Millions of workers a push away from penury.

[pap]

There is an article on the Guardian website which claims that millions of working families are a push away from penury.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jun/18/working-britons-one-push-from-penury

 

Almost 7 million working-age adults are living in extreme financial stress, one small push from penury, despite being in employment and largely independent of state support, according to the most comprehensive study yet of the finances of employed households, commissioned by the Guardian.

 

 

Unlike the "squeezed middle", these 3.6m British households have little or no savings, nor equity in their homes, and struggle at the end of each month to feed themselves and their children adequately. They say they are unable to cope on their current incomes and have no assets to fall back on, leaving them vulnerable to something as simple as an unexpectedly large fuel bill.

 

I've talked about people being trapped on benefits before. Gotta be worse to be trapped in a low-paying job and still not being able to make ends meet.

[thefunkygibbons]

Then do something about it!!!

 

On Martin Lewis' site, there is a forum devoted to helping people become debt free. One part of the process is people volunteering to have their monthly expenditure reviewed to see where savings can be made.

 

It never ceases to amaze me what people consider to be essential expenditure

 

All it takes is a few months of belt tightening, and then a rainy day fund can be built up to cope with unexpected events

 

Far better that, than having no fund and falling into the arms of the payday lenders

[Jonnyboy]

Whilst on 5 live today, aggressive tax avoider based in jersey were defending themselves against accusations that someone earning 280k can legally fiddle it to pay only 3.5k a year tax.

[Upwind]

Where's Penury? ...........worth a visit?

[pap]

Then do something about it!!!

 

On Martin Lewis' site, there is a forum devoted to helping people become debt free. One part of the process is people volunteering to have their monthly expenditure reviewed to see where savings can be made.

 

It never ceases to amaze me what people consider to be essential expenditure

 

All it takes is a few months of belt tightening, and then a rainy day fund can be built up to cope with unexpected events

 

Far better that, than having no fund and falling into the arms of the payday lenders

 

A good point, and valuable advice for anyone yet to undertake a "comprehensive spending review".

 

What do you say to those that have already done that?

[Colinjb]

A good point, and valuable advice for anyone yet to undertake a "comprehensive spending review".

 

What do you say to those that have already done that?

 

Move away from merseyside.

[pap]

Move away from merseyside.

 

I plan on coming home when done raising the young'uns. Not looking forward to rise in cost of living

[Thedelldays]

I plan on coming home when done raising the young'uns. Not looking forward to rise in cost of living

 

Then please, stay up there

[pap]

Then please, stay up there

 

And deprive you of the chance to stalk me in real life too?

[thefunkygibbons]

A good point, and valuable advice for anyone yet to undertake a "comprehensive spending review".

 

What do you say to those that have already done that?

 

 

Well done

 

If still struggling then sadly one needs to find a second or third job,

 

I am sure any Americans on the board would suggest the same advice

 

(By the way, I am not trying to be a selfish heartless person, as my own circumstances are better than most people, but even as a student 20+ years ago, I saved money and lived within my income)

[buctootim]

 

(By the way, I am not trying to be a selfish heartless person, as my own circumstances are better than most people, but even as a student 20+ years ago, I saved money and lived within my income)

 

What when students got a grant and housing benefit and didnt have to take out student loans you mean? I was a student at the same time and life was easy. There is no comparison with today.

Edited 19 June, 2012 by buctootim

[spyinthesky]

Where's Penury? ...........worth a visit?

 

Not far from Jeopardy.

 

Plenty of jobs in Jeopardy

[pap]

Well done

 

If still struggling then sadly one needs to find a second or third job,

 

I am sure any Americans on the board would suggest the same advice

 

(By the way, I am not trying to be a selfish heartless person, as my own circumstances are better than most people, but even as a student 20+ years ago, I saved money and lived within my income)

 

I don't think you're selfish or heartless. You're just providing a solution for people in that situation. That is a fair enough perspective.

 

I do worry about whether that's even possible though. Are the second or third jobs out there? A lot of entry level positions have been swallowed up in the Government's shoddy work experience scheme.

 

Another concern centres on the damaging effects of a long hour culture. Having to perpetually work sixty hour weeks just to keep your head above water is a backward step. It's bad for family cohesion, kids often be left to their own devices and it creates stress and anxiety.

 

I think we should be able to say to our citizens "if you go to work and put in a forty hour shift, you'll be able to live". I don't think that's much to ask.

 

I'm not deaf to your points. I accept that a cavalier approach to finances can be a factor in some cases.

 

However, there has been a widening gap between incomes and the cost of living and a genuine feeling among the young that the ladder has been pulled up. That problem isn't going away, and I'm not sure we solve it by changing to an Industrial Age shift pattern.

[Thedelldays]

 

However, there has been a widening gap between incomes and the cost of living and a genuine feeling among the young that the ladder has been pulled up. That problem isn't going away, and I'm not sure we solve it by changing to an Industrial Age shift pattern.

you will not like this...but the young (or a whole generation) are/were used to having everything handed to them on a plate...not even worth while working as you will get your benefits, free laptops, weekends away etc without having to do a single contribution to anything what so ever.

 

now, times are harder, these free things have gone..these niceties that many struggle to afford in the good times...and now the young think the world is against them

 

don't get me wrong, it is a harsh world but this is not 3rd world africa...people who have it hard..generally don't, they are housed, fed, and have health care.

I am talking about the real bottom of the ladder here.

[pap]

you will not like this...but the young (or a whole generation) are/were used to having everything handed to them on a plate...not even worth while working as you will get your benefits, free laptops, weekends away etc without having to do a single contribution to anything what so ever.

 

now, times are harder, these free things have gone..these niceties that many struggle to afford in the good times...and now the young think the world is against them

 

don't get me wrong, it is a harsh world but this is not 3rd world africa...people who have it hard..generally don't, they are housed, fed, and have health care.

I am talking about the real bottom of the ladder here.

 

Comments about the bottom of the ladder are spot on. It's always good to keep that in perspective.

 

Personally, think we're paying a lot of money to the wrong people. Stuff like housing benefit going to aspiring property barons really annoys me (and others, I have noted). Don't think it's right that these people are getting rich off the state.

 

Of course, the government will never go after them because they're business men, not scroungers like the people that live in their market rate (and often quite scummy) houses.

[Thedelldays]

Comments about the bottom of the ladder are spot on. It's always good to keep that in perspective.

 

Personally, think we're paying a lot of money to the wrong people. Stuff like housing benefit going to aspiring property barons really annoys me (and others, I have noted). Don't think it's right that these people are getting rich off the state.

 

Of course, the government will never go after them because they're business men, not scroungers like the people that live in their market rate (and often quite scummy) houses.

nor do the government go after the countless people that fiddle the social...christ, its rife in millbrook

 

but that is different I bet....yeah..?

[pap]

nor do the government go after the countless people that fiddle the social...christ, its rife in millbrook

 

but that is different I bet....yeah..?

 

Yes. The ones fiddling the social can be arrested and charged if they get caught. The most benefit they can receive in one year is 26K.

 

It's perfectly legal for landlords to buy houses and fill them with Housing Benefit tenants. Those who have loads of houses make a lot more money than the "cash in hand" crowd too. There is no limit to the amount of money a private landlord can derive from Housing Benefit.

[Thedelldays]

Yes. The ones fiddling the social can be arrested and charged if they get caught. The most benefit they can receive in one year is 26K.

 

It's perfectly legal for landlords to buy houses and fill them with Housing Benefit tenants. Those who have loads of houses make a lot more money than the "cash in hand" crowd too. There is no limit to the amount of money a private landlord can derive from Housing Benefit.

what also happens, is that people sub let their council house and move in with the partner/boyfriend/girlfriend and not declare it....grab the benefits when said partner earns his crust

 

I know so many cases where that happens

 

 

or, have your other half move in....and temporary move out for the day if/when the council come round.

Edited 19 June, 2012 by Thedelldays

[pap]

what also happens, is that people sub let their council house and move in with the partner/boyfriend/girlfriend and not declare it....grab the benefits when said partner earns his crust

 

I know so many cases where that happens

 

or, have your other half move in....and temporary move out for the day if/when the council come round.

