Am I entitled to Help?

Sinny12

Hey guys - second account as I'm locked out my first - just in case anyone notices.

I'll keep it brief and get to the point.

I've just finished my apprenticeship in Level 3 Admin with the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. I was earning £606.
My new full time contract came into effect 06/05/13 and my new wage will now be £13, 840 annum.

Disgustingly low, purely due to my age (21). This country sucks for age discrimination.

Anyway, I decided it's time to move off my mates setee and I've struggled for the last two months to raise the deposit and first months rent for a small, crappy, little studio in my local area.

I've managed to do that - but after paying off the rest of my bills, I'm left with pennies to see me through the month.

I'm a little worse these next three months as I'll be paying off debt incurred whilst raising my deposite etc.

Beyond that, as of June 28th I'll pick up £1153 before tax.

Out of that here's my essential bills:

Rent £350
Electric £80
Funeral £15
DWP £15
Phone £15
Bus pass £50
Internet £20
Food £150

Tax 20%
Council Tax ???
Water???
TV??

Internet will be essential as I'm starting my OU degree.

This all before I have thought about clothes and any luxeries... For example I would like to budget £30 per month for my baccy - But I know that will result in a few of you giving me a lecture aha.

The benefits calculater is currently telling me I am not entitled to anything. I just wanted to double check that is the case.

I realise the above covers my essential bills - but it really hasn't left me much in terms of what I can spend on my self.

I had hoped to be able to start driving lessons, and save up for a holiday.

I currently cant afford new bed sheets let alone those things!

As I say, I'm real down on my luck over these 3 months - the above break down is not including the 3 installments I need to make of £125 to repay my deposite.

I am looking for a second part time job to top up my wage...But I know I'll be lucky to find one.

I can't believe I've been working my but off for 5 years (since school) gained my qualifications and exsperience, and it feels like im still stuck in a catch 22.

Sickens me when I hear about the Queen and the MP's getting pay rises, whilst they rob all our tax to pay for illegal wars, and here's me...slummin it!!

Does anyone know if I could access any further finacial support? Just until I get my self on my feet?

Thanks in advance.

HB58

If the benefits checker says that you are not entitled to anything, then I am afraid that is probably correct. If you cannot get more money in, you will have to look at cutting your outgoings. I must say that £150 pm for food sounds a lot. If you go over to the 'old style money saving' section of these boards you will find lots of ideas for cutting expenditure.

Good luck! I am sure it will be worth it eventually.

TattyG

Can you take a break from the £15 funeral plan ?? That is great forward planning but you can't really afford that at the moment. x

Jobseeeker

would you be better renting a room in a flat share? bit late now but maybe when this lease runs out. you've put a question mark next to council tax but council tax is a lot if you live on your own.

DomRavioli

Thats an average wage for a 21 year old in administration. You could apply to the OU financial support office, but this has to be done a few months before your course starts. You're not entitled to working tax credits (they kick in at age 25, and are means tested).

Hop over to the Debt Free Wannabe board, they have great budgeting advice as it seems that you have a decent amount of take home pay, but seems to be going nowhere.

Dunroamin

DomRavioli wrote: »

Thats an average wage for a 21 year old in administration. You could apply to the OU financial support office, but this has to be done a few months before your course starts. You're not entitled to working tax credits (they kick in at age 25, and are means tested).

Hop over to the Debt Free Wannabe board, they have great budgeting advice as it seems that you have a decent amount of take home pay, but seems to be going nowhere.

I think £13,000 is an excellent salary for someone of 21, living in Birmingham and educated to level 3!

Also, all OU courses are now funded by student loans .

OP, you won't be eligible for any benefts on that salary but, if you want to budget for luxury items, you need to cut down on essentials. As has been suggested, funeral insurance is hardly necessary at your age and £150 pcm is a lot of money for food for one person.

You need to learn to budget better if you want to have more disposable income, but that's a skill worth learning.

Sinny12

I thought as much - thanks for the hints and tips.

The funeral is essential as it's not mine it's fathers funeral I'm paying for.
(The social f***** me over)

I say the wage is disgustingly low, as at the age for 21 I'm deemed an adult - regardless of the figure.

There's a 64 year old man who's shares my exact same job role - he's on £25, 000 annum.

I suppose it depends on your perspective.
Your perspective may be my wage is decent for my age..
My perspective is - I'm doing the same hours to the same standard, there should be no age discrimination.
I thought discrimination was illegal? Apparently not.

Too add salt into the wounds - I've spent 3 months training a new member of staff, whom we reaped from The Work Programme (out of work for 7 years) and after ME training him, he's now collecting £22,000.

