[Misc] How long can You go on?

[Kinky Gerbil]

We are about 3/4 weeks away from what I mentioned on the main Covid thread yesterday - some people having to go back to work and willing to risk people they don’t know dying so they don’t suffer.

It’s not a pleasant option, but it’s a choice that is coming soon.

I am furloughed, I fully expect to be out of a job once this is over due to working for a tour operator.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I'm still on a knife edge btw. My company's division is partnered with a consultancy who are actively chasing new work and have decisions on two projects pending. If we get one out of the two I'm fine, if we get both we don't have enough people and if we get neither I'm probably screwed. I'd be ok on furlough by cutting back (and a lot of what I spend on isn't possible anyway. i.e. gigs, eating out and football), I'd be ok for three months if made redundant and I could probably do a month on no pay at all.

Everyone is in the same boat though. I can see both the mortgage deferral scheme and furlough potentially getting extended. No one is going to want to evict countless families who might have the 'rona from properties that then become effectively worthless. Self employed / directors a bit more worrying. Personally if it came to it I'd look for work with a supermarket or food producer if I could. There's a story doing the rounds of a BA Pilot who is working as a Tesco delivery driver for now. Would bring in money, stop boredom and look pretty decent on your cv.

 

[Horses Arse]

There's plenty who will say that on a messageboard. Too few go through with it at the ballot box

That does seem to be the problem - key reason for the mess we are in.

 

[Titanic]

As I work from home (IT for a bank), I am working as normal, with a bit extra to cover for a team member who is off sick.

 

[LamieRobertson]

There's plenty who will say that on a messageboard. Too few go through with it at the ballot box

And the choices were shit and crap?

 

[bomber130]

I’m quite fortunate as I spent 23 years in the Airforce and have a comfortable pension. I also took my civil service pension early and coincidentally received the first payment today. I certainly feel for all those unable to work especially if they have mortgages. All I can say is claim what you can and hopefully you can get through this. Given my circumstances I wouldn’t claim anything if I could as others need it more than me. Stay safe everyone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[lawros left foot]

I’m expecting to be one of the last back at work, small cafe owner.
I don’t think we’ll be back until the end of June, early July, and even that may be a bit optimistic. I can’t believe how little I’m spending personally though, only myself and Mrs LLF at home, our expenditure isn’t half of what I thought it would be.

The business will struggle for a while when we reopen, I imagine there’s a lot of very nervous people out there who still won’t want to sit in a confined space with lots of strangers even when this is over.
The Government grant could be the difference between surviving or going under, although I have cut out all unnecessary spending, phone, broadband, card machine rental etc, but, our biggest expenditure, rent, is a bit of problem as the owner is being quite uncooperative.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Well looking at some of the comments on here I'm not in a bad place , don't have a mortgage own our own car, don't have holidays on credit cards, don't run a business, I'll just carry on until taken off furlough and carry on as 'Normal,' after that hopefully ,at NO point do I take anything for granted in life
Regards
DF

 

[Rogero]

Being pensioners we have actually saved money . This is because we are not spending on petrol, feeding grandchildren, going out and booking holldays etc. One of son in laws has lost everything having worked all year for a cancelled festival .When we get back to normal will have some work done not just for ourselves but to employ people . We need to buy British items to stimulate the economy. I feel for many of you at this difficult time .

 

[Weststander]

The extent of this furloughing will be pretty much dependent upon how much is left in the Govt piggy bank.

It's unlimited in reality, as the government/BOE create money.

 

[Albion in the north]

In our household we are probably the opposit of most people.
We run the "local shop for local people" and business is booming. However in the previous 15 years my wife and I have lived on relatively little income (less than 30k between us) being content to be able to watch our children grow, take them to school everyday, see all their plays and concerts. It was a real lifestyle choice. Happiness over money everyday for me.
Now turnover has almost doubled as well as the number of hours I am working. I almost feel guilty earning extra as the country is up shit creek.
I have friends who run larger concerns than ours who drive flashy cars and live in big houses but took a good amount of their earnings as dividends and even though they talk as though they would like me to feel sympathy for them but I feel none at all. Theyve played the game up until now and havent put anything aside for a rainy day. Well its pouring down now.They are probably still going to be earning more than me when they get their 80%, Weve just always lived our lives relative to how much we earned.
So the answer to the question for me is, I can go on as long as I am able to keep up the 12+ hours a day, 7 days a week I am currently working.

 

[Nobby Horton's Knob]

'Fortunately' for me, i'm employed by Royal Mail and have seen my work triple overnight. The good people stuck indoors are ordering more online than ever. It's manic. No complaints from me. Never have i been more grateful to be overworked and under intense pressure. I still have a fairly secure job. Many others aren't so lucky.

 

[blue-shifted]

And the choices were shit and crap?

In general they won't

 

[Weststander]

It's an old quote but many many people don't have £1,000 in savings if their hot water tank or boiler goes tits up. So, the government has no money and many of the population don't have the money, how did we get to be the 5th biggest economy in the World ? and, where is the money ?

Every major country has colossal net state debt in the $trillions, even Germany, Canada and China. Because populaces have always demanded state spending well ahead of tax revenues. 'Investment', annual budget deficits and servicing the debt, the three causes.

Low population countries with huge oil reserves such as Kuwait and Brunei, are the very exceptions.

The size of the economy just means total output.

As Nye Bevan said "The secret of the National Insurance Fund is that there ain't no fund". We've never has state cash in the bank.

 

[Baker lite]

I can consider Myself so very fortunate, still working, My heart goes out to all that are worrying about their jobs and businesses, hopefully, as a nation We will come back even stronger than before.

 

[Weststander]

As they have said work is to start on the vanity project that is HS2 they must have plenty of money to burn...

Not money to burn, that was going to huge new state debt too.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Yes, but think of all of the money we will save being out of the EU.............

 

[vegster]

Yes, but think of all of the money we will save being out of the EU.............

Shhhhh… there won't be any !

 

[happypig]

I'm very lucky; mortgage paid off, early retired with a defined benefit pension and a decent lump sum in the bank (well, in the erniebonds). Mrs will be taking her pension soon. Don't have any debts so we have enough coming in to live reasonably.

I am, though, a bit bored being off all day every day and was planning to look for another part-time job but I've changed that plan as I reckon there are others who need a job more than I do.

Once all this coronabollocks settles down I am going to look into volunteering at the Bluebell railway, but on the telephones side of things.

 

[Jack Straw]

This face mask stuff is certainly coming more to the fore ...government advice moved a tad earlier in the week ..one of my customers had one on yesterday and what with work distancing I couldn’t hear a word she said

She said "Ot eugh uck eu un ue my awn!"