[Chris - Rethink]

Hi all,

On Thursday August 19 at 2pm, Sarah Murphy will be on RethinkTalk for at least an hour to answer questions about money management, coping with low income and benefits, etc.

Sarah is an expert in money management, and especially around issues that are likely to concern people affected by mental illness.

If you post your question below, she will try to answer as many as possible on the day.

Make sure you visit here at 2pm on Thursday August 19 to ask follow-up questions and so on.

In the meantime, please also fill in our survey on money management issues - http://www.surveymon...http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/moneyadvice


Chris

[alienpresence]

I'm a expert at micro-management of money having lived on a very low income most of my life and coming from miser stock. What I want to know is will it be possible to manage once all the changes to housing benefit etc kick in. If I've to find a third of the house costs because of a unavailbity of affordable housing then no matter what I do I'm sunk. I'm good with small sums of money but thesechanges next year look very difficult...perhaps impossible even for most in a similar situation?

[ramboghettouk]

given i've got gas and elecy key meters, in winter the bill will go up, i'm in a situation now were money is droppping but slowly, that is because i'm living the life of a recluse, maybe your money management women would suggest a day centre though they've all closed round here, my friend on dla at the high rate who gets 100 a week more than me, was on about the moped and computer, the moped it can help me get to the supermarket and back, the big sainsburys theres a steep hill which would be hard on a pushbike, the tesco exspress is on a bus route and the queue is easier for me to handle with my illness but shopping there is for some reason more expensive

What if i sais combatting isolation requires money, even going to college requires buying course materials and anyway the coure i was interested in has been cut, there is an intensive version intended to prepare you for work, but it's too intensive for me

I have a feeling that the next time i go out for a meal is when i go with my family for my aunts 80th, that will be the next time i meet my family

There is the shape disabled ticket scheme for london theatres but theres cuts in that and the tickets cost, guess i could go with a free volunteer instead of paying for this women friends ticket, we've had a row over money as i felt she was poncing off me and she's the only supportive friend i've got, theres a no of mentally ill friends but they are always asking for suport and when i ask suddenly the phone is put down

I doubt rethinks got much experience of people like me living alone, yes we're dusted of at christmass, the christmass alone loony is a good fund raiser but theres no services aimed at me, money advice the sort of crap social workers been paid far more come up with

[alienpresence]

I can foresee tent cities and shanty towns in the UK after ten years. I wonder what this money expert foresees?

[Chris - Rethink]

I can understand that this is a emotional subject but please post questions relating to advice here, not comments, speculation etc.

This post has been edited by Chris - Rethink: 09 August 2010 - 12:37 PM
Reason for edit: edited to reflect moving threads to new forum

[Chris - Rethink]

By the way, the question doesn't have to relate just to yourself, it can be about someone you know and care about etc.

[ramboghettouk]

Here goes then, what if you need more benefits but the menatal health lot have closed your case?

What if so far cameron hasn't been able to shame my family into caring for me as he said in some speech, i've asked mental health workers to speak to my family but they refuse, you bet if it was some carer asking them to speak to their sufferer it'd be done like greased lightening

What if you've avoided the mental health system all your life, like one women i know you've never been fit for work, but can't get the benefits without the appropiate references, a version of my first question

What if as it is your having to say you can't cook a meal to have the money to afford the ingrediants to cook a meal, the price of protein has gone up, your eating more and more carbohydrates as they're cheap and it's making you put on weight

What if you see these benefit fraud people in the news and you've exagerated your physical problems to get the benefits, because the system concentrates on physical and you wonder whether that could be construed as fraud

[ghost]

I think its a good idea to have someone to give financial advise but the timing is off. We currently get incapacity benefit, the government is currently cutting 2 in 3 people off that benefit and onto JSA. Thats a reduction of £20-30 per week, on the back of that Ian Duncan Smith recently announced the scrapping of incapacity benefit and everyone being moved to JSA. As mentioned thats a cut of £30 per week, also there are murmurings of big purges in regard to DLA. In short no one can be sure of income or welfare awards, we have no security with this government so planning financially is pointless. I recently got a DLA award until 2015 but with things as they are, it means nothing.

