OS Singlies - We Do It Our Way!

mum2one

Apparently its was madness in our town on Sat morning, my friend said she didnt even get a 1/3rd done, - appaently it was as bad today...

Wish me luck am off to a local shopping centre with DD 2mor... get a few more bits for her, some winter clothes, thou she hates shopping, so could be fun!!

It seems as thou people panic when the shops close for one day, I always remember when it was Princess Di's funeral, I worked at a supermarket then, and people were stocking piling on the Friday, and people were queuing up on the Saturday about an hr before the store opened...

The local shop by us is open 9am to 8pm on Xmas Day xx

Horace

This afternoon was as manic as yesterday (oh heck I mean Sunday was as bad as Saturday - just looked at the computer clock and it is Monday morning).:eek:

I did a bit of shopping (using my staff discount) and bought the foods I like as they were on offer, plus I bought two huge nets of clementines. Left work at about 4.25 and people were begging to be let in despite the store closing at 4.30pm. Apparently it is going to get worse - the end of the world must be upon us with all the mad food buying. There is a notice on the wall up by the staff restroom congratulating us on the number of turkeys ordered - nearly a 1000, bonkers.

I wasn't with it at all today - managed to leave my apron in the cupboard so had to use one that was hanging up in the kitchen. I tasted some hot chocolate with orange on the shopfloor and a message came back to me via the security guard that it wasn't allowed (funny that we can snaffle samples from the bread counter though). To top it off, when I got upstairs at the end of my shift I had managed to poke through the toe of my pop sock (new on today) and I appear to have left my locker key in the lock because it nowhere to be found at home or in my clothes. Hope I haven't lost it - mind you my locker only has the following in it: a carrier back from Mr M (not Mr M & Mr S), a pair of black shoes, a hairnet and a cap.

Today, I got to the bottom as to why I wasn't being trained in other areas of the caf! - the other trainees who were allocated 12 hours like me all signed off the dole on the advice of the work programme people and were scratching around for extra shifts to make up their pay. I haven't signed off - I know that I can work up to 16hrs without having to do so (I might not get paid anything because I am getting paid by an employer but I still have to sign). I have put my name down for more shifts but none have been forthcoming. In other news, I learnt to stack the dishwasher differently to get more stuff in.

I did have a little spend before work - I nipped into the shop next door and came out with a two bladed peeler with a guard on the handle that can be moved to cover the blade that isn't in use - the peeler was reduced to £2 from £6, I also managed to get two over door hooks with crystal tops for £3 (also reduced) and these have gone on the bathroom door because I am fed up of having nowhere to hang my dressing gown. It co-ordinates well with the three pronged over door hook that I have in my bedroom.

Spose I had better go to bed - see ya'll later.:D

moneyistooshorttomention

Horace, I must say you've got me wondering how many of you that there are working in that shop that are really full-time employees and are making do with a few hours at the moment and hoping to get the rest of a job and what their chances are of getting a full job.

You were wise not to sign off until you get a full-time job - or at least a sight nearer to a full-time one. Even that £5:( a week that is all you are allowed to keep of your earnings is a little addition to the budget (if only a tiny one and much smaller than it used to be - as its been stuck at £5 for quite some time now).

So...yep...make the best you can of that discount whilst you have it and keep your fingers crossed that things will work out that you get a job from this.

Horace

Hello on this windy day (I am not quite awake because I had a rude awakening this morning - the postman hammered on my door loud enough to wake the dead).

Today, I taxed my car online so it comes into play on 1 January - I will be keeping my aged tax disc on the windscreen for posterity.

If memory serves me correctly there were 10 fixed term vacancies at the store where I work - some were given 30 hours but most of us were given 12 hours. My fixed term contract expires on 27 December, however, I have been given shifts well into January. Due to being on income-based JSA, I had already asked the jobcentre how many hours I could work before I had to sign off so when the work programme twits started telling me to sign off, I knew they were giving me incorrect information. I think what will happen is that when I sign on I probably won't get anything or just a fiver because I will have earned money. One good thing I have noticed - I don't pay tax because I am under the threshold.:j

I need to get some milk and I ought to go to the post office and post a parcel so that my friend can have a rude awakening like me:rotfl:

purpleshoes_2

Horace wrote: »

Hello on this windy day (I am not quite awake because I had a rude awakening this morning - the postman hammered on my door loud enough to wake the dead).

Today, I taxed my car online so it comes into play on 1 January - I will be keeping my aged tax disc on the windscreen for posterity.

