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

maryb

DH and I are late stage baby boomers and we are by no means as well off as those who are 10 years older than us. On the other hand we are still better off than the young ones will manage to be with student loans and silly house prices. I do think house price inflation is pernicious. It would have been much better for us all if house prices had never risen - because I don't wish on anyone the misery that ensues when they fall and people are trapped with unaffordable mortgages.

But we have paid off our mortgage and we did it by scrimping and scraping, by packed lunches taken to work and magazines not bought. And I didn't do it so that the government can help themselves to 40% of it when we die. I'd be perfectly happy if the value of the house was less than the Inheritance tax threshold, as it was when we bought it, and house prices stayed low so our 2 DDs would inherit enough for them to have half a house each and would only need an affordable mortgage. Then maybe they can afford to work part time instead of having to go out to work to keep a roof over their heads.

Rising house prices have fooled people into thinking they are accumulating some wealth, which most people can never realise - they can only realise it in practice if they downsize. If it hadn't been for the house price feel good factor, people might have woken up earlier to the fact that they are working harder and harder to achieve less and less - and then the politicians would have had some questions to answer.

sorry, rant over - please don't banish me to the house price discussion board

EstherH

Hi Julie, do you mean that you have no spare cash until your husband gets paid again and need to pay the vets bill? Is there anything you could sell on Ebay? Maybe borrow money from family until then? Sorry, that's all I can think of atm, will let you know if something else comes to mind.

Gigervamp

Julie, speak to the vets regarding the bill. Tell them the problem and offer to pay it off in installments over the next few weeks. I have a friend who's a vet tech and she's always said that the vets would much rather treat an animal and get the fee in installments rather than the animal being in distress and pain because the owner can't pay the fee all in one.

Gigervamp

Trying not to be too political here, but I do feel that the house price rises (and a lot of the *aspirational* policies) are down to the Thatcher government. They wanted *normal* people to buy shares, buy their own houses, (even if they were council houses, and there was no scheme to put another new council house for every one bought-that was always shocking to me) get loans for stuff that they don't need but would make them feel that if they had *said* item, they were on the way up.

I could rant on, but I shan't.

penelopedee_2

I can remember my dad paying his last mortgage payment - it was £45 a month (I so wanted to swap mortgages with him!). Although I was very jealous I also know how skint we were as children and what they gave up for us to have small camping holidays. My mum only worked part-time so that she was there after school and they just adjusted their spending accordingly. We've only ever lived in a village so I know their wages would have been fairly poor.

Now he has his pension that he's paid to all his life and I'm so pleased for him. He has a new social life bowling and is out all the time with matches and socials. He didn't retire until this mess kicked in and has never moaned about the hit on his pension. I'm not sure I would have taken it so well. I've told him to make sure he spends it and enjoys it - he worked very hard for it. I would be gutted if he went without again just to leave something for us.

I know we are all fairly alike on here in that we will make the effort to manage and deal with what life throws at us. We will find our own ways through this mess

Gigervamp

Exactly Penelope. I remember being told of my parents having to use the pennies that were propping up the wonky end of the wardrobe.

We always lived in rented houses, but the houses were owned by what would now be considered a HA. Mum still lives in one and even though the company has been bought out a few times, the original tenants have secure tenancy. Good job too, as mums area became a yuppy paradise in the 80's and the letting agents keep trying to put up mums rent to be in line with the area rents (around about £1500 a month!) but as she's a protected tenant there is a rent officer who only allows them to put it up by about £50 a month.

We'd like to get mum down here (and she'd love to be here) but the fact that she'd lose her secured tenancy is the major problem.

ceridwen

AnnieG wrote: »

Annie... the 'place' was on the next line and I had to look twice... I thought you were telling us you'd had a night time accident!

Good luck with your new life, i think you're doing amazingly :j

Personally - the thing that strikes me is that you've got "well in tune" with the bartering culture pretty fast and that augurs well. I reckon you fell on your feet with that allotment culture you've tapped into pretty darn quickly - sounds like you are well into the swing of things on that at the outset:). A very positive note to start on..

EstherH

hellsbells45 wrote: »

Hi all, been reading through all your posts (upto page 103 at the mo) Its been so inspiring!! I'm 47, simgle parent of 2 girls, both have Autism- the elder worse than the younger. I also have ME (or CFS which ever you choose) and have not been able to work for some time now. Am surviving on IB. I still have debts but am plowing through them slowly but surely.

Some days the lack of money really gets me down and I panic about managing, but then I think, whats the worse that can happen, really.
You have really inspired me with regards to cooking. I find it hard to batch cook because of the ME, but the quick recipies for cookies, muffins etc are really useful. Also my sister gave me a combi microwave, what a god send. oven chips done to perfect, roasts done in 20 mins wonderfully tender. Not to mention the reduction in electricity bills.

