I dont agree that if people on a low wage can afford to live on ??400 a month then so can people on a high wage - because firstly, if you are on a high wage you are not entitled to any benefits (which people on a lower wage are) so you are actually living on less a month than them, and also - it doesn't make your mortgage re-payments any less. Why should I have to sell my house just so I can take time of with my baby!?
I didnt buy my house thinking 'Oh, I better make sure ill still be able to pay my mortgage on SMP!'
It is quite uncommon but I earn about ??8000 a year more than hubby. This means the drop was quite difficult for us. However, I do not think I should get more than anyone else.
I do believe however that this world 'praises' people who get themselves into serious amount of debt or are stupid with money when those who are careful but something unexpected happens get F*** All. I dont mean people on here necessarily, but something that has happened to me. I go back to work mid-April. I WANT to go back to work, although would have liked to stay off till May half-term but its not major. Anyway, we received a letter on 1st Feb saying our mortgage rate was coming to an end and our mortgage would double as of 1st March. Now, I knew our rate was ending, although I believed it was supposed to end last November so, when it didnt I went to the bank asking what was happening as we needed to budget for my maternity leave. I was told that the rate would not come to an end till next November (2010). This was great for us as I would have been back at work a few months by then. We budgetted accordingly. Then, when the letter came I went into melt down. We have had a few unfortunate experiences, one major one with an uninsured driver, but I wont go into that now, that ate into some of the money we had saved. I did not have an extra ??400 a month so I phoned them. Because I only wanted 2 months grace as I would be able to pay come May, and I only wanted to keep the mortgage as it was, not stop it, we were entitled to NO help whatsoever! However, someone else I know, who is in much more debt, and bad debt at that, with a 125% mortgage or something like that, has just been awarded 6 months NO PAYMENTS. They have used this money to buy things that are totally unnecessary. HOW IS THAT FAIR??
I dont pretend to want more...we have sorted the problem, be it through a 0% credit card (which I desperately wanted to avoid!)...but I know others who have not been great with money, and not thought carefully about things like us, and simply phone up and are ??600 a month better off!
I dont want more than anyone else either - but I am not entitled to any benefits AT ALL because my income was too high over the last tax year, so because I used to earn a good wage, I dont get anything.
I dont think it's fair that I have paid into the system all my adult life, and now, I have had to accrue loads of debt, because there is just no help out there.
If Neil and I had been on a low income last year, and had been collecting benefits then we would both have been able to take a lot longer of with Abby - and I dont think that is fair. Why should babies from higher-income families suffer?
well actually if you ring tax credits and estimate you will earn x amount less for this year then you should get more than your getting if they go on last years earnings ...i did this when i 1st started getting tax credits and always do now ,estimate the current year and if its more they take it off you from april but if its less u get more so i always estimate more ..also take the 1st ??100 a week off the estimated total cos they dont count that in the estimation but they dont tell u that part xxxxxx
completely dissagree that smp should be a percentage of your wages, if your work makes a contribution then great but for the government to give more money to a higher earning household is unfair in my eyes, i think it should be a flat rate or nothing at all. its not a reward for your input in taxes, its there to provide some basic financial support to families. if you cant afford your mortgage them perhaps your bank will allow you a mortgage holiday? SMP is not what needs to be looked at, its the overall benefits system and the rights to time off of fathers or shared parental time off with new borns.
Maybe they should introduce legistlation which states that banks have to be sympathetic to families with young children? (I know a law exists which says that they have to be sympathetic to people in financial difficulty?) That would solve the problem! Wouldn't it?
only problem with tho nikkiand neil is then wldn't the banks then start not giving loans and mortgages to young married couples and young families, for fear of them all taking mortage breaks etc, it wld be nice, but i don't see it happening, eventually having a family wld go against ur credit rating...or am i just being pessimistic? at the end of the day the banks are businesses themselves, and as such they want to make as much profit as possible, so they're unlikely to let people have a payment break, unless ofcourse, aftewards they whop up the interest to more than make up for it. x
statutory maternity pay (??123 or whatever it is now) comes from the government, anything over that will come from ur employer....i think, idk for sure tho as didn't get smp or ma. x
BF...this should be allowed anyway, anyplace, anytime (discreetly) just as bottle feeding is... that is all I am going to say as I dont want to be drawn into the debate as this topic is not the place..
Mother and Baby parking... wheels clamped for those not complying. 100 quid fine should make them think twice.
Pregnancy parking..yes, yes, yes! Not near the door as someone rightly said its not an illness. Just slightly bigger so you can get your bump in.
As mims said, scrap the tests at school and get back to basics with much more PE to get these fat kids fit again. I barely knew any fat kids at school. Spend money on more training, teachers etc..
More support of kids who need it at school. Trained dylsexic teachers, teachers with knowledge of autism etc..
Raise the school leaving age to 18. If you are not academic then you go to vocational college or something like the YTS scheme. No dropping out and hanging around the streets. Even bringing back National Service.
Parents to take more blame for kids who misbehave. Fines, bans, curfews etc..
More police on the streets, community centres, youth clubs ( all the things i remember as a kid)
Child Benefit should be means tested. Why should an affluent family get it when they really dont need it?
I could go on and on but I need to go and sort my kids....
(quote) More support of kids who need it at school. Trained dylsexic teachers, teachers with knowledge of autism etc.(quote)
TOTALLY agree with this! Im the SENCO at my primary school and I have a daily struggle to support children where my colleagues, through no fault of their own, have no idea how to work with them! I had NO training at Uni on Special Needs and yet I have now been SENCO for 3 years in my current school, with lots of needs, and im only in my 5th year of teaching! All my training has been because I have put the effort in and my school have been supportive. However, I went on mat leave before the summer hols and the SENCO role has been covered by a TA!! (Overseen by the head) This is due to the fact that many of the teachers at my school are SCARED of special needs because they have had no formal/informal or other training!
OK...rant over!
Oh, and the comment about the banks - also agree. I was more annoyed that my 'friend' had been given 6 months grace and she's still working as baby isnt due yet and payments start again mid way through her maternity leave but no one has raised the fact that this might not be a good idea, theyve just thrown money at her 'because' shes already in debt! I have minimal debt and wanted to hold off the increase for 2 months and was willing to pay a higher interest when I went back to work for the priviledge and got nowhere!
Replies
It is quite uncommon but I earn about ??8000 a year more than hubby. This means the drop was quite difficult for us. However, I do not think I should get more than anyone else.
I do believe however that this world 'praises' people who get themselves into serious amount of debt or are stupid with money when those who are careful but something unexpected happens get F*** All. I dont mean people on here necessarily, but something that has happened to me. I go back to work mid-April. I WANT to go back to work, although would have liked to stay off till May half-term but its not major. Anyway, we received a letter on 1st Feb saying our mortgage rate was coming to an end and our mortgage would double as of 1st March. Now, I knew our rate was ending, although I believed it was supposed to end last November so, when it didnt I went to the bank asking what was happening as we needed to budget for my maternity leave. I was told that the rate would not come to an end till next November (2010). This was great for us as I would have been back at work a few months by then. We budgetted accordingly. Then, when the letter came I went into melt down. We have had a few unfortunate experiences, one major one with an uninsured driver, but I wont go into that now, that ate into some of the money we had saved. I did not have an extra ??400 a month so I phoned them. Because I only wanted 2 months grace as I would be able to pay come May, and I only wanted to keep the mortgage as it was, not stop it, we were entitled to NO help whatsoever! However, someone else I know, who is in much more debt, and bad debt at that, with a 125% mortgage or something like that, has just been awarded 6 months NO PAYMENTS. They have used this money to buy things that are totally unnecessary. HOW IS THAT FAIR??
I dont pretend to want more...we have sorted the problem, be it through a 0% credit card (which I desperately wanted to avoid!)...but I know others who have not been great with money, and not thought carefully about things like us, and simply phone up and are ??600 a month better off!
Rant over...sorry ladies!
I dont think it's fair that I have paid into the system all my adult life, and now, I have had to accrue loads of debt, because there is just no help out there.
If Neil and I had been on a low income last year, and had been collecting benefits then we would both have been able to take a lot longer of with Abby - and I dont think that is fair. Why should babies from higher-income families suffer?
SMP is not what needs to be looked at, its the overall benefits system and the rights to time off of fathers or shared parental time off with new borns.
I would like most of the things already raised.
BF...this should be allowed anyway, anyplace, anytime (discreetly) just as bottle feeding is... that is all I am going to say as I dont want to be drawn into the debate as this topic is not the place..
Mother and Baby parking... wheels clamped for those not complying. 100 quid fine should make them think twice.
Pregnancy parking..yes, yes, yes! Not near the door as someone rightly said its not an illness. Just slightly bigger so you can get your bump in.
As mims said, scrap the tests at school and get back to basics with much more PE to get these fat kids fit again. I barely knew any fat kids at school. Spend money on more training, teachers etc..
More support of kids who need it at school. Trained dylsexic teachers, teachers with knowledge of autism etc..
Raise the school leaving age to 18. If you are not academic then you go to vocational college or something like the YTS scheme. No dropping out and hanging around the streets. Even bringing back National Service.
Parents to take more blame for kids who misbehave. Fines, bans, curfews etc..
More police on the streets, community centres, youth clubs ( all the things i remember as a kid)
Child Benefit should be means tested. Why should an affluent family get it when they really dont need it?
I could go on and on but I need to go and sort my kids....
d x
Child Benefit should be means tested. Why should an affluent family get it when they really dont need it?
i agree with this the problem is it would cost more to get a sytem to means test every applicant than to just dish out ??20 a week
TOTALLY agree with this! Im the SENCO at my primary school and I have a daily struggle to support children where my colleagues, through no fault of their own, have no idea how to work with them! I had NO training at Uni on Special Needs and yet I have now been SENCO for 3 years in my current school, with lots of needs, and im only in my 5th year of teaching! All my training has been because I have put the effort in and my school have been supportive. However, I went on mat leave before the summer hols and the SENCO role has been covered by a TA!! (Overseen by the head) This is due to the fact that many of the teachers at my school are SCARED of special needs because they have had no formal/informal or other training!
OK...rant over!
Oh, and the comment about the banks - also agree. I was more annoyed that my 'friend' had been given 6 months grace and she's still working as baby isnt due yet and payments start again mid way through her maternity leave but no one has raised the fact that this might not be a good idea, theyve just thrown money at her 'because' shes already in debt! I have minimal debt and wanted to hold off the increase for 2 months and was willing to pay a higher interest when I went back to work for the priviledge and got nowhere!