Quids in! Magazine Autumn 2021

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Quids in!

AUTUMN 2021 / WWW.QUIDSINMAGAZINE.COM

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M A S

N A C "YOU " !

S I H T DOSAMPLE EXPERT ADVICE ON: ✔SPENDING ✔SAVING ✔BORROWING ✔INCOME

D THE N I H E B S WHAT’

S W E N Welcome

E L DUE P 0 UC UPLIFT TO A£2M

Quids in! is the money skills bit of Clean Slate, a notfor-profit helping people across the UK on low incomes.

Since lockdown, we hit the phones to reach out to people fearing they’d stepped into financial quicksand. Our money health-check support helped people put hundreds of “When money thousands of pounds into their pockets. worries get Some told us they lighter, the days felt they’d reached the end of the road. seem brighter” But having someone to talk to about practical, day-to-day concerns made all the difference.

We’re not counsellors, but when money worries get lighter, the days seem brighter. Many went from feeling hopeless to starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.

A surprising number who couldn’t see a future started planting gardens.

Nothing says planning ahead like sowing seeds. So the green shoot on the cover is more than a symbol.

It reflects the changes people are making, starting with their finances.

Thanks to everyone sharing their stories. And our team on the phones.

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Jeff, Editor

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he £20 Universal Credit uplift is due to finish at the end of September, cutting the incomes of 6.2 million people across the UK. Despite opposition, PM Boris Johnson has said the cut will go ahead.

But as we know this government is no stranger to U-turns, we’ve laid out the benefits – to everyone – of a strong welfare safety net.

At the start of the pandemic, the £20 uplift boosted the economy as it targeted low-income households – who spend a bigger chunk of their cash than people who can afford to save.

In fact, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found that government cash targeted at poorer households was two to three times more effective at boosting consumer spending.

JRF also found that putting money into benefits is quick to do and so the

■ Future-proof your finances with our quiz at qimag.uk/quiz

In this issue…

Perfect pets

On air

A fresh start

The benefit of getting on top of your bills Page 6

A positive approach to finances – and life Page 8

Sowing the seeds for a brighter future Page 4

• Address 24 James Street West, Bath, BA1 2BT Tel 0845 646 0469 • Editor Jeff Mitchell Email editor@quidsinmagazine.com • Office Manager Dan Fineman Email daniel.fineman@cleanslateltd.co.uk • Partnerships Manager Lisa Woodman Email lisa.woodman@cleanslateltd.co.uk • Deputy Editor Anna Reynolds Email anna.reynolds@cleanslateltd.co.uk • Design Joe Burt • Staff Writer Sarah Reid Email sarah.reid@cleanslateltd.co.uk © This magazine may not be reproduced in part or full without prior written permission The publisher (Clean Slate Training & Employment CIC) makes every effort to ensure content is correct at the time of going to print.

We have no political allegiances, and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or editor. Any relationship with advertisers or sponsors is always on the understanding that we retain our editorial independence.

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payoff for our battered economy is rapid.

For people who’ve lost their job, benefits can protect their mental health and make them more likely to chase new work, said JRF. And then there’s the ethics.

Removing the £20 will drag 500,000 people, including 200,000 children, below the poverty line.

As the uplift was never applied to those on legacy benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance, there’s another group of people who’ve been left to struggle.

JRF estimates that making the uplift permanent and giving it to people on legacy benefits would cost £8.4bn. If it keeps everyone’s heads above water it feels like it would be money well spent.

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editor@quidsinmagazine.com

● But there’s a good case for keeping it in place

Our purpose

Quids in! guides are designed to help people understand and manage their money better. They are published by Clean Slate, a CIC (Community Interest Company) and a social enterprise.

Clean Slate is a social enterprise that helps people on low incomes become better off through money guidance, employment support and digital skills. Staff recruited from the communities we work in offer advice alongside structured training.

Our money skills initiative (Quids in!) publishes a magazine, specialist guides, a website and monthly money email.

NEWS

HELP WITH

ENERGY

BILLS

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● Welcome news as prices rise

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he planned end to the UC uplift coincides with the largest ever increase in energy bills.

In August, regulator Ofgem upped the price cap by £139, taking it to £1,277 from £1,138 on 1st October and affecting more than 15 million people.

Prepayment customers will see an increase of £153 – from £1,156 to £1,309.

But there’s help out there for people on low incomes in the form of the £140 Warm Home Discount.

It’s paid out to people on the guarantee credit element of Pension

Credit, as well as certain people on low incomes.

To find out if you qualify, contact your energy supplier now – there’s a finite pot of money and the suppliers decide who gets the discount.

Customers who qualify will need to stay with their supplier until the discount is paid, which will be by 31st March next year. Find out which companies are involved at qimag.uk/whd.

Charity Independent Age called the

“Contact your energy supplier now”

benefit “life-changing” but warned that because of low awareness and take-up of Pension Credit older people alone are missing out on £88m from the Warm Home Discount.

And it’s worth remembering the discount won’t affect Cold Weather Payments or Winter Fuel Payments.

HIGH COURT BACKS PAYDAY LOAN REFUNDS ● £50m pot to be shared out

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eople who were mis-sold an unaffordable loan through Provident, Satsuma, Greenwood or Glo may be able to get some of their money back.

Provident failed to carry out proper affordability checks, which led to the Financial Ombudsman upholding three in four complaints against the company.

Now the High Court has backed a partial repayment scheme, which came into force in August.

More than four million loans are covered and the ruling applies to loans from four brands – Provident (“doorstep loans” or “home credit”), Satsuma payday loans, Greenwood and Glo. The loans were sold between 6th April

2007 and 17th December 2020 and if they left customers unable to pay their usual bills and expenses it’s likely they’d be classed as unaffordable.

To get a refund, customers should set up an account at scheme. providentpersonalcredit.com/Claims. html – but there’s only six months to do so and a limit of £50m for payouts.

Sara Williams, of debt advice website Debt Camel, said: “People won’t get paid their full refund in the scheme as there is only £50m to be paid out. But it is well worth making a claim as this is easy to do and you may get hundreds of pounds refunded. And as a bonus any problems will be removed from your credit record!”

“You may get hundreds of pounds refunded”

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JOIN THE CONVERSATION Got something you want to tell us, or a money-saving tip to share? There's £50 for the best letter, email or tweet, so include your name and address.

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Quids in! | 3

SOWING THE SEEDS FOR

E R U T U F R E T A BRIGH

g else gets tight everythin is ey on m en s h w oyment – and it er for us all and pl gh Em u & to g e in lif in e ra ad T ers’ Covid has m ere. Clean Slate ce. Our custom th vi t ad ou g p in el h er is off e possible. ong the places harder. But ther orrow is always ids in! – are am m u Q to m er tt ar s be ill a sk at money e, show th ones shared her stories, like the

E L P L E H M RAC SA opoulos

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ed ‘A weight lift ers’ off my should

Rachel is 42 and a single mum of four. Her expartner was controlling and abusive and left her with almost £10,000 in credit card debt. She’s not out the other side yet – but her future is one of hope rather than despair.

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reviously, my ex was so controlling of things. I used to be self-employed – I’d pay my own bills and have my own money.

But then I lost my job, he moved in and started his own business and all my family credit stopped. All his earnings were in his bank – he wouldn’t put me anywhere near the money.

I had to beg him. I’ve never begged for money off anyone, it’s the worst thing in the world.

After my benefits, I’d have something like £60 a month left. That’s for fuel, food and everything else. I used to just buy bread and milk.

Now I’m earning myself, it’s so much more positive. I’ve just landed myself two part-time jobs and it’s so nice to have that wage packet. I have thought a few times about being a manager, maybe in the supermarket where I work. I’m such an organiser, and I’m good under pressure.

