It was getting tough in 2006 and the workhouse still threatens us in 2011

[Deleted User]

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GreyQueen

short_bird wrote: »

I had an idea and hope it isn't too late!
Do you think the engineers might have some sort of basket they can fit over the overflow so water can come out but stuff can't get shoved in?

And might they consider it for all the ground floor flats?

ETA: Oldtractor, might your cookery be an extra source of income?

It's an idea but it would be difficult; Shoebox Towers has walkways and the doors open onto the walkways and the tiny bit of overflow pipe is alongside the front door about 1 foot above the ground. It is literally an emergency overflow and is normally as dry as a bone. I have known my overflow to have a little "widdle" once or twice, about a cupful of water, in several years. If the thing widdles it means that the pressure in the boiler house has gone a bit high. As all the pipes are accessible all 100 flats would need to be treated.

BY the way, if I ever disappear from the forums without a by-your-leave and this co-incides with newspaper reports of a boiler house blowing up in a council block in an English provincial city, you may learn where I live and infer that I have come to some harm as the boiler house is only a few meters from my flat.

It's just a small-bore copper pipe with a 90 degree bend on the end. It'll probably be stolen any day now by metal thieves as they're running around with hacksaws nicking pipes off the outside of our tenants' gas boilers.

I've told SG she should report it to the Police; it is clearly criminal damage and has caused stress, expense and aggravation and could have resulted in an insurance claim if SG had carpet in her hallway. Fortunately she just has tiles and carpet only in her living room.

oldtractor one of my workplace thingies is to answer benefit enquiries and I had a chastening moment helping a pensioner client with her claim; her state and personal pension was exactly the same as my net income and she had all her rent and council tax paid for her. I have to pay tax and NI which are each equivalent to 1 month's net income and then once I have been paid it takes 4 more months' net to pay my rent and another month's net to pay the council tax.

In other words, on GQ world, I work 7 months out of 12 to pay what I'd get for free if I was retired. Sobering, eh? You may well find that you end up no worse off in retirement than you were in work and there are perks, too, as the others have mentioned. One of my great aunties (in her 80s) had so much more winter fuel allowance than she needed to pay her bills that she was able to use the money to re-carpet the living room!:rotfl:

Right, going to step out into another part of the web to check on energy -efficient fridges, anyone know any good sites?

Charis

GreyQueen wrote: »

Right, going to step out into another part of the web to check on energy -efficient fridges, anyone know any good sites?

This site rates every appliance for fuel efficiency and is bang up to date. Of course you may have found it in the two hours between your writing your post and my reading it.

If you click on 'Appliances' just under the flashing icon in the header there is a list of types of fridge to check.

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bonnie_bumpkins

My DD is back from Spain after 3 1/2 weeks :j She is very brown. I look like a lychee next to her

oldtractor - I input details into a pop up that appeared on my laptop the other day "enter the annual income you want at retirement and the age you want to retire" so I put in "£12k" and "60" and it told me I would need just under 1/4 million :rotfl: I worked out this means I need to save approx £14k per year over the next 16 years.

kersplatt - Bless you :grouphug: And totally out of order behaviour from the interviewer. Take your time and things will fall into place, at home and at work. I agree don't send the email when you are angry you will probably regret it later. Do they realise precisely what your circumstances are? And things will get better, I promise, I've been there and it's hard but I now have two lovely teenagers after 12 yrs on my own and we are all very close. Keep your pecker up (as my Dad says)

RAS

kersplatt wrote: »

I'm currently really struggling to hold things together. The house has had to be valued for the purposes of divorce and it would appear that I'm in negative equity - no surprise there, but because of the debts my ex left me with, I cannot take the mortgage on in my own name because of the defaults against me. He in the meantime has been bought a brand spanking new car by his parents and they have cleared the 17k of debts he racked up in the past 12 months. In the meantime I continue to live in a damp house without central heating with the two small children. Quite frankly he and his family's behaviour disgust me because of this - I have drafted an email to his mother but I'm too afraid to send it.

hi

Since you were married, these are debts of the marriage, which you need to ask the court to lay at his door.

Can I ask a few really tough questions?

Is the house a joint tenancy (rather than tenants in common)?

Do you have a will in place/ any life insurance? if so, have you rewritten this, changed the benefiaries so that he does not get stuff?

have you started divorce proceeding?

Being really hard; have you considere bankruptcy? You may retain the house, and clear the debt. Allowances are not generous but they are probably a lot more than you are currently surviving on.

Come over to Debt fee wannabee and we may be able to help you.#

And do talk to a debt advisor; you may prefer a face to face advisors from Christians against Poverty rather than the telephone service of NDL and CCCS?

Mrs_Veg_Plot

OH is back from hospital and over the worst. Nothing sinister found :j, just need to find out what is causing the symptoms as it is not the collitis back.

Managed to make 7 jars each of cranberry and apple chutney and spicy courgette chutney. Then cooked a fish pie for tea, the spuds carrotts and peas were all from the garden.

DD1 back from her camping holiday, she had a really great time.

Still have 3 large marrrows to decide what to do with. More chutney?

Frugalista

Mrs_Veg_Plot wrote: »

Managed to make 7 jars each of cranberry and apple chutney and spicy courgette chutney.

Could you post (or pm) the recipe please?

lizzyb1812

Ditto on the request for the spicy courgette chutney recipe

bonnie_bumpkins

Mmmmmmm...... spicy courgette chutney *dribbles*

please could I see the recipe as well

Gigervamp

bonnie_bumpkins wrote: »

Mmmmmmm...... spicy courgette chutney *dribbles*

please could I see the recipe as well

Passes Bonnie a hanky. :rotfl: