'supporting each other through really tough times'

juliettet

Take care Tina.

shegar

Popperwell wrote: »

I do Fuddle, sometimes have the heating on for four hours a day...usually first thing in the morning and the evening...and I think I have a plan which if it works, as the year goes on I will be able to use it even more, absorb the changes that are coming and could eat better but I have to see how things pan out over this year...

Pops 4 hours heating on out of 24 hrs is not good in the middle of winter, your house surely dont get warm enough by that as you say it goes down to 12 degrees daytime..........

You really are risking your health some what, mine is usually at 21 degrees during the day, we cant have it any lower because of illness, its not worth getting hypothermia to save a few quid, is there not some one who you can turn to and borrow £20 to put on the gas..?....until you get your benefit ..................Well whatever your "plan " is I hope it enables you to put the heating on..................

Its suppose yo be 8 degrees out today , but to me if feels alot colder than that, im going to rug up in a few minuets and go down the beach with the dog, I need a walk..........

These benefit changes that are coming in this April will hurt thousands of poor people to do with HB and CT, I dread to think what will happen, I do believe this year will be much harder than last year, and we all thought that was bad.........:eek:

The council said on the news that they will only give tenants one year housing contracts from now on , so if your circumstances change they can get you out, its probaly to make way for younger families to have bigger bedroomed houses, but by doing that they surely need to build more smaller properties , when was the last time you heard your local council is going to build more social housing.?.... Sheila..

katieowl_2

Oh it's all !!!! this benefits, housing, Atos stuff. I seem to spend most of my day cross on behalf of other people. There is a really good bloke on youtube called chunkymark (who is very,very rude, you have been warned, NSFW at ALL!) who has a couple of daily rants about stuff that is going on, and it makes me feel a little better to listen to him occasionally, as I realised it makes other people angry too :mad:

DD is off to the Job Centre this afternoon, apt was booked before her job trial tomorrow came up, so she's gone anyway. There is still a chance that tomorrow they may say no She went for her blood test for being pregnant this morning and fainted fortunately her BF was with her, so she didn't have to get home alone.

I managed to get one thing off my 'to do' list done so far today, which was to take the babies off one of my orchids. I've discovered they grow really well here for me but ALL of my collection - have been bought reduced in Mr T...think the most I paid was a fiver for a £15 plant and the cheapest was reduced to 75p!!! :rotfl: Buying reduced plants is a favourite pastime of mine. I think it's the daftest of daftnesses that the supermarkets reduce plants 'past their date' Insane, but good for me!

I've taken some chicken out of the freezer for dinner as DS wants a curry. I picked up some YS aubergines yesterday so will use those too. Think I might make some cauliflower bhajis too. Did anyone else think the Hairy bikers was a bit of a let down? I didn't pick up a single new frugal gourmet tip from the programme. I shall continue to watch, as I find the pair of them highly entertaining, but from the food point, I would have liked a bit more....maybe next episode!

Kate

kezlou

sevenup - thanks i'm looking for his details now, total nightmare.

Well my internet keeps going off, my phones line have been cut:mad::mad:
stupid virgin have disconnected me, i phoned them up and said h you asked you asked to. Err no not till the 11th february, kicked off after he said o you have phone customer relations. Err no you transfer me so i can sort it out.
So now i have to wait till tomorrow after 4pm to get reconnected, fingers crossed. This is a slight improvement on the first offer of next week!:eek:

Told OH and he said just cancel it and phone BT up, he was fuming saying great now were losing business time.

Therapy went well for DS2, he enjoyed it and he's made some progress :j:D So proud of him.

Look like OH won't be back tomorrow , he's still helping out with the other plumbing building work. DS2 doesn't want to go a club after school so picking him up at 3pm.

It is nasty out there. The taxi was moving all over on the way back, scared ds2 to bits. Its not looking nice at all. Even whacked the heating on it was that cold.

kezlou

Katie - oh you hope you DD is feeling better now.

A few of us have had this conversation with pops about the heating. It really upsets me as he has the money right now to pay for heating but doesn't. While theres those of us who can't afford but have it on for health reasons.