 

Yes, that happens. They'll get a criminal conviction if caught. The government even spends money trying to get people to grass them up.

 

Like I said, the private landlord Housing Benefit wheeze is perfectly legal. Property portfolios, paid for by you, me and the rest of the British taxpaying public.

 

I enjoyed your rogues gallery, and I'm up for seeing more - but any you put before me will have the same basic problem. If caught, arrested and charged. A further point: that 26K maximum any one family can claim includes Housing Benefit. It's not like these people are living it up on £500 a week.

 

My initial point is that I think we're paying the wrong people. Slum landlords would be some of those people. I'm really not sure how anyone can defend the practice and it bloody irks me that we spend tax money to line the pockets of speculators and profiteers.

[Thedelldays]

Yes, that happens. They'll get a criminal conviction if caught. The government even spends money trying to get people to grass them up.

 

Like I said, the private landlord Housing Benefit wheeze is perfectly legal. Property portfolios, paid for by you, me and the rest of the British taxpaying public.

 

I enjoyed your rogues gallery, and I'm up for seeing more - but any you put before me will have the same basic problem. If caught, arrested and charged. A further point: that 26K maximum any one family can claim includes Housing Benefit. It's not like these people are living it up on £500 a week.

 

My initial point is that I think we're paying the wrong people. Slum landlords would be some of those people. I'm really not sure how anyone can defend the practice and it bloody irks me that we spend tax money to line the pockets of speculators and profiteers.

well, yes they are...and surely, people are (in this country) entitled to have a roof over their head..?

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

It's aways a mistake for the older generation to drone on endlessly about the folly of the young - a mistake I fully intend to repeat now.

 

I know couple in exactly the situation we are discussing here with 4 children to support, crippling debts, no savings, and left seriously vulnerable to any unexpected financial setback every single month. Yet instead of living as economically as humanly possible (as I undoubtedly would) they have SKY Sports TV, I never see the slightest indication that wanton electricity or heating use is ever a issue, even silly luxury's like new computer game consuls are often to be seen. Speaking as a (very) low paid working class chap form a older generation who grew up in relative poverty, I would find living like this now impossibly stressful myself.

 

But before I go any further in condemning our reckless youth, I must also add that the young Father in question works very hard to support his family and has just been rewarded with a decent pay rise as a result - this pay rise has tipped him over numerous benefit threshold traps and means that he is actualy much worse off now that he was before. The truth is that for a great many ordinary working parents in this country work just does not pay.

 

Yes for some reason I can't fully understand many of our young generation feel they are entitled to a lifestyle they can neither afford nor justify in all honesty, but the social security system that millions of our fellow British citizens depend upon is a utter nonsense as well. So much reform is needed I don't believe that any political party has the guts to really tackle the problem.

[BlagdonSaint]

It's aways a mistake for the older generation to drone on endlessly about the folly of the young - a mistake I fully intend to repeat now.

 

I know couple in exactly the situation we are discussing here with 4 children to support, crippling debts, no savings, and left seriously vulnerable to any unexpected financial setback every single month. Yet instead of living as economically as humanly possible (as I undoubtedly would) they have SKY Sports TV, I never see the slightest indication that wanton electricity or heating use is ever a issue, even silly luxury's like new computer game consuls are often to be seen. Speaking as a (very) low paid working class chap form a older generation who grew up in relative poverty, I would find living like this now impossibly stressful myself.

 

But before I go any further in condemning our reckless youth, I must also add that the young Father in question works very hard to support his family and has just been rewarded with a decent pay rise as a result - this pay rise has tipped him over numerous benefit threshold traps and means that he is actualy much worse off now that he was before. The truth is that for a great many ordinary working parents in this country work just does not pay.

 

Yes for some reason I can't fully understand many of our young generation feel they are entitled to a lifestyle they can neither afford nor justify in all honesty, but the social security system that millions of our fellow British citizens depend upon is a utter nonsense as well. So much reform is needed I don't believe that any political party has the guts to really tackle the problem.

 

After reading your post, I p*ssed myself looking at the advert shown to the right.

