During July I took part in some films about Fuel Poverty which had been commissioned by The Centre for Sustainable Energy www.cse.org.uk
Here they are
Coping with cold
Enjoy.
Living the High Life: The joys of life on the dole in 2013

Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Financial "Shell Shock" or "Post Traumatic Stress"
My great uncle, who recently passed away aged 92, served in the 1st Airborne Battalion during WW2, until the day he died, he still jumped at loud bangs due to the constant exposure to explosions during the war.
I feel like I am starting to understand this....
Since September 2011 I have been on a very low income, at this point my husband was made redundant, and I only had a part time job which paid £470 pcm, we had to claim housing benefit just to be able to pay the rent. My contract ended summer 2012, we were however both able to find 3 months temporary work during that summer. From September 2012 until now, we have both been unemployed and on JSA, receiving just £110 per week to live on, and housing benefit to pay our rent.
This has lead to a long exposure to financial hardship, a constant worry about being able to afford the rent, food, and other bills. I have been forced to rely on the council and the DWP to pay money into my account, money that they could stop at any point! Every Saturday, I check my account to make sure we have money and can get through the next week. This constant fear and stress has made me terrified of money and everything to do with it.
The moment something different happens, I get butterflies, I feel sick, dizzy, and short of breath, I end up getting a headache.
My husband has just started work :D, we were told that we are entitled to a 1 month housing benefit run on, and that it would be automatic. I was immediately suspicious, I don't trust automatic where money is concerned. Of course, nothing is ever that simple.
The council say yes we are entitled to it, but we wont get it until they have reassessed our claim, which will take up to 4 weeks after they receive some paper work from us (which my husbands employer has to sign).
BAM! PANIC! If it takes 4 weeks, we have no money for the rent until a week after it's due. It takes me all day to calm down and realise that if I just explain the situation to our landlord everything will be fine, things are getting better.
My husband takes the form to work as soon as we receive it. Turn out that his work need their payrole office to sign it, they are based in Newcastle, so there will be at least a 3 day turn around.
BAM! PANIC! Fuck My Life! So now we are going to be two week late with out rent. A day of tears and stress and a pounding headache. I 'know' in the sensible, rational part of my brain, that this will still be ok, but a primal part of me takes over, the adrenalin pumps, the stress builds and I panic. That was yesterday, stress levels are still high today, but I keep telling myself to calm down, it WILL be ok.
If this is not "Shell Shock" or "Post Traumatic Stress", then I don't know what is. I'm off to the doctors tomorrow because I have reached breaking point.
Both my husband and I agree, that if we hadn't had each other, we would not have survived this winter, we would be statistics, people who had killed themselves because of the hardships imposed by this government, and the hatred fuelled by the press. We are the poor, the work-shy, the scum of the earth!
For me there is one other reason why I am still alive, I will not let the government win! I will survive! I will hold them accountable for the murders of so many people who have not had the strength to continue! They will not beat me!
UPDATE 16/6/13: A month ago I went to my doctors because as you can see from the above post I was no longer able to cope. My doctor was brilliant, and very understanding. He gave me the option of going on some low dose anti depressants, I read all the info about them and decided yes, these might help me. Four weeks on, and yes they do help. I'm so relaxed that if I saw IDS I would probably just punch him instead of exploding with rage. The only down side it that I am so relaxed that I could take a nap at any time of the day. I am pretty sure that the last few months would not have been so horrific if I had spoken to my doctor sooner. My advice is if you are struggling mentally with the stress of unemployment, speak to your doctor, they can help.
I feel like I am starting to understand this....
Since September 2011 I have been on a very low income, at this point my husband was made redundant, and I only had a part time job which paid £470 pcm, we had to claim housing benefit just to be able to pay the rent. My contract ended summer 2012, we were however both able to find 3 months temporary work during that summer. From September 2012 until now, we have both been unemployed and on JSA, receiving just £110 per week to live on, and housing benefit to pay our rent.
