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Legal, pensions and money

no income

(255 Posts)
Lilylavender Mon 26-Aug-19 18:54:13

I dont understand why I have no money of my own
My hubby is 70 amd gets state pension plus pension credit which apparently inlcudes a small amount for being married
as i am only 62 have to wait 4 years for my pension if it ever happens as they keep raising the age
We dont actually have enough pension for hubby to give me some for spending money as we have two sons at home who also,pay board which pays for broadband etc
I feel like I am a second class citizen. A woman who brought a family up and has to ask the husband for any pennies. In the case of his bday anniversary christmas etc I cant go and buy anything is secret.
I realize that most women my age with pension age husband maybe in the same boat. I brought up 5 children over 37 years so never had a private pension nor worked full time.
I feel left out. Surely we should be paid something.

MissAdventure Thu 29-Aug-19 12:48:05

Your health issues are why you get pip though, Lily.
It is yours alone for you to spend, precisely because you can't work.

The system is working well for you, as it should do, I think?

sodapop Thu 29-Aug-19 12:54:24

That of course is your choice Lilylavender but you must consider your own needs as well as those of your adult children. Time to talk to your family about finances I think including your husband. I understand you being defensive about your children but the fact remains you chose to have five.

rosecarmel Thu 29-Aug-19 14:56:59

Lily, I'm not sorry you started this thread or asked questions- Financial discussions help everyone- Especially so during these politically, rocky periods-

You mentioned in one of your posts something about receiving 1000 monthly - Do you set that income aside to cover necessary expenses for mortage/rent, utilities, food and auto or for items you want?

M0nica Thu 29-Aug-19 15:35:54

Maw I was surprised what you said about asking your DH for money when you didn't work when your children were small.

We always treated all income from both, or one of us as a joint family and income and that I earned my share by looking after house and family, and much else because DH traveled so much. Each month I allocated the family income into the various necessary pots and what was left was split in two. Family Allowance was part of that family pot. For convenience I set it aside as the clothing budget for DC and myself.

The money was split between us depending on what we paid for, housekeeping on my part. What we then did with the money was nobodies business but the individuals. If I spent the months money on a designer coat that was up to me providing that everybody was fed and clothed and I knew how I intended to pay for everything.

The only time I have ever asked DH for money was for a week when my handbag with all my cash, credit, debit cards and cheque book was stolen and I hated every second of it.

rosecarmel Thu 29-Aug-19 15:54:25

In the US there are plenty of male judges in the courts that view husbands earnings as more than housewives contributions- Doesn't matter how much husbands incomes are- The way the see it, housewives earn "their keep" in exchange for the roof over their heads, food and so forth- 6 children? No matter- The husbands income is always valued as more-

Cherrytree59 Thu 29-Aug-19 17:05:49

Sorry to bang on but...
Like many others on GN, I was born in the late 50s and will not receive any state pension until at least 66yrs.

Some posters on the one hand have pointed out that 'we' were warned and should have made provision and/or be happy to work at least part time until eventually receiving the state pension.

Also pointing out that in a fair society both women and men should retire at the same age.

However on the other hand quite a few of those giving out such advice, were I presume more than happy to receive their state pension at 60, probably without one iota of worry that their 'Poor' husbands had to work an extra 5 years.

We are not talking peanuts here.
1950s women will be 40 to 50 thousand pounds poorer than the previous decade of women .

Had the goal posts not changed, the OP would be in receipt of her own state pension, just as other posters did when they turned 60.

Also as one poster on another thread mentioned, she was still working at 60 and was not in need of money, so chose defer the state pension for several years.

This would mean that future monthly payments would be considerably more, when eventually deciding to draw the pension.

Not an option for 60 year old waspi women.sad

Floradora9 Thu 29-Aug-19 17:25:03

The only person who should give you money is your DH . You are a couple and perhaps it is time to have a chat about your finances. If your sons are not paying their way either I would set down luncheon meat and one potato for their evening meal and say you cannot wash the clothes because you have no money to buy soap pwder.

Hetty58 Thu 29-Aug-19 17:50:39

I like your thinking Floradora! It does your sons no favours to allow them to save up at your expense. How can they truly understand the importance of planning, budgeting and living according to their means while you artificially reduce their living costs?

MawB Thu 29-Aug-19 18:27:45

M0nica I cannot understand how you interpreted my post to say that I ever asked my DH for money confused
(Cut and pasted verbatim below)
I did not go back to work until the youngest started school, not that I had to ask for any money but I did feel I was buying DH’s birthday or Christmas present out of his money. Fortunately he did not see things that way as everything went into the joint account, but I also used to save my Family Allowance for little extras
I wrote precisely the contrary of what you seem to have read!

