Its tough, it will get better and guess what its freezing brrrrr!

pink_numbers

it takes a very generous person to be able to respond to all those that needs it So thank you very much

NualaBuala

pink_numbers wrote: »

it takes a very generous person to be able to respond to all those that needs it So thank you very much

Well I don't think that applies to me but you are so kind to say it! Great to see you back on the Frugal thread. Night night. xxx

Hardup_Hester

The cuts will have very little effect on hubby & I, he'll have to work an extra year, but I won't as I'm older than him, our children are all grown up & independant & the only benefit we claim is hubby's low rate DLA & as yet that is being left alone. We live as frugally as possible anyway as I want to pay of my mortgage before I retire. I know I'm going to upset people by saying this, but I think doing away with the house for life would be good for some people. I live on a mixed estate of LA & owned housing, those of us in owned houses drive cars that are 15plus years old, 3 of the LA houses have tenants who have 3 or 4 cars, Mercades & Jags, top of the range changed every year. These houses should be used for people in need. I do think people on low income should be helped with housing, but if their income is high enough they should be made to free up houses for those in need.
OK, I'll go now before people start throwing things at me, lol.

MummyOfTwo

i agree as well hester. social housing is there to meet a need, and need is a fluid concept throughout life. you may *need* a 3 bed house to raise a family, but when they flee the nest, you may only *need* a one bedroom flat. if you *want* to remain in a 3 bed house, off you trot and finance that yourself!!!!

well its certainly flipping winter up here in cumbria. not sure of the actual temp, but im wearing tights, jeans, tshirt and hoody for work, with my fingerless gloves at the ready...

jackieglasgow

I live in Social Housing, and can kind of see where you are coming from, in that you won't need a family sized home all your days. For example, these are newly built, our old homes were demolished, some were CPO'd (mine) some were tennanted anyway. The new housing was built to accomodate all the existing families. One had four "children" living at home between the ages of 14 and 24. They got a gorgeous four bedroomed house. They now, 18months later have one child at home. And that big huge house will be theirs for life. Meanwhile, the girl nest to me is struggling with the decision to have another child (her 3rd) because they can't afford to buy a big enough house - these are smallish 3 beds - and there are no houses available where we live which have four beds. They both work hard, but can't afford a mortgage around here, childcare, and to live, so there's no chance of buying anything near as nice as we have just now, I feel its a real shame.

Rowan9

(((hugs))) to those affected by the cuts. I am sad to see that those who have less will end up worse off (or so I believe from what I read and hear about it). I also watched it live yesterday and found it upsetting to see the back clapping and the smugness. I thought he rushed through the bit about EMA and so I expect it to be scrapped when it is re-vamped next year. Quite unfair to say that those who are sick will have a year of claims although this sounded a bit confusing.

Other things.... someone asked if I have good chutney recipes - I will be using those on the recipe thread in OS - they must be frugal surely:)?
Food-wise here - I've been cutting back on grocery spending and also electricity by planning meals more carefully and cooking for 2 nights at a time. I used to do some batch cooking regularly and freeze it but have never been good at doing labels so I've defrosted some interesting things! I have found lately that what works for me is to roast a chicken on a Sunday and that does the pair of us 3 meals - roast on sun, sliced and in gravy on Mon and cold with salad Tues, as well as some bits for DH's packed lunch. Then I make soup with it. On Wed I cook something that will do Wed and Thurs - this week it was braised liver - nice and cheap, really tasty and is good for me as I sometimes have to take iron supplements. Fish for Friday then a veggie meal on Sat - we usually have arrabiatta and salad while watching Strictly:). This is just what works for me right now and I know might not work for others, especially anyone who doesn't like eating the same thing for a couple of days. I always have some soup on the go as well.
Someone also mentioned storage heaters. We down-sized from a 3 bed house with gas CH to a 2 bed flat this year with storage heaters. We have found them so good that we have replaced them with new ones. At the moment we only have one on in the livingroom (20ft so quite a big room) and then leave all the doors open throughout the flat. It is wonderfully warm, even the bathroom and kitchen which have 2 outer walls. I switch it on at about 3 overnight and have it on 3 also for output continuously. We found the old heaters were quite cheap although obviously we were used to paying more for heat in a bigger house.
Ok, I bought a paper today for the first time in months so I'm off to read and see what it has to say.
Keep warm everyone and keep your spirits up. This is such a supportive place to be.
W

