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

anguk

RAS, thanks for that, I hope it is just scare mongering. The thought of DD leaving university with massive debts scare me. We live on benefits, not because we're workshy but because OH is disabled & ill and I'm his carer, but we've always taught our kids the importance of education, working and paying their own way. DS chose not to go to university but he's always worked even moving to London so he could get the type of job he wanted and I hear his friends talking about paying their student loans back.

DD wants to go to university and I must admit I'm quite ignorant about fees, loans, grants etc (in my day there were no fees and they seemed to throw grants at you ) so I worry when I read things about scrapping the fees cap.

Kitcaboodle

I think it's awful that students have to pay fees at all. I did an arts degree and there were people on my course who couldn't have afforded to be at uni if they hadn't had a full grant, let alone if they'd had to pay fees! They came from parts of the country where going into any debt was crazy as you would probably never earn enough locally to ever pay it off.

I had the full grant except for my last year when it was reduced by £200. I managed to avoid having to take out one of the new (at the time) student loans & thanks to working in my year out & during the summer holidays, I graduated with nothing, no debt & no savings.

I've no idea what we're going to do when DS reaches university age. Let's just say that, despite both being university educated ourselves, we won't mind if he decides to take up a trade instead! I just want him to get decent GCSEs as you have to take all kinds of exams these days even to work on a building site! (Something a lot of kids who decide it's not worth putting any effort in at school don't realise. You need to be literate and numerate for even the most menial of jobs these days.)

RAS

When would she go to university?

This is the current set of rules http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/index.htm

Bear in mind that every student from a low income family (and being on benefits you qualify) also get a grant from their university. The value depends, some give £1500 to the poorest, others £500 to lots more people.

Also, there are a number of EU countries where student support is good and the teaching in English (all of Scandinavia and Holland). if she got very good grades, then some seriously expensive US universities offer massive scholarships, anything up to full fees and maintenance.

For a complete outside deal the fees in many ex colonies are very very low, with very low living costs and English as the teaching medium (cannot quite work out how people have not picked up on this as private secondary education in some of these countries is quite popular.

maryb

Actually, Oxford and Cambridge can be two of the cheapest universities to go to if you are a low income household. The terms are only 8 weeks long so you only have to pay for accommodation for that long if you are living in college. A lot of the colleges have enough accommodation that you don't have to live out in your second year and if you do, they often offer some help with the additional costs. Add to that the fact that if you get a maintenance grant (as opposed to a maintenance loan) they will automatically give you an additional bursary, plus there are lots of one-off grants avaialble for books etc. The actual tuition fees are the same as any other university.

It really upsets me when I hear people saying 'Oh, we could never afford Oxbridge' It's just not true

ceridwen

Annie56 wrote: »

Hi and good morning

Reading all the posts this morning makes me wonder how some will cope.
Not been around for a wee while as Im too :mad::mad::mad: at the exOH, he has gone on a cruise with blonde floozie and not paid the workers last week at the garage he owns. The fuel delivery company want paying upfront so no petrol/diesel means no business then he informs me that hes going Bankrupt when he comes back.

Have had various folk confirm the rumours re his gambling debts, and my dads on the warpath that he has supposedly paid of blonde floozies parents mortgage and given them 2 of the newer cars of the forecourt sales....have had to post on the BR and Living with it board I need some advice as part of the original business loan was secured against the house,how can one man grind a perfectly very viable business into the ground in just 4 months:o:o I now need to protect myself from his stupidity, wish I could be at the docks when they get into port hed be swimming the bleedin channel by the time Ive finished with him...

Hes now responsible for 3 mechanics and an apprentice and a old chap who was the general handyman maybe losing there jobs, what an idiot as I said in a previous post his brains are in his trousers am trying to fathom out how the hell I missed all this happening, then again I trusted him.

I have been given an interview for a midwives position in kthe Aberystwyth area, so am off down there Saturday for the interview on Monday next....have been looking at properties to rent in the area, some beautiful places, though have to hold on till I find out what my financial position is if he does go Bankrupt, I might have to be paying for his daftness and stupidity and my ignorance in trusting him.

One good thing Im alive, have my health and food in the cupboard anything else is a plus in my book, am going down the allotment to take my frustrations out on the weeds lol and have a chinwag with another newbie who looks lovley in his wellies ( old Annie56 has been watching him flex his muscles as he turns over his soil :p)and cheer myself up...


Might just measure 6` x 6` plot for the exOH beats the patio anyday....:cool::D:D,

See you all laters:p
Annie56

He's going on a cruise - and not met his obligations to pay his workers:eek::mad: - and he thinks he'll just go bankrupt when he comes back. Annie love - you're WELL off without someone of so few principles. Count your blessings you're away from him. Personally - from what you've just said - I'd be telling the "floozie" that she was very welcome to him...:cool:

Good luck with the interview - and dont forget to repeat to yourself at intervals "I'm WELL rid of him"...we might just help you look out a headstone for that 6' x6' plot from what you say.....

bluebag

lambanana wrote: »

I am back from my holiday and can't even begin to catch up here! Came back to worrying news, DH's company is government funded and apparently they're "under review" by the department providing the funding. Nothing is happening as yet but we'll see what comes of it. He's already been made redundant twice in the last 4 years, really can't handle it happening again and we can't afford to live on just my wages.

Oh my, what a worry. It seems a common theme at the moment.
I hope it passes over without incident. It's awful feeling that sword of damacles whistling around.
I have been fortunate it has never happened to me but plenty of my friends have had really bad times with redundancy in the last recession.
I thought maybe those days were over... sadly seems not, it's happening all over again llike some awful recurring nightmare.
I hope the very best for you.
bb

ginnyknit

Just to ensure you all know the Prime Minister is pulling his weight, he has cancelled the 3000 quids worth of xmas trees that usually go up in his house and No 11 and is buying his out of his own pocket. When asked what he does with his child benefit he said ' You will have to ask my wife as she is the one that receives it ' Im not trying to start a political debate as I know very little about the subject - its just what I read on Sunday when I rashly spent some money on a little luxury, a Sunday paper, and read it from cover to cover then made it into a bed for the chickens!

ceridwen

Annie56

...still sitting there thinking about your ex and his cruise and giving away 2 cars - but planning on going bankrupt with a business you part-own.

A headstone is too good for him - if someone was "dragging my name through the financial mud" - so that I had to prove/felt I had to prove to the World that I had been responsible with money - it was totally HIS doing that people had been let-down like this - then never mind a 6' plot - I would be looking to chop his legs off at the ankles personally:D

My main thought that would keep me going in sorting out this situation would be "How DARE he have MY name anywhere near any implication of not paying my dues and ensuring that I was fully meeting MY obligations" and he would be in VERY VERY serious trouble indeed with me - shall we say the wreath for his funeral would probably have been ordered....:rotfl:

jackieglasgow

ginnyknit wrote: »

Just to ensure you all know the Prime Minister is pulling his weight, he has cancelled the 3000 quids worth of xmas trees that usually go up in his house and No 11 and is buying his out of his own pocket. When asked what he does with his child benefit he said ' You will have to ask my wife as she is the one that receives it ' Im not trying to start a political debate as I know very little about the subject - its just what I read on Sunday when I rashly spent some money on a little luxury, a Sunday paper, and read it from cover to cover then made it into a bed for the chickens!

That's big of him :mad:

mardatha

Wonder how long his xmas tree budget would keep an OStyler going !:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: