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

mardatha

I think its totally up to you as an individual whether you rent or buy. I would never, ever buy a house because my OH worked in jobs that were not secure & liable to pay off or go on strike (crane driver in docks & building sites ). But I would say that in the past, jobs like teaching/nursing/council were jobs for life. Now there is no such animal - so you can't go by what your parents did because life has changed.
I'm perfectly happy with the houses I've had and never had to worry about the rent when he was off work. But since they sold off council housing life has got so much harder for people. If a young couple want to set up on their own then they have to buy - and so many of them come to grief.
Just lately I've been getting a feeling that things are going to get a lot worse yet for us all. I think we should all dig in deeper .. LOL I sound like private Fraser in Dads Army

TudorRose

Been reading with interest the views on buying versus renting.

I am in the lucky position of owning my house outright but only because it became mine when my Mum died nearly 7 years ago. Without this house I really don't know where I would be.
Have a very reduced income which just pays the basics. I have a small amount of savings but am loathe to spend any more than I have to as am never going to be able to replace them.
If I didn't have the house I would probably have to live with one of my children & much as we love each other we would all hate that!
As a widow I can also see that if eligible for any state help (doubtful) I would be directed to gove live in a tiny flat in a grotty area. The house I have is not large but would command a good price beacause of its situation so my plan is in the next couple of years to sell up & find something cheaper so I can keep a roof over my head in my old age.
I an nearly 55 so have 10 possibly 11 years ( if they change retiremnent age) until I can claim my state pension.

Sorry for long post but it is so good to be able to read others views & to share mine with others as I feel that if I try to tell friends & children how I feel it looks as if I am going nutty but I have lived through the hard times like many others on this thread & I remember how hard it was bringing up 2 children & keeping the home going when interest rates were sky high & people will not know what has hit them if this happens again.

wigglebeena

penelopedee wrote: »

Today I've been looking at the cost of school shirts for DS. He's a teenager so needsa few to swap round to keep them fresh. Now-a-days they have to be specific nylon polo shirts with their logo on. Cost a bomb, wash like rubbish. I am ashamed at the colour they go after a few washes.

Take me back to previous years when white cotton shirts were required, could be boiled washed and ironed nicely. (Oh and the mortgage at time allowed for a week in the summer as well).

Sorry peoples, I'm ranting again.

As a childless person, can I check I have the current school uniform system right?

School nominates only acceptable provider of uniform.
Provider hikes prices up to laughable proportions for substandard gear.
Families are stuck and have to fork out.
School or headmaster gets a lovely kick-back from the provider as a thank-you for bleeding working families dry.

Is that about it? Because that's the impression I've got.

Larumbelle

I think the problem is for many of us that we simply CANNOT afford to buy - full stop. If My OH and I were to buy the tiny one-and-a-half-bed bungalow we live in right now, we would need a mortgage SEVEN TIMES our combined salary, even based on my having full time hours and including regular overtime for OH. Wasn't this whole financial mess caused by banks lending money to people like me to spend on houses they couldn't actually afford? And even at present rates our mortgage would be almost twice our rent.

I'm afraid to say that what happens to me in old age will happen. I have no control over it. Does that make me happy? No, of course not.

Unfortunately that's how life is sometimes.

wigglebeena

Re: school uniform, as a kid I remember that if a particular family couldn't afford a specified item, kids just got sent with an available substitute, or without. It's amazing how, the less effort you're prepared to put into bowing, scraping and obeying the edicts of your 'betters', the less trouble you get from them. Families marked as 'potential trouble' seem to have the effect of making educational authorities go very quiet and back off suddenly.

(Yes, I'm aware it's not pleasant for the kids themselves. I was one of them. But barring kicking off en masse about the current corrupt system, it's one available response).

gailey_2

kidcat wrote: »

If renting is going to become more stable then yes tenants rights need to change. We took our last place after being told it was a long term deal, a home for life we were told, retired property, wont be in service again, so we settled down, didnt think of buying spent time stripping floors etc. To be thrown out with such short notice (two months is not enough to be able to buy a property even if you have the money for a deposit) was a shock.

Maybe a change should be that you are entitled to an extra months notice for every year you spend in a property. That would have really helped us.

