'supporting each other through really tough times'

Softstuff

OMO, if the doc wants you to do anything that drastic, they need to send you to a dietician for help. You wouldn't be as bad off as you'd think though, thanks to the number of carb-free things brought out for people on the Atkins diet.

Lisakay, I read what happened to you and steam came out of my ears. How you didn't manage to slap that woman I'll never know. I hope the next opportunity works out much better for you.

Fuddle, congrats on the little car. And I hope that whatever you do choose to do works out well.

Love all round!

JKJ

With you all the way elizabunny very good post. I am 55, been married twice, 2 children from each marriage. Stay at home Mum both times and only part time work as the kids got older, where I never earned enough to pay NI. Gave up work completely 18 months ago after a cancer diagnosis, as coping with cancer plus the stress of a horrible boss was more than I could bear. DH works hard but doesn't earn a fortune, I didn't qualify for any benefits when my cancer was diagnosed, and as I haven't worked the required 10 years at high enough wage to pay NI looks like I won't get a pension at
all.

meme30

Elizabunny:-I am 56 this year and somewhat in the same boat as you. I cannot retire until I am 66 and yes I think the 35 year thing will apply to me as well. This might help you work out what you may get.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11619379
There is a state benefit calculator link on it.
Yes, women were credited with NI credits as long as they claim Child Benefit, I think that still applies. Also some benefits like Invalidity/Incapacity add NI credits.

I think this a swings and roundabouts sort of change.
It's right that couples will each receive their own pension instead of a reduced couples pension.
Too many old folk don't claim all the top-ups they could get. A decent level of basic pension has long been needed, this one is not huge but will take many away from having to claim pension credits. The worry will be at what level Housing benefit etc is placed at. For someone on a single pension with rent of £80 a week a pension of £150 is not going to go very far at all.:(
I had not realised that many people living abroad were entitled to claim our pensions because they lived and worked here for only a year. This has been changed to ten years.
I have to admit because it's the Tories I am trying to find the hidden sledge hammer in it.:rotfl:
I think my DD's are going to be the generation who will really lose out.

elizabunny

JKJ wrote: »

With you all the way elizabunny very good post. I am 55, been married twice, 2 children from each marriage. Stay at home Mum both times and only part time work as the kids got older, where I never earned enough to pay NI. Gave up work completely 18 months ago after a cancer diagnosis, as coping with cancer plus the stress of a horrible boss was more than I could bear. DH works hard but doesn't earn a fortune, I didn't qualify for any benefits when my cancer was diagnosed, and as I haven't worked the required 10 years at high enough wage to pay NI looks like I won't get a pension at
all.

(((Hugs))) JKJ I understand exactly where you are coming from.

meme30 Thank you for the link. I think you are right regarding the hidden sledgehammer. I feel unable to trust anything I am told regarding pensions at the moment because it keeps changing. If I understood correctly, in the future if a woman is widowed, she will be unable to benefit from any of her husband's NI contributions -this could have implications for some, especially those who have not built up enough of their own NI entitlements and I too feel our childrens generation will really lose out.

kidcat

lisa -:mad::mad::mad: am disgusted that they could treat you this way and am not impressed with your bosses attitude either to be honest. I do hope you get the other job.:D

eliabunny - like everything this govt does there is always a heavy cost to someone, and its usually those that can least afford it. :mad: I have no hope of getting 35 yrs NI in either, I have a few yrs worth from work but after that I rely on the child benefit credit for the rest and it will never be enough.

stiltwalker

I'm looking at the pension thing too and I think I've just about got my 10 years paid in, but I do know my mum topped up her NI contributions before she reached official retirement age in order to get full wack and it didn't actually cost that much in the grand scheme of things. The plan is that I go back to work at least part time once both kids are at school but with the amount of appointments etc that they have at the moment I would need an incredibly understanding boss - put it that way! At least by getting CA I'm getting ongoing credits. I'd say worst case scenario is that if the kids continue to need care then I'll have 20 years credit plus the 10 years earned by the time DS is 18 with only 5 more to find but there's no way I trust them not to have changed the goalposts half a dozen times by then anyway!

