On money management.
Every month I am just barely scraping by.
During my previous term of unemployment, it was possible to make ends meet fairly easily, I simply stopped having a life of any sort. No going out, no meals with friends etc. This time, that simply isn't enough. Rent has increased hugely (up by £40/month since then) but housing benefit and dole has pretty much remained static.
This has made budgeting next to impossible. Of course, as soon as I lost my previous job, I took my car off the road as you just can't run a car on benefits. Even if you could afford the fuel, the yearly tax, mot and insurance hit will put a stop to it.
But even basic things like food are unaffordable. And as I am receiving JSA, I can't apply for food banks so there is no relief there.
Oh, and the lie that the unemployed don't pay council tax? Most unemployed people who don't live with relatives are in shared accommodation and as such, pay the full amount of council tax.
So, yeah, life could be better.
