worldwindow

I didn't realise they were this bad. ING have just written to tell me my 3% rate on my cash savings is being changed to a new lovely rate of 1.5% I thought bah I'll just move my money somewhere else then. A quick look round what's available, and it seems like 2% is the new norm. 2% - WTF?? Why bother? I almost started to calculate how much I've lost over the last many years, but that way, madness lies. Shall I just spend it all on something shiny instead, and a nice holiday? Suggestions welcome...

So how do we get things to change? If it was possible to make a decent living in the past on a supermarket wage without benefits, how can we get the system to change back? It's not going to be quick or easy....

I saw this article a couple of weeks ago. What I couldn't get past: "For one in four of all UK children, school dinners are their only source of hot food" - is this true??? The article of course doesn't give a source for this. If true, this is appalling and it's nothing to do with poverty and all to do with people just not bothering to look after their own kids. A colleague of mine knows a school which has recently bought a washing machine so that the staff can wash clothes for the kids that come to school unwashed. Unbelievable.

Hang on a minute......... Really??? They need 4,300 people to do what exactly???

Why oh why oh why oh why oh why do people not take out insurance? Do they just think "it'll never happen to me"? I don't understand it, but this seems to be common. As for the poor woman on that site who pays £699 per month on a mortgage, but can barely see or walk - the mind boggles

Search area - Edinburgh - new town, Stockbridge, Canonmills, west end (aka the nice areas) Unfortunately you'll only get a flat for 1 x average (1st floor, 1 bed, dining kitchen) average For 2 x average, still just a flat (1st floor), but with 2 beds - wahey! 2xaverage (who said Edinburgh prices were daft?)

She seemed pretty sensible to me. Let's face it - life's already given her a pretty bum deal. Why shouldn't she use some of her money to have something she really wants - a fabulous place to live which will give her the independence she wants. Why should she settle for some naff housing association bungalow when she could have something really great? (I'm not saying the flat she bought was fabulous though.... and Phil S should be shot for not picking up on her comment that she wanted to offer less)

Thanks for the options, ToW - emigrating strikes me as a bit extreme! It looks like I'll be in the market for a decent shared place - I just hope I can find one without having to share with party-loving 20-year olds....... It does strike me as odd that in my late thirties, I'm having to move in with random strangers. I can't get my head around it - is this what everyone else out there on £20k is doing? (apart from the benefits brigade, of course)

Well, I hadn't heard this before, but a quick look would reveal housing benefit of about £115 per week - magically £498 per month. So there'll never be any way that rents will be significantly less than this? Depressing....... Thanks for all the replies, although still waiting for that magic bullet idea to solve the problem..... maybe George Osborne will help me out

Due to changing circumstances, I might be taking up a full time job on a salary of £20,000 pa, which is about £1300 per month take-home pay. Rental prices seem to start at £500 pcm for a studio / 1 bed. With bills, I reckon this would come to about £650 per month, just to put a roof over my head - half my take home pay. This seems scarily high to me - leaves me just £650 a month to pay for everything....... Am I missing something? How do people make this work? Ok, I could share a house, but at late thirties, this isn't very appealing and certainly not long-term. Or I could get partnered-up - but that's not always so easy! Or I could get a better paid job - ok, I could, but this isn't an option for everyone and £20k isn't so far below the UK average. So my questions are - Shouldn't it be possible to have a reasonable standard of living on a full time salary of £20k? (The IFS put this almost exactly in the middle of UK household income distribution.) Shouldn't I expect to be able to afford a 2 bedroom flat? Has it always been this expensive in the UK, or is it a recent phenomenon? And is it the same in other European countries? Or should I just accept my lot, shut up and run up some huge credit card bills like everyone else?

What a beautiful quote for a Sunday!

He's not even an elected member of parliament!! Why is everyone ignoring this? Whatever happened to democracy?

But, but, but, it's WORTH £450,000........ 3c Northumberland Street South East Lane New Town, EH3 6LP Fixed Price £395,000 CURRENTLY VALUED at £450,000. Stunning upper Georgian conversion by Sundial. Hideaway central courtyard. Lounge, luxury dining kitchen, 2 double bedrooms, en-suite and family tiled bathrooms. Private parking space. Gas Central Heating. Vide... bedrooms x2 reception rooms x1 History date event 29 September 2008 * Brief Description changed: Newly completed CURRENTLY VALUED at £450,000. Stunning upper garden Georgian conversion by Sundial. Hideaway central courtyard. Entrance/reception halls, lounge, Lounge, luxury dining kitchen, 2 double bedrooms, en-suite and family tiled bathrooms. Private parking space. Gas Central Hea... Heating. Vide... 08 September 2008 * Price changed: from 'Fixed Price £450,000' to 'Fixed Price £395,000' 12 August 2008 * Initial entry found. http://www.espc.com/Buying/264289.html

The Notting Hill flat? http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-182...=2&tr_t=buy

I know someone who paid over 400k for a flat. And the money comes from the amount they sell their existing flat for. If you bought somewhere before the madness began, you've seen a massive increase in the value of your own place. Add a new wife/husband/partner's salary into the equation, and yes 300-400k for a flat becomes achievable. Mad, but achievable.

....... whisper it...... I get my rubbish taken away twice a week. All I have to do is put it in a black bag on the pavement outside my house. And the council give me a stack of black bags for this purpose. But I probably shouldn't tell you this, as they'll now rethink this wonderful plan along the lines of once-a-month collections only when there's an L in the month and the moon aligns with Aquarius........

This is my favourite flipper flat: http://www.espc.com/Buying/259829.html Today it's just changed to offers 'around' £195k. It was previously on at fixed price of £212k and before that was on at about £220k. Owner bought in January 08 for £155k. Looks like they've done a nice job doing it up, but couldn't have picked a worse time to sell....!!

That's what it's meant to say. When you go back in a few days, then you'll see any changes that have happened.

Don't you eat any fruit? Or veg? Scary diet........

Should have been today - Lloyds TSB economics department had it down for release today. Smells fishy.......

This would appear to be it: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-214...=1&tr_t=buy Nice house - like the upstairs bit with windows all round. Doesn't show up on sold house prices, so they must have bought it years ago

Even on Rightmove, you get a good selection of properties - and there are some great stories to see. Eg o/o price, then fixed price, then reduced fixed price... Or Fixed price then move to o/o price (??) Also you can see where a closing date has come & gone, and then a fixed price set - ha ha! Give it a go - you'll be pleasantly surprised

The 68% decline means that building societies are scaling back lending as a result of the credit crunch even more severely than major mortgage bank rivals, such as Halifax and Cheltenham & Gloucester. Societies are now lending to one in 10 would-be homeowners, compared with a traditional level of almost one in five. [/indent] Er... I don't think that's what it means. I think it means that building societies now lend to 10% of the market, as opposed to the traditional 20%. Badly written, in my view though. And doesn't disguise the HUGE drop