Uniscots97

Just a quick update.

I think the interview went ok. Did a few hours at the CC. Submitted an application for another job (very involved application).

Did the food shopping, and managed to nearly stick to the shopping list. I wanted 2 of the deals in Mr M's but those deal have finished (soup and cereal) and I wasn't paying neary £3 for a box of cereal! The town where I did the shopping has Mr M. Aldi's and HB all in the one square....its really good. Anyway, my freezer is full as is the fridge and as long as SS doesn't eat everything in sight (I've disguised some of the stuff in the fridge by wrapping it in layers of plastic for the stuff I don't want him to touch!!!!). One of my friend's is coming over on thursday, so I'll probably do spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. As it means I can stretch that to the 4 of us and still have a small (lunch size) portion for OH to take to work.

JKJ

elizabunny wrote: »

(((Hugs))) JKJ I understand exactly where you are coming from.

meme30 Thank you for the link. I think you are right regarding the hidden sledgehammer. I feel unable to trust anything I am told regarding pensions at the moment because it keeps changing. If I understood correctly, in the future if a woman is widowed, she will be unable to benefit from any of her husband's NI contributions -this could have implications for some, especially those who have not built up enough of their own NI entitlements and I too feel our childrens generation will really lose out.

Thank you elizabunny and you meme30 for the link, I've just tried the calculator and under current rules I have enough years of claiming child benefit to meet the 10 year minimum contribution rules (I have 22 years of child benefit credit) ...... unless of course they change this or I am misunderstanding it, which wwouldn't surprise me

Iceweasel

elizabunny wrote: »

If I understood correctly, in the future if a woman is widowed, she will be unable to benefit from any of her husband's NI contributions -this could have implications for some, especially those who have not built up enough of their own NI entitlements.

Apologies if you consider I'm hi-jacking your thread, but I'm reading all I can about that nice Mr Cameron's pension changes.

My wife and I are pretty devasted by all these new pension announcements.

I'm due to get a full pension come this August (over 37 years contributions) At least that's safe - I think - but I trust nothing now.

At the moment we get Pension Credit. So far so good. Well not that good - but we manage.

My wife is 15 years younger than I and we are concerned regards what she will do if I die before she reaches pension age - which looks like it will be around 2028.

Will she still be able to claim a pension using my contributions, as we thought was the case before?

She has no NI contributions to speak of, of her own. We are waiting to be told exactly what contributions she actually does have - and we think less than 1 year from long, long ago.

We thought she might get some benefit from buying / making up for some missing contributions, but 10 years worth would be way beyond what we could manage.

We are not happy bunnies tonight.

Popperwell

Greenbee and OMO I dread being told my diet would need restricting but suggestions from you and others here show that there are ways and means...Many of us may have to restrict our diet thanks to other reasons than health with the austere times we are in and now them fiddling with the pensions again...and that ties in with your worries too Elizabunny/JKJ too.

I have missed work due to ill health(but did work much earlier in life)and did act as a carer for Mum and Dad but not officially so would not be covered as to have taken a break. My Dear Dad never reached retirement age so his state pension was saved and that also meant he never saw his works pension either. So just worked from the age of 14.

So who knows what will be waiting for me when I retire but not enough time to save now and a wage would not leave enough to save anyhow and has been said they just keep moving the goalposts as to when you'll get it, if you'll get etc...Many experts see the retirement age being put back further to 68 and they keep saying many will not get the pension until you reach 70 so that's really saying you will be working even longer.:(:eek:
So officially I have to ride out the next 14-17 years depending on what they do and assuming I don't go before then which none of us know.

More to worry over...In the end they'll have to give us some kind of help even if it is not officially the "State Pension"? Not enough detail yet and a lot can happen between now and 2017.

The media and polictians make it sound easy to claim from the state and there is a lot to be had but for many the opposite is true on both counts. As many of you have posted and proven already. I'm not clever enough to understand it all.

From the diet talk I may have to look again at adding more cheese and eggs to my meals...I don't want to waste that wedge of Stilton I got yellow stickered so may wrap in foil and freeze. Some days rubbish then other days loads of bargains and savings but no room in the freezer.:mad: