So J-man finished school at the end of last year and in the 8 months since, has taken his resume and cover letters to every business in our small city. He has gone everywhere from plumbers and electricians to the pet shop and the funeral home.
Nope, the answer at most places is.. "we don't take resumes directly, you have to go through the agencies".
Excellent, lets do that shall we.
NO WE SHALL NOT !
The Man I Married and I work, bloody hard, to provide for our family. With four kids, a mortgage and school fees the cost of living is high. Luckily my man has a strong work ethic and often puts in 60 hours a week to provide for us.
Mr Centrelink says we earn too much. He also says that J-man will be judged based on our income until his 21st birthday. We are penalised for trying to pay off our own home and for staying married.
What this means is J-man cannot register with Centrelink as unemployed. He hasn't actually asked for a cent, just acknowledgement of his unemployed status. The Centrelink system won't let him register unless he is entitled to a benefit and he doesn't qualify for a benefit.
NO ! says Centrelink.
If Dad would just kindly give up his job, or even better, move out, we can give you all the help you need.
But as long as Mum and Dad stay married, and as long as they are honest hard workers, you, my boy cannot have that status. Legally Mum and Dad are financially responsible for J-man (and our other kids) until their 21st birthday. There is no youth allowance or work-seekers help for kids of parents who work hard.
Without the Unemployment status, none of the employment agencies are allowed to assign him a case manager to help him. He's on his own. Furthermore, the exclusive Job seekers network where so many employers advertise their jobs is not available to him... Employers who are tempted by lovely government subsidiaries to employ someone out of the Unemployment sector.
So let me say it. Yes Australia is a good country, we have plenty, but we have a sucky, stupid system that continually punishes those who work hard and actively encourages families to break up, to give up.
I am so angry and disheartened I am finding it hard to type. We always told our kids to have a good work ethic and to put in 110%. I guess we should have told them to do a half arsed job, not commit to anyone and lie on their applications.
If anyone has any ideas. please bring them on, I am at my wits end, J-man is demoralised and I want to picket my local member of parliament for the unfairness of it all.
He's old enough to die for his country, to father a child or go to adult prison, but Centrelink still bases everything on the parents until they turn 21. What about that makes sense ?
Sorry to have such a negative post for IBOT
Showing posts with label budgeting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budgeting. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
School Holiday Planning for teenagers
When your kids are little, school holiday planning is all about keeping little minds and busy fingers occupied for a fortnight without losing your mind.
Then they grow.
For me school holiday planning is pretty much all about transport and food.
And so I plan ......
The calendar is Taxi-Central.
When I first got married we had cute little calendars, with groovy pictures and a small box to write anything noteworthy for the day.
Now with 4 kids ( including three roaming teenagers) we forgo the cute picture and aim for maximum writing space.
If you are going somewhere, coming home from somewhere, need to get a friend from somewhere or have cancelled plans, if it isn't on the calendar then it isn't happening. ( That doesn't mean that if it IS on the calendar it will definitely happen, but you have a better shot at getting a ride home this way).
The other essential point of reference is the menu plan.
It gets posted on the fridge and cuts out about 1/2 the questioning that comes my way.
"What's for dinner?"
"What's for dinner?"
"What's for dinner?"
"What's for dinner?"
"What's for dinner?"
Then they grow.
For me school holiday planning is pretty much all about transport and food.
And so I plan ......
The calendar is Taxi-Central.
When I first got married we had cute little calendars, with groovy pictures and a small box to write anything noteworthy for the day.
Now with 4 kids ( including three roaming teenagers) we forgo the cute picture and aim for maximum writing space.
If you are going somewhere, coming home from somewhere, need to get a friend from somewhere or have cancelled plans, if it isn't on the calendar then it isn't happening. ( That doesn't mean that if it IS on the calendar it will definitely happen, but you have a better shot at getting a ride home this way).
The other essential point of reference is the menu plan.
It gets posted on the fridge and cuts out about 1/2 the questioning that comes my way.
"What's for dinner?"
"What's for dinner?"
"What's for dinner?"
"What's for dinner?"
"What's for dinner?"
Darling teenage children, here is 'what's for dinner'.
If you do not like the meal on any given night, please feel free to make your own arrangements.
School holidays start tomorrow.
Wish me luck.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
How much do you flush ?
RAMS Loose Change Round-Up, focusing on the small changes in life that can have a huge impact on the success of a budget.
One of the first golden rules of any weight loss diet is to not drink your calories. In every glass of just about anything other than water, there are sneaky calories that are swallowed easily, in seconds and land firmly on our hips and butts. To cut back on calorie intake, one of the quickest and easiest changes in lifestyle is to drink water.
If your budget needs to go on a diet.. the same principle applies.
At work every day, I see most of my workmates buy a coffee at morning break. It's a communal time, and you can hear the groan of pleasure as they take their first sip. Several say "This is my one luxury in the day." ... Then conversation starts and the rest of the cup of Joe is drunk without much thought, the eco friendly cup tossed in the recycling and back to work we go.
And it seems like a small luxury.. $3.50 for a cup of hot, rich, wake-me-up heaven.
Twenty minutes later, there is a queue in the ladies room as the liquid does what it does and disappears down the toilet.
FLUSH.
Here's a nasty little fact.
One cup of coffee each day, 5 days a week for a year is $910 , all flushed down the toilet. Literally.
A bottle of Coke or other soda is similar in cost, and in the same way, flushed down the toilet in less than an hour.
Even cutting back to two cups a week will free up $546 in one year to put towards something important. Or special. Or truly luxurious.
Are you flushing away nearly one thousand dollars each year on a small luxury? Can you really call it small?
One of the first golden rules of any weight loss diet is to not drink your calories. In every glass of just about anything other than water, there are sneaky calories that are swallowed easily, in seconds and land firmly on our hips and butts. To cut back on calorie intake, one of the quickest and easiest changes in lifestyle is to drink water.
If your budget needs to go on a diet.. the same principle applies.
At work every day, I see most of my workmates buy a coffee at morning break. It's a communal time, and you can hear the groan of pleasure as they take their first sip. Several say "This is my one luxury in the day." ... Then conversation starts and the rest of the cup of Joe is drunk without much thought, the eco friendly cup tossed in the recycling and back to work we go.
And it seems like a small luxury.. $3.50 for a cup of hot, rich, wake-me-up heaven.
Twenty minutes later, there is a queue in the ladies room as the liquid does what it does and disappears down the toilet.
FLUSH.
Here's a nasty little fact.
One cup of coffee each day, 5 days a week for a year is $910 , all flushed down the toilet. Literally.
A bottle of Coke or other soda is similar in cost, and in the same way, flushed down the toilet in less than an hour.
Even cutting back to two cups a week will free up $546 in one year to put towards something important. Or special. Or truly luxurious.
Are you flushing away nearly one thousand dollars each year on a small luxury? Can you really call it small?
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Staying on Budget
Miss 8 was counting her money last week. She has collected 'throw away' coins, the little ones that most people see as such a small value they are irrelevant. She was pretty excited when she declared she had $14.70 and only needed 30 more cents to be able to get the Barbie doll she has been admiring at the store. Those small coins, almost without value, have come together and guess what... when they are added together they make a huge difference to a small girl. She has saved, worked for some, resisted the urge to spend on lollies and now her goal is so close she can almost touch it. It is her very first lesson in budgeting and spending.
Rams is running a campaign right now called RAMS Loose Change Round-Up, focusing on the small changes in life that can have a huge impact on the success of a budget.
With 4 kids ( 3 of whom count as adults in the food budgeting), 2 dogs, a cat and a mortgage, school fees and general life, money and budgeting are an inevitable part of everyday life for us.
When we were first married with a small baby, we had no money. I mean NO money. I used to whip the margarine to make it go further. We were budgeted down to the last cent and there was not enough money left over for a coffee with a friend. Times were tough but they taught me skills that have stayed throughout 20 years of marriage.
Even though nowadays we can be more relaxed with the budget, I still have a meal plan for the week. I shop according to the menu, and anything that isn't on the menu list or a staple such as washing detergent goes in the shopping trolley seat section.
At the end of my tour of the supermarket, I re-examine what is in the seat section and decide if I am willing to spend part of my grocery money on those items. Sometimes it's a resounding 'yes' ( hello TimTams on sale!! ) but often 6 or 7 of the items are returned to the shelf as I don't really want or need them. It's a simple shopping tactic that has saved me from many impulse purchases, and kept me on track with my grocery budget.
Loose change is often loosely spent, without a great deal of thought. When you start seeing your loose change as the basis for a saving plan, it doesn't take long for you to change your thinking about the coin section of your wallet.
One very small saving tactic I use in our home is to declare one denomination of coin 'illegal'.
In my home any $2 coins are cleared out of my wallet at the end of each day and dropped into a cheap tin moneybox. It is a small amount to remove from a wallet, less the cost of a cup of coffee, but saved up, those little golden circles have allowed us to have fun with our kids guilt-free.
If you save $2 a day for a year, that amounts to $730 ! Plenty of money for a couple of nights away as a family, or a romantic getaway.
I don't stick to this religiously, sometimes there are no $2 coins, sometimes there are several. Sometimes I know I'm going to need them, but as much as possible, I stash them away. It's only a small thing but every little bit adds up, just as Miss 8 has started to discover.
What are your best budget tips?
Rams is running a campaign right now called RAMS Loose Change Round-Up, focusing on the small changes in life that can have a huge impact on the success of a budget.
With 4 kids ( 3 of whom count as adults in the food budgeting), 2 dogs, a cat and a mortgage, school fees and general life, money and budgeting are an inevitable part of everyday life for us.
When we were first married with a small baby, we had no money. I mean NO money. I used to whip the margarine to make it go further. We were budgeted down to the last cent and there was not enough money left over for a coffee with a friend. Times were tough but they taught me skills that have stayed throughout 20 years of marriage.
Even though nowadays we can be more relaxed with the budget, I still have a meal plan for the week. I shop according to the menu, and anything that isn't on the menu list or a staple such as washing detergent goes in the shopping trolley seat section.
At the end of my tour of the supermarket, I re-examine what is in the seat section and decide if I am willing to spend part of my grocery money on those items. Sometimes it's a resounding 'yes' ( hello TimTams on sale!! ) but often 6 or 7 of the items are returned to the shelf as I don't really want or need them. It's a simple shopping tactic that has saved me from many impulse purchases, and kept me on track with my grocery budget.
Loose change is often loosely spent, without a great deal of thought. When you start seeing your loose change as the basis for a saving plan, it doesn't take long for you to change your thinking about the coin section of your wallet.
One very small saving tactic I use in our home is to declare one denomination of coin 'illegal'.
In my home any $2 coins are cleared out of my wallet at the end of each day and dropped into a cheap tin moneybox. It is a small amount to remove from a wallet, less the cost of a cup of coffee, but saved up, those little golden circles have allowed us to have fun with our kids guilt-free.
If you save $2 a day for a year, that amounts to $730 ! Plenty of money for a couple of nights away as a family, or a romantic getaway.
I don't stick to this religiously, sometimes there are no $2 coins, sometimes there are several. Sometimes I know I'm going to need them, but as much as possible, I stash them away. It's only a small thing but every little bit adds up, just as Miss 8 has started to discover.
What are your best budget tips?
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