So poor I can't even pay attention

Piquant_2

Eager_Elephant wrote: »

Sorry I have not been back for a while.

Another poster answered your question about insurance payments re mortgage and JSA so you are doing the right thing by asking for the insurance to be paid straight to the mortgage.

Can't remember if you claimed Council Tax Benefit?

Also if you are self employed you could claim Working Tax Credit if your income is low as long as you work more than 30 hours per week.

Hi EE

How's things? I've been lurking on your diary a bit and I know you've been having a bit of a difficult time of it recently. So I'm doubly honoured that you've popped over here to help - thank you.

You've answered one of the things I've been thinking about, that being the working tax credits. I've wondered whether you can claim jsa if you earn any money on a self employed basis and I was worried that they would cut everything off because I'd earned £5 or so. How could I prove I was working 30 hours a week, if I was writing from home? I do hope to get a part-time job to give me time to pursue the writing, but it won't be enough to survive on.

I haven't gone down the council tax route as sometimes my son stays over a few nights, perhaps ten nights a month as it's convenient for him getting to one of the sites he works on and I'm not sure if this impacts things.

I think I'd better stop lurking on your diary and drop in officially...[eek! I didn't mean to sound like the Queen there ]

Piq

brizzledfw

Hi Piq

Again a load of pages to read through and it has only been about a day since I last dropped in!! Good stuff..if only clicks/views on a MSE diary led to real money!

I do like the patchwork portfolio idea. I think it would keep you interested, keep up your 'old' or existing skills whilst learning new ones, give you stuff to write about and also, importantly, spread your risk and given what youve said over the last months, you need some options to help keep everything chugging along. Having read your stuff I do think writing is good, and it keeps commuting costs low;)

Hope next week brings lots of delights and fun!

Brizzle

missrlr

Hi Piq how about a sort of biography of Captain , think Black Beauty original type story then you could keep the anecdote the stories but link via time perhaps with a bit of current context changes in horse husbandry from foal to Golden Oldie perhaps he gets to Olympia or his name in print. I'll share some of Gorgeous George's antics re presentations at Stoneleigh or Goodwood (there showing my age!)!if you want some authenticity
To hell with the kids I'd read it !

PinotGrigio41

Piq,

Im not surprised you brain is feeling slightly fuzzled at the moment !! This diary has had a mind of its own this week. Bring on next weekend, I cant wait to see what happens !

Oh and DD2 thinks the Captain needs to go on lots of Adventures, with the Underpants in tow !!! :rotfl:

chevalier

There is a couple of books I have read over here, where there is a detective and his partner is a dog. It is told from the dogs point of view, so lots about smells etc. It is a very good read, but I can't remember the author at the moment.

Another way round it would be for the hero to be a horse vet, and Captain could be his horse?

Maybe there is a seemy side to gymkanas, you know using a ringer horse to win or something?

I have two boys, and they enjoyed the Beastquest series. The horse in that does more than just carry the hero about, he fights with him and protects him etc.

Don't just assume you would write horse stories for girls only. I would have thought the trick a la rowling would be to write a horse series that appeals to both genders....
chev

Eager_Elephant

Hi EE

How's things? I've been lurking on your diary a bit and I know you've been having a bit of a difficult time of it recently. So I'm doubly honoured that you've popped over here to help - thank you.

No need to be honoured - I am fine, things are slowly working themselves out :T

You've answered one of the things I've been thinking about, that being the working tax credits. I've wondered whether you can claim jsa if you earn any money on a self employed basis and I was worried that they would cut everything off because I'd earned £5 or so. How could I prove I was working 30 hours a week, if I was writing from home? I do hope to get a part-time job to give me time to pursue the writing, but it won't be enough to survive on.

Strictly speaking you should be able to claim JSA if you are self employed but they often say you can't. I assume this is because when you first start you are unlikely to be earning much but then later on it increases and heaven forbid they give you some money to live on :rotfl:

It is difficult to prove you are working for 30 hours and I know some people have had to prove to Tax Credits what they are doing - some have been refused Tax Credits but it is a very fine line. Sometimes Tax Credits do not follow their own technical manuals so it would be worth appealing if you are turned down.