I've stopped going on about heating etc with him as i just can't be bothered anymore theres no point.

I know someone who is the same in RL and guess what i've stopped talking to them. I just can't be dealing with it, only difference is in RL this person deliberately keep the heat down so they make themselves ill to keep they DLA. Shocking.

Popperwell

shegar wrote: »

Well whatever your "plan " is I hope it enables you to put the heating on..................

These benefit changes that are coming in this April will hurt thousands of poor people to do with HB and CT, I dread to think what will happen, I do believe this year will be much harder than last year, and we all thought that was bad.........:eek:

The council said on the news that they will only give tenants one year housing contracts from now on , so if your circumstances change they can get you out, its probaly to make way for younger families to have bigger bedroomed houses, but by doing that they surely need to build more smaller properties , when was the last time you heard your local council is going to build more social housing.?.... Sheila..

I keep hoping I can do more but as I said somewhere else...I did a duel fuel deal to save money so I may be able to put the heating on more...however a letter arrived last week(thanks to the cost of supplying gas and electric and new government policies)my prices are to rise at the end of March:(

So much for taking out a deal to save money...

If all is ok and my present situation goes in my favour I'll spend more but until decisions are taken and the envelope hits the mat telling me good or bad news I don't know that I can, things have eased a little as I have been given a cold weather payment which has helped.

I am taking notice and doing what I am able...

I think you are right about the change in tennacy agreements but as you say there are so few smaller properties and who is building them?

And yes many(working)and not working for genuine reasons will be caught by the increases in council tax and the new bedroom tax so I really do wonder how people will manage. Not thinking of myself.

It will be much worse I am sure and the media and politicians will play people off against each other. And a lot of what is gtoing on is not even being reported.

Popperwell

katieowl wrote: »

Oh it's all !!!! this benefits, housing, Atos stuff. I seem to spend most of my day cross on behalf of other people.


I've taken some chicken out of the freezer for dinner as DS wants a curry. I picked up some YS aubergines yesterday so will use those too. Think I might make some cauliflower bhajis too. Did anyone else think the Hairy bikers was a bit of a let down? I didn't pick up a single new frugal gourmet tip from the programme. I shall continue to watch, as I find the pair of them highly entertaining, but from the food point, I would have liked a bit more....maybe next episode!

Kate

Me too regarding the problems facing many...

I am eating more and the extra food I think helps keep me warm.

I am sure the Hairy Bikers could do a series that would help more of the population to eat well for less and still be enjoyable and they are playing too much on the gourmet theme...

I have no access to an Asian Supermarket, the nearest thai shop is a bus ride away and takes nearly 40 minutes...and its not that size.

And their Sunday roast meal was nearly £5 per head...so for a family of four as they suggested that was £20.

And they purchased three boxes of fancy prawns for around £20.

Nigel Slater is about the most economical cook on tv at present often adapting or using up leftovers...

I hope the series improves as it goes on...

elisamoose

Surely I am not the only one who thought cold weather payments were to pay for heating in COLD WEATHER !!!!

elizabunny

I know times are so hard for many and we all have our worries, but I will not cut down on heating. We do not use it excessively and try to lower the thermostat on milder days, but when it's cold -it's cold and the rooms are heated to an acceptable level around 21c. There's nothing worse than being cold and I know because I used to have a very cold job. It makes you feel ill, it affected my joints, gave me migranes and sometimes I felt that I couldn't even think properly:(. It's just plain dangerous.

I am more than prepared to be economical with groceries because I will cook from scratch and make soup out of nothing (well not quite nothing):p but a few veggies and a little stock can be made to go a really long way. The heating however, is priority.

PS I think we're in for colder weather on Saturday.

nuttyp

Re council houses,
In lincolnshire they have been issuing yearly tennacies for a while. They are also doing inspections yearly internally. I can totally agree to them doing it, as our neighbour left in december they had professional cleaners in the sort out in the inside after there being a few pets in the house. Not nice by all accounts.

I have been a tennant for a number of years, and im very grateful. There are new properties being built, but these are often with housing trusts. Im bit sure on the rental prices tho.