No outgoings taken into consideration?

Marisco

I don't know about other companies, I'm with E.on and they do a discount for doing it online (bills, meter readings etc) as well as a discount for paying by DD. I think it comes to 9% altogether. We also get points on our Tesco loyalty card every month too.

letthemeatcake

I would take the advice of the HA lady and stop paying the £25 a week loan , and go through the courts to get it lowered to £5 per week,and also get rid of sky for a further £6 per week. The saving of £26 per week can be spent on food.

Also get the water bill checked out. That figure is way too high!

Finally keep the mobility car rather than catch taxi's and buses as you have double incontinence.

I wish you well OP,

Doom_and_Gloom

Chrissiew wrote: »

I have been told the law states a couple needs £112 a week to live on, take my £96 a week rent from that and it leaves £16 for food, that's it, some one with a family of 10 will probably come along and tell me they can do that easily and still have money left over for treats, good for them, I wouldn't be able to do it.

I am not a scrounger, my husband is a tax payer, I have not applied for, or received housing benefit before, my husband lost £160 per week wages due to job cuts and no work at his depot, what he gets now £235 a week, on medical suspension is his normal wage. I was trying to get help and put up the original post because as a first time applier of HB I couldn't believe it.

I'm taking it you told them you are disabled.
How much the law says you need to live on = £
111.45.
Because you or your partner are sick or disabled = £43.25
Total applicable amount = £154.70.
When applying for benefits they take the after tax amount into account and also you get £20 disregarded on the income if there is a disability.
So in essence they give a livable amounts of £174.70 to couples where there is a disability.
I don't know what it is like for HB but I know for LHA they take the after tax income - £20 then take the £154.70. Then they use 65% of that answer and take it off the LHA amount you can get - for a couple that is usually the 1 bed rate for example. The amount left over is what you are entitled to. Obviously if it comes back that you have more than the LHA after the calculations you get nothing.

To be honest OP considering your rent is rather low I think the amount you have to live on is perfectly possible. You just need to be more careful with how you spend. Look out for bargains on everything you use.

enabledebra

After reading some of the posts on this thread I was reminded of some top tips that someone might find useful:

WHEN reading a book try tearing out the pages as you read them. This
saves the expense of buying a bookmark, and the pages can later be
used for shopping lists.

Save pounds every year on household wear and tear by living in a tent in the garden.

OLD telephone directories make ideal personal address books.
Simply cross out the names and address of people you don't know.

Don't waste money buying expensive binoculars. Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view.

OLD contact lenses make ideal 'portholes' for small model boats.

SAVE on charity donations by spending a pound on clothes at a charity shop, then selling them for 50p to another charity shop. This way you can give twice as much, at half the cost. I think.

EXPENSIVE hair gels are a con. Marmalade is a much cheaper alternative, but beware of bees in the summer.

Save on booze by drinking cold tea instead of whisky. The following morning you can create the effects of a hangover by drinking a thimble full of washing up liquid and banging your head repeatedly on the wall.

Courtesy of Viz.

Apologies op I'm not poking fun at your situation but this thread has at points been pure Viz and I couldn't resist.

paddedjohn

enabledebra wrote: »

After reading some of the posts on this thread I was reminded of some top tips that someone might find useful:

WHEN reading a book try tearing out the pages as you read them. This
saves the expense of buying a bookmark, and the pages can later be
used for shopping lists.

Save pounds every year on household wear and tear by living in a tent in the garden.

OLD telephone directories make ideal personal address books.
Simply cross out the names and address of people you don't know.

Don't waste money buying expensive binoculars. Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view.

OLD contact lenses make ideal 'portholes' for small model boats.

SAVE on charity donations by spending a pound on clothes at a charity shop, then selling them for 50p to another charity shop. This way you can give twice as much, at half the cost. I think.

EXPENSIVE hair gels are a con. Marmalade is a much cheaper alternative, but beware of bees in the summer.

Save on booze by drinking cold tea instead of whisky. The following morning you can create the effects of a hangover by drinking a thimble full of washing up liquid and banging your head repeatedly on the wall.

Courtesy of Viz.

Apologies op I'm not poking fun at your situation but this thread has at points been pure Viz and I couldn't resist.

Great post, think im going to dig out my old copies and have a laugh.:D:D

enabledebra

:TIt's amazing how many people have a stash of Viz when everything else got dumped over the years...