The first thing I’d say [about debt] is don’t panic. Because at the beginning I think that’s what I did. Now I’ve got this A4 piece of paper with bills on. When they go out, I tick them off. You’ve just got to work out your priority bills and seek help.

One by one I went through the list and when I got to the end a weight lifted off my shoulders.

There was something really good about just getting stuff off your chest. I’m still in the hole at the moment because I still owe loads of money, but everybody’s happy with what I’m paying.

There’s light at the end of the tunnel.

‘I wanted to be better off for my family’

ELLIMAY E

L P M A S W

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hen she was younger, Ellimay inherited a strip of land in Bath. She used to keep horses there, but later in life as a mum of three she found herself in a refuge after escaping an abusive relationship.

Although she was now safe, Ellimay was at a low point and couldn’t bring herself to visit her land.

“In a refuge, all you can think about is being rehoused,” she says.

“Although it’s great you have a roof over your head, it’s not a home and never feels like home.”

So when it came to moving on from the refuge, Ellimay began to visit her field again. She bought two goats and a flock of chickens.

“I just like that sort of lifestyle,” she says. “It’s important for me to be around animals.”

But there was still something missing. Ellimay was trying to find work but needed computer skills to be able to use email, search for jobs online and write her CV. “I wanted to be better off for my family, I wanted to do my bit and have something for me as well because it makes you feel good going to work,” she says. “I managed to get a free laptop from a scheme through Clean Slate.

“It’s nice that they’ve been there because they’ve signposted me to other help and kept my morale up.

You know, that friendship develops with the support workers. They

DAVID

‘I was convinced there was nothing I could do.

I was wrong’

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David is 40. He now works 24 hours a week as a support worker with Clean Slate after first using the service nine years ago. He lives in Wiltshire and has a four-year-old daughter who stays with him on weekends.

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t was about 2012, I was working in retail but I lost my job. And I was applying for literally anything, jobs that I really didn't want but that would pay the bills.

Ideally, I wanted to go into journalism because I studied creative writing at uni. But I got nothing except for a job delivering pizzas. So I did that for about six months. And then I lost my car – someone drove into it and it was written off.

Obviously, I couldn't do that any more.

I just felt utterly hopeless – that pizza job was the only thing I'd been able to find.

Then Clean Slate gave me three hours a week working with them. Having that as a stepping stone resulted in better confidence and better mental health.

Remembering how absolutely hopeless I felt, and especially If you’re struggling, talking about it again, brought seek support – maybe a work it all back. At the time, I was coach, landlord or your council absolutely convinced there could help? And of course there’s was nothing I could do. And mental health, always Clean Slate. We help people I was wrong. Now I can very even a short with work, money and getting online much relate to people who are walk a day is across Bath & NE Somerset, Bristol, feeling like that. proven to reduce Gloucestershire, and parts of London.

I had debt issues, so again, stress. Even if Get in touch on 0845 646 0469 that’s something I can relate to. you feel you’ve or visit cleanslateltd.co.uk/ It’s one of those things that gets lost your place a bit, contact worse until you actually deal with it.

I think you need to get As soon as you engage with it, it's a lot out and create another more straightforward and a lot less scary life or follow another dream. than you think it's going to be.

“Growing veg, if you have the I think that we make people aware that space, is a good way to go and there's a lot more help and support out there a very nice thing to do. You get than they realise. I certainly hope that when they really attached to the plants and come to us, they're treated as individuals. disappointed if they fail.

If you're worried about money, that's going to “I have plans to keep the field have an impact on your mental health. And if you as a green area for all to enjoy – have mental health issues, that's going to affect we never mind visitors. Hopefully how you deal with money.

I can progress it to something for the community.”

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care about your situation.”

When she moved to her new house she was able to kit it out while keeping a handle on her spending.

“With Covid the charity shops weren’t open, so keeping your eyes peeled in residential areas is good for things people are giving away.

I also used the food co-op to keep food costs down and as a way of getting back into the community.”