Your post is quite worrying as my property in rented from retired couple through agents.

They own 3rental properties as well as their own.
They live rural village outside the city now, miles away from us hence why they use agents think their other 2properties other side of city close to them.
Our house was built in 1980s in big david wilson estate, landlord onwed from beginning and lived here prior to renting.
Me and hubby guessing by now his morgage is probably paid off and apart from agents fees hes making money from us.

Our old nextdoor neighbour who weirdly is related to hubbys cousin got into debt and had to sell house.
He moved few doors down in rented property so was happy.
However when credit cruch hit his landlord who probably brought in boom sold as rent was covering morgage.
Not sure if increase in captital gains will stop landlords from selling.
We in lovley area but pricey to buy average 200grand to buy ahouse, good schools daughter luckily got into best one in area.
We love area shops nearby, good bus route as dont drive, lovley parks, low crime, nice parks close to country dont wish to move area but buying seems like a a dream.

Downside is property need work dated tatty kitchen broken tiles.
2cupboards broke last year landlord replaced them with 2cupboards that dont match rest of kitchen which has few cupbopards as it is.
Broken chipped tiles never looked clean and bit unygenic replaced with lino tiles ourselves at cost of 50quid.
cooker is rubbish and one hob does not work and is smaleest oven and grill just smokes lots.

bathroom lovley avacado suite with horrod pink lino that clashed and did not fit. It kept risinga nd being bumpy so landlord came round and cut bits off with knife so it dident rise leaving gap around toiliet and handbasin I mean its safe but looked awful.
He did new sealing round bath in grey rather than white.
Again we replaced bathroom flor with new lino at cost of 35quid looks much better.

We repainted every room and banisters.
we painted kitchen cupboards that dident match white to match new cupboards probably get part deposit taken away from us for that.

we lived here 6years and cheap think beige carpet hasent survived the kids, where we rig doctored it so much its bubbled and scagged looks awful.
We asked landlords permission to change flooring he said as long as done to high stanadard.

To replace carpet in hall and huge lounge diner would cost 300quid with laminate but we skint atm but depresses us looking at floor as its really bad, mainly through wear and tear than abuse.

Would love pets landlord says no.
we could be given 2months notice, we couldent afford deposit for another place as ist 1000 deposit plus one months rent upfront in private rental. our rent rises each year just under 700 most bigger places round here 800-1000 rent a month.Even though house too small we stay as think we have more security here.

put our name down on list think its 10years time as as hubby works seemingly good wage dont hold much hope plus city has some awful areas they could offer us not liek back in wales or rural areas where ha/la authority areas can be quite nice especially if its older houses where some people own in street also.

I read shelter did study on the secret hosuing poor people trapped into expensive private rental, living in poor conditions but cant get council cant buy.

I envy people who have council at times as they can treat house as if they own and decorate to their taste.
Stepsons mums just had new kitchen courtesy of ha and thinks ours is rubbish.

Hubby owned in his 20,s before splitting and recession of early 90s so they sold he regrets this now.
We met 2003 and he wanted to buy then but I thourght too soon and was worried he still reckons we should have brought but house prices seemed high then.I think if we had we would have been in trouble.

Also pre kids 2ages morgage manaagble wbut when have kids you lose earnings as you either give up or pay most of wages in childcare.
My mates brought last year, wants kids but worried she cant afford them.

2004/05 couple of freinds rushed to buy overextended themselves as said if we dont buy now we missed our chance.
2 of those freinds now in neg equity, lots of debts, have missed morgage paymensts and regret it.
The one who does not brought half house from ha and has lodger so is fine but his dad pulled few strings for him to get it and gave him huge deposit.

My mum likes to say rents dead money.
Prior to remarriage mum did own house but only because dad left it to her in divorce settlement, got his own house repossed and over extended himself in 90s, recession.I doubt she leave much as spent lots.
She lives with new hubby who earns 14grand a year who owns house and pays half in morgage what we do in rent.
Thats what baffles hubby is people on low wages who brought at right time own makes him feel worse but i say things have changed.

