Recession how are we all coping in NI?

Rach39

It's just awful with no end in sight! My hubby's in construction, is self employed and hasn't worked AT ALL this year!!! He's never been out of work in his life and has tried everything and applied for loads of stuff but being trained brickie with telescope license he just doesn't have the necessary experience / qualifications to do anythin else when faced with the competition and most of the time doesn't even get an interview! He gets absolutely nothing in terms of benefits as I work full time. I make and sell jewellery at craft fairs too so am doing 7 day weeks as much as poss just to keep afloat and pay the mortgage. Everyday brings more grim news for the construction industry and we're starting to believe it's just a matter of time before we float off down the repossession river

steveymp

Hasn't been bad so far, I have a 1% tracker mortgage so thats been nice with the low interest rate, facing a 3 year pay freeze thou now being NHS staff

The 2bn cut announced yesterday will not be good for public sector staff and the cuts will likely start now before next April and get worse after again:( The only problem with the cuts is that they will be decided by the people who should be getting trimmed themselves:o

Senior and Middle Management are over paid and over staffed but highly unlikely to cut their own positions or salaries:( I am a sole specialist in my field in a large District Hospital that services around half of the country in my speciality, I am not confident of having my job still in the next year:o

I totally sympathise with anyone caught in the horrible JSA or unemployed and getting no benefit trap, hopefully things will pick up for you all.

anotherginger

i moved over the water to do a postgrad for a year, thinking i would be back as soon as i was finished (especially because my other half was still in NI!).

it was impossible to get back to NI, and after 3 years here ( and 3 years in a long distance relationship) my other half made the move over here too. we both know we would rather be in NI, but it's not looking likely in the next five years as we're both in the public sector.

x12yhp

Phoolgrrrl wrote: »

Yea x12yhp most of my peers have gone back to uni or done a pcge cuz no other jobs. Also benefits didn't work for us, as OH was working 24 hrs a week I wouldn't get JSA, regardless of what he actually earned. The don't count ther most recent tax year and you have to have 2 years qualifying Nat Ins to get cont based, so even though I had worked full time for 2 years I didn't qualify cuz the didn't count the 2nd year till after april this year. So goin by that reasoning a person working 24 hrs min wage earns enough to support a couple.

The tax cred thing confused me too. I was in this boat and they told me I couldn't get any assistance with working tax credits because of my previous year showing I was fully employed and way above the limit. The fact that, then and there, I was working enough that I could not get JSA but earning nothing from it (as is often the case when self employed) changed nothing. I would have been better off quitting the work and just taking benefits! I have to say I feel I must have been given bum advice but no one else would help!

drew2k9

when i think of that 2bn cut, i just think that its silly money! think how much food that could buy for developing countries round the world! like when you see adverts to sponsor a child for a couple of pound a day to give them a better life...

anyway, the recession has hit a lot of us out there, those who have had a good time of it, well i say lucky you, because in reality it has hit a lot of people hard! my dad was made redundant and has had to go self employed, but luckily is doing ok now, but is working 15 hour days 6 days a week to earn about 2/3 of his old pay in his old 40 hour a week job.
in my job we havent been able to be paid our cost of living increase due to recession.
my GF was out of her chosen profession for 2 years taking random rubbish part time jobs to get by, but has recently got back into her profession, but now has to travel 50 miles a day by car or train just to get to work and back, so its a bit swings and roundabouts there, getting paid to be able to go to work to be able to get paid to be able to go to work if you get me...

lets hope this whole recession goes away as soon as possible! at this rate i will never be able to get onto the housing market regardless of its current state!

Ex-Spendaholic

So far not too badly. Have to say though I'm sick of paying a fortune for diesel and gas every month.

wacko911

I havent noticed other than the fact my saving are being erroded by crappy IR to help pay for the suckers that bought in 2007.

36square

Ex-Spendaholic wrote: »

So far not too badly. Have to say though I'm sick of paying a fortune for diesel and gas every month.

Are you using less?