This has lead to a long exposure to financial hardship, a constant worry about being able to afford the rent, food, and other bills. I have been forced to rely on the council and the DWP to pay money into my account, money that they could stop at any point! Every Saturday, I check my account to make sure we have money and can get through the next week. This constant fear and stress has made me terrified of money and everything to do with it.
The moment something different happens, I get butterflies, I feel sick, dizzy, and short of breath, I end up getting a headache.
My husband has just started work :D, we were told that we are entitled to a 1 month housing benefit run on, and that it would be automatic. I was immediately suspicious, I don't trust automatic where money is concerned. Of course, nothing is ever that simple.
The council say yes we are entitled to it, but we wont get it until they have reassessed our claim, which will take up to 4 weeks after they receive some paper work from us (which my husbands employer has to sign).
BAM! PANIC! If it takes 4 weeks, we have no money for the rent until a week after it's due. It takes me all day to calm down and realise that if I just explain the situation to our landlord everything will be fine, things are getting better.
My husband takes the form to work as soon as we receive it. Turn out that his work need their payrole office to sign it, they are based in Newcastle, so there will be at least a 3 day turn around.
BAM! PANIC! Fuck My Life! So now we are going to be two week late with out rent. A day of tears and stress and a pounding headache. I 'know' in the sensible, rational part of my brain, that this will still be ok, but a primal part of me takes over, the adrenalin pumps, the stress builds and I panic. That was yesterday, stress levels are still high today, but I keep telling myself to calm down, it WILL be ok.
If this is not "Shell Shock" or "Post Traumatic Stress", then I don't know what is. I'm off to the doctors tomorrow because I have reached breaking point.
Both my husband and I agree, that if we hadn't had each other, we would not have survived this winter, we would be statistics, people who had killed themselves because of the hardships imposed by this government, and the hatred fuelled by the press. We are the poor, the work-shy, the scum of the earth!
For me there is one other reason why I am still alive, I will not let the government win! I will survive! I will hold them accountable for the murders of so many people who have not had the strength to continue! They will not beat me!
UPDATE 16/6/13: A month ago I went to my doctors because as you can see from the above post I was no longer able to cope. My doctor was brilliant, and very understanding. He gave me the option of going on some low dose anti depressants, I read all the info about them and decided yes, these might help me. Four weeks on, and yes they do help. I'm so relaxed that if I saw IDS I would probably just punch him instead of exploding with rage. The only down side it that I am so relaxed that I could take a nap at any time of the day. I am pretty sure that the last few months would not have been so horrific if I had spoken to my doctor sooner. My advice is if you are struggling mentally with the stress of unemployment, speak to your doctor, they can help.
Monday, 13 May 2013
How difficult do they make it to get back into employment?
Joyous news, my husband has found a full-time permanent job, which he started the other day, brilliant.
My thoughts were, excellent, now we will be more financially secure and not so reliant on benefits.
But now I am beginning to think that the time between him starting his job, and when he gets paid will break us. I don't know how we will survive financially.
He is on monthly pay, but doesn't know what the pay date is, he thinks it might be the 20th, and is going to check today.
Our JSA got stopped the day before he started work, and it could take them up to 4 weeks to decide if I am still entitled to any, I think I am, but we get no more money from them until they reach their decision. I still have to go to the Job Centre each week to sign on until the decision is reached.
We are entitled to a Housing Benefit run on for 1 month after starting employment because we've been out of work for over 6 months. We thought this would help us survive the first month of employment, and were told this payment would be automatic. But, and there is always a but, they have suspended our Housing Benefit claim and have to do a recalculation based on my husbands income, which could take up to 4 weeks, after which we will get paid the run on.
So basically, we are left with no income until either the council recalculate our housing benefit, even thought they have already confirmed that we are entitled to the run on, or until my husband gets paid which will only be a partial months pay, not a full month. Luckily we have just had our tax rebates from last year, but that will only cover food and electricity for a few weeks.
I don't know how we are going to pay the rent at the end of the month, unless the housing benefit it sorted out. We are basically financially fucked until my husbands second pay cheque. These first few weeks because we have no income, then the following month because we have to live a whole month on part of a month pay.