I haven't gone down the council tax route as sometimes my son stays over a few nights, perhaps ten nights a month as it's convenient for him getting to one of the sites he works on and I'm not sure if this impacts things.

If your son has a permanent place of residence then you can claim Council Tax Benefit as your home is not his main residence. Failing that you could claim CTB and declare him as living there sometimes and they will make a deduction for him living there which would still be less than your CTB so that would be more money in the pot.

I think I'd better stop lurking on your diary and drop in officially...[eek! I didn't mean to sound like the Queen there ]

Oooh better go and do an update then:rotfl:

Piquant_2

Thank you for the suggestions, I think I can make something out of them. What I'm going to do is try to put the book to the back of my mind for today, so my brain can make sense of it in private, I find that things sometimes come together if you leave them alone for a while, wierd, I know. It's in complete overdrive mode at the moment meaning I had very little sleep.

Today I will concentrate on how I'm going to approach all of this and what takes priority over what and how that is going to change my daily routine.

For example I am going to move the Captain to the afternoon rather than breaking up the day by going to the yard at lunchtime. It will give me a much longer run at things and now the evenings are lighter, I'm no longer losing riding time.

I will post my plans once I've got a first draft in place. I need to wake up though, gosh I feel tired. Lucky I've got the Bear to jump on me demanding his breakfast, I might have slept on otherwise.....

Piq

Piquant_2

Eager_Elephant wrote: »

No need to be honoured - I am fine, things are slowly working themselves out :T

Strictly speaking you should be able to claim JSA if you are self employed but they often say you can't. I assume this is because when you first start you are unlikely to be earning much but then later on it increases and heaven forbid they give you some money to live on :rotfl:

It is difficult to prove you are working for 30 hours and I know some people have had to prove to Tax Credits what they are doing - some have been refused Tax Credits but it is a very fine line. Sometimes Tax Credits do not follow their own technical manuals so it would be worth appealing if you are turned down.

If your son has a permanent place of residence then you can claim Council Tax Benefit as your home is not his main residence. Failing that you could claim CTB and declare him as living there sometimes and they will make a deduction for him living there which would still be less than your CTB so that would be more money in the pot.The

Oooh better go and do an update then:rotfl:

Thank you for all this information, it helps to be armed with facts rather than common sense sometimes.

I had a feeling it was going to be difficult with the JSA , self employed and 30 hours scenarios. There will also be the taxman to add to the pot, but I've noticed a succinct stickie on how set that up on one of the other boards.

The council tax information is invaluable, thank you. He's a bit of a gypsy at the moment, he's working all over the place and stops at various friends and relations, depending on who is nearest to where he needs to be. However, the mad traveling bit finishes in a couple of months. Here is not his permanent place of residence. I will add this to the list of things to do.

Piq

dawnybabes

Piquant wrote: »

Hi EE

How's things? I've been lurking on your diary a bit and I know you've been having a bit of a difficult time of it recently. So I'm doubly honoured that you've popped over here to help - thank you.

You've answered one of the things I've been thinking about, that being the working tax credits. I've wondered whether you can claim jsa if you earn any money on a self employed basis and I was worried that they would cut everything off because I'd earned £5 or so. How could I prove I was working 30 hours a week, if I was writing from home? I do hope to get a part-time job to give me time to pursue the writing, but it won't be enough to survive on.

I haven't gone down the council tax route as sometimes my son stays over a few nights, perhaps ten nights a month as it's convenient for him getting to one of the sites he works on and I'm not sure if this impacts things.

I think I'd better stop lurking on your diary and drop in officially...[eek! I didn't mean to sound like the Queen there ]

Piq

Unlurks ..... As far as I know if son pays council tax at his main des res you can still claim it

Scurrys off back to corner

Piquant_2

dawnybabes wrote: »

Unlurks ..... As far as I know if son pays council tax at his main des res you can still claim it

Scurrys off back to corner

What was that? I thought I saw someone scurrying away.....

Hello Dawny! and welcome. On second thoughts, I need to check with him where his official residence is, darn, I'm starting to sound like the Queen again

Thank you, you're a star!

Piq