[Whitey Grandad]

What when students got a grant and housing benefit and didnt have to take out student loans you mean? I was a student at the same time and life was easy. There is no comparison with today.

No housing benefit in my day. No cars either, you had to make do with a bike.

[Gemmel]

I've talked about people being trapped on benefits before. Gotta be worse to be trapped in a low-paying job and still not being able to make ends meet.

 

Oh dear

[hamster]

I'm in a benefit trap.

I now also have 5 jobs. I **** you not.

 

And I've been poorly, not a penny from the social since I was last able to work, in May ffs.

 

What a ****ed up system we have. I am not surprised many suffer with depression. My stress levels have taken a beating I tell ya. Had to walk out of a meeting on Monday. I'm recovering from an operation ffs, and I'm almost having to beg for some help.

 

I seriously am thinking of writing to the local rag.

[doddisalegend]

There is an article on the Guardian website which claims that millions of working families are a push away from penury.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jun/18/working-britons-one-push-from-penury

 

 

 

I've talked about people being trapped on benefits before. Gotta be worse to be trapped in a low-paying job and still not being able to make ends meet.

 

 

No doubt these are the sort of people my wife deals with working as a teacher in a nice estate just outside pompey.

 

"Oh no we can't afford £3 for little johnny to go on a school trip oh and by the way we need permission to take johnny out of school for two weeks to go on holiday to the costa del crappy"

 

"School uniform is expensive we can't afford it...eh yes that is my new BMW"

 

A lot of people make poor choices about what they think is important when speanding their budget. Feeding and clothing their kids are less important than fags, Sky TV and annual holidays abroad. Were not poor but we have to go without holidays and Sky and now a saints ST:( becuase they aren't high enough priorities on the family budget.

[bridge too far]

No doubt these are the sort of people my wife deals with working as a teacher in a nice estate just outside pompey.

 

"Oh no we can't afford £3 for little johnny to go on a school trip oh and by the way we need permission to take johnny out of school for two weeks to go on holiday to the costa del crappy"

 

"School uniform is expensive we can't afford it...eh yes that is my new BMW"

 

A lot of people make poor choices about what they think is important when speanding their budget. Feeding and clothing their kids are less important than fags, Sky TV and annual holidays abroad. Were not poor but we have to go without holidays and Sky and now a saints ST:( becuase they aren't high enough priorities on the family budget.

 

Careful - you might sink into generalisation

[doddisalegend]

Careful - you might sink into generalisation

 

True I'm sure there are some families in real need but generalisations/stero types don't just come from nowhere they're generally based on a truth..

[bridge too far]

True I'm sure there are some families in real need but generalisations/stero types don't just come from nowhere they're generally based on a truth..

 

Or on a Daily Mail 'article' (I use that word with caution)

[Sheaf Saint]

No doubt these are the sort of people my wife deals with working as a teacher in a nice estate just outside pompey.

 

"Oh no we can't afford £3 for little johnny to go on a school trip oh and by the way we need permission to take johnny out of school for two weeks to go on holiday to the costa del crappy"

 

"School uniform is expensive we can't afford it...eh yes that is my new BMW"

 

A lot of people make poor choices about what they think is important when speanding their budget. Feeding and clothing their kids are less important than fags, Sky TV and annual holidays abroad. Were not poor but we have to go without holidays and Sky and now a saints ST:( becuase they aren't high enough priorities on the family budget.

 

I appreciate the stereotype you are alluding to here, but it's a bit harsh to apply it to everyone in the demographic that this article refers to....

 

I am in full time employment, and while I'm not on mega-money by any means, it's not exactly poverty-line either. Thing is though, I was made redundant in 2008 and spent almost nine months out of work in total because it coincided with the global financial crash in september of that year, and even now a large chunk of my monthly salary goes towards paying off the debts that I racked up trying to support myself during that time. Add to this the fact that my girlfriend has recently left uni and cannot even get an interview, let alone any actual work, but she doesn't qualify for JSA because my salary is apparently high enough to support both of us, meaning she is not able to contribute her fair share towards the mortgage, bills etc...

