Jeremy Hunt today announced the upcoming budget changes in the Autumn statement today.
As someone disabled and unable to work plus who lives on a poverty income thanks to this Tory government, I am upset to read the changes upcoming.
You can read the Autumn statement here.
From April energy prices are going up to £3000 a year.
This is after Jeremy Hunt removed the price cap which was supposed to last longer, but he changed it to end in April so energy will be MUCH more expensive in April 2023 than they are now!
Benefits are going up in April, and PIP should be going up. Some media outlets have been wrongly reporting conflicting information about PIP. Some saying it will go up and others saying it won’t. I think it is, but still not 100% sure to be honest at the time of writing this.
There will also be another payment for disabled people who are on certain benefits, just like they did this year.
So, I might get another £150 for disabled people, BUT this is not clear if PIP is included this time as the document doesn’t make it clear and often when they say disability benefit they mean ESA, not PIP.
I got the £150 this year for being disabled BUT that went on my over £700 in energy debt which keeps increasing as even standing charges alone are close to £1 a day before you do anything.
So that is why I can’t afford central heating.
Energy going up to £3000 is ridiculous, but I did expect this. I will continue to be without central heating for years to come.
Remember I haven’t been able to afford central heating on at all since April, even though this house is freezing year round and is 3c-7c indoors most of the year, so cold that I breathe steam inside.
Why is the house so cold you may ask?
Because it is a 2 foot thick stone wall building and stone is terrible for heat.
Plus there is severe damp and mould from the broken gutter, roof, damp proof course and of course, the flooding.
You might remember the gutter broke a few years back with a £700 replacement fee due to it being a listed building, that is just the gutter alone!
So can’t afford to fix any of it, hence the damp and mould which makes the temperature even cooler!
Remember that not all houses are the same. You probably live in a non-stone house and probably have insulation. These are thick SOLID stone walls with no insulation, damp, mould, flooding damage and a broken damp proof course in the north of England.
We don’t all live in the same place and every house is different.
I grew up and lived for 20 years with no central heating. Just a fire and I was fine because the house was generally warmer than here due to insulation and no stone!
Plus I am home all day every day in winter too. You are probably at work for half of the day.
We aren’t all the same so just because you are ok doesn’t mean anything. We don’t all live in the same place, or same type of building or even same town. We all live in different places!
Try living in 3c-7c indoors most of the year whilst having numerous conditions that are made worse due to cold.
I feel the cold more too and am cold below 24c.
I really wasn’t designed for UK weather even though born here in a country I despise but I can’t move as I can’t work and am disabled!
I do have 2 little heaters, one upstairs and one next to my chair downstairs. I boost them for about 5 mins at a time, twice a day as I can’t afford to have them on a lot and don’t know how much they are eating.
That is why I have smart plugs on my Amazon Wish List that allow you to turn plugs on remotely without having to get up, but also tells you how much energy you are using from the app!
So I could put a heater on and see how much it is using in the app so I can turn it off when it hits a certain amount.
I wear a thermal layer of clothes, then 2 layers on top, a dressing gown, plus 2 layers of thick socks, slippers, thermal neck warmer, a hat, hot water bottle constantly every day of the year, multiple times a day.
This is what I wear every day and I am still freezing with white hands and feet with red fingertips and toes.
I genuinely don’t know what to do or how I can survive much longer like this as I am freezing constantly and even breathe steam when I open my mouth. That is how cold it is. Your teeth chatter constantly.
I don’t want to die from cold because the government treats some disabled who don’t get ESA so badly. People that can get ESA or UC can get other things too, whereas I can’t get anything more. NOTHING!!
I cannot work and don’t earn more than a pound or two a year from the ads on my blog as they only earn money if people click the ads.
I try HARD to earn money. But I am so limited by what I can do that there isn’t anything else due to how hard it is for me to do anything.
I keep trying even though it is torture and I hate it
Remember I only get a little over £300 a month total income from PIP which is all I can get. I can’t get any other benefits or things such as warm home either. Just PIP! (see FAQ or about me for more info)
I can’t do anything else. I am already killing myself trying as it is!
How are you going to cope with the increased energy costs?
How do you feel about the Autumn statement?
If you wish to help at all, there are many ways you can! Just check out my support me page and there is lots of FREE or paid ways to help.
You can even just donate grocery gift cards or items from my Amazon wish list if you don’t wish to donate money!
