Day 12 - LIfe in a Homeless Shelter

Thursday, 23rd April 2009

Sorry for not posting earlier, but my PC went down yesterday.

Casey was a complete nightmare last night, all in all I got about 4 hours sleep, so I am exhausted.

When it came to getting up for school he was out for the count, could I wake him, of course not!

Again we are running late for school and make it just in time. Have few things to do today, but nothing much. Off to my mums to bring the children's drink cups up, then go a pick up a parcel up, petrol, which costs £40 for just one week and the Chancellor put another 2p on the cost yesterday, which means its approx 94.9p per litre. So with the cost of our petrol we also run an old van which is £30 a week. The cost of running the two vehicles is crippling us financially.

Other people in the Shelter who are on benefits get cabs laid on my by the social doesn't figure, does it!

By the time I've been to Tescos, Casey falls asleep in the car and sleeps for 2 hours. Giving me some time to do some bits and my WII workout before Dave arrives.

Dave is determined to beat Steve at the Ski Jumping now, the highest score at present on this is 330metres, but by the time Dave has gone home he is Jumping 400metres.

Today I have been feeling really down, with the budget putting everything up to ridculous price it means we are going to be even more worst off. Although the Chancellor has robbed from the rich to help the poor, it does not help us out. And who gives him the right to take 50% of everything someone earns over £150,000 just because they have messed up the country's finances. The government is being run by a bunch of clowns and we are going to paying off the country's debt for the next decade.

As I have mentioned before the government believes that a family of 4 can live on £230 a week, our current rent and bills in the Shelter are £110.25 then with our petrol at £70 a week and a basic food shop a week being £100, we are paying out a total of £280.25 a week before we look at paying for our life insurance which is £60 a month, car tax, insurance, clothes and little extras. My husband basic wage is £341 a week (bring home) and then on top of that we have £125 a month Child Benefit and £140 a month Working Tax Credit.

So all in all we have a monthly income of £1629 and our basic outgoings which out insurances, clothes etc is £1161.25, then our insurances etc is £190 equally £1351.25 a month, the other money left over goes towards our mobile phone bills of £100 (we don't have a house phone a present) and our gas and old house phone bill. So we don't have anything left at the end of the month for clothes etc.

So if we were not in the Shelter we would not have enough money to cover the bills. I refuse to cancel Life Insurance, we don't have our Pension and if something happens to Steve and I at least I can say I did not leave my children broke. This is important to me!

So at the weekend I am selling some of my jewerlley, as gold is being brought at a good price at the moment. I have my enternal ring, engagement and some other bits which are worth something. They are all sentimental bits but I cannot afford to be sentimental at the moment, trying to get some money in from me is more important and getting us back on our own 2 feet.

We can also replace them when we can afford to!

The rest of the day goes by unnoticed. The WII Fit isn't working as the batteries have gone and we have no spares, the internet was down, so early to bed.

See ya tomorrow