 

I don't lead a lavish lifestyle. Don't have Sky TV or Virgin and just get freeview. I only buy clothes when I absolutely need to and I only ever buy stuff that's in a sale or a special offer. I don't have expensive tastes in food either - I usually make sure I go shopping in the evenings when the supermarket has loads of stuff about to go out of date in the reduced bay. At the end of the month I maybe have enough left over for one or two nights out at the pub with friends, and this I consider to be an essential because I would go stir crazy if I had to stay in the house all the time and not have any social life. The only thing in my monthly expenditure that would really be considered a luxury is my gym membership, but it's only £20 and the health benefits (both physical and mental) I get from it make it excellent value for money IMO.

 

Savings? Pension contributions? You're having a laugh! We desperately need a new boiler because the one we've got has been condemned and we have been advised by the gas engineer not to use it. Where the hell am I going to get that kind of money from? The social won't help me because my income isn't low enough for me to qualify for a grant, so I will have to apply for a bank loan (which I probably won't get) and just put myself in even more debt. And so the cycle continues.

[trousers]

Careful - you might sink into generalisation

 

Generalisations? On an Internet forum? Nah, can't see that catching on somehow...

[trousers]

Non-Daily Mail readers....obsessed with the content of a publication they don't read since 1947

[bridge too far]

Non-Daily Mail readers....obsessed with the content of a publication they don't read since 1947

 

Hey buster! I'm not THAT old

[trousers]

Hey buster! I'm not THAT old

 

Sorry....I was generalising... :-)

[saintfully]

I appreciate the stereotype you are alluding to here, but it's a bit harsh to apply it to everyone in the demographic that this article refers to....

 

I am in full time employment, and while I'm not on mega-money by any means, it's not exactly poverty-line either. Thing is though, I was made redundant in 2008 and spent almost nine months out of work in total because it coincided with the global financial crash in september of that year, and even now a large chunk of my monthly salary goes towards paying off the debts that I racked up trying to support myself during that time. Add to this the fact that my girlfriend has recently left uni and cannot even get an interview, let alone any actual work, but she doesn't qualify for JSA because my salary is apparently high enough to support both of us, meaning she is not able to contribute her fair share towards the mortgage, bills etc...

 

I don't lead a lavish lifestyle. Don't have Sky TV or Virgin and just get freeview. I only buy clothes when I absolutely need to and I only ever buy stuff that's in a sale or a special offer. I don't have expensive tastes in food either - I usually make sure I go shopping in the evenings when the supermarket has loads of stuff about to go out of date in the reduced bay. At the end of the month I maybe have enough left over for one or two nights out at the pub with friends, and this I consider to be an essential because I would go stir crazy if I had to stay in the house all the time and not have any social life. The only thing in my monthly expenditure that would really be considered a luxury is my gym membership, but it's only £20 and the health benefits (both physical and mental) I get from it make it excellent value for money IMO.

 

Savings? Pension contributions? You're having a laugh! We desperately need a new boiler because the one we've got has been condemned and we have been advised by the gas engineer not to use it. Where the hell am I going to get that kind of money from? The social won't help me because my income isn't low enough for me to qualify for a grant, so I will have to apply for a bank loan (which I probably won't get) and just put myself in even more debt. And so the cycle continues.

 

Great post which sums up reality for so many people. I was there for about a decade and it's a real slog. For me, the only way out was education, better paid jobs and time.

[doddisalegend]

I appreciate the stereotype you are alluding to here, but it's a bit harsh to apply it to everyone in the demographic that this article refers to....

 

I am in full time employment, and while I'm not on mega-money by any means, it's not exactly poverty-line either. Thing is though, I was made redundant in 2008 and spent almost nine months out of work in total because it coincided with the global financial crash in september of that year, and even now a large chunk of my monthly salary goes towards paying off the debts that I racked up trying to support myself during that time. Add to this the fact that my girlfriend has recently left uni and cannot even get an interview, let alone any actual work, but she doesn't qualify for JSA because my salary is apparently high enough to support both of us, meaning she is not able to contribute her fair share towards the mortgage, bills etc...

