Britains streets of Debt - Friday

Broken_hearted

Well I don't feel sorry for her. We had to live on less and pay a mortgage, when we couldn't afford a tv licence we got rid of the tv. Not having one didn't make me want to top myself and you can pick cd players/radios up for £5 from boot fairs. I agree cheap tvs can be picked up from supermarkets, but she chose not to do this.

lipidicman

Dead_Eye_Jones wrote:

We need to relearn how to be grateful for what we have. The key to happiness is wanting what we have, not having what we want.

I've spent the week cleaning five years of grease and dirt off of the bike I had sat in my junk room. It has been degreased and t-cut. I am even going to use some car wax on it tomorrow. I feel so proud of it and I am glad I didn't snap up the 'bargain' I saw at the shop last week (which I could easily afford. This is what made me relate to the 'want what we have....' above).

bikerqueen

I dont feel sorry for her either. A basic TV? 28inch widescreen with stand? whats wrong with a small tv on a cupboard? thats what we had for ages. A stereo? We still have the one my husband bought ten years ago, it's a bit ropey but I wont pay money I dont have on something like that anymore - a stereo is not my right, if I cant afford it, tough.

I went and bought my baby (due in August) a new outfit today. It cost me 1.70 from oxfam. It was from Next originally, and I could have easily spent a tenner on it, but there's no point, and I dont think she will suffer from it not being brand new!

I would be interested to see what happens in the future to that lady, and if she gets back into the old ways - she's not allowed credit, but will that stop dodgy Dave the local leg breaker from lending her cash at 600%?

Xbigman

My feelings about this programme are pretty mixed because I think the programme was a bit inconsistent. I felt sorry for her in one respect, that was her complete lack of financial savvy. Did you notice the rep who tried to explain her finance agreement said it was refinancing, meaning a rollover from another agreement. That is a sure sign of someone who does not understand money and who has been stitched up. Add to that zero budgetting skills and she would be in for a tough time no matter what her circumstances.

That said, £175 a week is adequate. Not good but adequate. Cheap council rent and no transport to work costs are godsends and worth a lot compared to someone working who rents privately or has a big mortgage.
And my ultimate red light, he was a smoker who lit up and dived out the back door whilst she tried to fob off the collector at the front door.
As a mini moan, I'm known as a scruff who wears cloths till they fall apart but even I could manage to shave if the BBC were coming to my house to film:rolleyes:

I also think the film played down the negative side of bankruptcy. Finishing on a happy note as she got on her mobile to call all her friends with the good news that she was bankrupt was pretty provocative to my mind. They should have pointed out that some councils won't let a bankrupt have a council lease, or that the pay to watch TV was an HP agreement and they will be coming to collect it next week.
Regards



X

wishingonastar_3

bikerqueen wrote:

I went and bought my baby (due in August) a new outfit today. It cost me 1.70 from oxfam. It was from Next originally, and I could have easily spent a tenner on it, but there's no point, and I dont think she will suffer from it not being brand new!

have no fear, kids don't mind what they wear, especially when they are babies. and they grow through clothes so fast they hardly get any wear anyways. my dd has always had charity shop clothes, right from the word go, and now she's 10 she loves it, going in to have a look, and she likes things that are a bit different to the crowd anyways.

as for the program, i half felt sorry for the woman, but i really wanted to scream at her get some advice and get your act together, i work full time, and earn not much more than her, and if i can make ends meet, so can you.

jcr16

i am of mixed views about benefits. but i certainly don't agree witha 28inch tv being the basic's.

we have a 21 inch tv in the lounge which we bought second hand years old, in the kitchen we have an old black and white tv with a turn dial knob thing, that u use to find the channels and a prehistoic colour tv in our bedroom which was given to us. we can't afford to buy new and ours work fantastic with great pictures .if we don't have the money we can't have it. simple.

my children live in second hand clothes and i buy the odd bit of clothing new if in the sale. most of their toys have been second hand. yes i do sometimes feel bad at never buying new. but i can't afford it and i'd rather pay all my bills first and then enjoy the rest without worry.

children don't know if the toy is new or not and they enjoy it just the same. and at an early age i will be teaching my children the value of money,a little has to go a long way nowdays.( well for us anyway)

dj0586

i watched the programme this morning and couldnt help but feel that at the end bankruptsy was a cheats way out. She ran up debt from buying extortionate items which were not needed and in the end got it all wiped away.

I dont know the bankruptsy system but i felt if gave the message you can easily run up a massive debt because theres a way of getting out without paying it.

Im in a decent job at the moment and take home about 300 a week, but i budget like crazy because i want to pay of my overdraft, i want to pay of my student loans, i want to pay of my credit card. it makes me think why am i doing this when there are easier alternatives.

Its not going to change the way i feel because to me i reaaly feel i was stupid enough to run up these debts, its my responsibility to pay them back and im sorry if this sounds harsh but i feel there are way too many back doors sometimes.

ok rant over

whatamess_2

I have been on benefits several years ago as a single parent with 3 young children.
You do end up trapped in the `better off not working cycle` rent and council tax are paid for. unless you can work in a school there are child care costs during the holidays to consider. You do end up going to the high street loan shark `provident` to raise extra money not for expensive items but for basics school uniforms, broken cooker, washing machine.
I managed to break the cycle then by working nights and had a wonderful baby sitter who slept in. Thinking back dont know how I did it surviving on about 3 hours sleep a day.:eek: :eek:
I would never (god forbid) go back to those days and would do anything to prevent it even flipping burgers but I can empathise with people stuck in that rut.
Messy

Wee_Sheepo

Agree with dj0586 "i watched the programme this morning and couldnt help but feel that at the end bankruptsy was a cheats way out".

Where's the self-respect?

WS:rolleyes: