No outgoings taken into consideration?

princessdon

Some parking will be free if they have a blue badge - many of our car parks are free to blue badge holders. One that stands out for me is the hospital one.

I have paid over £50 in the last 2 weeks for parking so you can see how it mounts up.

Spamfree_2

princessdon wrote: »

Some parking will be free if they have a blue badge - many of our car parks are free to blue badge holders. One that stands out for me is the hospital one.

I have paid over £50 in the last 2 weeks for parking so you can see how it mounts up.

She's only spending £15 a week on petrol, that tells me she isn't using the car very much

squif33

Haven't had a chance to read everyone's replies so sorry if this has already been pointed out but re: water bill, with double incontinence issues I think you should be eligable for a watersure (sp?) scheme where you get a better rate due to a medical condition that requires you to use more water (i.e having to wash clothing/ bedding more often).

OP- I would ring your water provider asap to discuss this and also try to find out why your bill is so high.

LadyMorticia

OP, ESA is also supposed to be used for living costs so do you spend your ESA as well as your DLA on your care and mobility needs? I have no experience of the issues you have (not apart from the mobility ones anyway) as my high care needs are different to your's.

Your water bill does seem high. We live in the South West but come under Bristol Water. We're not on a meter but had the choice if we wanted one installed. We opted to pay a set amount each month which is £36.

Your gas and electricity might seem high to some people but if you have care needs that mean that you need the washing machine etc on more and need the heating on more then that's to be expected. I know that pre-pay meters used to be more expensive. I'm not sure if this is still the case though.

Could you negotiate a lower payment plan for your loans? I don't have any experience with them but there is no harm in asking.

Could you shop around for a better deal with your phone and internet? There are a few comparison sites around.

If you're only paying £6 to Sky then you're more than likely on the basic package. I don't see Sky as an essential so this could either go or if you view it as an essential (I know that sometimes it is nice to have the extra channels etc as something different to keep you "company". I won a 12 month sub to Sky+ and Sky World but when the prize runs out, we most likely will get rid of it as it's a luxury and we would never have got it if I hadn't won it) then you could try and negotiate a lower price. You could also get a Humax box as if you're on the basic package anyway, it'll basically give you the same channels.

It might be cheaper for you to pay for a Prescription Pre-Payment certificate if you need more than 14 items a year.

It might also be worth posting a SOA (Statement of Affairs) on the Debt Free Wannabe board and there is also the Up Your Income board which might be helpful too.

You could also Ebay things to help you in the interim but of course that doesn't help for the long-term.

I don't think that HB are wrong to not take outgoings into account. Otherwise people could live way beyond their means and then expect the tax payer to foot the bill. Only income is taken into account for a reason.

Spendless

No, your outgoings aren't taken into consideration and if you didn't have your debt (the loans and the HP) and got rid of sky you'd have almost £50 a week more. I'm another :eek: at your water bill. Is it meter or rates? if rates try a meter, if a meter get someone out to look at it. My Grandmother discovered she had a leak in her toilet that was costing her a fortune in water charges. I'm going to suggest you ask on the DFW board about what you can do about your debt as reducing that would help your finances.

[Deleted User]

i`m not sure where the benefits question is here.maybe it should be on DT?

Anubis_2

Chrissiew wrote: »

Our total weekly income is £305 per week, there is just myself and husband living in the flat, our rent is £96 per week, it's a HA place with 2 bedrooms.

Gas is £15pw
Electric £15pw (both pre paid meters)
Petrol £15pw
Water £25pw
Loan £25pw (morses, rather like provident)
Phone and Internet £10pw
Mobile £3 pw
Council tax £20pw
Tv licence £6pw
Sky £6pw
Medical prescription £5.43pw ( get them monthly but divided it weekly to go with every thing else)
Hp for furniture £17pw

That comes to £162pw plus £96 rent =£258 out goings leaving £47pw for food and clothing.

My husband had a full time job when we moved in 3 years ago but due to the firm losing a lot of work his hours and pay were dropped, we can't get WTC, I applied for HB but it was refused, I appealed but the appeal was not even considered as they said they don't take any outgoings into consideration just earnings and the amount coming in is more than enough to live on.

A money advice lady from the HA came to see us and said we have to stop paying the loan and the HP, as all that will happen is it will go to a debt collector, maybe court and we will be ordered to pay maybe £5 a week but will get a shot credit reference, she said as far as HB are concerned people shouldnt have a tv, phone, Internet, mobiles or anything that's non essential to living, as long as you have enough money for food and rent that's all they consider.

I find this incredible in this day and age and think it unfair that people are expected to have nothing to make life a bit more pleasant, no wonder there is so much depression in this country.

If you wasn't working you would get £111 per week between you both. Most of your rent and council tax would be paid less bedroom tax, so you would be left with about £95 or so between you both.

So, you still have £100 pw more in hand after paying rent and council tax than you would in benefits.

You can buy a yearly med cert making your med bill £2 pw.
Your phone and net seem expensive. I pay £6 pw including line rental, unlimited 18 mb internet and anytime free calls.

Your water is very expensive. Mine costs only a little more than that per month!

mazza111

sniggings wrote: »

I got you back on the thread though

Just answering your specific post dear And I was right, I went upstairs for my afternoon siesta, and the lad had left tv, xbox, laptop and hot tap running. I really could kick his 4rs3 at times, but he's bigger than me!!! Now you've made me read it all again.... You GIT!!!

And I apologise for saying I thought the water was a bit high, I honestly had no idea that you were paying so much down south for it:eek: Squif33 has made a valid point there, usually there is some sort of allowance for people with incontinence issues.

I get £70pw ESA, it should be £110, and it was for a while and I have no idea why it dropped. Then I get £309 per month DLA, I have explained in another post what I use that money for.

I think you need to find out why this has dropped. Are you appealing a decision? It sounds like you are getting the assessment rate or ESA.

Spamfree - I only spend about £20 a week on petrol too. And most of that is taking my dd on short trips to hospital or doctors. And over to her grandmother's for a shower (about 10 minutes drive) about 3 times a week. But couldn't do it without my car. I reckon it would cost us about £60 at least a week on taxis to do what we have to do in the car.

Oh nice. Anything else? Tunnel fares, free parking, things like that? No wonder she doesn't want to get rid of it then!

She would get all that with her blue badge anyway. It's not free, she's giving up her mobility element of her DLA to have the car. For anyone with disabilities, the car really is a lifeline.

Now to the OP.

Surely your GP should be supplying incontinence pads. I think you really should speak to an incontinence adviser. If your surgeon or nurse said you need them then you should be getting them on prescription at least!

Again, agree about the prescription prepayment, I used to do this before we had free prescriptions in Scotland.

smileytiger

Chrissiew wrote: »

Right ok I was not asking for anything just basically venting my frustrations. I have no idea why our water bill is so high, I have no idea why I have to put so much into my gas and electric meters just that they run down and I have to top them up, I cannot work due to disability which I claim high rate both components and the mobility component goes on a mobtorbility car, my care component goes on my prescriptions, extra laundry and washing powder, new mattress protectors each month due to incontinence(double) and pads which for some reason the doctor won't supply.

The money advice lady said we would be much better off if my husband gave up work and went on benefits, something we are considering, and judging by some of the replies by working and asking for a bit of help you are labeled as scrounges looking to take tax payers money and by living on benefits you are labeled the same so what's the difference?

I agree it's extremely frustrating my OH is disabled and no longer gets ESA as i work full time. We have roughly the same income as you per week - we manage - we don't have a glamourous lifestyle - but we're happy more than we're not.( & i also feed 2 large dogs every week!) Yes i could give up work and we could claim instead - but with the way benefits are changing - i'd rather still be supporting us both when the handouts finally stop being so freely available - which they will as the country will go bust otherwise.
Maybe it's my age or traditional outlook - but why is working to afford what you have so frowned upon - everything i possess i have worked for - if i cant afford it we do without simples.

Good luck with sorting your finances however you decide to

Anubis_2

Just seen the post re your hubby working - was he previously on working tax credits?