I do think its a good idea and hopefully someone will get help from this but given the current reality and uncertainty for those on welfare its nigh on impossible to know where we stand.

[mld]

My questions are about money, not the lack of it. My mother in law died and left us quite a lot of money. We are using some of it to go around the world in Oct/Nov Dec, for 6 weeks. The rest of the money is in a bank account earning a tiny bit of interest. Do I have to put 1/2 of the interest on my tax form, or can I put 100% of the interrest on my form, as my husband has earnt slightly more than the tax free minimum this past year?

Also, as we go away for 6 weeks, do I have to inform the DLA people or incapacity benefit people?

Thanks, mld

[yorkiegal]

My question is, is it ok for my dad to give me some money when I'm on benefits as long as it doesn't go above the amount I'm allowed to have in savings? Or do I have to declare any amount? Also, say hypothetically speaking that he'd already done that and I hadn't declared it, how many years back do the DWP check when they look at your bank accounts?

Secondly, I'm on old style incapacity benefit, dla and income support. When can I expect to be moved over to ESA and if I were fortunate enough to fall into their support category, will the amount be the same as I currently get from the IB and IS or should I expect to receive less?

Thirdly, if I am told I am fit to work and I decide to appeal the decision, will I receive any benefits whilst waiting for the appeal to go through?

Sorry to ask so many questions. Great idea though Chris so thanks for the opportunity.

[I am an Aardvark]

yorkiegal, on 08 August 2010 - 12:25 PM, said:

My question is, is it ok for my dad to give me some money when I'm on benefits as long as it doesn't go above the amount I'm allowed to have in savings? Or do I have to declare any amount? Also, say hypothetically speaking that he'd already done that and I hadn't declared it, how many years back do the DWP check when they look at your bank accounts?

Secondly, I'm on old style incapacity benefit, dla and income support. When can I expect to be moved over to ESA and if I were fortunate enough to fall into their support category, will the amount be the same as I currently get from the IB and IS or should I expect to receive less?

Thirdly, if I am told I am fit to work and I decide to appeal the decision, will I receive any benefits whilst waiting for the appeal to go through?

Sorry to ask so many questions. Great idea though Chris so thanks for the opportunity.

Good question.

If all else fails & I'm left with no financial means of supporting myself - then is it a viable option to do what Rambo suggests doing?; (Stop all meds & go on a crime/murder spree? & then be looked after by the state; in secure accommodation).

[ramboghettouk]

Phoned up the benefit advice line i'm told i'm on income support with an element of incapacity because i'm incapacitated and can expect to be moved over in the next 3 yrs

Any money coming in your supposed to declare, i'm not sure whether your allowed 6k in savings or 8k, every 250 above that you lose 1 pound of benefit

They can't check everything they haven't the staff, some money that was paid in yrs ago they probably won'y know about unless someone tells them and directs them to it

they found out about my savings because the account i was having benefits paid into, ironically the money ws backdated money they awarded me, they started asking for bank statements, one was when my dads funeral in brum happened and there were birmingham payments so the next list of things you had to declare had highlighted any property other than the property your living in

[mld]

Yes. We can't get income support as we own a house in france!

[Chris - Rethink]

Does anyone here have problems with debt?

[alienpresence]

Chris - Rethink, on 10 August 2010 - 12:35 PM, said:

Does anyone here have problems with debt?

Not me. I was offered a loan upto £6000 by my bank because of my good track record ealier in the year. Irresponsible of them and I turned it down even though the interest was fixed rate and quite reasonable.

Don't owe squit. I'm better off than many folks in work I guess?