Your links have helped with regard to the C word. Have really inspired me as am quite crafty. Last year that was restricted to scarves and socks, but this year I'm looking at doing pump bag and crayon roll x 3 for neice and nephews. tote bag (knitting) with sock pattern and suitabel wool for SIL. Tote bag with recipes and cookie in jar type thing for Sis (she needs gluten free, so if any one has a suitable cookie or muffin recipe I would be most grateful). Recipes I shall hunt down on the net and print of as I find them. May do cookie in a jar type for friends as well, though I have got requests for socks. Don't no what to do for Mum or Brother yet.

I also did a xmas hamper club this year, never done it before, ordered grocery and meat hamper, also £200 pounds in vouchers for girls big present. Had doubts about this as I thought that it may be a waste of money (could get stuff cheaper if shopped locally etc) But now I'm experiencing a fantastic sense in relief knowing that the girls big present is sorted and that I can just pick up stocking fillers as I go. That I won't have to worry about food shopping and the inevitable price hike that I experienced last year. And sad to say, I'm getting really excited about it now and am thinking about what I will order next year - now that really is sad.

Read with interest the conversation with regards to renting v buying. I'm in my own home at the mo. But will at some stage have to sell it as 30% of it is EX's. He doesn't contribute to the house costs in any way, but does pay for girls. I know that at the mo the mortgage is so low that it is cheaper to stay put, but, I can't afford to maintain it, so although only little things want doing there are a lot of them. Also, I'm not getting any younger, so would I be better of addressing this now and trying to go for a part buy option with a HA or waiting until last minute. I think Iv'e decided on the first option then I will be in a better position of choice IYSWIM.

Anyway must get ready for dentist as I have yet another abcess!!!!

Just wanted to thank you all for your inspiration and support.

Hi, Just wanted to say welcome. You seem to manage very well considereing you have ME and two children with autism which must be really hard for you on your own.

I have ME as well, I manage to batch cook by using my slowcooker a lot. Once it all in there, no need to worry about stirring, watching over it etc. Getting all the veg prepared is gruelling but can be done sat down and also sometimes I just peel and put in the food processor.

I'm not crafty at all and would find lots of things like that hard with the ME. We just have to find what works for us don't we? Living on benefits is hard but I have enjoyed reading and learning on these threads and putting into practice some of the money saving tips.

charlies-aunt

Gigervamp wrote: »

Julie, speak to the vets regarding the bill. Tell them the problem and offer to pay it off in installments over the next few weeks. I have a friend who's a vet tech and she's always said that the vets would much rather treat an animal and get the fee in installments rather than the animal being in distress and pain because the owner can't pay the fee all in one.

I would second this - I have had some big vet bills over the years - some running into £100's - I used to pay regular manageable amounts to the vet until it was cleared - I found them very understanding and it was a lot less stressful than trying to magick the money from thin air

ceridwen

kittie wrote: »

I have to admit getting sucked in to a bit of compacency and my very first job will be to get £10 baskets ready for christmas presents, when I was thinking of just buying this and that. My cc is paid off today and I will not be making so free and easy with it, ok we moved 10 weeks ago and I had things to get but from now on it is only going to be `need not want`

We are expecting a bit of money in a few weeks and we will give each of our children 2k but only to pay a little off their mortgage capital and I`ll try and save the rest until next year when we can do the same again. I am a baby boomer and feel so ashamed that my generation and the older ones in the present generation, have made so free and easy with the futures of most of the present generation and also the next

Kittie

Welcome on popping into the thread that you originally started:T

We are both baby boomers as you know - and I was only reading today that Nick Clegg was apologising for the fact that he sees his and our generation as responsible for the current "mess". Look - we didnt know this is how things would go did we? I do not think it is the "fault" of our generation. We honestly thought that "Things could only get better" (cue for a song...). I certainly thought that things would get better for quite some time - I thought they would get better for me personally, I thought they would get better for Society as a whole. I spent many years personally being pleased that I was "doing my little tiny bit" to ensure that Society as a whole would get better and deriving a degree of satisfaction from that.

It is NOT our fault - it is NOT the fault of any particular generation. It IS the fault of those individual people (of ANY generation - whether our own or before or after ours) that have just gone after what they personally wanted blindly totally regardless of anyone or anything else.

"Mea culpa" is NOT appropriate in your/my/a lot of our generation's case...it applies to individual people in any generation - but some of us (including your good self) HAVE done what we could. So DO NOT beat yourself up - because you are doing what you can. The "law of unintended consequences" to actions really only started showing up in the 1970s at some point (I'm not quite clear which year it started becoming clear to the "first flush" of people to become aware of "which way the wind was blowing" - I theeenkk it was some point about the mid 1970s that the first of us started to become aware of what way things were going....). I could head for my bookshelves to see what year it was in my case that I personally started having some intimations - but offhand I think it was about 1975 I would say and the message probably didnt really start sinking in until about 1980. We are all going to vary as to when the penny dropped. For many many people the penny STILL hasnt dropped yet - boy is it ever going to "hit the ground" with a clunk for those who havent yet clicked....It takes people varying amounts of times before the rose-tinted glasses come off...