Cousins just brought hes main earner ploughed all his savings into deposit but his jobs well paid but not secuere he earns 60grand a year gross but has student loans to pay back and got morgage of 140 which wouldent buy anything round here.
Generally where jobs are houseprices are more expensive hes up north.

In wales and rural england coat many people have to move away from where they grew up as houseprices so high and wages so low been pushed up by holiday home ownership.

I despair every time I go back home to brecon beacons that another executive housing estate being built with 250-300k houses , baffles me as hardly any jobs in town very few well paid or fultime to enable you to get morgage for that amount.

Mam says move back but we couldent afford it and very few amentities for kids there, rubbish schools and cant sop around supermarkets for best prices.

Round here people do look at you funny when you say we rent as we officially poor. They look at me like alian when I say I dont drive.

Occasionally you get patronising few who say ahh you rent good for you but then they live in lovley decorated modern houses with garage and room for a pony.

Did anyone watch last money programme on bbc2 last night.
was about savings we one of third without as everytime we saved something broke mainly the car.
Pensions neither of us got them, was shocked other day mate says she pays 200quid month into her goldplated nhs oensions and gets better sick pay/maternity then I got in private sector plus ns discounts in lots of places she works in lab by way.

mil moans that if she didnet own house.savings then she would get housing benefit.

I dont know if we are screwed pension wise we screwed now and maybe screwed on future most people see their houses as their pension .


Hubby keeps mentioning dmp word which im against as we managing just ,Like I say we need to take some pain now and we be ok in few years but he gets frustrated paying small amounts of debt off and car going wrong all time, bills rising we feeling the squeeze.
Hes really hoping he gets new jobs which will be better paid but then more tax and will lose tax credits.

Right waffled enough must go clean and cook whilst eldest in preschool as they break up tommorow.

Primrose

I'm another one who is glad we made the financial sacrifices to own our own home. Many years ago back in the dark ages when people didn'[t live together before they were married, we decided we wouldn't marry until we could afford our own home. That certainly gave us a big incentive to save and we did all kinds of things to generate extra money for our deposit. Our first home was a rather grotty maisonette with no heating and it was freezing in winter, but I have never once regretted stepping on the ownership ladder, despite 3 redundancies in our working lifetime which did cause some worrying moments. But now we're retired, I am thankful for the security whch ownership provides. Our mortgage is now paid off. Nobody can increase our rent or suddenly withdraw our security and with all the uncertainties that growing older can bring, that is one thing which we will not have to worry about. However, I do understand that for some people, and especially in the short term, renting may look a better financial option. What may change, of course, is that many state benefits now available to subsidise rent and housing costs may not survive because of these austerity years, and if that happens the financial equation in the longer term may end up with a totally different outcome.

mama67

floss2 wrote: »

Can I just say to all those who have to buy school uniforms, my DS's both had to wear a blazer, white shirt & tie through high school, and I would buy the shirts from ASDA - 3 packs of 2, they would do elder son for a year and then younger son for a year, clean one every day + a spare, washed & ironed at weekends. However, I'm not sure if the quality is still the same, as DS2 left school in 2004

My 2 boys are exactly the same Blazer and tie from school, blazer £24 , tie £6 and I bought shirts in Mr T sales so got 3 fairtrade cotton s/s for £3 also buy the plain black trousers at £5 per pair

lilac_lady

Very interesting debate about renting or buying property.

I am mortgage free in retirement and it means the difference between struggling and surving versus having enough for a decent (but not luxurious) lifestyle.

Having said that, things are very different today and renting makes sense if you can rent a decent place from a council or housing association. Having a private landlord would be a worry for me.

As Ceridwen said, I'd hate to have to live in a small flat at the mercy of anti social neighbours etc just because it's deemed enough for a retired person. I'd have to pay for that too as my income is over the Housing Benefit limit.

I'm happy where I am and count myself lucky live here. Of course it means I have to save for repairs etc but that's one reason why I'm on the MSE forum!

mardatha

Re school uniform - I'm afraid the whole system is just blackmail and I'd be writing a short sharp letter to the school saying if you want my child to wear that stuff then YOU BUY IT cos otherwise he is wearing what I can afford. Load of patronising snobs - the schools cant even teach kids properly !