Page 8 | What do you spend child benefit on?

Nonymousnurse · 2023-02-18T19:36:26+00:00

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.

Gwen82 · 20/02/2023 07:19

Beezknees · 20/02/2023 06:29

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.

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Oh I don’t give a hoot how people spend CB

Obviouspretzel · 20/02/2023 07:19

Nonymousnurse · 19/02/2023 14:46

@EvilGoldfish Morally reprehensible? I take it you’re joking? I think the Tories lining their pockets with PPE deals, Rishi’s wife not paying UK taxes, the government who are doing sod all to support the nearly one million children in poverty without enough to eat are morally reprehensible. I’m just part of a small family making average income and accepting the money the government has deemed appropriate for us tohave. Should the people spending the money on swimming lessons also be considered morally reprehensible? That money could also feed others. I’m a sense, saving the CB for uni fees at least means the money will go back to the govt eventually.

Appreciate you trying to shame me, but I’m only able to save the CB because I live quite frugally and we have two incomes that still put us below the upper limit of CB. As mentioned previously, haven’t been to the hairdressers since the children were born, only buy second hand clothing, don’t eat out or have date nights with DH, don’t run a car. We can’t afford those things.

I don't even know why you're bothering to justify yourself, that post was ridiculous.

What it boils down to is, if you're entitled, claim it. You'd be a mug not to, and why is anyone making out that if you didn't claim it, it would be spent to help the real needy? Because it wouldn't.

Gwen82 · 20/02/2023 07:21

Beezknees · 20/02/2023 06:32

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.

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I tried to explain that to @ACJD

but hit a brick wall 🤷‍♀️

iloveyankeecandle · 20/02/2023 07:22

I spend it on keeping my kids alive and well. So food, gas and electric! It al goes into the same pot as everything else.

Okunevo · 20/02/2023 07:23

Fucket · 20/02/2023 07:18

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

How would that stop people saving the equivalent amount? If I could afford to save £21.80 child benefit and you gave me a voucher, I would spend the voucher at the supermarket towards my weekly shop that now costs me more than double that, and save the £21.80 the voucher had saved me on my weekly shop.

Gwen82 · 20/02/2023 07:26

@EvilGoldfish

i see from a recent thread you got a puppy.

So presumably you spend money on your puppy? Which could well, gasp, drumroll, be from your CB! 😂

(although you discovered your puppy was a banned breed, but that’s a another story)

Fucket · 20/02/2023 07:26

It wouldn’t but at least some of the taxpayers money is going towards children who need it. If the business donates £x towards a community children’s group. Perhaps funding an after school community kitchen proving warm food in warm surroundings.

Needmorelego · 20/02/2023 07:34

Vouchers is a stupid idea.
How would people buy things for their children from places like charity shops, market stalls, car boot sales, Facebook selling groups, secondhand uniform stall at school, personal secondhand sales within the community.....

LadyChatterlysLover · 20/02/2023 07:44

Goes into the pot.

Greenfairydust · 20/02/2023 07:49

Some of these replies make my blood boil and remind me why child benefit should be means-tested...

It should not be for parents who are comfortable financially to use to build savings for their kids at the tax-payers' expense.

It should only go to families on lower income who really need the money now to feed and clothe their kids and keep a roof over their heads.

BashirWithTheGoodBeard · 20/02/2023 07:53

Needmorelego · 20/02/2023 07:34

Vouchers is a stupid idea.
How would people buy things for their children from places like charity shops, market stalls, car boot sales, Facebook selling groups, secondhand uniform stall at school, personal secondhand sales within the community.....

It is indeed.

In order to have any teeth at all, it would have to be only applicable to quite a narrow range of businesses, otherwise people are just using it in Aldi where they'd otherwise have spent their own money and still saving. It disincentivises the environmentally friendly behaviour of buying things second hand, as well as adding a layer of bureaucracy that would have to be administered and monitored, thus creating more expense to the state than running the child benefit system does now.

It's an idea that has literally nothing to recommend it.

Okunevo · 20/02/2023 07:57

Needmorelego · 20/02/2023 07:34

Vouchers is a stupid idea.
How would people buy things for their children from places like charity shops, market stalls, car boot sales, Facebook selling groups, secondhand uniform stall at school, personal secondhand sales within the community.....

That would certainly be an argument against putting all benefits on some kind of basics card. I could barely feed my teen on just child benefit but it could possibly affect the very poorest if a young child cost less than that to feed and the family needed the rest of that money for secondhand toys and clothing. I agree it is a pointless idea though.

