Haircuts? Car tax? Dentist??

wherediditallgo

I totally agree that breaks with a secondary function aren't of much use with young children, & yes, once you have to take into accounts things you can't often/usually get reduced such as parking then costs can mount up. But, as I'm sure you, I & others have realised, the allowances for many things aren't based around everyday realities but around what people can occasionally do. I've just been told by my dentist that, thanks to not going to the dentist more often because I couldn't afford it, I now need a good bit of work done. Even at the reduced NHS rate, I won't see any change out of £200 - I had to pay £44 on Thursday for root canal work to be done on one tooth alone, & unless I want to suck next year's Christmas Dinner through a straw, I'll have to pay the rest by the time the course of treatment is finished, which will be some time in February.

The OR's figures don't allow for that kind of sudden expenditure only a few months into being BR (i.e. before you've had time to put aside a decent 'dental costs' pot), & it's the same with holidays - they allow for very basic breaks in the UK unless you can be creative about getting something overseas, & being allowed to save money each month towards a holiday doesn't mean they're also saying we should be taking a holiday each year. Maybe the allowance is a hidden judgement or penalty by the OR - we're allowed money towards a holiday, but it's not going to be one on a par with what average non-BR people can get, because we're not non-BR people & shouldn't be seen to be able to reward ourselves with something that people who pay their debts can get, as to do that would be like rubbing our creditors' noses in it. The allowance might also be their way of saying that if we can't make the money cover our holiday costs (even leaving out the spending money etc), then we shouldn't be looking at yearly holidays & should instead be thinking about going away every 2-3 years, in other words saving up for a holiday like 'normal' folk do. :rolleyes: Why should we expect to be able to go on holiday every year anyway? :rolleyes:

At work last week I heard someone talking about how her family holiday in 2009 is going to cost around £3k (one adult, three children of which two are over 10). When she told her children they won't be able to go on holiday in 2008 to enable her to save up, they fell apart at the thought, so perhaps she's paying as much for expectation (her own & society's, as well as theirs) as for the break itself. Unfortunately, the OR doesn't allow for that either - if he did, I'd now be lookng forward to several weeks dangling my feet in a pool in the sun instead of thinking about what cheap antics I can get up to in Brighton next week.

fiveyearplan

WDIAG - have fun in Brighton next week. Sometimes it is about attitude. If you think Brighton is fun and you're going to enjoy yourself, you'll have a great time but if you go already thinking 'its only Brighton' you may as well stay home.

wherediditallgo

I agree. Just because we get annual leave from work, it doesn't mean we have to go away on holiday, or have to go overseas even if we have a break. My school holidays were spent studying, going to a playcentre, day trips with my cousins etc, & when my parents took their holidays from work they did things around the home or took us out for the day if we were off school at the same time. Many people don't go on holiday every year even when debt isn't an issue, & I'm sure there are BRs who'll put aside the money allowed for holidays so that they've got it to fall back on in an emergency, as going on holiday isn't that important/necessary to them.

As for Brighton, I'm going to have a ball with some great people. Eddie Izzard dvds, a bit of salsa (my hips won't know what's hit them, as I haven't done salsa dancing for ages), some chocolates & black vodka (I'm not supposed to be having either of those, but I'm going to treat myself ), walks by the sea front, & occasional bouts of lying on the sofa with my friend's cat trying yet again to mate with my legs.