[yorkiegal]

Chris - Rethink, on 10 August 2010 - 11:35 AM, said:

Does anyone here have problems with debt?

Yes. I have a student loan which I defaulted on years ago and then moved address so they've never caught up with me. I have no idea how much I owe them. The daft thing is that I was eligible to defer payments but was poorly when it came to form filling time so left it too late.

Secondly, I owe a couple of grand to the electric company. When I moved into this flat I didn't understand how the heating system worked and left the emersion on constantly. Because I had a phobia about letting people into the flat, my meter wasn't read for 5 years, so the emersion carried on. I sent a doctors letter to them explaining my mental health problems and that I'd be on disability payments from now on. They ignored it and I'm paying them back £2 per week for ever.

I probably have several other old small debts which might get sold on at some point, such as BT, but they haven't hassled me for a few years now so I'm just ignoring it. I haven't been on the electoral roll for 8 yrs which helps a lot. It's not like I ever want to apply for credit again.

I manage pretty well now on a week to week basis, but like a lot of people on benefits, it would only take one big bill or a suspension of the benefits to plunge me straight into dire straits again.

[firemonkey]

No debts at the moment, but if this thoroughly evil, and immoral, government has it's way, it won't be long before i do.

[ramboghettouk]

I resent the way that if i end up in debt some social worker will crawl out the woodwork but until the actual crisis i'll be left

I particularly resent my mother holding the fact i have these small small savings against me, i think she and her cronies have been listening to too much goverment propoganda

These savings, an emergency like a move, you don't have long to move, goverment targets don't allow housing assoca to leave flats empty for long, it can take weeks to negotiate a loan from the dwp crisis fund and as i've said they've closed my case

If people must know, my friends are worried, i'm worried and yesterday when i phoned up for a repeat prescription i asked for some extra propananol, it's prn or used to be but i'm feeling i'll need it to cope with the anxiety or rather if something comes up to cope with it whilst feeling anxious

Just had someone who's facing eviction due to rent arrears due to diverting the rent asking me for money and yes saying i've got these savings

[Daveb]

Hi I was diagnosed with a mental disorder in 2002 (Delusional Disorder). Since then I have struggled to maintain a career, ultimately finishing bankrupt two years ago. I have also struggled with my health periodically although now believe I have succeeded in managing it successfully. I am in full time employment, working in mental health services as it happens.... but I struggle with money due to my commitments (having four children to pay maintenance for to my ex wife) and having to maintain suitable accommodation for them to stay with me... I have a two bedroom council flat.

My financial worries are severe, often times literally running out of money altogether two or three weeks before payday and struggling to fuel my car which I need to do my job and buy suitable food, havent purchased any new clothes or bought any household items in two years. I feel somewhat that I have done the right thing in tackling positively my mental health issues, got myself back from unemployment and benefits and am contributing to society despite suffering bouts of psychosis and depression.

I understand that many people will regard this as being nothing to complain about, but the fact is, financially, I am far worse off than many people who perhaps are unable to drive forward a recovery and live on benefits. My main concern is that the stress and worry over money does, and has in fact, make me ill.... and I have had to have time off work due to depression and anxiety entirely caused by my money concerns.

Is there any help I can get financially, I am above the usual thresholds for housing benefit, council tax benefit and do not receive any financial considerations for maintenance payments or costs of looking after my children when they stay with me. I have been receiving tax credits but these have stopped now as again I am above the threshold for a single man.

I have never claimed financial assistance as regards my mental health, apart from a very short period when I was deemed unable to work and put onto ESA about 18 months ago. I am beginning to feel that the ultimate goal of recovery and employment leaves you totally alone, with no real practical support.. seems to me I am saving the tax payer a lot of money...but putting my health at risk again..with no benefit to me at all.

Hope you can suggest some things I could try.

[Chris - Rethink]

Thanks for all the responses here - Sarah will be answering everything that she can, and suggesting the best free resource you can use if she doesn't have the exact info you need.