Okunevo · 20/02/2023 08:01

In order to have any teeth at all, it would have to be only applicable to quite a narrow range of businesses, otherwise people are just using it in Aldi where they'd otherwise have spent their own money and still saving.
And if you couldn't spend it on food then that would mean children could go hungry. I spend £5 a week on my child's sport and I don't think the small business instructor would want the fuss of vouchers. If it was clothing then people could do save their own money. It just wouldn't work.

bussteward · 20/02/2023 08:03

On maternity leave I used it for cake and coffee important maternity-based things. Then I saved it for DD until I went part-time and needed the cash, which went in the general pot. I don’t get it anymore as DP has crossed the earnings threshold. Need to register DC2 for it for the admin, but decline the money, but they make you phone up, so that hasn’t happened.

BashirWithTheGoodBeard · 20/02/2023 08:07

Okunevo · 20/02/2023 08:01

In order to have any teeth at all, it would have to be only applicable to quite a narrow range of businesses, otherwise people are just using it in Aldi where they'd otherwise have spent their own money and still saving.
And if you couldn't spend it on food then that would mean children could go hungry. I spend £5 a week on my child's sport and I don't think the small business instructor would want the fuss of vouchers. If it was clothing then people could do save their own money. It just wouldn't work.

Yes, that's another good point. A lot of activity type things people do with DC are run by small providers. It's quite an administrative burden to impose on them because you've seen your arse that some people are able to save for their kids.

iloveyankeecandle · 20/02/2023 08:07

@Greenfairydust I was thinking the same! It's meant to be there to financially help kids. Not put into a savings account. Blimey.

ACJD · 20/02/2023 08:08

Gwen82 · 20/02/2023 07:21

I tried to explain that to @ACJD

but hit a brick wall 🤷‍♀️

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Lol 😆

JennyDarlingRIP · 20/02/2023 08:08

How can you separate it out? We save each month for DS and use CB for clothing, activities etc, or do we? Do we save CB and pay for the other things out of our pocket? Is all money in the bank.
I can't get behind the outrage of saving it, you're essentially saving if you can afford to save you shouldn't claim CB. Why is saving it worse than spending it on unnecessary activities? Lots of children don't get to do them either? In some respects saving it for university fees is more sensible than spending it on tap lessons.

BashirWithTheGoodBeard · 20/02/2023 08:10

JennyDarlingRIP · 20/02/2023 08:08

How can you separate it out? We save each month for DS and use CB for clothing, activities etc, or do we? Do we save CB and pay for the other things out of our pocket? Is all money in the bank.
I can't get behind the outrage of saving it, you're essentially saving if you can afford to save you shouldn't claim CB. Why is saving it worse than spending it on unnecessary activities? Lots of children don't get to do them either? In some respects saving it for university fees is more sensible than spending it on tap lessons.

Yep. A lot of this is in the eye of the beholder. People are universalising their own value judgements, which invariably leads to stupidity.

Gwen82 · 20/02/2023 08:15

JennyDarlingRIP · 20/02/2023 08:08

How can you separate it out? We save each month for DS and use CB for clothing, activities etc, or do we? Do we save CB and pay for the other things out of our pocket? Is all money in the bank.
I can't get behind the outrage of saving it, you're essentially saving if you can afford to save you shouldn't claim CB. Why is saving it worse than spending it on unnecessary activities? Lots of children don't get to do them either? In some respects saving it for university fees is more sensible than spending it on tap lessons.

You can’t separate it out unless if you didn’t receive the CB you specifically couldn’t do a particular activity or buy something for your child because you could t afford it.
so those that say, as a pp did, they spend very single penny of it on their kids, are talking out their ass unless without the CB, they wouldn’t be able to afford whatever they’re doing for their child

HistoryFanatic · 20/02/2023 08:15

Loving the low income stereotypes being trotted out...

3WildOnes · 20/02/2023 08:18

We don't receive it anymore. When we did it just went into the general pot. We don't have savings for our children as I dont want to give them a large sum of money at 18. We have family savings and will gift them money when they need it.

3WildOnes · 20/02/2023 08:29

I can't believe people begrudge others CB just because they choose to save it. I would revert back to it being a universal benefit.

BashirWithTheGoodBeard · 20/02/2023 08:34

There's definitely been an increase in posts recently complaining about people getting CB when they aren't on the bones of their arse.

Okunevo · 20/02/2023 08:42

BashirWithTheGoodBeard · 20/02/2023 08:34

There's definitely been an increase in posts recently complaining about people getting CB when they aren't on the bones of their arse.

It would be hard if you are struggling to feed and clothe your children to see others able to save it. I hope they also donate to foodbanks or similar as well.