Call me crazy, but the world shouldn't work like this.

If my age means less money - by default it should me less expenses. The Government seem to forget I pay the same amount of money for a loaf of bread as my 64 year old worker does.

In regards to Flat shares - they are averaging only £50 cheaper than would my own personal space. For the sake of £50 I would like to reclaim some privacy, independence and dignity.

Too much to ask for in this country these days.

Sinny12

Dunroamin wrote: »

I think £13,000 is an excellent salary for someone of 21, living in Birmingham and educated to level 3!

Also, all OU courses are now funded by student loans .

OP, you won't be eligible for any benefts on that salary but, if you want to budget for luxury items, you need to cut down on essentials. As has been suggested, funeral insurance is hardly necessary at your age and £150 pcm is a lot of money for food for one person.

You need to learn to budget better if you want to have more disposable income, but that's a skill worth learning.

I'm sorry but to call it an excellent salary is ridiculous! I can barely afford to live

(and when I say live, I mean LIVE, and not just earn enough to sleep with a roof on my head and to pay my travel to work, to go back to sleep, to go back to work...to go back to sleep, to go back to work...getting the picture? aha)

- The Governments wages are that low almost everyone has to be subsidised with benefits - so that defeats the whole point of the working economy. (cough, cough, Government socialism! cough!)

They want to make every one reliant on the system - then they have the power to control every aspect of your life. Look at this universal credit crap.

Then there's inflation - that's all BS, how can the price of bread rise from costing 20p a loaf (when I was a child) to costing £1.10 now?!? Surely the seeds of the flour or the method of baking haven't changed?!?

No, that's it! Monsanto & Co have patented all of our natural seeds -so it's illegal to to produce your own and now you have to comply with the corporations. (Cough! Cough! Corporate Socialism! Cough!).

Sick of my life being dictated by TPTB.

I'm doing everything my my power to better my life - and I got loose renegades pushing me back down the ladder.

Rant over lol.

On a closing note- there would be no inflation if money was still backed by something tangible instead of binary code created on a screen on the whims of the bankers.

Sinny12

Talking about food - the the person who said £150 is a lot of money.

Well, it takes a lot of money to eat healthy these days.

Frozen meat from the superstore.. 52% meat...!!!!!! is the rest of it?!? No thank you!!! I'd rather starve.

80% of soft drinks contain Aspartame (or some relabeled name for it)...which was shown to cause cancer. (Brain tumors in 50% of lab rats to be precise)...

Eat & Drink cheaply - you will suffer for it in the future - how much would my cancer treatment be on the NHS? £100, 000?

Nah, I'll pre-empt it and save you NI contributors the burden!

skintandscared_2

A few observations.

To have your own studio flat at your age is quite a luxury in itself - most people at your age have to flat-share, meaning that rent and bills are lower than yours will be. Privacy may be a luxury you cannot afford.

A 64 year old will have 43 years work experience factored into their salary that you just don't have. You are not automatically entitled to the same wage for the same job. It's not age discrimination!! People are paid for their experience!

£150 for a month's food is extortionate if you're living alone. When I lived alone at your age (in a flatshare) I lived off what I could afford - lots of pasta with tomato sauce, cheap noodles, beans on toast, etc. Not ideal I grant you, but you cut your cloth according to what you have! I didn't have a holiday for about 10 years and temped during my work holidays to get extra money.

Dunroamin

Sinny12 wrote: »

I'm sorry but to call it an excellent salary is ridiculous! I can barely afford to live

(and when I say live, I mean LIVE, and not just earn enough to sleep with a roof on my head and to pay my travel to work, to go back to sleep, to go back to work...to go back to sleep, to go back to work...getting the picture? aha)

- The Governments wages are that low almost everyone has to be subsidised with benefits - so that defeats the whole point of the working economy. (cough, cough, Government socialism! cough!)

They want to make every one reliant on the system - then they have the power to control every aspect of your life. Look at this universal credit crap.

Then there's inflation - that's all BS, how can the price of bread rise from costing 20p a loaf (when I was a child) to costing £1.10 now?!? Surely the seeds of the flour or the method of baking haven't changed?!?

No, that's it! Monsanto & Co have patented all of our natural seeds -so it's illegal to to produce your own and now you have to comply with the corporations. (Cough! Cough! Corporate Socialism! Cough!).

Sick of my life being dictated by TPTB.

I'm doing everything my my power to better my life - and I got loose renegades pushing me back down the ladder.

Rant over lol.

On a closing note- there would be no inflation if money was still backed by something tangible instead of binary code created on a screen on the whims of the bankers.

Good to see that the entitlement culture isn't only applicable to those on benefits!;)