Maggiemaybe Thu 29-Aug-19 18:28:41

Bang on all you like, Cherrytree, I think you speak for many of us.

And however savvy we may have been in our working lives, could any of us have guessed that when we opted out to better provide for our retirement, we would then find those years no longer counted towards our state pension?

You’re correct, Lilylavender. We should all have been issued with a crystal ball.

Nico97 Thu 29-Aug-19 18:36:31

Well said Cherrytree59 -agree with all you've said, from a very disgruntled Waspi angry

suziewoozie Thu 29-Aug-19 18:58:00

Cherry none of us can help when we were born. I appreciate that I am not a WASPI woman but it’s not a one way ticket - women like you 10 + older than me benefited at a younger age from equal pay legislation, free and better contraception, sex discrimination legislation, abortion rights. I’m glad you did. I never ever thought that the unequal state pension age was acceptable and was pleased at the 1997 legislation for equalising ages. I’ve said before that it was the acceleration of theses changes and the lack of systematic notification that was wrong .

suziewoozie Thu 29-Aug-19 18:59:20

10+ years younger of course I meant

Glammy57 Thu 29-Aug-19 19:00:03

Lily. Please don’t be sorry for posting - some of us have empathy. Nobody should judge you for having five children, it has nothing to do with anyone else.
I did mention Citizens Advice Bureau, previously. You should find that those working in the voluntary sector are non-judgemental and will do their utmost to advise you.
I hope your financial situation will improve. All the best! ??

suziewoozie Thu 29-Aug-19 20:02:48

Glammy I think having five children is a matter of concern to others - they consume a variety of resources including health and education , child benefit and prevent ( usually ) mothers from working and building up pension rights and savings. If you live in a society which collectively provides through taxation for some of the costs associated with bringing up children, then it is to do with those of us who work and pay our taxes to support those that have far more children than they need to .

Glammy57 Thu 29-Aug-19 21:15:57

I am paying my taxes to help those less fortunate than myself.

annep1 Thu 29-Aug-19 21:39:02

Glammy57 is right.
The OP is asking for advice. Not our views on having children.

hellymart Thu 29-Aug-19 21:44:57

62 really isn't old, so unless you're disabled or can't work for any other reason, I don't understand why, if you need money, you don't try to find yourself a job? Even part time, something that would just bring in a little income each week. You might actually even enjoy it.

Callistemon Thu 29-Aug-19 21:51:51

If thought that the OP is in receipt of PIP so presumably she is considered not fit enough to work hellymart

Which means there is money coming in.
I think this is about the change in pension age.

annep1 Thu 29-Aug-19 22:13:07

Just realised OP is in receipt of PIP. That's hers. Sorry I don't know what more she wants. I'm off.

Marydoll Thu 29-Aug-19 22:32:35

Receiving PIP doesn't always mean you are unfit to work.
You can still be working and receive it.
I know someone, who is receiving it and he is in employment.
It is not means tested, nor taxable.

suziewoozie Thu 29-Aug-19 22:58:44

Yes Marydoll you are absolutely right. PIP is to contribute towards the extra costs of being disabled - eg if you get the mobility component you could use it for taxis or a motability vehicle. The daily living component could be used for paying someone to come in and prepare a meal for you or do some cleaning. Of course you can spend it how you want - that’s your choice. The recent changes to PIP have seen some people having it withdrawn thereby losing their motability vehicle thereby not being able to get to work and losing their job. It’s a pity that people so often conflate having a disability with not being able to wok. It all depends - David Blunkett couldn't drive a bus but he was Home Secretary.

Callistemon Thu 29-Aug-19 23:09:50

A change of rules, then, from the days of Incapacity Benefit.
I am not up-to-date.

Callistemon Thu 29-Aug-19 23:12:25

I do not conflate having a disability with being unable to work but assumed that PIP was paid to someone unable to work through illness or disability.

Marydoll Thu 29-Aug-19 23:22:44

I know of a lady who uses it to pay someone to do her ironing, something she finds difficult to do.
She also gets her hair washed at the hairdressers, as she finds great difficulty washing her hair.

The young man I know, gets the mobility component, as he is unable to cope with public transport, due to his autism, so runs an automatic car to allow him to get to work.

I think there are many misconceptions about PIP.

My BIL, was on dyalisis, had heart failure, cancer and diabetes
He couldn't walk fifty yards, but still thought he wouldn't qualify for PIP
In the end he agreed to apply, after it took my husband and SIL to push him upstairs to the loo and he realised he needed a stair lift.
He died the day his award letter came in. ?
He should have applied years ago, but thought it was only for ' disabled people', not people like him.

Sorry, I digress.
The OP should apply for ESA, if she is unable to work.