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

Margaret54

My dh and I live in a large 4 bed house which we rent from the Council. When the children moved out we applied for a smaller house. ( we need a bungalow due to my health changing). It makes sense to us, and we know that a bigger family, will have lots of space and a large garden too. It was ideal for us when we moved in a long time ago. There is no way we would stay on here if my health was good. We hope we are offered a bungalow soon. We would never have dreamed of buying a house when we both earned. I worried about what would happen if illness came to one of us, so glad we did not buy now, as we are down to one income.

skyelark

AnnieG wrote: »

Me too... being extra friendly to people who are nasty to you is the best way of making them realise that they're being rude!
My breadmaker is on at the moment, I got it as a wedding present in 1997 and it still works perfectly, it's a panasonic and is brilliant.

I got a reconditioned laptop a little while ago, much cheaper than a new one and was guaranteed for a year. The company I got if from is called Portable IT and is based in Salisbury .... I have no connection to them other than having been a customer. I hope that helps someone!
It's freezing here today, I'm on the sofa under a duvet with a big mug of tea and plan to stay this way for some time!!

I hope my BM last that long! It is my fave gadget!!:)

greent

Margaret54 - hope you can get a bungalow soon - they always seem to be in especially short supply

BB1984

Morning all, I'm on annual leave today but supposed to be doing my non-paid work (studying for prof exams). However, I've spent the whole morning so far doing chores etc, the house is a bomb site and I can't settle to work when it's such a mess! Can't keep taking days off to work but then get nothing done - it's not fair! need to have words with DH about getting this place in order. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I do everything whilst he sits on his bum all evening/weekend - but I really need him to take on a bit extra as I'm getting so stressed out by it all! :mad:

I've been reading all the responses on here to the CSR with great interest. I agree with many of you, and disagree with a fair few too! There have been a few posts that have made me want to reply, but I knew that if I started on a political rant, I'd end up writing a full-on essay and going completely off on tangents! So I'll restrain myself....!

One little thing I would like to say is that I get the impression that a lot of people are reacting angrily to the news, pretty much on the basis that it's the Tory party, and they would give the same reaction whatever the Tories said (i.e. loathing and contempt!) I'm not a card-carrying Tory myself, by the way, I think most of the major political parties are mostly comprised of useless jumped-up idiots, with few exceptions! But I would urge people to consider all the facts, for example the fact that many of the cuts were already proposed to have been made by Labour, if they were still in power; and the fact that the public sector cuts will be over 4 years, and I reckon that a lot of that will be through voluntary redundancies/retirements/natural wastage so it might not be as bad as it sounds.

I'm not trying to protect the government's actions, or belittle anyone's concerns, I just think we should all try not to stress about it too much, until we know for sure exactly how it's going to affect us all - more will become clear over the next few days/weeks/months.

I sincerely hope that people who are in receipt of benefits, who genuinely need them (like a lot of people on here), will continue to get the help and support that they need. Their anger at potentially having those reduced should, in my opinion, be directed less at the government, and more at the people who fraudulently claim benefits they don't deserve - they are unjustifiably costing the country in the region of £900MILLION every single year. In the same vein, we'd have less of a social housing shortage in this country if people who didn't need a council house, didn't have one. My colleague, for example, has a household income of (I estimate) about £35,000 a year. Him and his wife live in a 3-bed council house, paying about a third of the private market rate, have just had a new kitchen and a new bathroom, have just bought an £11,000 caravan and a 50-inch plasma tv. Why the hell should they continue to live there being subsidised by the country, when you've got people like Sammy Kaye, for example, who have genuine need for a council house, living in a little flat with no garden, and two kids?! :mad:

That is the state of the benefits system in this country, and that is the reason that I believe that an overhaul of that system is well-overdue.

By the way, anyone that thinks that "cuts are necessary, but why cut back to the bare bones?".......this is not bare bones! Again, I'm not trying to belittle anyone's situation or hardship on here, because I genuinely believe that you are all lovely and honest, good people, and it makes me sad to read about how some of you are struggling at the moment
But if you want to see a "bare bones" welfare state - take a look at America....we are very lucky here in the UK to have what we have.

I'm really sorry, this HAS turned into a political rant! :eek: I didn't mean it, I can't help myself! Hope I didn't offend anyone, it just my own opinion and is in no way directed at particular individuals on here. We're all in this together, as far as I'm concerned, and I hope that we can continue to pull together and each support where and when it is needed

On another note, hello Monty! :wave: I think your user name should just be Monty! You write in a similar style to Annie (makes me chuckle!), so I'm looking forward to hearing about your escapades on the allotment etc! Also it's nice to have a man about the place, us women seem to take over somewhat....!

Hugs to all that are in times of trouble and worry, and to those who are trying to keep warm!

BB

maryb

Hippeechiq
I don't think it is fair but I do think the only answer is to fix the system where it is not working - and that is in the lack of security that private renters have. At the same time we can't go back to the system I remember in the 1970s when you couldn't get sitting tenants out and they were only paying something like £1 a week on protected rents and demanding all the repairs. My mother' friend had a rental property left to her and it was a millstone round her neck yet all the rhetoric was that private landlords were all Rachmans. What happened was that the sitting tenants eventually got to buy the house for peanuts in order to stop the haemorrhage of cash. That certainly wasn't fair when her father had left her the house so that she would have a small but safe income (she was a widow)

I do think that the changes to cap housing benefit will eventually help everyone as it will bring rental levels down across the board which will clear out the speculative Buy to Letters which will help to keep house prices affordable. If people who were going into rental property as a real longterm business didn't have to pay so much they would settle for a reasonable yield and it's that that would really free up the rental market. Then if you could make sure that tenants and landlords both had reasonable security and protection I think a lot of people wouldn't mind renting rather than buying - which is what they do in Europe.