Her life is back on track, but Ellimay says she still faces the challenges shared by many on low incomes.

“I’m still healing and, although I may have done good, it doesn’t always feel like that,” she says.

“Being outdoors is good for

Quids in! | 5

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JACKIE J

ackie’s finances were causing her a lot of anxiety. She was managing her money alone but a mild learning disability as well as physical health conditions made that tough.

Debt also preyed on her mind, as did Christmas and the worry of not having enough money saved to buy presents.

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PAY YOURSELF – AND SAVE So in October 2019 Jackie was referred to Clean Slate in Gloucester, where she did the money health check and benefits checker. It was soon clear that she didn’t have a firm idea of what was happening with her cash – she should have had £150 left over at the end of each month but this wasn’t the case.

“One of the main things I learned was to pay yourself each month and to save,” says Jackie now.

“I’ve got over £500 saved up, nearly

‘For me, a dog is vital’

£250 in my current account and £40 credit with my landlord.

“The best thing was being able to get on top of my bills and getting in credit with my rent,” she says.

MENTAL HEALTH BOOST The course that Jackie attended with her son was tailored to the needs of people with disabilities and it ended up providing a real boost to her morale. It covered benefits checks, price comparison websites, ways to cut grocery spending, as well as places to find other bargains.

And one vital thing that came to light was that Jackie’s grocery spend was higher than it needed to be because her fridgefreezer was small and a bit rubbish. So she looked online for white goods and sourced a free, nearly new appliance.

(See quidsinmagazine.com/blog-post/ the-white-stuff/ for tips on how you can

grab a bargain).

Finding ways to save money helped Jackie afford two things very close to her heart – her English bulldog Bella and her 20-year-old cat Tiger Lily.

“For me a dog is vital,” she says. “I couldn’t do without her, it would kill me. My mental health would go down the pan. Dogs keep you company, they’re just there.

“They help you with your mental health, just being able to get out and walk them.”

CHRISTMAS CONFIDENCE Jackie started putting money aside to cover vet bills and other pet costs, as well as £5 a week into her savings account for birthdays and Christmas.

“This year I feel better about Christmas, I can make sure I have enough food in,” she says. “I’ve got savings, which makes it easier to buy presents, and I’m going to do my shopping online instead.” © Frankie Stone Photography

Make a difference

W

e would like to thank all the people who have been so generous in sharing their stories for this issue of Quids in!. Real stories bring issues to life and make sure others going through the same things feel less alone.

Our readers’ stories are so important right now.

While we hope the Covid disaster is ending, the impact on people’s money is only just coming to light. It must not be ignored. After the banking collapse in 2008, the government tried to tell us we were all in it together. It wasn’t true then but maybe with Covid we are. It’s time to expose the truth.

What are the challenges you face and have you found any solutions or help to cope? Are there things that need to change? Have you got any top tips that might help others? If you’d like to share a story with us, we’d love to hear from you. If you’re reading this, you already know that readers love to hear from other readers. Maybe someone out there is going through what you’ve been through. Your story could really help.

‘Thank you for being there in the dark times’

share your story

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Fill in your story online at: qimag.uk/asitis Call us on 020 3540 7420 and tell your story to our special answering service Email us at: voices@ cleanslateltd.co.uk

Reader Niki from St Albans got in touch to say how grateful she is for Quids in! and the topics we cover. iki is a single mum to two “amazing” teenagers and a Quids in! reader who keeps in touch about her progress. She points out that money management and debt is a subject that’s dogged by shame. “It usually makes speaking out and asking for help in such matters something of a social taboo,” she says.

Sharing stories of people who’ve made huge leaps towards financial stability is all part of what we do. There should be no shame in revealing the struggles we all share from time to time. Quids in! believes our silence just makes it easier for people to ignore. Niki reminds us that knowing she is not alone helps her to keep going.

