m4rk Posted April 25, 2009 Author Share Posted April 25, 2009 No, you're correct. I imagine she's locked into the £30 contract (or can you just give the handset back and walk away?). that is a fair whack im £15 300 mins free 300 txts. never get close to using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippers Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 About 20 years ago I was homeless for a bit and lived in a b&b, personal allowance for a single person was 10 quid. B&B landlord had to provide breakfast and a room, shared bog (they could determine what that meant). Nothing else. Place I lived in was actually a bail hostel, which was a bit scary, an auld paedo lived upstairs, and one of the younger residents used to go out on the rob, got caught, evicted but shat in his chest of drawers the morning he got taken away by the cops. I think I was better off getting kicked by drunken egotists when I was kipping rough in the cardboard box to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead Spider Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Yet I don't remember the Mobile phone £30 monthly charge mentioned in her outgoings . Where does the money come from ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImA20SomethingGetMeOutOfHere Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I don't want to sound cynical or anything (no really, I don't) but if she went and got herself up the duff then she'd be raking it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammo Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 £5 is what she ends up with, not what the government deems acceptable. She chooses to have a TV, a travel card, and £30 monthly mobile phone contract (maybe she can't get out of that, but her attitude seems to be that she needs it to look for work). Where'd the £30 phone thing come from? It was not in the £50 buget she described, or did I mentally block it, I am now over 30 myself, memory (and ability to watch a boring clip twice) not so good! You're correct about TV, it's not worth paying for, especially if it meant you can't eat! Travel? £6 is economic compared to say running a car. Bike or walking is okay for some, but at least menial mobility is not important for jobseekers? Without hefty parental support, and if she fails to get regular work soon, she will be forced into illicit work, or worse will be forced to have children at such a young age. Shame on socialism for this blantant trap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50%deposit Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 bull - a girl like that would be grabbed up in a moment one way or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huw Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Where'd the £30 phone thing come from? It was not in the £50 buget she described, or did I mentally block it, I am now over 30 myself, memory (and ability to watch a boring clip twice) not so good! You're correct about TV, it's not worth paying for, especially if it meant you can't eat! Travel? £6 is economic compared to say running a car. Bike or walking is okay for some, but at least menial mobility is not important for jobseekers? Without hefty parental support, and if she fails to get regular work soon, she will be forced into illicit work, or worse will be forced to have children at such a young age. Shame on socialism for this blantant trap. The phone was mentioned in the accompanying article; no idea how she funds it (though she evidently doesn't get a travel card every week as she mentioned having to walk into town, and the £5 for the TV licence is over the top). Thinking about it, a phone contract is a form of debt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bardon Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 You expect Capitalists to behave morally? Relatively speaking they have a far better track record than socialists on the moral side of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 She probably had much less income while working. That's quite usual. That's pony ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 One point. I was on the dole about 10 years ago. Marvellously inventive time and I recommend it to all, but I got £50 a week... Has the dole really not gone up in 10 years? Shocking.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BoomBoomCrash Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Relatively speaking they have a far better track record than socialists on the moral side of things. What ex-polytechnic did you study history at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Woods? Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 She delayed signing on and borrowed/fell into arrears. Natural human pride, but unwise IMO.However she could cut out the TV (£5 a week? How come?) and the travel card, tripling her weekly living budget to £15, and £10/week for one person on elec/gas is hardly frugal IMO. The gas/elec depends very much on insulation, and she may be on prepayment meter which increases the cost considerably. TV is £2 + electricity costs...there is only so much staring at blank wall someone can be expected to do. The real story here is the fact that, regardless of how impossible it is to live on £220 a month after council tax and rent, given the other basic fixed costs, she would be in a worse economic position if she got a minimum wage job. There is literally no way out for the unskilled in this country....minimum wage does not pay enough for you to live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bardon Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 What ex-polytechnic did you study history at? But arent they socialist hot beds ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 What ex-polytechnic did you study history at? Saucer of milk with that ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Woods? Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 "Without the phone, job-hunting would be impossible, she says. Now that she is unemployed, she no longer has a landline as she cannot afford it."Land line is cheaper than mobile methinks . (or am I incorrect ?) Landline would only be cheaper if you used the phone a lot and all your friends had a landline. These days it seems that if you want to speak to someone, you have to call their mobile. I have a pay as you go mobile. I bought it 6 months ago and have used about £5 of credit, after years of paying £20-30 a month for a contract...D'oh! Receive a lot of calls on it though. I suspect that, if you were broke, a cheap pay as you go would be the best option - you would have a number to be contacted on and the only costs you would have would be for the calls you actually make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huw Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 The gas/elec depends very much on insulation, and she may be on prepayment meter which increases the cost considerably. TV is £2 + electricity costs...there is only so much staring at blank wall someone can be expected to do.The real story here is the fact that, regardless of how impossible it is to live on £220 a month after council tax and rent, given the other basic fixed costs, she would be in a worse economic position if she got a minimum wage job. There is literally no way out for the unskilled in this country....minimum wage does not pay enough for you to live. ... in a place of your own. You can slash many fixed costs by sharing (and have a better social life in many cases, too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aa3 Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Basically our society has told the vast majority under 30 to go ---- themselves. Imo a civilization should create good paying jobs for the young adults even if technically they aren't needed at that moment. It is nearly nihilism for a society not to create jobs where the under 30 can afford a home and a family. And I put my money where my mouth is on this one. My family accounting practice we hire young early 20 somethings and then train them over a long period of time. Give them a chance even though they don't yet have the right pieces of paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BoomBoomCrash Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) That's pony ! No, that's minimum wage. Net take home pay for minimum wage=£195 a week, out of this the following costs must be met Rent Utility bills Council tax Prescriptions/dental care Travel to work Food Clothes ...etc As she is at the minute she gets JSA of £50.95 (£60.30 once she's 25). She also has the following paid or gets an exemption... Rent Council Tax Prescriptions/Dental Care Travel to Work Let's say rent is only £70 a week Council tax £15 a week Prescriptions/Dental Care £5 a week Work related travel costs= £20 week She's left with £85, which means she is £35 a week better off for working 40hrs in what is likely a mind numbingly boring job. Given that working such jobs usually creates the need to let of steam she may decide she needs some kind of social life, and the uppity little prole might even think she's entitled to some luxuries. Given this that £35 is not going to go far, and I've probably missed other out of pocket expenses incurred when having a job. Edited April 26, 2009 by BoomBoomCrash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNACR Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 ... in a place of your own. You can slash many fixed costs by sharing (and have a better social life in many cases, too). Yes, a lot of young people seem to expect a place to themselves. When I was starting out I was one of three lodgers in a spinster's large city centre house. One of the other lodgers clearly had some form of mental illness, but at the time it was all I could afford. I do recollect though that it was very difficult to find a LL who was prepared to rent accommodation to someone on low income. I don't think the govt in this country do enough to help people who've hit rock bottom, but are prepared to help themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bardon Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) Jeez things are getting tough back in blighty. Wasn't like that in my days in the big smoke, 200 pound a week of the rock and roll and another 150 a week tax free cash flow, standards are definetly dropping, since the early 80's. Edited April 26, 2009 by Bardon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barabbas Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 One way the government could fill the black hole in their finances would be to charge people for being unemployed, rather than hand out money. What? The system is already in operation for a large proportion of young people i.e. those in tertiary education - end up very indebted after several years of doing nothing particularly useful. If this system was extended to the unemployed, it would encourage them to find a job, and when they got one, make them work harder to service the debt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BoomBoomCrash Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Yes, a lot of young people seem to expect a place to themselves.When I was starting out I was one of three lodgers in a spinster's large city centre house. One of the other lodgers clearly had some form of mental illness, but at the time it was all I could afford. I do recollect though that it was very difficult to find a LL who was prepared to rent accommodation to someone on low income. I don't think the govt in this country do enough to help people who've hit rock bottom, but are prepared to help themselves. When you say 'One of the other lodgers clearly had some form of mental illness' is 'one' a euphemistic reference to yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffneck Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 couldnt she bring in a couple of extra lodgers to help pay for rent etc? she needs to cancel the tv allowance and 30 pound a month for mobile phone seems high Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workingnomad Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 too many people on benefits taking the piss out of tax payers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watching Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) I am not disputing it is a struggle to live on £50.95 per week (I have myself had to live on very little in the past) but for this case something doesn't quite ring true. Where do we think she gets the money to have cosmetic nails on her hands ? (cost approximately £25-£30 every 4-6 weeks to maintain ). I am sure that as a young lady she likes to present herself well for job interviews but surely she could have her own nails and spend some of the spare time she has making them look just as good for free. Edit - typo Edited April 26, 2009 by Watching Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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