Also a lot of people with their own houses do want to downsize as they get older and buy somewhere smaller, cheaper to afford and easier to maintain, so as long as there is somewhere decent for couples to move to (ie they aren't forced to accept relocation miles away on a sink estate) I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that social housing tenants might want to think about that as well and do it sooner rather than later. Maybe the answer is to give them bonus points so that they get the pick of the best places available and plenty of time to choose somewhere plus pay costs

kezlou

pink_numbers wrote: »

I was ashamed of failing when everyone else was doing so well!

of course your not failing!!! We all have bad days.The past two weekends, i got sick of life, lack of money etc and i though s*d it, ended up spending a fortune on the kids and food. I also spent money on my credit card for food, stupidly i might add. But now i'm back on it, well trying anyway. We never fail we just slow down or speed up.

I also like to think, that if come here and rant about money, life etc i'm with like minded people and to be honest it has really helped me out. So keep posting and we'll be here to cheer, cry and shout along with you!

I also dropped out of the frugal living challenge everything crept up on me so i thought right well at least i had a go. Better than nothing.

hey monty!!! glad to see you on here!!:D
i would just use monty, as that's how i've come to you!
By the way ill be ahem asking [STRIKE]torturing[/STRIKE] you veyr questions about veg growing etc

Lets not get into the council housing debate, after all it can get very personal. I have my own thoughts and opinions some of which can be very opinionated and spiteful. Others not so.

The last thread was closed down because of this. Please don't start it up again, as for many of us its a lifeline to keep us sane!!!

csarina

Hippeechiq wrote: »

I had my own house when I was married, and I worked damned hard for it - but, I had a messy divorce, and ended up with pretty much nowt!

My OH had the same thing happen to him in his divorce. He divorced before me and was forced to live in private rented accommodation while waiting for a council house.......he waited 12 years!!. I moved in with him while he was still renting privately, the cost of which was horrendous because landlords know there is a lack of council houses and therefore charge what they like because they know people have to live somewhere.

After I moved in with him, because of the landlords we had being greedy, and putting rent up by unreasonable and unaffordable amounts, we were forced to move 3 times in 6 years before finally getting a council house 4 years ago. So we have moved 4 times in the last 10 years, which not only costs a lot of money, but is also utterly exhausting. Finally, I thought I was settled.

I'm 51 and we have two adult children in the house at the moment, by the time they leave home I will probably be nearing 60 maybe more, so what is being suggested is that, when my OH and I are in our 60's, we will be turfed out of our home because we no longer need a three bedroomed house.......and all of you who are applauding this decision, think this is fair, do you?

It wouldn't surprise me to learn that those who do approve of turfing people out of the home they've lived in for years are in fact home owners and are in no danger of having such an awful thing happen to themselves.

We are not in our own house, I am sorry you think it unreasonable but you will not have to move out of your home, present tenants are not affected, its new tenanats who eill not have the right to stay in the house for life. I do think its fair to free up accomodation for people who have a greater need.

At one point we were council tenants, we moved out in order to give someone who needed a subsidised home more than we did, we were lucky to be able to do that. We moved 4 times in 7 years, our choice, the last move cost us over £1000 again our choice.

LannyLee

kezlou wrote: »

Lets not get into the council housing debate, after all it can get very personal. I have my own thoughts and opinions some of which can be very opinionated and spiteful. Others not so.

The last thread was closed down because of this. Please don't start it up again, as for many of us its a lifeline to keep us sane!!!

Sorry Kezlou, you're right, we need to pull together at times like this & not bicker, but suppose it's to be expected to have difference of opinion, as we're all from different backgrounds, generations etc, but we'll be good...promise

greent

maryb wrote: »

Also a lot of people with their own houses do want to downsize as they get older and buy somewhere smaller, cheaper to afford and easier to maintain, so as long as there is somewhere decent for couples to move to (ie they aren't forced to accept relocation miles away on a sink estate) I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that social housing tenants might want to think about that as well and do it sooner rather than later. Maybe the answer is to give them bonus points so that they get the pick of the best places available and plenty of time to choose somewhere plus pay costs

That's a good idea And, yes - we won't be living in this house after all the children have gone - far too big for the 2 of us. As youngest is 1 and we're 40-41 we're likely to be in our 60s when they've all gone... (don't want to think about that - they drive me mad with noise and mess, but can't imagine it any other way!!)


ETA: I'll stop now..... just read kezlou's post - and I agree - I don't want another thread closed - I like coming here and chatting to you lot!:D

Hippeechiq

Firstly, that was a typo which I've corrected. The house I live in is 3 bedroomed, not 4, but I doubt 1 bedroom is going to change anyone's opinion.

LannyLee & greent I'm upset by your comments, but we certainly won't be falling out over them.

I went from having my own home to having nothing, and now under this scheme Cameron has taken away the stability and peace of mind that I had and that I craved for when renting privately and had unreasonable landlords playing God with my life by charging monthly rent I/we couldn't afford thus forcing us to move.