Living below your means

Curry_Queen

crana999 wrote:

If you're over 18 and you want to claim benefits or whatever

Sorry, and I don't mean to be picky but I don't know of anyone who would want to claim benefits, although allegedly some people do, but for the majority it's a necessity rather than by choice.

Eliza252

Yep, totally agree re: student income.

nb. this is not a dig in any way to people who rely on benefits for an income - in my opinion student loan is totally different issue - I chose to go into higher education whereas most people on benefits didnt have a choice to live on 4K
- in fact dont really understand the benefits re student loan discussion on going - we are all in the same boat either way - 4K per annum doesnt stretch far however you came by it!

I also got the 4k a year student loan and had to work a 20hr a week job in order just to cove my rent properly
Paid 1k a year fees, parents couldnt give me any money - but because means testing said otherwise I didnt qualify for any hardship funds!
It really seriously affected my studies and was SO frustrating - leaving lectures early/falling asleep in them because so exhausted from extra work - so I could afford to go to them in the first place seemed to stupid.
It definately affected my final marks and now ironically I am finding it hard to get any funding for a post-grad course which I have been offered because I have a 2:1 not a 1:1. Also, have a really boring grad job that I hate just to pay off all the debt I acrued while studying
- get out the violins cus I'm in winge mood today!

On the bright side - I tell myself all the time, there are people much worse off, who never even had access to education in the first place - so we are still massively wealthy in comparison. Plus I am now spend-thrift genius, I know how to stay alive on £5 a week and reckon this will make me a millionaire by the time I am 30. so there - yah boo, to silly policy formulators!

I am going to stop wingeing now as its not really relevant to this thread!

crana999

Curry_Queen wrote:

But you presumably live in either HOR or furnished shared accommodation. It's not quite the same as maintaining your own household. I know cost of living is high where you are but those of us on benefits still have to pay those prices too and we don't have parents helping us out in "holidays" or providing food parcels at the start of term

Yes, but not all students do either. Ask pavlovs_dog..

crana999

Curry_Queen wrote:

Sorry, and I don't mean to be picky but I don't know of anyone who would want to claim benefits, although allegedly some people do, but for the majority it's a necessity rather than by choice.

You want to do it because it's still better than the alternative, which is starving. We want to do pretty much everything we do, even if it doesn't seem appealing, because it's better than the alternatives open to us.

Curry_Queen

crana999 wrote:

Yes, but not all students do either. Ask pavlovs_dog..

Oh I know that there are many students much worse off and I don't agree with the system as it is today, as it stops many many people from poorer families gaining a decent education which should be an essential part of life and not dependant on parental income.

Sorry if I came across a bit stroppy but I can truly see both sides of it and you have my sympathies as a student today as do people on benefits

Curry_Queen

crana999 wrote:

You want to do it because it's still better than the alternative, which is starving. We want to do pretty much everything we do, even if it doesn't seem appealing, because it's better than the alternatives open to us.

Well if you put it that way ....

Personally, I'd much rather see more investment going into the NHS to help me get my health back so I didn't have to rely on benefits and could get back to earning my own money

Queenie

The way this thread is going ... I can see I need to make FOUR comfort quilts LOL

((hugs))

Sarahsaver

a period of hardship as a student, back in the day before loans, stood me in good stead for nowadays where I am feeding myself and 3 kids on £20 a week. I remember in about 1990 spending £8 on a weeks' shopping for me and the (now ex) husband, AND that included a daily copy of the Independent.
All the better for those of us who can and do manage to live like this. I did the £20 a week thing because I had to a few months ago, we were literally broke. Now we are ok, slightly better than breaking even, but I see no reason why I should spend more just because I HAVE more. It is NOT in the government's best interests to promote the fact that you CAN live on a low income, and actually have a healthy diet and so on, because the way things are suits - keep the 'underclass' in their place, and keep the NHS full of fat kids and fat adults, people addicted to food/alcohol/tobacco, who will die early and not be too big a burden on the state. Its not at all 'PC' to admit that you can live well on benefits.
Phew!:rolleyes:

Eliza252

Queenie wrote:

The way this thread is going ... I can see I need to make FOUR comfort quilts

aaahh quilts!
Did anyone have that childrens book about the patchwork cat?
I have been inspired to maybe make my own...i find sewing quite therapeutic and even I can cope with squares
- cue new post!

jaybee

Eliza252 wrote:

aaahh quilts!
Did anyone have that childrens book about the patchwork cat?
I have been inspired to maybe make my own...i find sewing quite therapeutic and even I can cope with squares
- cue new post!

I love The Patchwork Cat book!!