Mooloo's New Home, New Year and New Start part 3

gizmo111

My understanding is that when you are in receipt of SG Allowance you can claim Child Benefit and CTC and WTC the CB and CTC are deducted from your SG Allowance. You can then claim the childcare element of CTC for any extra nursery DGD goes to.
You can see why I don't like them they mess up low income familys benefits no end.
Do not agree to the allowance for just 2 years - insist it is reviewed in 2 years time not automatically stopped else that'll be anther battle we have on our hands in 2 years!

Savvy_sewing

OK, thanks. I am really loosing the will to live over all of this.
I have just been talking to the Tax Credits people about a decision that I may or may not be entitled to a disability element of the tax credits. To the end we are getting rather muddled in it all.
I am feeling as if I should just cancel the blooming lot. But I am really not looking foreward to trying to live on less no matter what reason.
Its not as if I live the high life, although I am having a holiday, most of the cost of that was to take DGD on holiday from the Fostering Allowance.

I will insist that the allowance is reveiwed.
I am not sure I will be well enough afterall to be working properly. I have tried hard to get the sewing going to start to take me on, but in reality, its just a bit of pin money, and is not sustainable to keep me in work. Also I am struggling more days then not. So the sewing is not a 5-6 day aweek possibility.
Alas I am looking at the lower income end of life these days.
Even if I didnt have DGD I would be struggling to keep work, although I would have been out there trying.
Right talking of DGD I have to go and get her from Nursery. Thats 5 hours that have flown by.

Savvy_Sue

gizmo111 wrote: »

else that'll be anther battle we have on our hands in 2 years!

:T:T:T:beer: I like your thinking gizmo! mooloo, you are NOT alone in the struggle to make sense of it all (although I appreciate you're the one living with the fluctuations)!

Savvy_sewing

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

:T:T:T:beer: I like your thinking gizmo! mooloo, you are NOT alone in the struggle to make sense of it all (although I appreciate you're the one living with the fluctuations)!

Oh yes I realise that my MSE friends and family have been supporting me. Without MSE my life would definitely not have been so good.
Not necessarily financially, although all the tips and hints have made a difference, but the help and support that is offered, has given me a friendly hand, and when I am on my own, I do not feel as if I am. If that makes sense.
Now of course I have my friendship with Molly and my aquaintance with Phillspad. All due to MSE.

I think that Gizmo has been the best support in the Fostering side of things. Without her knowledge I would have been still fighting the system I am sure.
(Well I do still fight it, but not to the same extent as in the beginning. I have managed to challenge the Rules at the council and won! ).
:T:T

This evening I am even struggling to type.
I must have done something wrong when I was cutting the lawn.Dispite doing little and spreading it out through the morning and the early afternoon. I cannot lift my arm more than 3 or 4" off of the laptop at the moment. Its bent at about 90 degrees and it doesnt want to be lifted any higher, or straighten out.
NO sewing today.
Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.
I am at least up still. this time last night I was in bed, so that I could "take my head off" of my neck, weight wise, and rest up.:eek:

gizmo111

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

:T:T:T:beer: I like your thinking gizmo! mooloo, you are NOT alone in the struggle to make sense of it all (although I appreciate you're the one living with the fluctuations)!

Its a nightmare getting kinship carers what they are entitled and all the cuts do not help at all - needless to say I am not the most popular employee!

Savvy_sewing

gizmo111 wrote: »

Its a nightmare getting kinship carers what they are entitled and all the cuts do not help at all - needless to say I am not the most popular employee!

Well you may not be popular at work, but if your fighting for what is legally entitled too, then they will have to deal with it. Sort of.
But you are one of my hero's.

minimoneysaver

Well done Gizmo! You're able to support Mooloo in a way that the rest of us cannot possibly do and we all really appreciate your hard work :-)
Keep your head up Mooloo and rise above it all. Keep smiling, we are all behind you and will help you in whatever way we possibly can. xxx

Savvy_sewing

I am carrying on, don't worry. But its time for me to turn in now. Last cup of tea. Painkillers and be ready to fight another day. The morning is the social workers visit then in the afternoon its the housing officers turn. Such fun.x

Eager_Elephant

Hi Mooloo

I also agree that you should get the disability element of WTC.

With regard to the Overpayment the council have to take in to account whether you can afford the deduction, all councils will set it at the highest rate they are allowed unless you write in and ask for it to be reduced.
I know it would take longer to pay back but as it is interest free it is not going to cost you any extra.

So can I just clarify that you have been getting WTC since April but the LA did not include it even though you told them? If this is the case then this is official error and the overpayment should be written off if you brought it to their attention and they did nothing about it.

EE

Savvy_sewing

Eager_Elephant wrote: »

Hi Mooloo

I also agree that you should get the disability element of WTC.

With regard to the Overpayment the council have to take in to account whether you can afford the deduction, all councils will set it at the highest rate they are allowed unless you write in and ask for it to be reduced.
I know it would take longer to pay back but as it is interest free it is not going to cost you any extra.

So can I just clarify that you have been getting WTC since April but the LA did not include it even though you told them? If this is the case then this is official error and the overpayment should be written off if you brought it to their attention and they did nothing about it.

EE

Hi, although I brought it to thier attention, I didnt point out that they had got it wrong when they wrote to me after DS left. Apparantly. I must admit that i didnt read the letter they wrote to me properly. Their letters are around 10 - 19 pages long, very contradictory, and difficult to understand, so I apparantly am at fault. So I owe them the money.
I find its unfair, but then again, I am only human and having to deal with all I do deal with its not surprising, that there was an oversite on my part that I didnt query it again.
Mind you its annoying. I was getting Working Tax Credits for a while already. It was the Government who told them I was not getting it. Then it was the government who decided to amend that information 4 months later and tell them that I was actually getting it.
I remember ringing them and telling them that I was still in receipt of the Tax Credits but they didnt believe me.
Apparantly they do not have that on record!. Funny as even Molly remembers my calling them, and taking my paperwork to them.
But i dont have the energy to argue anymore. Its an exhausting drain on me.
I will just have to pull my horns in and get the next 6 months over and done with. Then I will be back on track with the council tax and then the payments will be more spread over the year next year, and not so much. I hope.

I have done my arm/shoulder some damage doing the lawn yesterday and having some problems with it all today. (Ontop of my normal aches and pains!!). Typical. Not going to be an easy week by the looks of things. Thank goodness we have the holiday at the beginning of next week.
A week today. I will be on the way to the airport, and nothing, but nothing is going to be allowed to spoil my holiday.
(Even BF's stressfull behaviour on the journeys).
I will prepare as much as I can, research the route, and makesure that I will know where and what to do, when he hits that blind panic about getting it right, (but trying on the outside to look as if he is in control and all is FINE!).
Gritted teeth and the patience of a saint. But once we are there, it will be RELAX as much as I can. :rotfl: