridwen wrote: »

I presume P.P. is thinking in terms of people taking out insurance in case of unemployment

To clarify, no, that wasn't what I meant

thriftlady_2

ceridwen wrote: »

...Re Penelope's controversial point about homeowners putting money to one side "in case"

I'm surprised to find the practice of having an emergency fund is considered controversial.

Penelope_Penguin

thriftlady wrote: »

I'm surprised to find the practice of having an emergency fund is considered controversial.

To clarify again, my "controversial comment" has been taken out of context :rolleyes: What I suggested might be controversial was that if you're unable to have an emergency fund to cover housing costs if you happen to lose your job (to tide you over the current 13 weeks before Govt help with a mortgage is available), you might be better off renting.

Hope that clears things, thrifty

Penny. x

patchwork_cat

ceridwen wrote: »

...but then she'd have lost her "home" and find it even more difficult/maybe even impossible to get one again. Also landlords, as I understand it, dont look kindly on benefit claimants as potential tenants.

I must say I find it literally impossible to understand why anyone ever would sell a "home of their own" once they had one - no matter what happened to their finances. I guess to some of us certainly - we live, we breathe, we eat, we own our own home - all those aspects are totally equal and essential in our minds. The thought never crossed my mind for one that I wouldnt own a home the first chance I got - and then, after that, that I wouldnt even think about selling the place - except to move to a better one. To me personally - the question of "whether" to own a home or no has literally never "been on the table"/never will be - its part of how my whole lifestyle/way of thinking goes....and thats that. I dont know how many people feel like that. I understand the "cushion" of living in public sector rented housing - so do see why some people would think it was the safest option and indeed, for them, it probably would be. I just personally couldnt even envisage a life where I didnt own my own home - well....I do have daydreams of living in a yurt sometimes.....but apart from that...

Re Penelope's controversial point about homeowners putting money to one side "in case" - I understand the reasoning - but I dont think it would be possible to designate any savings AFAIK as "DWP - dont take into account - this is set aside for my housing costs". I presume P.P. is thinking in terms of people taking out insurance in case of unemployment - I gather that doesnt cover everything the DHSS (as was) used to cover in terms of mortgage interest?? I've heard of people having problems getting these firms to pay up okay when called on to do so. I dont quite know what I would do "if I had my time again". I just thank goodness that, at the time I bought my house, I knew the DHSS (as was) would cover literally every penny of mortgage interest from Day 1 for however long I needed them to (I can see that that would cost the DWP a LOT more money now - as the population of this country still keeps on increasing and increasing - and there aint no more land - so the cost of housing keeps on increasing and increasing in real terms - rationing by price in effect).

Yes, but there are other ways around it that she would have done, but I am not going into that on a public forum. She was only a new home owner and a young girl so wasn't particularly attached to her house and as she was only early 20's she would have been able to get back on the ladder again no problem when life picked back up. I did say it was what she said she would do in one of those hypothetical, 'what if ' conversations. Even though I was a few years older than her I agreed with her and TBH still do. (Although we have a lot of equity in our house, so it wouldn't work now)

I really don't agree, obviously with money troubles the first payment you make is the roof over your head, but I don't agree about not stepping off the ladder and I have been a home owner since I was 20! Penelope I will reiterate I agree and as I said I worked in Housing for 7 years.

When we moved we worried that we might find it difficult and decided that if we did we would move back to a 3 bed semi, a house is a home, but is not worth making yourself miserable over. Interesting that the word death is in mortgage I always think!!!

faithcecilia

Goodness, what a lot was said while I was out yesterday!!

Ok well one step at a time, my deed poll has finally arrived - woo hoo! BUT...it has to be witnessed by someone living at a different address and my friend I am living with is virtually the only person I know here:cool: So i think I will have to take it to church tomorrow (didn't get up in time to go this morning:o) and get the priest to sign it. So hopefully by Mon or Tues I will be sorting out getting signed on...:eek::eek::eek:

Sorry, I haven't made note of who has said what...

Thyroid. Goodness, I had never thought of that! My friend has very high blood pressure so has a home monitor which I've been using just to see. My blood pressure is naturally low but currently 'normal' so highish for me (does that make sense?) and my pulse is higher than usual. But both are lower today - heart rate down to about 80 whereas it was 120 the other day! But if it doesn't settle and I lose anymore weight then I'll definately see the doctor.

Was rubbish yesterday moneywise. Forgot to have something to eat before I had to trek several towns away to get money out (waiting for a pin number). Ended up buying crisps and a mars and a mag to read on the bus, which I didn't read cos it made me feel sick:o Could have bought nearly 4days food with that!!

Todays plan:
Breakfast - already had banana and an apple, will have toast and butter in a bit.
Lunch - cottage cheese, baked potato and cucumber
Dinner - soya spag bol - for me and my friend, and will aim to have 2 extra portions bol to freeze.

Going to go back on Tesco.com and plan a 'basics' shop around £20 so I can go with a list Fri night.

Goodness, thats the most organised I have felt yet!

cyclingyorkie

just remember every marathon starts with a single step!