If memory serves me correctly there were 10 fixed term vacancies at the store where I work - some were given 30 hours but most of us were given 12 hours. My fixed term contract expires on 27 December, however, I have been given shifts well into January. Due to being on income-based JSA, I had already asked the jobcentre how many hours I could work before I had to sign off so when the work programme twits started telling me to sign off, I knew they were giving me incorrect information. I think what will happen is that when I sign on I probably won't get anything or just a fiver because I will have earned money. One good thing I have noticed - I don't pay tax because I am under the threshold.:j

I need to get some milk and I ought to go to the post office and post a parcel so that my friend can have a rude awakening like me:rotfl:

I actually don't think you can only keep £5 of your earnings, I remember it being that back in the day, but I used to work part time around 3 years ago, when I was under 16 hours a week but over what I would have got on JSA, I just didnt get any JSA but signed on to get my stamp paid

In times gone by when I was working maybe only 9 hours a week, I did get keeping the £5 as what I earned was under what Id get on JSA

If your wages are over the 71 pounds but you are still working less than 16 hours a week, think they average it over a fortnight, you'll keep what you earn and your JSA will be adjusted to zero, but you can still sign on and get your NI stamp paid, thats how it was for me

moneyistooshorttomention

Fingers crossed that Horace gets to keep at least that measly little £5 per week then. I still think that much at least is "keepable" and hopes I'm correct on that one....as gawdknows that that is little enough and I am conscious that Horace seems to be having some work expenses to pay here (ie some bus fares).

It's always as well to remember that DWP etc may not necessarily give the worlds most reliable information. I can recall that the first time I was unemployed that the first figure I was quoted as to how much benefit I would get didn't include my rent (as I was in a rented flat at the time). Thankfully, I was pretty au fait with things myself and knew very well that my rent would be paid in full (ie on top of my personal benefit) and could see that the error had come from having somehow put me down as being married (ie only due for personal benefit - for that limited period of 6 months applicable at that time and then that hubbie-I-didn't-have would have been deemed to be due to totally financially support me thereafter:eek:).

Thankthelawd I knew what was what - because the DHSS (as was at that time) certainly didn't:eek::mad::eek:

Winces visibly at just how much benefit I would have lost during that first 6 months if I had taken their word for it and the mere thought of losing the lot after that time (ie due to their incompetence) was whew!:eek:

Horace

Thanks Purple - you are probably right (I have never done this working and being on JSA before so not sure of what's what). I have been online to look at my hours (I have not volunteered to do any extra even though we were told by our employers that they would look more favourably on those that volunteer to do more hours - as they could not guarantee more hours then I don't actually feel like volunteering); I am working up to 17 January which is past my fixed term date of 27 December.

I didn't go to the post office as planned - my knees are too sore to walk so I will go tomorrow instead. I have decorated the newel post at the bottom of the stairs by wrapping some tinsel round it. I have wrapped my other piece of £1 tinsel around the spindles - this bit of tinsel looks like holly with red berries. My Santas have been taken out of their box and arranged artfully on my tv stand. C is slowly coming into my house, I have even taken my boxes out of the wardrobe (these were in a Mr L sale many moons ago) and put them under the tree and now they contain presents to me from me.

This afternoon, I was invited to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel for a meal, however, this means a trip to LA that I cannot afford at the moment so I will have to start saving (and if this job becomes permanent then I will be able to save a bit quicker). The meal is promised for whenever I can get out to LA which is good because it gives me time to save. I will also need to renew my passport and get a visa. America isn't a place that I have wanted to visit - well, I have wanted to see places in America but never thought of flying there (weird I know).

Best crack on - need some dinner and need to finish the tree.

greenbee

The good news is you don't need a visa for the US Horace! They operate a visa waiver scheme, so you pay for an ESTA which last for (I think) 3 years. Luckily they email you before it runs out, as I need one for work and wouldn't remember

BookWorm

Just popping in to say hi all ...:wave:
One more work day to get through for me and then a few days chill time!
Hope everyone is doing ok

BW

Horace

Hi all

Fell asleep on the sofa this afternoon - this is not good because I have to go to bed early if I want to be up at 4.30/5.00am tomorrow:eek:

Went to my GP today and I am back on the happy pills and have an appointment to go back in 4 weeks' time (I have been feeling a depressed for a while). Also posted my parcel - I had a choice of guaranteed signed for next day delivery at nearly £8 or first class signed for, for £4 ish - needless to say I opted for the cheap version it will probably get there tomorrow anyway.

Bought a lime green microfibre sweeper for my bathroom and toilet floors as well as some smellies from the cheap shop (the sweeper was about £4). I also treated myself to a diary that I can keep in my handbag.

I have 4 hours of work tomorrow and then I don't need to be back in until Saturday:cool:

Changed the batteries on my one set of LED lights yesterday and managed to fit a set of batteries to the new lights that mum gave me (it meant wielding a small screwdriver) but I managed it.