Mooloo's struggle with babies and bills

Savvy_sewing

Well I am a bit calmer. I have been to Tesco to do some food shopping. Spent a bit more than I wanted to do but still messed up, as it came to £49.21 which meant I didnt qualify for the petrol discounts!! Just not my day. Am obviously not all the ball. After Tesco I went and vented my frustrations on my poor mum and dad! My Mum slipped me £50 that Dad doesnt know about! Good old mum, but I feel guilty that I am accepting money from my parents. It shouldnt have to be that way!
I have sent the twins out with the babies. It was difficult to get twin2 to go, but I have said I will look after the baby later, if she wants to go out for a walk. She has got it in her brain that she wants to go to work for MacDonalds! She has tried to work for them in 3 different places now, and she has never managed to stay? I am surprised that she even wants to go back to them.
I have done a quick Budget reckoning of the expenditure that we will all need.

Rent 1200.00
Rates 220.00
E & G 100.00
Water 50.00
TV lic 12.00
Hs Ins 10.00
B/band 15.99
Sky 17.99
BT 45.00
Food 300.00
Babies 100.00
Total expenditure not counting the car, or holidays etc just to stay here really comes in at:- £2070.98 so I multiplied that by 12 = £24,851.76 divided by 52 = £477.92 needed a week = 3 of us = £159.30 a week each to find.

Then I have to find the other things like the car, the insurance for that, and any contingencies etc.
I have tried to explain this to the girls, but I am not sure that it got through to them, that the money they are getting will be needed for all of the above?
Any benefits we manage to get will obviously reduce those payments.
For example twin 1 has had no problems and has been granted £50 a week, so she will still have to put £109.30 into the household pot.
Twin two is determined to work?
I am between wages and SSP at the moment, so that will change as the month comes to a close. But as I am technically employed I am still getting my Working Tax credits, and my child tax credits for my son and I so I will be able to find the payments for the above, but the payements for the car etc? Presents and all the other things that will come to light? I am not so sure.
So rationally we can do it if we all pool our money, and be as MSE as possible. Hopefully then we could reduce some of the actual bills.

I feel that if twin2 cooperates we can get through this month, and hopefully when the council is sorted out, for her she will also get some of her money. I fear that she has so many debts that she may not have that much of her benefits to contribute, but if she does get a job then that will all change anyway.
i am going to try to get some sleep now. Power nap needed

Eager_Elephant

Hi Mooloo

I have checked with a colleague into this HB situation and in your situation this is what you should get:

You and your son get 33% of the two room rate
1 daughter with child gets 33% of two room rate (other baby also included here)
Other daughter gets 33% shared accommodation rate (her baby taken into account above)

To find out the rates you need to go on your local council website.

But having done it the way you have you are definitely worse off because if I look at the figures for my area the total all 3 of you could expect to receive is about £120pw but if only you were on the tenancy then you could get £350pw+.

I think you should put in an official complaint to the manager of the person who told you and also try to speak to the Housing Benefit Manager and see if he would allow you some leeway.

I'm not sure how we can get you out of this situation but I will keep thinking.

EE

Jo4

Delighted that you had a good holiday but I can't believe what you have arrived back to. :eek:

Savvy_sewing

Jo4 wrote: »

Delighted that you had a good holiday but I can't believe what you have arrived back to. :eek:

Seems to be the story of my life. If there is a hard way to do something then that seems to be the way I do it.:rolleyes:

Savvy_sewing

Eager_Elephant wrote: »

Hi Mooloo

I have checked with a colleague into this HB situation and in your situation this is what you should get:

You and your son get 33% of the two room rate
1 daughter with child gets 33% of two room rate (other baby also included here)
Other daughter gets 33% shared accommodation rate (her baby taken into account above)

To find out the rates you need to go on your local council website.

But having done it the way you have you are definitely worse off because if I look at the figures for my area the total all 3 of you could expect to receive is about £120pw but if only you were on the tenancy then you could get £350pw+.

I think you should put in an official complaint to the manager of the person who told you and also try to speak to the Housing Benefit Manager and see if he would allow you some leeway.

I'm not sure how we can get you out of this situation but I will keep thinking.

EE

Thanks for that information. Not that it will really help me at the moment. I will check the rates to see howmuch we will be able to get, based on that amount. I was expecting the rates here, of £311.a week. But as you say its a lot less now that we have to claim individually. Unfortunately I do not remember who exactly told me the rates. I just remember ringing from My parents house and asking, before we looked for this house.
It was the lady at the estate agents that then told us that we had to all be on the tenancy agreement. And that we were to do it on a three way split, so we each applied for the £400 liability each. Thats where we seem to have gone wrong.
I am devistated at the moment, as I cannot see the girls being happy or able to front up a minimum of £160 a week as they dont get that much. It will mean that they will have no funds for anything else and we will all be scratching around to make ends meet. Meaning quite bluntly that it will be me that foots the bills, or tries to, and me that is about to loose most of my income, and have the stresses that continues to go with this.
But I have no choice.
As my Dad pointed out to me when I off loaded my problems yesterday, that I could not see the babies going off into care, and that is why I tried to do all of this. To keep the babies with thier Mums. I have to find a way around all of this. But with the twins (well twin2) not helping me, I am stressed out to the limits, and as I get more stressed the troubles with my arm,neck, hip and back get worse.
I try to relax, as I know that that is important with my pain management, but I am so worried that it is nigh on impossible to relax and I am so scared of debts having been made bankrupt the other year.
When I came here I thought that things would improve, and I would be able to oversee the care of the babies, that although we would be at the bottom of the rung in finances again, that we would be in a good house, good area, with my parents and my other daughter around us. I thought that I would be less stressed and have a simpler life. That my health problems would be stable, or as stable as possible, until later on in life I am aware I would never recover from the problems and as I got older they would increase. But the stress is adding to it, and I am worried that I will be unable to manage as the pain will debilitate me even more!.
Well I have to become that optimist again, somehow. Not sure how thats all.
Just had words with twin2.
She is determind to go out to work at McDonalds!! That means that I will have to take on the care of BBJ as her sister is not willing to be left holding both babies, and lets face it, she couldnt cope with both for long periods of time.