I'm so worried that I feel sick. It's like they want to make it as difficult as possible to get back to work. The tiny bit of money we do have wont cover food, electricity, travel to and from work, or rent, let alone other bills.
My thoughts were, excellent, now we will be more financially secure and not so reliant on benefits.
But now I am beginning to think that the time between him starting his job, and when he gets paid will break us. I don't know how we will survive financially.
He is on monthly pay, but doesn't know what the pay date is, he thinks it might be the 20th, and is going to check today.
Our JSA got stopped the day before he started work, and it could take them up to 4 weeks to decide if I am still entitled to any, I think I am, but we get no more money from them until they reach their decision. I still have to go to the Job Centre each week to sign on until the decision is reached.
We are entitled to a Housing Benefit run on for 1 month after starting employment because we've been out of work for over 6 months. We thought this would help us survive the first month of employment, and were told this payment would be automatic. But, and there is always a but, they have suspended our Housing Benefit claim and have to do a recalculation based on my husbands income, which could take up to 4 weeks, after which we will get paid the run on.
So basically, we are left with no income until either the council recalculate our housing benefit, even thought they have already confirmed that we are entitled to the run on, or until my husband gets paid which will only be a partial months pay, not a full month. Luckily we have just had our tax rebates from last year, but that will only cover food and electricity for a few weeks.
I don't know how we are going to pay the rent at the end of the month, unless the housing benefit it sorted out. We are basically financially fucked until my husbands second pay cheque. These first few weeks because we have no income, then the following month because we have to live a whole month on part of a month pay.
I'm so worried that I feel sick. It's like they want to make it as difficult as possible to get back to work. The tiny bit of money we do have wont cover food, electricity, travel to and from work, or rent, let alone other bills.
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Here is a poem for anyone taking part in the "Fun with ATOS" event
I love my illness, I love the pain!
I love it more and more each day.
I love my assessor, she is the best!
I love ATOS and IDS.
I love it more and more each day.
I love my assessor, she is the best!
I love ATOS and IDS.
I love my condition and its medication,
I'd hate for it to go away.
I love my mobility, pain and fear,
And piles of pills that grow each day!
I think disability is really swell,
There's nothing else I love so well.
I love to scrounge from my peers,
I love their leers, and jeers, and sneers.
I love ATOS and its helpful staff;
I hug them often though they won't care.
I love each letter and every invitation.
I'd love them more if they believed.
I'm happy to be here. I am. I am.
I'm the happiest scrounger in the land, I am.
I love this illness, I love these pills.
I love the stigma that it brings.
I love disability - I'll say it again -
I even love those friendly men.
Those friendly men who've come today,
Without qualification to say my disability has gone away!
I love unemployment poem
I love unemployment, I love the JSA!
I love it more and more each day.
I love my advisor, she is the best!
I love her boss and IDS.
I love it more and more each day.
I love my advisor, she is the best!
I love her boss and IDS.
I love my sitting room and its location,
I'd hate to have to go to work.
I love my furniture, worn and frayed,
And piles of bills that grow each day!
I think unemployment is really swell,
There's nothing else I love so well.
I love to scrounge from my peers,
I love their leers, and jeers, and sneers.
I love my job centre and its helpful staff;
I hug them often though they won't care.
I love each sign on and every job application.
I'd love them more if they replied once in a while.
I'm happy to be here. I am. I am.
I'm the happiest scrounger in the land, I am.
I love this unemployment, I love these bills.
I love the sign ons with my helpful advisor.
I love unemployment - I'll say it again -
I even love those friendly men.
Those friendly men who've come today,
In clean white vans to take my last possessions away!
Thursday, 18 April 2013
A Poem about unemployment written by my hubby
What else can one do but sit and stare
No job, no prospects, but full of despair
Same old shit, day after day
Draining each ounce of life away
Lose your interests, lose your mind
Enjoyment of life, becomes hard to find
There are loads of jobs, so they say
Lying shits, peddling shite each day
At the job centre, advisor calls your name
To the desk you go, each the time the same.
