It's STILL tough and not getting better - so how are we coping?

gailey_2

jediteacher wrote: »

I'll probably be shot down for what I'm about to say.

However, we live in an ex-council house. We bought it six years ago. It's in a relatively quiet area (although I would love to live rural). There is one council house on our road and up till now we've not had any problems (not that there should have been). However, this january a new family moved in and we have had nothing but trouble. Cars have been broken into, houses burgled, rubbish thrown into gardens - such as dirty nappies, sanitary towels etc. The tenants in the council house are responsible for all this - they have been caught and arrested several times. I am the local contact for the council and Police as I seem to be the only one willing to confront them if I catch them in my garden, touching my car, being abusive to my three year old daughter. I have found out that this family have already been evicted 5 times from council homes due to their anti-social behaviour and what do they do - they give them another house to destroy and new neighbourhood to terrorise! How is this fair? They have everything paid for them as none of them work and they just think that society owes them a favour. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
I would love to be a SAHM but we would loose the roof over our heads if I didn't work (I went through repossession of a house as a child and it's not nice and not something I could go through again). Why should they be entitled to everything and I who struggle to meet bills, pay for food and behave in a 'social' way am worse off! This country is really backwards in this and I'm not surprised that so many people (my sister is one) choose to live off the state as they're better off. My sister freely admits to me that she gets more money staying on benefits than if she went out and found a job.

Dont think anyones being critical of buying houses its council for not replacing.

Welfare state does seem bad as does not reward working and seems like couples better off apart.

I worked in retail in some of roughest parts of city and have heard of 3notorious familes who been moved all over bristol therefore moving problem but due to welfare state we have to offer them housing duty bound.

I remember chatting to home delivery driver and family name came up and they had lived in that area but locals stood up to them drove them out and council moved them to another estate.i know 3generations of one family shoplifting and used to get really agressive known to most shops and police but nothing ever happened even if they did go inside for few months.Do feel for you with bad neighbours you be careful though dont put yourself at risk and maybe log their activity.

jediteacher

gailey wrote: »

Dont think anyones being critical of buying houses its council for not replacing.

Welfare state does seem bad as does not reward working and seems like couples better off apart.

I worked in retail in some of roughest parts of city and have heard of 3notorious familes who been moved all over bristol therefore moving problem but due to welfare state we have to offer them housing duty bound.

I remember chatting to home delivery driver and family name came up and they had lived in that area but locals stood up to them drove them out and council moved them to another estate.i know 3generations of one family shoplifting and used to get really agressive known to most shops and police but nothing ever happened even if they did go inside for few months.Do feel for you with bad neighbours you be careful though dont put yourself at risk and maybe log their activity.

Thanks for the kind words. I do log everything. Theneighbours come to me as they are mostly elderly and do not want the trouble. The council and police are happy for them to come and talk to me and I log everything down on the special sheets that are provided and the local bobby comes round a couple of times a week to carch up with what's going on and to inform me what is happening their end. Hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel as things are starting to move.
Sounds harsh but if it was down to me I would not give them another house. Tough love!

Spendless

Hello everyone. I had a nice surprise in my BA this morning, over £140 from tax credits. Must be back pay from last year, when a one off bonus knocked us down in our payments, just as hubby took a pay-cut. Will wait for letter explaining this though - just in case. Also worked extra hours last week whilst kids were stilll at school, so got extra pay this week- even copped for paying NI at £2.20 (I don't mind:D).

I got DD a bike at Asda half price sale. Though she has already ridden on a thorn so will need a puncture repair!!

Still on our list to buy are new dining chairs and a new shower if ours can't be repaired (which I doubt). Keep being tempted by a mini break though.........:o

mardatha

I wish people wouldn't take sides... like one group FOR home buyers and one group FOR council tenants. We are all just people. Nothing in life is safe anymore. Unless you're a multi millionaire. The govt don't care about any of us - surely the expenses scandal taught you that ? Most politicians today are not "real" people, as in they haven't ever had a proper job. They are what they call "career politicians". Their training is straight out of Yes Minister. They can make black look/feel/smell and taste white if they try hard enough! So dont all split into small herds of this or that - stay in one big herd and make them heed us !