Niki says her student son moving back in with her due to Covid made her existing money worries even more stark. But she’s hopeful of better things to come. “We have been here (and much worse) before and managed to dig ourselves out,” she says. “However there are times when things are very dark and I would just like to thank you for reminding me that there are plenty of others in the exact same situation and that we are not alone.”

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✆ QUIDS IN! USEFUL NUMBERS

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LOAN SHARKS The Illegal Money Lending Team tackles loan sharks. Call anonymously on ✆ 0300 555 2222, text LOAN SHARK and your details to 60003 or email them at reportaloanshar k @stoploanshark s.gov.uk .

In Wales call ✆ 0300 123 3311 or email imlu@cardiff.gov.uk.

Scotland: ✆ 0141 2876 655, or email loansharks@glasgow.gov.uk CREDIT UNIONS Credit unions are not-for-profit organisations that provide bank accounts, loans and savings. They may help people the banks won’t. To find your local credit union call ✆ 0161 832 3694 or visit www.findyourcreditunion.co.uk.

BENEFITS • People with disabilities or carers should contact the Disabilit y Benefits Centre (✆ 0345 605 6055) and for Child Benefit and tax credits call Inland Revenue

(✆ 0845 300 3900).

• Council Tax and Housing Benefit is dealt with by your local council.

• Benefits calculator www.entitledto.co.uk • Pensions Service: ✆ 0800 99 12340

DEBT ADVICE For free debt advice and help, contact any of the organisations below.

• National Debtline ✆ 0808 808 4000 www.nationaldebtline.org • StepChange Debt Charity ✆ 0800 138 1111 www.stepchange.org • Citizens Advice www.citizensadvice.org.uk.

In Wales call ✆ 08444 77 20 20 England call ✆ 08444 111 444 • Citizens Advice Scotland www.cas.org.uk. ✆ 0808 800 9060 • Debt Arrangement Scheme (Scotland) ✆ 0300 200 2770 www.dasscotland.gov.uk Government-backed scheme to pay debts.

Quids in!

Readers Club Pleased to receive your free Quids in! every three months? Now you can stay in touch all the time with our new Readers Club. Join the growing crowd of money-saving, savvy-shopping, debt-beating, cash-boosting Club members and receive freebies and top tips throughout the year by email.

Sign up here: qimag.uk/QIClubReg

Quids in! | 7

HASINA

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g n i k o o l t a d o o g y r e v m ’ ’ I e l ‘ p o e p r e h t o r out fo

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am an exciting mother, grandma to many,” says Hasina.

Grandma to 21, to be precise.

She also works as a support worker for Clean Slate and is a Quids In! reader.

Hasina lived in Jamaica until age 11, when she came to the UK. She went back to Jamaica aged 19 and had her first child, then returned to the UK aged 22.

Now she brings a wealth of life experience to helping others through her role at Clean Slate.

“This kind of work is something I do every day anyway,” she says.

“I’m constantly helping people in my community with their financial situation.

I’m very good at looking out for other

8 | Quids in!

E L P M A people, it’s my life’s work.”

Her other life’s work is broadcasting.

It’s something she’s done for 11 years and she now presents two shows on community radio from her studio at home.

“For me the importance of doing it is reaching the audience,” she says. “And that’s the motivation I had.

RIDING THE AIRWAVES “In 2018, I joined what is now known as Radio Thamesmead. I’m one of the few people who do live shows – I can’t do recorded stuff. I like things to be spontaneous. But every time I go in the studio I still get nervous.”

With this much on her plate, it’s

remarkable that Hasina also finds time to help others. But she feels it’s important.

“I know things can be awful when money is short,” she says.

“We need to prioritise our expenditure and also look carefully at how we can maximise our income. That’s the reason agencies like Clean Slate have a place – in assisting people to complete that extra walk toward happiness.

“Basically my philosophy is that our financial stability will only happen when our attitude toward our lifestyle changes then our behaviour will follow.

“My mission in life is to motivate people to think more positively about themselves.”