You show them your evidence, bit by bit
But upon you they look, as if you’re a piece of shit
Then like clockwork, propaganda they spout
Ask for their opinion, but not a brain cell about
Sign on the dotted line, and then it’s time to leave
A fake smile and wave they give, who are they trying to deceive
Two weeks till sign on, please job please appear
Free me from this cycle, this depressing sphere
Release me please, from the job advisor's pit
So I may not be looked upon, like a piece of shit
Onwards in the search, never giving in
This next application, please let it be a win
Suit Clean and ready, interviews I need
I need a Job, in order to succeed
Unemployment is not forever, the job centre will see
Maybe they lose their jobs, and their job advisor is me
Because you reap what you sow, and in the kindness you lack
If I’m ever your advisor, maybe that is the attitude I give back.
No job, no prospects, but full of despair
Same old shit, day after day
Draining each ounce of life away
Lose your interests, lose your mind
Enjoyment of life, becomes hard to find
There are loads of jobs, so they say
Lying shits, peddling shite each day
At the job centre, advisor calls your name
To the desk you go, each the time the same.
You show them your evidence, bit by bit
But upon you they look, as if you’re a piece of shit
Then like clockwork, propaganda they spout
Ask for their opinion, but not a brain cell about
Sign on the dotted line, and then it’s time to leave
A fake smile and wave they give, who are they trying to deceive
Two weeks till sign on, please job please appear
Free me from this cycle, this depressing sphere
Release me please, from the job advisor's pit
So I may not be looked upon, like a piece of shit
Onwards in the search, never giving in
This next application, please let it be a win
Suit Clean and ready, interviews I need
I need a Job, in order to succeed
Unemployment is not forever, the job centre will see
Maybe they lose their jobs, and their job advisor is me
Because you reap what you sow, and in the kindness you lack
If I’m ever your advisor, maybe that is the attitude I give back.
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Eating well with next to no money: Chicken
This week I managed to create 14 servings from 1 medium sized chicken, and a friend of mine suggested I add it to this blog as it might help other low income people.
My husband and I had a roast chicken dinner (2 servings), 2 different casseroles which lasted 4 meals in total (8 servings) and a bacon and potato soup (4 servings).
Ingredients
1 medium Chicken (often in a 3 for £10 offer at the supermarket or around £4 each)
1 large bag of carrots
1 bag of potatoes
3 parsnips
1 swede
5 onions
dried herbs like thyme, parsley, rosemary
garlic (I use the Lazy Garlic as I find it works out cheaper than fresh)
100g suet
Self raising flour (about 300g)
Chicken gravy granules
2 rashers of Bacon
Day 1 - Roast Chicken
Prepare the chicken for roasting by sprinkling some seasoning on the skin, what ever flavours your prefer. Roast in the oven at 180C for around 2 hours (check the packaging of your chicken, as this depends on the weight).
Prepare potatoes, carrots, and 1 parsnip for roasting. I don't peel the potatoes as there are lots of nutrients in the skins. I also don't bother peeling the carrots unless they look a bit manky.
Put these veg in a roasting tin that has some oil in the bottom.
Peel and quarter 1 onion and add this to the roasting tin as well, roasted onion is lovely. Roll the veg around so that they are all coated in the oil.
45 minute before the chicken is cooked put the veg into the oven, this means they should be cooked at the same time.
Make any other bits you want for your roast dinner i.e. stuffing, yorkshire puddings etc.
When the chicken is cooked, check if the potatoes are fully cooked by stabbing them with a fork. If they aren't, leave them in the over for another 15-30 min. You can cover the chicken with foil to keep it warm, this is also supposed to make the chicken juicier. Just before you are ready to serve up, make the gravy.
If two people are eating this meal, you get one chicken breast each, if you eat more, you wont have enough left for the other meals, but the amount of veg you've done should make this into a filling meal.
Day 2 - Prepare stock and then casseroles and soup.
Stock
Peel and quarter 1 onion and put it into a large (the largest you have) pan, this is for the stock.
Now you need to remove the meat from the chicken carcase, this is a bit messy, but very easy. First pull the legs off, remove the skin and put this in the pan for stock, remove the meat from the legs using your fingers, knives are useless for this job. Put the chicken meat onto a plate, and the bones and stuff into the pan. Next move onto the wings, there isn't much meat on these, but there is some, get as much of it as you can. Now you are left with the body of the chicken, there will probably be some meat left in the breast area, there are also bits and pieces on the back, again pick off and set aside as much as you can. Break the body in half, this helps it fit into the pan.
You should have a plate of chicken meat, and a pan with all the bones and skin. Cover the contents of the pan with boiling water, and put a lid on it. Simmer gently, I use number 2 on my electric hob, for about 2 - 3 hours. Then turn the heat of and leave it to cool.
Once it's cool, drain the stock into another large pan or dish. Once it is fully drained, bin the chicken bones. You now have home-made chicken stock. This will be used in the 2 casseroles and the soup, you could prepare them all today if you wanted to, or prepare one today and refrigerate the stock, and half the chicken for up to 4 days (rough estimate here), or freeze them for longer storage.
Casseroles x 2
If you have 2 large casserole dishes you can make them both at the same time which will save electricity, if not save half the chicken and a third of the stock, in the fridge/freezer and make the second casserole another day.
For each casserole, put half the chicken into a casserole dish, add diced potatoes, carrots, parsnip, onion and swede (if you make sure the veg is all roughly the same size it will all cook at the same speed). Add some herbs and seasoning, what ever you want. Then add a third of the stock to the casserole dish, if this doesn't cover the meat and veg, just add some water.
Cook the casserole in the over for 45 min at 200C.
Then use the suet and flour to make dumplings, tasty, filling, and cheap. Follow the directions on the box of suet, this is very easy. Put the dumplings on top of the casserole and cook for another 20 - 25 minutes at 180C.
Each casserole should provide 4 servings, if you want more food just cook some extra veg to go on the side, I'd recommend some cabbage, lightly stir-fried for about 5 min.
The left overs can be refrigerated or frozen.
Soup
Chop up two rashers of bacon, and dice 1 onion, put these and the crushed garlic into a large pan and fry for a few minutes, if they start to stick add a spoonful of stock to the pan.
Dice potatoes, carrots, and any parsnip/swede you have left into small ~1cm cubes and add to the pan. You can also add any other veg you have like leeks or cabbage, but wait until the last 15 minutes of cooking time for this.
Add the stock (a third of the total amount you made) to the pan, if this doesn't cover the veg, add some water. Add any seasoning you want, I added a few chili flakes to mine. Bring to the boil, them simmer gently for about 30 min until the veg is tender.
This should make at least 4 servings, it can make more if you add a bit more bacon, and more veg. Leftovers of this can also be refrigerated or frozen.
In total this cost me less than £10, for a family of 4 you will have less chicken left after the roast dinner, so will only be able to make 1 casserole, but you will still be able to make the stock and soup, perhaps add more bacon and veg to the soup and use two thirds of the stock for the soup, so that it makes 8 servings.
Enjoy.
My husband and I had a roast chicken dinner (2 servings), 2 different casseroles which lasted 4 meals in total (8 servings) and a bacon and potato soup (4 servings).
Ingredients
1 medium Chicken (often in a 3 for £10 offer at the supermarket or around £4 each)
1 large bag of carrots
1 bag of potatoes
3 parsnips
1 swede
5 onions
dried herbs like thyme, parsley, rosemary
garlic (I use the Lazy Garlic as I find it works out cheaper than fresh)
100g suet
Self raising flour (about 300g)
Chicken gravy granules
2 rashers of Bacon
Day 1 - Roast Chicken
Prepare the chicken for roasting by sprinkling some seasoning on the skin, what ever flavours your prefer. Roast in the oven at 180C for around 2 hours (check the packaging of your chicken, as this depends on the weight).
Prepare potatoes, carrots, and 1 parsnip for roasting. I don't peel the potatoes as there are lots of nutrients in the skins. I also don't bother peeling the carrots unless they look a bit manky.