(Do I hope that McDonalds turns her down? ) I cannot stop her from wanting to go out to work, but I have tried to explain the situation, and that I am worried that she will not pay her way. She is angry with me and very defient of me at the moment.
I also pointed out that I was not sure I could cope with her son, but I suppose the only way to do that is to try and see what happens.
Meanwhile I am going to write to the council and see if they have any way of paying us a discretionary payement for the rest of our Tenancy. Then perhaps I will have time to get legal advise, and see if we are able to have a new tenancy just in my name at the end of the 6 months. If not, that means we will be hopeless on the 1st MARCH.
I have definitely become a worry wart, and not the optomistic, go getting, person that I was a few years ago.

Today I have to go back to Oxford for the Physio to my neck and arm. Then I will call at the old house, ask the landlord if there is any post for us. Then visit work and say hi. I will also go and see my BF as Saturday seemed a long time ago, (Well I know its not really that long but after spending the holiday with him its strange without him.)
I will get my head around things somehow. Meanwhile, I may rant and rave on here a bit!!!

Savvy_sewing

I have finally managed to get through to CAB. I have managed an appointment with a Lawyer,- via legal aid, in their offices on the 11th November, in Daventry. So I must gather all my information about the council etc for the girls and I and take that there. Then I will bash on about what we are and what we are not intitled to. I think I have a long climb ahead of me. But thats one step further on, I hope.

tinypawz

Mooloo wrote: »

B/band 15.99
Sky 17.99
BT 45.00
Food 300.00
Babies 100.00

Hi Mooloo

I have been a lurker on this thread for ages now, I have my fingers crossed that you money gets sorted out soon.

Anyway a possible way to save a little Sky do a package for TV, Broadband and telephone for about £31 and then your call charges on top.....

Also the is a fanstatic tread on Old Style money savers around eating healthly on very little money, you might also be a able to cut your food bill down.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=826653

hope this helps, even a little bit.

Savvy_sewing

tinypawz wrote: »

Hi Mooloo

I have been a lurker on this thread for ages now, I have my fingers crossed that you money gets sorted out soon.

Anyway a possible way to save a little Sky do a package for TV, Broadband and telephone for about £31 and then your call charges on top.....

Also the is a fanstatic tread on Old Style money savers around eating healthly on very little money, you might also be a able to cut your food bill down.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=826653

hope this helps, even a little bit.

Hi Tinypawz, thanks for the link I will have a good read of it later.
I was originally with sky on a £26 all in package when I lived in Oxford, however when I moved to Towcester, they do not provide a complete package, which has put me on the £17.99 for the TV alone. They then wanted another £17.99 for broadband, and they did not do the telephone package. So I went to BT as my Dad had already connected the phone for me. They quoted the cheapest they could do for me at £15.99. The Line rental is currently coming from my Dad, but thats soon to change to me paying him back. But the £45 is calls that the twins rake up. No matter what I tell them about making continuous calls to people on Mobiles they will do it, and that soon adds up. As they have a bit of an obsessive behavioural pattern they will ring, and ring, every few seconds till they get someone to answer. Everytime the ans machine on a mobile kicks in you get charged for that call!!
Someone has also a habit of ringing premium rates, so I need to get them banned again.
But this month just trying to sort out Income Support, Family Tax credits etc they are all on 0845 no and that racked up over £45 this last month already!!.
I have no idea how bad this coming months will be as the CSA kept me waiting for 10 mins and CAB kept me on hold for 40 odd yesterday. ( and many long sessions the day before, till they cut me off saying no body was available.)
When I got my post yesterday, the Council in Oxford sent me a court summons for not paying my council Tax. When I went storming in their, they admit that I do not owe them the £800 they were demanding, but still say I owe nearly £400?? Some how my payements since July have not been received. ? Either I have had so many problems that I forgot? Or the payments have not been recorded properly. As I am not at home yet, but still in Oxford i will not be able to find that out until I do get back home. But I am sure I paid them? Except October, as I was waiting for a final bill? But why didnt they tell me I had missed any payements before sending a court summons then?
Just think that the world is against me at the moment.!
Keep calm. They cannot have what I have not got. I cannot borrow. So they will just have to accept a payment plan... who ever "they" may end up being.!!
Time to gather my things and start to go home. Twin 2 already on phone askiing when I am going home. No peace for the wicked obviously.

~Chameleon~

Ring BT explaining the situation and ask for your line to be restricted to landline calls only. You then put a code in the phone (*342#) and it prevents them from calling mobiles/premium rate numbers. You can override this with a PIN if you need to make a call to a non-landline number yourself.

shaz_mum_of__2

Hi Mooloo

soory you have come back yo so much C**P and all for trying to make a better life

Hope the rent if nothing else gets sorted

I know you have had problems with social workers in the past but would they be able to help in any way financially or by speaking to the council housing benefits section on your behalf

I am not sure but are you entitled to section 17(????) money to help keep the family together

I sympathise on your arm troubles finally had my diagnosis for my "trapped nerve"

Cervical spondylosis got to up the dose of gabapentin and go for physio but at least no operation ..................at this stage

i struggle somedays with a "normal" family life you have my utmost respect

Take care of you and good luck with the CAB (ours are fab)


Shaz