Mooloo's struggle with babies and bills

Savvy_sewing

Well i ddint expect to be here at BF's this morning.!
its been a hectic few days. But then isnt my life always hectic.? I came up to Oxford for Physio on wednesday, again. She said that I will need quite a bit of work again, as I am "back to square one" with the lack of movement etc. All due to doing too much, cleaning up the old house, packing and carrying when I shouldnt. Indeed thats why I am here now. I did the last of the cleaning hoovering etc of the old house yesterday and I was in two minds whether to drive straight home or come to BFs. With a few texts passing between us, it was decided I was welcome here so I rang home, checked they were OK and stopped here. Allowing me to relax and not battle home through rush hour traffic again. Changing gear, and putting the handbrake on are painful experiences. Not so bad on long distances, just town driving/heavy traffic.
I am stopping here for the rest of the day until my appointment with the Neurologist at 3.30 this afternoon.
BF has said that we can drive back to mine this evening, (in his car), so I can check all is ok, and that I can pick up what I need for the holiday.
I hadnt expected to get on to here until after the holiday. But I have done some pottering around here, cleaned the kitchen, swept the floor, and washed a few odds and sodds. I dont dare do anything else, as BF takes it as a personal affront, which it is not intended to be, its meant to be help so he can relax when he gets in. Also as I am used to doing I find it hard to just sit still and stop doing.
I have to admit I cant do anything else just now, as after yesterday and the day before, I am unable to without causing anymore pain.
Time to check the bank balance, and see how things are going.

Oh I almost forgot. I spoke to the area manager day before yesterday, and she said that I was to not make any hasty decisions about my job, and as long as the doctor gives me a note there is nothing they can do about it. So I will still get my sick pay. But the good news was that in the previous Quarter I had upped the shops controllable profits, and made £4,000 increase, so I will get a bonus again this quarter, even though I am off ill. That means I will be in line for around £400 less all the nasty taxes etc. That will pay my share of the rent, so this month at least I will not be quite as destitute as I thought I would be.
I am beginning to feel as though God is on my side for once.
BF has been the loving, caring man I fell in love with, since I came here last weekend, after a dodgy start at my house. Its been a pleasure to be here instead of walking on egg shells.
Thats when I feel that its worth trying to make the two lives meet. I have had some pretty dark feelings over the last month or so. Depression/stress on top, I do feel that he could be a little less harsh, and a lot more supportive. That he could have helped me move. that he could have tried harder. I have tried to allow for his fears. He has started to come through now, so I am hoping that his fears are subsiding, and that we can get on and enjoy what times we have together and drop the recriminations, etc.
We have the next two full weeks ahead of us. Together, although his family will be with us, and not mine, lets see how things go. I am now looking forward to the holiday with more gusto then I was.
Lets hope that the weather will be cleament. (And the twins dont burn the house down in my absence.!!)

Savvy_sewing

Well I have had to borrow Dads dongle again, as BT have messed up on supplying my broadband.
I am sitting in the new house, with the twins. BGP is asleep. BBJ has gone to his Grandparents for the weekend.(Again!). DS has gone out to a 16th Birthday party of one of his old friends that he has hooked up with again, (7 years on).
I had a wonderful holiday, only one evening of blip, due to one of BF's childrens bad table manners, but on the whole it was a major success, and the weather was brilliant. I even came back with €80 which my Mum and Dad bought back off of me, giving me cash for the last few days.
Unfortunately I have come back to a lot of problems, including having had the wrong advice about the tenancy, and the Housing Benefit will not pay all of the girls money. Not even half of it, so I hve had my wages yesterday, and it all but £25 went to the rent.!! I will never manage to find it next month. So I am in panic. The Council will only give a maximum of £50 a week each for a shared tenancy. If the tenancy had been in my name with the twins being non-dependants, (as we were in oxford,) we would get £311. a week!!! I cannot believe how I managed to get the wrong information, as i did ring the council before I started all of this.
Now my only option is to write to the owners and see if they will be able to change the tenancy agreement into one that is back into just my name after all.!!!
I have to be the unluckiest person in the world when it comes to getting benefits!!!
Now that I am back from Portugal, I have to make contact with the citizens advise, and who ever else, and see what I am doing wrong!!
My arm is still not working to its best... Although I had rested it while we were away, I even had to take all of my tablets, 4 x3 a day, to just get through the days. I had more trouble with my hip/back too! I think the bed was too hard and I couldnt get comfortable so I struggled to sleep. Mind you I did read 3 and 1/2 books!!!
I even went swimming 8 out of the 10 days. Not for long, as my arm wouldnt let me, but a few lengths each day. BF suggested I used the childrens ball to help me float and just use my legs, which I did on one of the days. Till they managed to burst the ball, so that was that.!!
The twins have managed reasonably well while I was away. Biggest of Mooloos came around, and so did my dad. My mum spoke to them on the phone.
There was a hick up with BBJ's Dad missing the last bus home, and he ended up stopping here, which upset twin1. So before I had even landed in Portugal twin1 was on the phone complaining to me.
But all in all the place is still standing, is reasonably clean, and the babies are well.
I would not have liked to leave them anylonger as the routine was gone, and the budget blown, becuase they didnt follow the menu plan much, and they bought take aways.!!
The Income support stopped paying them, and the money was in a mess. I spent all of Thursday and Friday on the telephone trying to sort out problems with it all.
So here goes the problems of life all over again.!!

Dazi

Glad to hear you had a good holiday, but awwwww at the problems you came back to. Hope you can get the tenancy sorting out so you can get help with it....I don't have any experience with this so hopefully someone else can advise you on this, but does seem wrong that how the tenancy is worded that can affect the about of benefit you can get.

