Work hard, Pay harder

So it seems that working doesn’t necessarily pay more than being unemployed and receiving the accompanying benefits. Now that I have a job I thought my money troubles were going in the right direction hopefully being able to pay off my bills and maybe by the end of this contract I might be debt free (excluding student loans of course) the reality though is quite different.

Let me give you an idea of how things are for me. Before I was gainfully employed I was on JSA I had most of my rent taken care of only liable for about £50 a month and free to take some part time work at the cost of some of JSA money. It certainly wasn’t perfect but I was far more worried about not having the money for eat instead of not having somewhere to live.

Now I am working although part time and rent and council tax account for half my take home salary, unfortunately living along also generates a lot of other bills that need to be taken care of which further reduces down the money add in the travel costs for the new job and I realise why some people choose not to go back into work.

I will keep going though, the job itself is alright and the experience can only help in the long run as the job is only maternity cover so may be finishing in a matter of months. Give me a month or so and I will be able to say how the finances are fairing.

UPDATE: Apparently a job is not enough to justify an overdraft, I need a higher credit score. Just wait three months and then try again they say which is no help to someone who is trying to deal with the ridiculous costs of coming off JSA and moving into a job. That £100 job grant is great and all but doesn’t really go very far when travel costs per month are £150 and then you get hit for rent the next month of £230.

Sorry that was a little depressing but I thought injecting some real life experiences into the blog might be interesting and it is highly relevant in these financially unstable times to talk about work and the issues of coming off benefit to work.

[[[BOOKS]]]

Books are very important to me and I like to share what my current reads are. At the moment I am reading A Song of Fire and Ice by R.R. Martin, I had planned on reading the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series but had a problem with that so I went with A Song. I love fantasy stuff like this and Ranger’s Apprentice. The political intrigue is great and all the interconnecting stories just keep you eager for the next character chapter so you can learn about things from another angle.

Also I realised that ages ago I took out a deal offer for the new Twilight Encyclopedia but I have not taken it in yet I might pick it up for my birthday. I wonder what is in to be honest but hopefully it might lead into some insight past what the books have covered but we shall see.

I added some books to my Goodreads account for those that are interested, I should really sit down though and crank out some proper reviews. Well there are some holidays coming up so maybe I should add that to my holiday to do list.