'supporting each other through really tough times'

nuttyp

unigirluk, your a star. My daughters friends think shes stupid for wanting to learn sign language. She saw 2 people signing in the supermarket, and she said they were looking for something. She signed back saying hello and asked if they wanted any help. I think they were quite shocked that she could sign.

She is adament that she wants to be like a nice helpful carer, but not doing the personal care work. A kind of social worker who organises day care. Hard to explain but i can see where she is coming from.

As for university, i have no idea what the costs will be to us. We arent able to get any tax credits now so i think everything will be on us.

nuttyp

Thanks byatt fro the reply. DD is one of these hands on people, can talk to anyone. Handy at times!!! She thinks not enough is being done to help lonely old people, and thats why she wants to go along that route. She said the people with dementia are nice, but obviously you hear the same things alot.

Byatt

I did a module for older people in my 3rd year, the Professor who taught it was 78! Amazing man and very passionate about ageing. I learned a lot.

Most of the social workers on the course (we shared some lectures with them) were going to work with children, only a couple wanted to work with adults. As well as getting a recognised profession, the pay is more. Many people are working in H&SC doing very similar jobs but not paid as much.

Hindsight is always 20:20 and I lacked confidence so hadn't considered the SW degree, but wish I had done it.

eta, I believe the SW degree gets a bursary, worth looking at the web site. My friend who is doing the MA is getting a bursary, so it will be tough but she will manage.

2tonsils

I just checked the Fray Bentos pies here and they are limited availability and just under 6 euros each. You can order them from the importers at 3.99 pounds but then you have to pay carriage on top. It's a good job I can't eat them with the celiac disease. The stewing steak here is around 7 euros a kg but you can't buy kidney at all....they think its only fit for dog meat and its nearly impossible to convince them otherwise. The stewing steak is in huge lumps and I cut it into smaller pieces before I stew it. Here they put it in a sauce called Stifado which is made with baby onions and a red sweet sauce with cinnamon..its delicious.

I now buy my rabbit from the freezer wholesales as last time I bought it at the butchers in the supermarket he asked me for 15 euros when he weighed it (it wasn't even a big one!) so I told him to put it back for a fool to buy. I paid 6 euros for the freezer shop one and it will do us three meals each .

I was stunned to read what one of you paid for filling the 900 litre tank of heating oil. If I filled that here this year it would cost me 1350 euros! It is out of the question for us to buy it this year, we don't have that kind of money so we are burning wood on the open fire and using the electric blanket on the bed. Sales of heating oil have gone down 80 percent due to the excess tax they have put onto the price of it.

I made a very nice rice pudding yesterday with cinnamon and honey to sweeten it. I made it in the slow cooker and I doubt it cost me even a euro to make. I priced the tinned rice pudding in the import shop today and it was 3.90 euros for a small tin....I can't believe people are willing to pay that when its so easy to make for yourself.

Now I have bought myself a fur trapper hat the weather has changed and its now 16 degrees lol. I am hanging onto it though as I really think the extremely cold weather will come back again in a few days time.

Hope you are all fully stocked up with lots of food and fuel for the next couple of weeks...it looks like it could be a real nasty cold time...

VJsmum

Hi NuttyP - I work in a University, though not in that field. A degree costs between£6500 and £9000 a year depending on where you go, students should be able to get a loan to pay those fees. Living expenses are usually funded by the parents (say £70 a week rent, plus food, books, bills etc) but if there is hardship then grants are available, obviously living at home may be an option if there is a locally available course.

I am unsure that a level 3 diploma would be sufficient to grant you entry onto a degree. It is likely that a diploma may have to be obtained first. An option would be to look at local Further Education colleges who might be linked to a University. Their fees are usually lower and there may be a means to gain entry into Year 2 of the degree. most degrees are 3 years full time, but some universities may offer a part time option for those in relevant work - employers usually pay the fees then too.

I hope that helps a little with the practicalities.

nuttyp

thanks everyone for the information. DD had someone go into her collage and they talked about it. Her boyfriends dad works for social services and is going to find out some info for her. She has found a course at our local uni, lincoln. I would be so proud of her if she does go. Its along way off at the moment tho.

Uniscots97

nuttyp wrote: »

unigirluk, your a star. My daughters friends think shes stupid for wanting to learn sign language. She saw 2 people signing in the supermarket, and she said they were looking for something. She signed back saying hello and asked if they wanted any help. I think they were quite shocked that she could sign.

She is adament that she wants to be like a nice helpful carer, but not doing the personal care work. A kind of social worker who organises day care. Hard to explain but i can see where she is coming from.

As for university, i have no idea what the costs will be to us. We arent able to get any tax credits now so i think everything will be on us.

It sounds like her signing skills are quite advanced so why doesn't she get a part time job signing? Either for another student or for programmes? I know the Deaf School in Glasgow are approached a lot for signers for various events. You could ask where she is learning? In return, she not only get some money to help fund her course but experience.

Own_My_Own

I have this sense of foreboding, and I just can't shake it off.
I have no real reason to have this feeling, it is just there.
I am not in debt, and have a small amount of savings, but everything is scaring me.

When I look at it rationally, I am better off than a lot of people in a lot of ways. My ex partner left me with 2 small children (dd was 6 weeks) 15 years ago. He left me in some debt, and emptied the bank account for good measure. These debts were not massive, but when you have absolutely nothing, everything is bigger than it really is. But I paid them off and saved some more.

Budgeting is something I have always done, so unlike so many of my friends it is not a sudden shock to the system. Watching what we buy is second nature. In fact I normally look at it as challenge. But not right now.:( The price of food is going up so much, and we just cannot cut back any more; it frightens me.

I spend all day at work doing the same sums over and over in my head. I check the petrol gage after every journey.
it is as though I have suddenly got OCD. It is all I think about.

I know from being on here, I am not the only one, but some days it feels like it.:(

Sorry for the amount of I's in the post.

Pink.

Hi On my Own,

You aren't the only one to be afraid of what the future holds at the moment. We have an existing thread where people in the same position support one another:

'supporting each other through really tough times'

I'll add your thread to that one later to keep the advice in one place.

Pink

tina_malteser

i honestly don't know what to say, this post gave me the shivvers, do you have lots of friends to talk to?? but then if your like me you don;t want to bother them,..you are never alone on here so feel free to say anything and your sure to get excellent advice xx (((((((((((hugs))))))))))):grouphug: