I’m a single mum claiming a UC top up AMA

[cadburyegg]

There’s a lot of negative press and misinformation about benefit claimants so thought I’d start a thread. I work nearly full time and have 2 children. Ask away.

It’s good to know you managed to climb the ranks. I don’t have firm plans yet but I’d like to go into software development or cyber security, something like that.

Even worse poverty. Is there even enough jobs for everyone?

3 bedroom house in Cambridgeshire which is an expensive area. Like I said to you before the low mortgage payment is due to a number of things.

If anyone asked I’d tell them but not many people know, it’s not something that comes up much in conversation. The people who do know think I deserve every penny.

Ours is about £400 for a two bed but in a area not many would want to live in! 🤷

Yes, but given the plethora of different kinds of parents relying on UC top ups while their kids are small, maybe....just maybe....being on benefits isn't the chief cause of intergenerational poverty and low achievement? 🤔

Not really sure what you want out of this conversation. I suppose you’re hinting that you want a more means tested system that looks at people’s outgoings. Well, that would cost the taxpayer even more to administrate.

I’m not disregarding that I save money for the children. I don’t really see that £25 each a month is a groundbreaking sum of money. I’d see your point if it was £500 or something.

Families often have big costs particularly homeowners. Are people never supposed to be able to save up to buy things like a new carpet, new boiler, new car etc. I can access a credit card if I need to. Others with a poor credit rating are less able to.

This kind of conversation and derailment is irrelevant to this thread because it’s not my situation at all

I’m playing devil’s advocate but, based on the information you’ve given here, some people would say you can’t afford your third child.

No. My mum was the breadwinner in my family. She went from running a department in the NHS to cashing in her pension and setting up privately, working 60 hour weeks. She’s still working now, at 80, because she wants to. She’s probably paid more into the system than all the trolls on this thread combined.

But she could only do that because my dad was a SAHD.

I see this period of my life as temporary, which it is, and I’m claiming a bit of help for my children whilst they are young.

My children are both boys so I hope to bring them up to be useful contributing members of society, unlike their father. That’s the only “cycle” I’m desperate to break.

Hope that helps.

There are always jobs being Advertised - well locally to me

but people don’t want to serve in Asda or Madonalds or clean toilets etc

I work in that sort of job. The amount of people who think they are too good for that type of work is hilarious.

Benefits have been around since the 1940s.

Before the 1990s it was expected that single mothers would be at home. Then it slowly shifted. It’s only been since 2008 that single mothers have been required to work and back then it was only when the youngest child reached 12. The age limit has been lowered gradually since then.

So, actually you’re wrong and it’s the other way round - it’s only been in recent years that single mothers are expected to work at all.

I didn’t expect this thread to get so much attention. I have made sure to answer all the questions, keep asking, but I haven’t got the time to reply to every single post.

Thank you to those who have contributed constructively to the thread, I’m really grateful

It’s payday today and I’m going to buy some dahlias from the farm shop down the road. Hopefully that’s an acceptable use of £2.75 💴

🤣
Enjoy yourself
Some people like being miserable and not doing anything about it

@cadburyegg Why shouldn't single mothers be expected to work? Of course they should.

People in receipt of Universal Credit work and pay tax fgs!

The whole thread is about it 🤦‍♀️

Only as long as you have cancelled Netflix and swimming!!

Go and pick some free dandelions and daisies and give that £3 back to HMRC 😉.

Well done you.

No one should be forced to do a job BUT if you want money you take any job going. If there are jobs out there there no one should be offered benefits. Benefits topping up salaries should be removed. If you want more money you take a different job.

Benefits shoukd be paid if you are totally destitute., no jobs at all.

Someone really hurt you didn't they?

Don't know what you are hinting at? I have had ups and downs in life, who hasn't.

I have watched the welfare bubble explode and it coincides wirh bad behaviour from certain people also exploding. I reminisce over a time when the UK celebrated hard work, decency, responsibility, perseverance and instead has replaced it with rewarding the worst of society.

Look back in history, do you really think the human race has improved things?

Because you and others on this thread seem to really want suffering on others.

Actually I think the human race needs to be made extinct. Or whittled down to unharmful levels. But in the meantime, I don't want to see children suffer because of a lack of money.

Reform wants to get rid of workers rights. To take away AL and bring in hire and fire it seems.

If that happens, everyone will have job insecurity and feel some fear. Whether they claim now or not. Life as it is today may be looked back on fondly.

This is a thread about someone claiming under 200 quid a month top up and yet people seem to be determined to make workers who do claim such a small amount the scum of the earth.

.

I do actually as we're now looking after people better then we ever were.