 

I don't lead a lavish lifestyle. Don't have Sky TV or Virgin and just get freeview. I only buy clothes when I absolutely need to and I only ever buy stuff that's in a sale or a special offer. I don't have expensive tastes in food either - I usually make sure I go shopping in the evenings when the supermarket has loads of stuff about to go out of date in the reduced bay. At the end of the month I maybe have enough left over for one or two nights out at the pub with friends, and this I consider to be an essential because I would go stir crazy if I had to stay in the house all the time and not have any social life. The only thing in my monthly expenditure that would really be considered a luxury is my gym membership, but it's only £20 and the health benefits (both physical and mental) I get from it make it excellent value for money IMO.

 

Savings? Pension contributions? You're having a laugh! We desperately need a new boiler because the one we've got has been condemned and we have been advised by the gas engineer not to use it. Where the hell am I going to get that kind of money from? The social won't help me because my income isn't low enough for me to qualify for a grant, so I will have to apply for a bank loan (which I probably won't get) and just put myself in even more debt. And so the cycle continues.

 

While I sympthise most of us have had these periods in our lives. When my wife at university we had my poorly paid job and her student loan to get by on so I got a second job working some evenings and weekends and she got a job as a waitress. We kept our food shopping budget to £30.00 a week (not sure how we managed that). Couple of years back when it looked like we might both lose our jobs we went through all our bills and searched for better options (changed our mortagage, several long term insurances and power bills) saved our selves a couple of hundred a month off our bills. Went through the house and ebayed/car booted lots of old tat/family treasures made a couple of thousand to pay off some exsisting loans. There is always something that can be done.

 

Why don't you jog (which is free) instead of go to the gym that's 20 quid saved a month. A couple of nights out at the pub a month (whats that £50?) or a working boiler I know which I choose. Can't your girlfriend join an employment agency? even a couple of days work doing anything is money and work experince for her CV. If you've got a mortagage have you tried getting a better deal with your provider? Always things that can be done..noit always things people want to do granted.

[thefunkygibbons]

I don't think you're selfish or heartless. You're just providing a solution for people in that situation. That is a fair enough perspective.

 

I do worry about whether that's even possible though. Are the second or third jobs out there? A lot of entry level positions have been swallowed up in the Government's shoddy work experience scheme.

 

Another concern centres on the damaging effects of a long hour culture. Having to perpetually work sixty hour weeks just to keep your head above water is a backward step. It's bad for family cohesion, kids often be left to their own devices and it creates stress and anxiety.

 

I think we should be able to say to our citizens "if you go to work and put in a forty hour shift, you'll be able to live". I don't think that's much to ask.

 

I'm not deaf to your points. I accept that a cavalier approach to finances can be a factor in some cases.

 

However, there has been a widening gap between incomes and the cost of living and a genuine feeling among the young that the ladder has been pulled up. That problem isn't going away, and I'm not sure we solve it by changing to an Industrial Age shift pattern.

 

We are in agreement in part, but then again, I have always been one for self reliance. I want to be able to look after myself and my own

 

It would be nice to imagine that we could construct a world that works in a fairer way, but sadly if we don't work hard and be productive, then there are 1 billion chinese and another 1 billion Indians all willing to do the work, and if you go to China, you will find the individual savings rate is 50-60%

[Sheaf Saint]

While I sympthise most of us have had these periods in our lives. When my wife at university we had my poorly paid job and her student loan to get by on so I got a second job working some evenings and weekends and she got a job as a waitress. We kept our food shopping budget to £30.00 a week (not sure how we managed that). Couple of years back when it looked like we might both lose our jobs we went through all our bills and searched for better options (changed our mortagage, several long term insurances and power bills) saved our selves a couple of hundred a month off our bills. Went through the house and ebayed/car booted lots of old tat/family treasures made a couple of thousand to pay off some exsisting loans. There is always something that can be done.

 

Why don't you jog (which is free) instead of go to the gym that's 20 quid saved a month. A couple of nights out at the pub a month (whats that £50?) or a working boiler I know which I choose. Can't your girlfriend join an employment agency? even a couple of days work doing anything is money and work experince for her CV. If you've got a mortagage have you tried getting a better deal with your provider? Always things that can be done..noit always things people want to do granted.

 

Yeah, admittedly there probably are a few things I could do to save myself a few extra quid on top of what I already do. But the point of my post was really to highlight that not everybody in the demographic described in the Guardian article fits into the neat little stereotype that you made reference to in your earlier post.

 

Can't your girlfriend join an employment agency?

 

She's already registered with five. She's got two degrees and a whole host of other certificates in her field gained from work placements and short courses etc... but she is in the same situation that all graduates currently face: for every job you apply for you are up against on average between 30-50 other applicants, all with more experience than you, and as a result you can't even get an interview.

 

I think myself lucky to have a job at all in the current economic climate, because many people I know are in a much worse situation than I am.

Edited 20 June, 2012 by Sheaf Saint

[Doctoroncall]

We desperately need a new boiler because the one we've got has been condemned.

 

Did you go through your supplier for the grant? Also, if you are looking after a vulnerable relative that will help your cause.

 

My boiler was on it's last legs and I got a grant, nothing was said about income as it was focused on energy saving. That was a few years ago though.

[bridge too far]

Did you go through your supplier for the grant? Also, if you are looking after a vulnerable relative that will help your cause.

 

My boiler was on it's last legs and I got a grant, nothing was said about income as it was focused on energy saving. That was a few years ago though.

 

Probably of no help whatsoever, but British Gas are offering £400 off new boilers in their latest 'scrappage' scheme (by the end of this month, I think). It does, of course, mean that you have to find the rest of the cost.

[doddisalegend]

Yeah, admittedly there probably are a few things I could do to save myself a few extra quid on top of what I already do. But the point of my post was really to highlight that not everybody in the demographic described in the Guardian article fits into the neat little stereotype that you made reference to in your earlier post.

 

 

 

She's already registered with five. She's got two degrees and a whole host of other certificates in her field gained from work placements and short courses etc... but she is in the same situation that all graduates currently face: for every job you apply for you are up against on average between 30-50 other applicants, all with more experience than you, and as a result you can't even get an interview.

 

I think myself lucky to have a job at all in the current economic climate, because many people I know are in a much worse situation than I am.

 

Except you kind of proved my point, maybe not on the same scale I was alluding to, but you pointed at how bad things were and then justified going down the boozer and having gym membership. We all do it when money is short we all try to justify the things we don't want to give up (like nights out) but we're just kidding ourselves. I spent many hours trying to justify re-newing my season ticket this season but the truth is I can't justify it ...so it's radio solent for me, annoying, but other more important things have to come first.

 

I'm not nearly as qualified as your misses but when I left college with my horticultural qualifications I took me a while to realize that rather than holding out for the job I wanted it was better to get any job and then look for my ideal job that hold out for something I really wanted and not work at all. Minium wage picking strawberries, or some other crap job, is better than no money watching the telly IMO.

[doddisalegend]

Did you go through your supplier for the grant? Also, if you are looking after a vulnerable relative that will help your cause.

 

My boiler was on it's last legs and I got a grant, nothing was said about income as it was focused on energy saving. That was a few years ago though.

 

We got a better deal on our mortgage and freed up a few thousand in a loan added to our mortagage to get new central heating in our house.

[Sheaf Saint]

Except you kind of proved my point, maybe not on the same scale I was alluding to, but you pointed at how bad things were and then justified going down the boozer and having gym membership. We all do it when money is short we all try to justify the things we don't want to give up (like nights out) but we're just kidding ourselves. I spent many hours trying to justify re-newing my season ticket this season but the truth is I can't justify it ...so it's radio solent for me, annoying, but other more important things have to come first.

 

Yeah OK I see what you're getting at. But a couple of nights down the pub and spending maybe £20 a time isn't even in the same league as owning flashy BMWs and taking foreign holidays. You mentioned prioritising... well to me a social life is a priority. I would actually go stir crazy if I were forced to stay in all the time and not do anything, so occasionally allowing the expense of a (cheap) night out is an essential in order to maintain my sanity. There's no point in living if all you are doing is merely existing.