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

ceridwen

Frugal wrote: »

Good ole Alan Sugar tried to give his heating allowance back to the government and spent an hour trying to sort it out!!!

Needless to say, it wasn't possible *rollseyes* so he gives it to charity now instead :T

Honestly, people as wealthy as Alan Sugar are getting this... its so wrong... who else... The Queen? She will be getting it too OMG ridiculous.

Well - I've just given Alan Sugar precisely 1 brownie point then if he tried to do that:D

There must be a happy medium somewhere between the wealthy getting given ANY money at all from the Government (whatever its title - be it Heating Allowance, Child Benefit, etc) as they are right at this moment on the one hand - and the worry that even those who need it (yes - I personally WILL need my heating allowance when I reach correct age) might not get it till later or be wrongfully means-tested out of it on the other hand (as the income qualifier figure has been set too low).

Life would be just so much simpler if everyone had a conscience and everyone then sat down and worked out logically whether they were morally entitled to a benefit (of ANY description) before just holding out their hands and claiming it. Unfortunately - because that isnt the case - our Society gets "tied up in knots" trying to work out how the "genuine" cases can get it and the "greedies" cant......:mad:. Hmmm...which brings me neatly back round in a circle to various accountants in the Press over the last couple of days dishing out advice to those on £44k or more p.a. on how to work out a bit of tax avoidance to ensure they still get child allowance. Didnt take the vultures long to start circling......

kidcat

I have heard a couple of stories already of people who are working out how to bring their salary down below the 44k threshold. If we had 44k coming in, I wouldnt be bothered trying to work out how to bypass the system and to get child benefit.

purpleheather2810

It wouldn't be very MSE though, if we weren't claiming everything we were entitled to - whatever our income level.

Penelope_Penguin

Frugal wrote: »

Good ole Alan Sugar tried to give his heating allowance back to the government and spent an hour trying to sort it out!!!

Honestly, people as wealthy as Alan Sugar are getting this... its so wrong... who else... The Queen? She will be getting it too OMG ridiculous.

This smells of spin to me :rotfl: Thing is, to be paid the Winter Fuel Allowance, you have to actually claim it. LordSugar could have just not put his claim in, but there'd have been no publicity in that

katholicos

MMM....lots of conversation about uni and the lack of jobs for highly qualified people at the end of it...i believe it is of paramount importance to support those individuals who have the ability to go to uni, the opportunity to go to uni and the desire to go to uni. I know very, very few people (none actually) who have ever regretted going to uni even when a career has not immediately become available after their studying. I do however, know many people who went to uni and had great experiences, life enriching experiences, who were pushed to the very edge of their ability and are all the better for it.

kezlou

I completely agree with you ubamother, i will get myself into as much debt as possible to pay for my children to go to university.
Its not about finiance its about broadening the mind, experienceing new things. I fully expect both of my children to go to university, dosen't matter what they study just as long as they go. whether it be media studies or electrical engineering.

coming from a very poor poverty stricken back ground, i expect both of my boys to exceed. Both of children already know what me and they father expect so already my 10 year has been disuccing with me which course he should go on.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: PP. My father thought he would get his winter fuel allowance automatically. Little did he know he had to phone up to make a claim. Daft begger was stuck with a massive gas bill as they wouldn't back date it for him. Guess Lord sugar wa sone of the lucky ones eh?!

rachbc

Frugal wrote: »

Good ole Alan Sugar tried to give his heating allowance back to the government and spent an hour trying to sort it out!!!

Needless to say, it wasn't possible *rollseyes* so he gives it to charity now instead :T

Honestly, people as wealthy as Alan Sugar are getting this... its so wrong... who else... The Queen? She will be getting it too OMG ridiculous.

Now that would be a fab story if it was true - you have to make a claim to get winter fuel payment just like you do for child benefit its not just sent out.

rachbc

katholicos wrote: »

MMM....lots of conversation about uni and the lack of jobs for highly qualified people at the end of it...i believe it is of paramount importance to support those individuals who have the ability to go to uni, the opportunity to go to uni and the desire to go to uni. I know very, very few people (none actually) who have ever regretted going to uni even when a career has not immediately become available after their studying. I do however, know many people who went to uni and had great experiences, life enriching experiences, who were pushed to the very edge of their ability and are all the better for it.

exactly - going to UNi isn't just about getting a better job its about the experience it offers and that should be open to anyone capable who wants it, not just those who can afford it

Kitcaboodle

I agree that University is as much if not more about the experience as the education. For me, although my degree has only got me (as far as I'm aware) one job in my entire life (a typing course was far more effective as a passport to work!) & that job didn't care what my degree was in as long as I had one, it was still worth spending those three years for all the things I learnt about life.

BUT.... I got to graduate with no debt, because working in my year out & holidays and being careful with my cash was enough to manage that. These days it isn't. These days even the most sensible, prepared student with a few thousand savings behind them and a regular part-time job is still going to graduate with shed-loads of debt.

Is the experience necessarily worth it to them then? Is it worth paying off for the next few decades?

If it were me, now & I wanted the experience I'd save up and do a year long course in something work related and/or go abroad and travel or even study abroad. I'd save up the money first and then have fun rather than have fun and then have decades of debt (but then I'm debt-phobic!) Then I'd do an Open University degree to satisfy my urge to prove to the world that I was degree level intelligence. No way would I willingly take on tens of thousands of pounds of debt just for the experiences I had at Uni. They were good but not worth THAT!

greengoblin

I'm not quite sure why people equate having a degree with a certain level of intelligence.
It shows you can hoop jump until someone else tells you your clever enough to receive a piece of paper?