My lifestyle
Adjusting to unemployment
Many people resent what they see as the apparent affluence of some unemployed people. I'm sure that some people are Claiming benefits while working and I hope that such people get caught; some certainly do. But leaving aside such cheating, the reality is that living on benefits isn't much fun (except, it seems, for the McFadden family and other large families) and nor should it be. Those who used to work are forced to adjust to a much lower standard of living, which is a long and difficult process. Nevertheless, anybody who remains out of work for a long time gradually adjusts to the situation. While some of my chosen options would be completely unacceptable to most people, I hope that anybody on a tight budget will at least find some ideas worthy of consideration. For other ideas, money saving expert provides an interesting forum.
Luxury goods
Before jumping to conclusions about luxury goods owned by unemployed people, you have to consider that they may have bought them while they were employed and they're not going to get rid of them just because they're made redundant. Many of these items would only sell for a fraction of their original cost, so what would be the point? Even if they obtained them while unemployed, maybe they got them as Christmas or birthday presents, or maybe they were given things no longer required by their family and friends, or maybe they wanted something badly enough to save up for it, making other sacrifices to do so. Of course, if anybody receives substantial help from friends or family, the jobcentre may cut their benefits accordingly, if they find out. If people live in a style that is clearly inconsistent with their status, you can report benefit theft. I wonder if the anonymous person who accused me of fraud will do so. Am I a benefit scrounger? No.
Budgeting
One thing that unemployment taught me, if I didn't know already, is how to budget carefully, so let's look at some particular aspects of lifestyle and see how I cope. Note that I am not looking for sympathy; life on benefits is meant to be tough and quite rightly so, but by making hard choices, I've found a way to survive with some money to spare for things that I really want to buy, but which are not among life's essentials.
Charity shops
I haven't had to rely on buying used goods from charity shops, though that would be another way to cut costs. Because of their involvement in New Deal, I have a new perspective on charities and don't want to encourage them. If I were to buy from one of their shops, I would be wondering which of the shop staff are really volunteers and which are there as part of a New Deal project, and which of the New Deal staff are there on sufferance. (Yes, if somebody is obviously of pensionable age, I know that he or she is a volunteer.) I'd also be wondering if the charity were collaborating with the government in setting up make-work factories and warehouses. I know that a lot of charities do a lot of good work, but their image is severely damaged in my eyes by their participation in slave labour schemes.
Cigarettes
I've never been a smoker, so I've never had to worry about the cost of cigarettes. I suspect that some unemployed smokers are able to buy contraband cigarettes, which would be much cheaper than those available over the counter.
Beer and whisky
I'm happy to socialise and drink when I have money to spend, but I don't want to be a burden on people when I'm unemployed. So I have chosen to forego the pleasures of a social life until such time as I find a paid job or I'm pensioned off, which means that whatever money I have beyond the basic cost of living can be diverted elsewhere. This does not make me a recluse, though my lifestyle is somewhat reclusive just now. Those people who continue with a social life have to make other choices. I imagine that if I had a social life, it would be for one or two evenings a week at most. Job searching and the basic necessities of life do not occupy all the rest of the time when one has been unemployed for as long as I have, so it's easy to see how a lot of unemployed people end up hanging around on the proverbial street corners.
Television
I don't have one, as I explain in my page about the TV licence fee.
Food
I only buy essentials, except for the occasional treat, and I buy as cheaply as possible. I even gave up butter, replacing it with inferior substitutes. Even so, I shop in three different supermarkets. My local, where I buy most of my food, didn't stock powdered milk for a while, so I had to buy that elsewhere (and will do again if necessary). Fresh milk counts as one of those rare treats, usually for hot summer days. And because of price differentials, I go to yet another supermarket to buy bread. I rely on ready meals but I buy the cheapest such meals that I can find. Obviously, fresh food costs a lot less than ready meals so that's one way that people can save money that I don't. However, I do save money on electricity now that I use a microwave for most cooking.
Contrast all this with the days when I had plenty of money. When I ate at home, I was able to buy much tastier ready meals, but I also liked to visit restaurants regularly to eat some really good food. Such luxuries are long past, but I'll be able to indulge again (at least a little) when I'm pensioned off or if I find a job.
Shoes
I long ago gave up on re-heeling shoes. I simply wear them out till they become too dangerous to walk in. This reduces the frequency with which I have to buy them. If I have to attend an interview and I don't feel that my shoes are in a sufficiently good state for the interview, I'll bring forward the buying of a new pair, but I'll still keep the old pair. After the interview, I put the new pair aside until the old pair becomes too dangerous and would need replacing anyway. Similarly, when icy conditions set in during the winter, it may be necessary to buy new shoes sooner than I would otherwise need to. In that case, I'll put the old shoes aside until conditions improve, so that I can wear them out.
Clothes
An interview is an excuse to buy new clothes, which I retain for as long as possible. I buy the cheapest available and to save a lot of money on electricity, I've had to spend a little extra money on pullovers. I don't bother with the thick woolly pullovers, which tend to be expensive anyway, but I have several standard thin pullovers. I simply put on as many as necessary, up to five. Some people clearly don't like the idea of putting on extra clothes to avoid having to put the heating on, but I can assure you that it saves a lot of money.
Warmth
I very rarely put the heating on. I may need to during January or February in a particularly cold snap, but I manage to avoid doing so during most winters (and that included the cold snap early in 2009). As I said above, I have opted for extra layers of clothes instead. It may not be quite as comfortable, but the massive increase in electricity prices in 2008 make it an even bigger money-saver than it already was.
In September 2011, I'll qualify for the winter fuel payment unless the rules have changed by then. Based on the dates quoted for 2008 qualification, it would seem that if I were a couple of weeks younger, I'd have to wait a whole extra year to qualify, which is interesting to say the least. However, unless I become more sensitive to cold temperatures, I'll continue to economise on heating even after I qualify. Obviously there's no point in saving money if my health suffers badly, so we'll just have to see how it goes. The likelihood is that I'll use the heating a bit more than I do now, but not a lot more. I'd rather spend the money in other ways. Better and more nutritious food would itself help to keep me warm.
To reduce the temptation to switch on the heating, I have other strategies that I employ in the cold winter months. One is to go down town, wandering round the shops or spending time in Leicester public library, where there are plenty of books to amuse me as well as the computers. The heating is on there anyway so I can take advantage. Another strategy, when it's not raining or snowing (it very rarely snows in Leicester, though 2009 provided far more than usual), is just to go for a walk. I have a coat with a hood and an outdoor walk is warmer than sitting at home, because the mere act of walking keeps the body warm as long as one is well wrapped up. The third strategy is to hide under the duvet wile listening to the radio or a CD, or reading a book. Finally, a hot bath, though it involves switching on the hot water tank, remains a cheaper option than switching on an electric fire.
Electricity
As I explained in my page about Electricity meters, I use very little electricity, but every time I cut back, the supplier raises the price per unit to pay the standing charges.
Hot water
I like having the hot water tank permanently switched on so that I can have a bath whenever I feel like it, but that's something I've chosen to sacrifice as I explained in my page about Electricity meters. I only switch the hot water tank on when I decide that I need a bath, then switch it off when it's hot enough. In summer, when it is necessary to wash more frequently, I switch on the hot water tank for a shorter period of time; a quick lukewarm bath on a hot summer's day is just fine. If I need hot water in small volumes, such as for washing dishes, I boil the kettle.
Transport
I had my moments learning to drive in the seventies, but I never actually took a driving test though I had a provisional booking for one in Berkhamsted, so I've relied on public transport or lifts from others all my life. However, I never go anywhere outside Leicester unless it is for a very good reason such as a job interview. Since my last redundancy, I have never had the need to go anywhere further than Nottingham, which is 23 miles (37 kilometres) away. This contrasts sharply with The nineties job quest, which took me to places scattered as far apart as Aberdeen and Plymouth. After I reach 60, I'll be able to travel more.
Computers
I discuss these in my page about Computer usage.
Telephone
I don't have a mobile phone, nor have I ever had one. I do have a standard telephone, but I would probably get rid of it if I were only using it for its traditional purpose. Because I use the internet, I need the connection so I have the telephone anyway, but the actual telephone doesn't get a huge amount of traffic. Still, I can't deny that it's very convenient to have for that limited traffic. Despite e-mail and postal alternatives, the telephone still has its uses.
=Books and music
With no transport of my own and no social life, and by being careful about such things as food, clothes, shoes and electricity, I have money to spend on books and music. Even so, I only have limited funds to indulge these pleasures, so I am very price-conscious. Fortunately, there are plenty of bargains to be had. Once in a blue moon, I'll treat myself to something that I'd regard as expensive, if I want it badly enough, but obviously I can't do this often. When I'm tempted to buy something expensive, I always look at what I could spend the money on instead, knowing that I can't spend the money twice. Sometimes I'll decide that it's not worth the money.
If the government force me on to a slave labour scheme later this year that will last until I'm pensioned off, I'll cut back on such spending but I'll probably allow it to accrue as savings. Unless the slave labour scheme involves work that suits me, I won't be in any condition to enjoy a social life.
Amazon reviews
As I explained in Am I a benefit scrounger?, somebody accused me of fraud after looking at the stuff I review on Amazon and also at my lack of employment. I suppose it was inevitable that it would happen eventually, but I actually started writing those reviews when I still had a job and I've never had any shortage of material to review. This hobby is often regarded as nerdy but despite some frustrations, it has given me an interest that will sustain me while I am out of work. It has also enabled me to make contact with a lot of people around the world.
Games and puzzles
I like chess and some other Board games, but I don't have anybody to play against, so if I want to amuse myself that way, I have to play the computer. However, although I do that sometimes, I don't spend anything like the time that unemployed people are alleged to spend playing games. I have plenty of other things to do. In any case, I'm not interested in the kind of computer games that seem to be popular. I like strategy games, which a lot of people find boring.
Puzzles, especially jigsaw puzzles can be solved alone but they require me to be in a relaxed frame of mind so I rarely bother these days with all the stress. They'll have more appeal after I'm pensioned off.
Sport
I can only follow my favourite sport of Horse racing in a very limited way because I don't have TV and don't visit racecourses these days. When the big races come round, I sometimes watch them in a betting shop, but I don't usually bet. Radio coverage is limited, although the BBC give Cheltenham and Aintree plenty of attention, so it's really hard to follow the sport properly even with the internet. Horse racing books are generally expensive but I can get some of them at bargain prices and I occasionally buy others at higher prices, when I want them badly enough. When it comes to other sports, radio gives me most of what I want.
March 2013
Things get better for me eventually as I explain in Pensions and pension credits. All these things are worth having and will improve the quality of my life in some ways, but it still won't be a life of luxury by any means. It will just seem like it because my disposable income will more than double.
Hope for a better life?
Of course, I'd like to be able to spend a lot more money on non-essentials, but that would require an employer to offer me a job. Nothing is impossible, as The nineties job quest proved. I managed to find work after a gap of more than eight years once before, but I'm not sure that I can do an encore. Nevertheless, I don't want to continue with my current lifestyle if I can legitimately find a way to something better. There may be people who regard unemployment as the lifestyle of their choice. It isn't my choice.
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