anguk

We used to live in a council house (we now privately rent) and there was a guy in his late 40s living on his own in a 3 bedroom two doors away. He'd originally lived there with his parents, his mother died before we moved there, his father died a few years later. He told us the council had asked if he would move into a flat because they were desperately short of family homes but he refused. It just doesn't seem right that families with young children are stuck in small flats while single people are in big 3 bedroom houses.

It's blooming freezing up here :eek: and very windy which is making it feel even colder!

Penelope_Penguin

anguk wrote: »

I don't understand this ESA thing. My OH is on incapacity benefit and has been for almost 15 years now, when he first became unable to work he was on Invalidity Benefit then it changed to Incapacity. He hasn't had to send in sicknotes or anything for years and he's only ever had one medical about 7 years ago (and that may have been for DLA, I forget). How will these changes affect him? :huh:

There has, long before the election, been a plan that later this year, everyone currently on IB, will be transferred over to ESA.

Not everyone will be transferred at once, so it's worth giving your IB provider a call to ask them when OH is likely to be transferred

It will then depend on what sort of ESA he gets as to how yesterday's changes will affect him.

ceridwen

jackieglasgow wrote: »

I live in Social Housing, and can kind of see where you are coming from, in that you won't need a family sized home all your days. For example, these are newly built, our old homes were demolished, some were CPO'd (mine) some were tennanted anyway. The new housing was built to accomodate all the existing families. One had four "children" living at home between the ages of 14 and 24. They got a gorgeous four bedroomed house. They now, 18months later have one child at home. And that big huge house will be theirs for life. Meanwhile, the girl nest to me is struggling with the decision to have another child (her 3rd) because they can't afford to buy a big enough house - these are smallish 3 beds - and there are no houses available where we live which have four beds. They both work hard, but can't afford a mortgage around here, childcare, and to live, so there's no chance of buying anything near as nice as we have just now, I feel its a real shame.

Actually you have raised a point that hadnt occurred to me.

I presume CPO'd means that you were a homeowner previously and the Council did a Compulsory Purchase Order on your house and had to allocate you a tenancy because the amount they paid for your house wasnt enough for you to buy another one? (as it seems to me that compulsory purchased houses are often not paid enough for to allow the owner to even be able to get a similar one...).

That being the case - then, whatever happens as regards length of tenancy granted to incoming "new" tenants - then obviously any who had been CPO'd should be granted a lifetime tenancy (AND the right to pass it on to an adult child thereafter) - because that was something they already had when they owned their own home previously and they shouldnt be expected to lose that aspect of home ownership - as well as not actually owning their home IYSWIM. I think any Council that expected to take someones home ownershop off them for less than the proper value AND take away the security of being able to stay in their home for life and let their child do so after them if wanted would be on a hiding to nothing. They simply wouldnt be ABLE to do largescale redevelopment if people knew they would be hit by that extra blow on top of losing some of their house value.

bluebag

pink_numbers wrote: »

Thank you bluebag and NualaBuala (one day I will be able to type your entire name without double checking the spelling!) You two are so kind and supportive. I will venture back onto the wagon

You go girl, just remember not to burn yourself out, little and often.
However little you do is still 100% more than you were doing.

Sometimes it can feel as if the whole thing is so overwhelming, so don't beat yourself up if you can't do it all.

Some lucky folks find it easy to keep on top of it all, I don't, so I do what I can and learn to be content with what I can do not discontent with what I can't.

Anyway in 100 years who will care? Will our descendents remember us for a spotless kitchen floor? :rotfl: