Single income home

400ixl

Then maybe help people help you.

Give more details about your income and outgoings and maybe people can help you. Just being on a single income means very little.

Try completing the SoA and posting that up https://www.stoozing.com/soa.php

mspenguin

I don't understand why you think we should get a handout? (Yes, also a single adult living alone with no benefits) We choose to live alone and get the benefit of having our own space. Than in itself is a massive privilege. I don't expect any additional support over people who choose to live together as I could choose to rent a room off someone and live with other people or I could choose to rent out my spare room but either of those options would sacrifice my personal space.

This winter is going to be horrific, I've done the maths and I cannot afford to have my heating on like I did last winter. I will probably spend most of my time in my bedroom as it is the warmest room in my house and cheapest to heat. I work from home and can't afford the commute to the office so I will probably move my desk upstairs too as its warmer there. I'm thinking about showering at the gym to reduce my electric bill. It's going to be incredibly crap.  

xeny

If you have an entire house have you got scope for renting a room out? I think that is tax free to a certain amount.

northernstar007

sharrison21 said:

I hope you’re all proud of yourselves, i came here desperate for help. I already earn less than my male counterparts I’m unlucky in love so I’m on my own. I’m struggling to afford the increase in EVERYTHING. The only help doesn’t cover the increase. I get nothing for the fact I’m doing it on my own it doesn’t cost me half to be on my own. And the only time I’ve asked for help i get told i shouldn’t get help for a lifestyle choice? What choice? 

i`m 100% in the same boat as you, and live in a 1 bedroom house just above min wage, it is hard on the single person always has been

Dizee123

I am sorry to hear that you are struggling with the increases, and I think that there are a lot of very frightened people out there be they single, couples or families.  We are all trying to pull together to help each other through this and I am sorry that you feel that you are not getting any help and support from what can be a very helpful forum.  

One thing you could do is an analysis of your energy usage and look to see if you could cut down.  There are a lot of very useful threads on this forum giving suggestions for decreasing usage and helping to identify any wasteful usage.  I am following them myself and am on track to cut 500 kWh off my electric usage this year without impinging massively on my lifestyle.  Every little helps as they say.  I appreciate that you may already have cut your usage to the minimum in which case I don't have any further suggestions, just some empathy for your plight and all of us who are in similar situations.  

jimpwarsop

sharrison21 said:

[Deleted User] said:

Nothing.  Everyone can pick something that they think makes them a "special case" and need extra help.

What about a large family in one house that therefore needs a lot more hot water?  We already had someone saying they wanted extra help because they worked from home rather than commuting.

Should be even easier for you because you only need to heat one room at a time.

So you’re saying I shouldn’t get help because I chose not to have kids? Doesn’t matter if i get into debt because I don’t have kids. Doesn’t matter if i loose my house because I don’t have 4 people to feed? Why do I matter less? I’m still struggling, just because it’s just me doesn’t mean I’m not drowning. 

Pretty much that is what the government are saying, and have been saying since before you were a twinkle in your daddies eye.

sharrison21

Matt can’t seem to tag your charming comment.  I don’t have a room to rent out unless i can rent the bathtub? If I can’t afford the increases how do you expect me to afford the expenses of moving? Rent is excessively high and extremely competitive so it’s not really an option. Im not expecting to be fully paid for. But there’s just nothing and i only miss out on other benefits because i earn slightly over the cut off. Asking to get paid less to get those benefits is wrong. I earn what i earn. I was asking what i can do not for more money. 

FreeBear

northernstar007 said:

sharrison21 said:

I hope you’re all proud of yourselves, i came here desperate for help. I already earn less than my male counterparts I’m unlucky in love so I’m on my own. I’m struggling to afford the increase in EVERYTHING. The only help doesn’t cover the increase. I get nothing for the fact I’m doing it on my own it doesn’t cost me half to be on my own. And the only time I’ve asked for help i get told i shouldn’t get help for a lifestyle choice? What choice? 

i`m 100% in the same boat as you, and live in a 1 bedroom house just above min wage, it is hard on the single person always has been

Just posted this on another thread...

FreeBear said:

cj_gp22 said: after the £150 rebate and the £400 energy bill help, at the moment there is no other financial or product help ie new boiler or insulation etc for single people living on their own who work and do not qualify for any benefits. this is my situation having low income but savings that means i cannot apply for any benefits that are means tested

On top of the £150 rebate that was handed out from April, there is also an additional discretionary rebate of another £150 - If you are earning less than ~£20,000 p.a. you should qualify - In multiple occupancy households, the cutoff point increases to some £30,000.

If you haven't already applied for it, you need to get a move on. I think the deadline for application is 30th August. Check your local council for a link to the application form. For mine, it was via https://www.grantapproval.co.uk/

sharrison21

tghe-retford said:

The Child Poverty Action Group suggests single people are the to be in fuel poverty, even couples are more likely to be in fuel poverty. Err... how does that work? Unless only one person in a family is working, I can't see it. And every family I know, both people work. You could argue a large family in a large household has it bad but a single household has one income, they are not going to be a high flying city worker earning six figures. The dating market is so bad that it is seen as only having "subpar" people with no compromise allowed so the chances are, people are going to remain single.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggests that will be in fuel poverty already, the highest percentage in any of the households by a long distance. Which matches other charts I have seen in relation to fuel poverty and households. You can't force people into relationships, many can't downsize as they already live in one bed houses and bedsits. And there is no appetite to help singles compared to couples and families.

The ones who will be stuffed in future will be those who are not eligible for benefits but are low paid and live alone.

Thank you so much. I felt so alone and attacked like my situation is all my fault. Thank you 

ariarnia

sharrison21 said:

pochase said:

What about a family of 4 who also has only a single income? They will not get a council tax rebate and has 4 people to feed.

Seems to me you are much better off in comparison.

That’s what I’m saying. Nobody is talking about single income families only help is going to low income, but you could have 2 people with low income getting help but together would earn more than 1 person not getting help. 

guessing you dont know that most of the eligibility is based on income based benefits (help is also for those with disability and pensioners so not income related). so a couple with both in low income jobs their combined household income would be assessed for eligibility for any benefits and those benefits would then mean they got the extra energy support or not. you can't be a couple but ask them to ignore your partners job for your benefits (you can be unrelated housemates but you could easily get a lodger as has already been said)

when i first started seeing now OH back in 2009 or so and i was spending a lot of time with him but not yet sure it was 'forever' it was a big issue for me as i had been made redundant and was on benefits at the time so if i 'declared' we were a couple my money would immediately stop and i would be forced to move in with him (ready or not) and completely dependent on him until i could find a job and secure my situation. and if it hadn't worked out then it would have taken weeks and weeks for me to reapply and sort everything out. very scary time. glad to say it worked out okay and he's still putting up with me.