EstherH

What type of toilet rolls does everyone buy - I know, exciting topic-not! But was just wondering as I get the basics but wonder if it is false economy although even if I buy more expensive they don't seem to last any longer. Don't think that stockpiling on a years supply of basic toilet rolls is going to save much on vat. In my case maybe £1.00.

No vat on most of the food that we are likely to stockpile, rice, pasta, tinned stuff so no saving on the vat there though at the price everything is going up theres no guessing what we could save on the normal rises. Wish I had had a large stock of rice and pasta a couple of years ago, can't believe how much they have already gone up since then.

kezlou

GC so sorry to hear about your loss, what an awful way to find out xxx
jackieo what a lovely post, jack sounds adorable.
katholicis how awful, you poor poor things. x No one should ever have to go through that xx You have my deepest sympathies.

I'm in two minds regarding council housing, one i can say i was feel awful if my dad had to move out his two bed house that he has lived in for as 15 years. We downsized from a 4 bed to a 2 bed, in 2004 my mother died at home and he's lived in the house since. But i do think he needs to move so that he can move on in his life and also to give another family a chance of a house. I've been in the council waiting list for 7 years and what do i get nothing. My sister has moved four times within the council within the past 6 years :mad:.

But the tories cannot move people unless they have broken they tenancy agreement. So i can't see how the bill can go through as its essentially illegal. Another sign of rich over poor.

Well i' started on the new curtains so hopefully will get them finished soon. Paid the MOT and Tax so totally skint now .
Ah well such is life at least we've got food in the fridge.

boultdj

silvercharming wrote: »

I never had a stockpile until I found this forum. What I did was, cut back on my 'actual' food bill (ie the weekly shop of food for that weeks' meals) and used the difference between that and what I used to spend on 'stocking up'. I think I focussed on dry goods first, saving to buy huge sacks of rice etc, then as I acquired those and started to grow my own my 'actual' bill decreased further and I could afford to stockpile further. Now I am lucky enough to be in the situation that if I find a proper bargain, like the tea, I don't have to think twice.

I did read about a further extension of this system that could work if you need to be disciplined: Let's play shop when you buy a big sack of rice or whatever, 'pay' yourself for it each time you use it, at the price of the smaller packs you used to buy. This forms the seed money you need to buy other items in bulk as well as to make sure you can afford to replenish your stock when you've used it up.

I daresay I will never need to have quite so much food on hand, but I am relieved that I do.

I'v done the 'play shop' this year but put it in the bank so far this year it's given me $60 extra to spend on the C-word

Primrose

I wish it was possible to stockpile gas & electricity so that you could store it at a cheaper rate and pay less VAT. I guess some people could perhaps provide vastly over-estimated meter readings if they think prices are going to rise but we're on a system now with British Gas whereby we provide online meter readings every month. I think the utility companies must be getting wise to this practice because in the past month we've had three different meter readers turn up to double check our meter readings!

littleowl

mardatha wrote: »

I wish people wouldn't take sides... like one group FOR home buyers and one group FOR council tenants. We are all just people. Nothing in life is safe anymore. Unless you're a multi millionaire. The govt don't care about any of us - surely the expenses scandal taught you that ? Most politicians today are not "real" people, as in they haven't ever had a proper job. They are what they call "career politicians". Their training is straight out of Yes Minister. They can make black look/feel/smell and taste white if they try hard enough! So dont all split into small herds of this or that - stay in one big herd and make them heed us !

There is a third option - renting privately. I do this from choice, not force, but it seems that 'renting' is somehow regarded by so many people as 'de trop'. Since I returned to the UK I have been made aware - either subtly or not - of this.
I don't believe that all politicians are so divorced from the real world - but I do agree that it is up to people in general to make their voices heard. No much point in grumbling privately and not 'putting your money where your mouth is' - to use an overworked phrase.
I have hopes for the coalition After all, it can't be much worse than either the Thatcher years or the Labour mal-administration. At least there is some genuinely fresh thinking going on - some good, some bad, depending on individual concerns. But, at least not the same old... same old... entrenched stance of the old parties.

EstherH

A while back I was asked to send in an online reading because the bill was due. I added a little on because I thought that it would catch up by the time they prepared the bill and that wewouldn't have used extra by then, iyswim. Well a couple of days after the bill was sent the metre reader turned up and they readjusted the bill down.