Put these veg in a roasting tin that has some oil in the bottom.
Peel and quarter 1 onion and add this to the roasting tin as well, roasted onion is lovely. Roll the veg around so that they are all coated in the oil.
45 minute before the chicken is cooked put the veg into the oven, this means they should be cooked at the same time.
Make any other bits you want for your roast dinner i.e. stuffing, yorkshire puddings etc.
When the chicken is cooked, check if the potatoes are fully cooked by stabbing them with a fork. If they aren't, leave them in the over for another 15-30 min. You can cover the chicken with foil to keep it warm, this is also supposed to make the chicken juicier. Just before you are ready to serve up, make the gravy.
If two people are eating this meal, you get one chicken breast each, if you eat more, you wont have enough left for the other meals, but the amount of veg you've done should make this into a filling meal.
Day 2 - Prepare stock and then casseroles and soup.
Stock
Peel and quarter 1 onion and put it into a large (the largest you have) pan, this is for the stock.
Now you need to remove the meat from the chicken carcase, this is a bit messy, but very easy. First pull the legs off, remove the skin and put this in the pan for stock, remove the meat from the legs using your fingers, knives are useless for this job. Put the chicken meat onto a plate, and the bones and stuff into the pan. Next move onto the wings, there isn't much meat on these, but there is some, get as much of it as you can. Now you are left with the body of the chicken, there will probably be some meat left in the breast area, there are also bits and pieces on the back, again pick off and set aside as much as you can. Break the body in half, this helps it fit into the pan.
You should have a plate of chicken meat, and a pan with all the bones and skin. Cover the contents of the pan with boiling water, and put a lid on it. Simmer gently, I use number 2 on my electric hob, for about 2 - 3 hours. Then turn the heat of and leave it to cool.
Once it's cool, drain the stock into another large pan or dish. Once it is fully drained, bin the chicken bones. You now have home-made chicken stock. This will be used in the 2 casseroles and the soup, you could prepare them all today if you wanted to, or prepare one today and refrigerate the stock, and half the chicken for up to 4 days (rough estimate here), or freeze them for longer storage.
Casseroles x 2
If you have 2 large casserole dishes you can make them both at the same time which will save electricity, if not save half the chicken and a third of the stock, in the fridge/freezer and make the second casserole another day.
For each casserole, put half the chicken into a casserole dish, add diced potatoes, carrots, parsnip, onion and swede (if you make sure the veg is all roughly the same size it will all cook at the same speed). Add some herbs and seasoning, what ever you want. Then add a third of the stock to the casserole dish, if this doesn't cover the meat and veg, just add some water.
Cook the casserole in the over for 45 min at 200C.
Then use the suet and flour to make dumplings, tasty, filling, and cheap. Follow the directions on the box of suet, this is very easy. Put the dumplings on top of the casserole and cook for another 20 - 25 minutes at 180C.
Each casserole should provide 4 servings, if you want more food just cook some extra veg to go on the side, I'd recommend some cabbage, lightly stir-fried for about 5 min.
The left overs can be refrigerated or frozen.
Soup
Chop up two rashers of bacon, and dice 1 onion, put these and the crushed garlic into a large pan and fry for a few minutes, if they start to stick add a spoonful of stock to the pan.
Dice potatoes, carrots, and any parsnip/swede you have left into small ~1cm cubes and add to the pan. You can also add any other veg you have like leeks or cabbage, but wait until the last 15 minutes of cooking time for this.
Add the stock (a third of the total amount you made) to the pan, if this doesn't cover the veg, add some water. Add any seasoning you want, I added a few chili flakes to mine. Bring to the boil, them simmer gently for about 30 min until the veg is tender.
This should make at least 4 servings, it can make more if you add a bit more bacon, and more veg. Leftovers of this can also be refrigerated or frozen.
In total this cost me less than £10, for a family of 4 you will have less chicken left after the roast dinner, so will only be able to make 1 casserole, but you will still be able to make the stock and soup, perhaps add more bacon and veg to the soup and use two thirds of the stock for the soup, so that it makes 8 servings.
Enjoy.
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