Sounds like your DS is getting back into the 'scene' meeting up with old friends, thats nice. Hope this will help him settle at school there

Chin up, and remember there is loads of support for you on here xxxxxxxx

Eager_Elephant

Hi Mooloo

Just got the daily update and I am shocked about the Housing Benefit.

Have you actually spoken to them about it because my understanding of joint tenancies under the new Local Housing Allowance is that each tenant receives the rate of LHA based on their circumstances.

So you would get the 2 room rate because there is you and your son, one of your daughters would get 2 room rate for herself and both children and the other daughter would get 1 room rate for herself. The reason for this is that as both children are under 10 they can share a room.

I will double check all this Monday.

Let me know if you have any queries and if you want me to delve a bit deeper can you PM me with details.

Also DO NOT (sorry to shout!!) ask your landlady to change the tenancy into your name as this could be seen as a 'tenancy created to take advantage of the benefit system' ie. you didn't get much when you were all on the tenancy so you created a new one. Unfortunately this is a big no no.

If what they have paid you is correct then you need to make a complaint about the information you received.

EE

Savvy_sewing

Thanks Eager, but I am worried even more now. It is the councils shared rate will be maximum of £50 per week, per application. That means that the twins will be £50 a week each short of their part of the tenancy, which will fall on my shoulders. Then that will mean that I am not entitled to much on my own, just received a check for £16.odd for me for the whole of October. The rent is £1200 so we are going to have problems by the end of the month. I was lucky to still get a wage and a bonus on Friday, which came to the rent plus £25. But that means I am substituting the twins even more then in Oxford! It also is a worry as I am off sick, so I will not be getting a monthly wage or a little bonus next month! (This month).!! EEK is all that I can feel at the moment.
The council didnt tell me that a shared tenancy would lower the rate when I was looking for a house. They told me the 5 bedroomed rate, so thats what I worked it all out on. I would never have moved so quickly etc, if I had not believed that we would get full benefits each for this house. i.e. enough to cover the rent for the girls, and my less what ever I earned of course!!
As the girls are useless with money, trying to get them to budget their money has been nigh on impossible. When twin 2 got a giro for her incomesupport while I was away she spent the lot in 2 days. £121 gone. She didnt even clear off any of her debts. Or put money towards her debts.
I need to go to citizens advice asap!!

Savvy_sewing

I just realised that I havent updated any of my challenges etc, possibly becuase I havent really been about, and so busy with the move and then the holiday. Now reality has set in!
I am not at the BF's which feels a bit strange. Dont know how it ended up that I didnt go. Oh yes, he suggested I better stay here as twin2 has another BF already, and apparantly she let him stop while I was away.!! The picture of yet another grandchild loomed into my mind. You know that big bubble that comes up in the air, like a light bulb!! Except not so sure it is seeing the light! If you get my drift.
Anyway it means that I am at home for the weekend, and all I seem to be doing is washing, cooking and cleaning!! Mmmm Maybe I will take the baby out for a walk, but its raining at the moment!! Keep my eye on the weather.

SuziQ

Golly Mooloo why can't they get the benefits information right for you,you are always left struggling-a very strongly worded complaint would be in order if only you had the time to write it!

They say a change is as good as a rest so I will pray for your arm to settle again and that the problems will quickly resolve. You are clearly not destined for an easy life,at least not yet!

Eager_Elephant

Hi again

I will be checking at work today but I am pretty sure that one of your daughters should get the 2 room rate and the other a 1 room rate.
Shared rate should not come in to this as they are not single people they are mothers of children.

The 5 room rate would have been applied if only your name was on the tenancy.

EE

Savvy_sewing

Morning to all. I am not sure where I should be turning today. I switched off last night after the grand prix. I sat reading a book into the wee small hours. I was going to sleep just after 10 but couldnt, head was too busy so I kept on Reading.!! At about 2.30am I thought I better sleep. Was going to have a lie in, but still woke at 7am naturally. So I got up, and have brought BGP down to give her mum a lie in. (As her baby never goes to her Dads, she never gets a break!).
So breakfast is over. DS has gone to school, reluctantly, he has already lost his school tie. Must get name tapes out of storage and get it on the next one. So again I have had to send him to school with money.
Our YOP meeting about his troubles earlier, is on Wednesday in Northampton, so I will have to plan to get there. May do a run in the car to see where I am to go, but then thats spending more petrol.!).
I want to squeeze as much out of the money I have as possible. Every penny is needed by the end of the month to pay next months rent, and all the bills.
Ah post man, back soon.

Savvy_sewing

Ah not good post. Still got problems with Twin 2 s benefit. They are now asking for her and my bank accounts. They are also saying she must supply wages and what she has been on while she was not on income support.!! She is on income support!!! Oh the whole b****y thing is a mess. I am sick of fighting for every penny and even for every penny we never receive.!!
I am apparantly entitled to £16.10 a week. So as the rent is £100 a week each, where pray am I supposed to find all the rest of the money??
I just want to sit and cry.
There must be help that will actually cover our situation somewhere? Will I be forced to give up this house already, Will we have to split the family up, and the babies go into care? What options are there left to me?
I am so sick of trying to cope, be strong, find the answers and battle with my health too.
I am currently feeling pretty devistated that the council gave me the incorrect information.
I realised that we would be on a low income, but I didnt realise that we would not get the benefits for the girls side of the rent at least.
I just am not going to be able to find all the money needed to pay the rent, never mind live. Food, nappies, etc etc.
I cant get my head around any of this today.
Cup of tea time.