What do you spend child benefit on?

[Nonymousnurse]

I’m a nurse, two DC, married and husband is a middle income earner. We qualify for child benefit but do not receive any other public funds.

I’ve been saving the child benefit, never spent a single pence of it, with the idea of passing it to my DC when they are older. I told MIL this and she looked at me like I’m mad, said she always used it for courses, partie, etc. But I reckon I can get by on our wages so have put the CB in a savings pot. I realise I’m fortunate to be able to do this.

Just wondering if others save or spend their CB.

Of course I have the money but my point was I spent it all on my children, it went on nothing else. Many people I know spent it on drink and cigarettes. So don't be so darn sarcastic.

But doesn’t make sense.

because those spending it on booze and cigarettes… they would have obviously spent something on the children over the course of the month and so they could just say “I spent my CB on food for my kids”

😂

We are over the threshold so it goes in a pot and is paid back after we do our tax return.
Anyone who stopped claiming or advising people not to claim it if not needed need to look into it first as not claiming can affect your pension

OK 👍

You can just claim the stamps.

I suppose if you get your wages, which are all allocated to other bills, then get your cb on a different date and only pay for x when you get the cb, or else put the cb in a savings account and only use that savings account to pay for x, and you wouldn't be able to pay for x without the cb, then cb is for x. If it just goes into one pot then it's just towards all outgoings surely, whether that's food or clothes or energy bills or wine?

I think it's like a non resident parent thinking that the resident parent is spending the child support on alcohol and clothes for themselves if they buy these things, when they've already spent far more than double the cs on child related expenses.

And this is why child benefit is means tested. It should probably be tapered too.

Child benefit should be a leveller, creating some semblance of equality of opportunities in childhood, not in some distant future when the child in question isn't even technically a child anymore.

It makes me mad that people who are clearly managing just fine are claiming this benefit just to stuff it into a savings account when some of the families I work with, who are on the on the breadline, receive the same amount and have to use every penny on the most basic of basics just to keep afloat.
And it isn't about frugality or making sacrifices and living within one's means.

@Kalasbyxor I don’t see why anyone who doesn’t spend their CB each month should make you mad. It seems to me the circumstances that bring about the poverty you are working with should be what makes you mad. We live in London, rent privately, and really are just month to month. I live so frugally it’s painful sometimes but I want to set the CB aside for when the DC need it more. (For now they’re young and I imagine it as a pot for uni feed but may be something I use when they join more clubs, need sport kit, etc) What is the difference with that versus someone using it for swimming lessons? I’d say those are not at all a necessity. Not trying to be goady but genuinely interested.

It shouldn’t be a race to the bottom and the fact that so many are on the breadlines shows me what utter shite the current government is. Whether or not someone spends their CB every month won’t make a difference to that - and, ultimately it’s not their responsibility to take care of someone lesser off, that falls to the government rather than the individual, IMO.

And it makes me mad (as a saver who is interested in looking out for her children long term) when I see parents on low incomes spending money on drink / nights out / cigarettes / getting their hair or nails done / new clothes they don't need etc.

I save the CB money, but we are by no means well off. I have a hair cut every 6 months, I don't have things like nails done, lots of clothes shopping, nights out etc because we can't afford to. I'd much much much rather live like this and be able to give my kids good opportunities in the future.

Child benefit is there to be used how ever people think it will benefit their child the most.

Equally though I could say that peoples choices in some cases leads them to be on the breadline. My parents were exactly that. They spent every penny on cigarettes and going to the club on Friday night, I had a paperround at 11 so I could buy school
uniform because they wouldn't.
how many women on here have more children with guys who are wasters etc. I get angry they do that and they take a lot out of the tax system to fund their choices. I have one child because they're expensive. Some people don't think like that. That's fine, but why should the government pay to level their kids up when they're not giving any thought to that. (Abs so I'm clear I'm not referring to anyone that ends up separated/as carers etc - we all know people who have kids and don't intend to work a day in their lives).

if it makes you feel better, I put a few hundred away for my daughter when I get paid. Which is never the same date as CB. So that just goes into the pot for spends. So technically I save my money instead.

I used to split it between DS's pension and child trust fund. But I earn too much now so no longer receive it.

Should parents on low incomes never get their hair cut? How do you know it might be their wage they are using to pay for it?

I don't care who spends it on what quite frankly. I do get pissed when people are holier than thou about those that choose to save it. Morally reprehensible was what we were called earlier.

I think that’s the issue here, we don’t get to police others use of public(or any) funds. Where does that stop? Beans are alright but crisps aren’t? Swimming lessons are alright but saving is not? And what about carers? Do they deserve an ice cream or a bottle of fizz or must their full allowance be spent otherwise? It’s simply not fair and doesn’t have a place in a free society. You can judge silently of course (as many do) but really I think people should re-examine their opinions. Morally reprehensible? Nah.

If parents are prioritising cigarettes, booze, nights out etc over their children and actually depriving their children of activities, clothes, days out, or, worse, food…. Then there is problem we should be concerned about isn’t how they’re spending their CB. It is the fact the children in these scenarios are enduring, at best, piss poor parenting and neglect, at worse, child abuse.

You can't police that though. If you police one person, you have to police everybody, and as a responsible parent I do not want to be told how I can spend my child benefit.

How do you know they specifically spent child benefit on that?

I get child benefit, Universal Credit, child maintenance, and my salary from work. I drink alcohol. If you saw me at the shops buying alcohol, how do you know whether it came out my wages or my child benefit? I don't separate them, everything just goes into my bank and gets spent on what's needed or wanted. I certainly don't feel the need to tell people a breakdown of exactly what I spend on what.

hmmmm perhaps child benefit should be switched to vouchers for children’s clothing, shoes, swimming lessons, healthy foods, children’s toothpaste, head lice treatment etc.

we don’t get CB because DH slightly over the threshold, but don’t earn enough to make saving accounts to give our kids a nice nest egg at 18. But glad to see taxpayers are able to help those who don’t need financial help get even more of a leg up in life.

I would rather the CB went to supporting children who needed it. If the CB vouchers go unspent after say 12 months they get cancelled.

Parents who wanted to save, or buy cigarettes or alcohol would just use their own money and spend the vouchers on the children. Unless they were somehow spending less than £21 a week to feed and clothe a child then it would change nothing.

It would stop parents profiting from saving the child benefit for 18 years.

it would mean the parents who never have anything left over at the end of the month could feed and clothe their children (for whatever reason it may be )

How would it stop them? They could just save £21.80 a week of their own money that the voucher had freed up, and spend the cb on the children. No difference in outcome.

General pot but like PPs, I spend an equivalent amount on kids' activities.

it would mean the parents who never have anything left over at the end of the month could feed and clothe their children (for whatever reason it may be )
This could work, if it always came between a week and two weeks before payday or uc, but it's four weekly so always moving within the month. Monthly pay is great for monthly bills but not weekly food shops and not everyone can budget.

In which case the vouchers could only spent at certain retailers in the local area who agree to donate something towards local children’s groups etc in exchange for receiving extra business from CB vouchers