What would happen to you/your family if there were NO benefits/welfare system?

[Mamajoycewig]

As there's been a lot of talk around benefits in the news and a lot of strong opinions on it I was interested to know what would happen to most people if there were no welfare system in place?

Would your family suffer? Would you be on the streets?

Would you have still had kids knowing if you couldn't work there'd be no government backup?

Would you have made different life choices?

Personally, if all benefits were to be removed tomorrow then we'd be the same financially other than losing child benefit which we use for nappies/wipes etc.

My mum and brother would be screwed as he's disabled. Although if I'm honest I don't think she'd have had as many kids as she did without any top ups (4 kids). She's always worked but needed top ups.

Maybe her weekly coffee is her act of self care which helps keep her mentally stable to care for said children?

I have a particular bench in town I love to go to and sit and enjoy a coffee, it was a regular occurance after something that would make me very stressed/anxious and still do it from time to time now. Will get cheaper coffees, but have a particular Starbucks favourite which I get so much more enjoyment out of than cheaper alternatives. Don’t think this is necessarily gaming the system.

If you saw her at Pilates every week would you think the same? Because she can’t do that with 3 children in tow.

Perhaps she works part time, not to get top ups but because of her children?!

People adapt to the system they live under. My home country has no benefits - there are rich people and poor people, life can be unfair but people manage on the whole.

Look at the outrage about winter fuel payments this winter. Look at the call for free school meals in the holidays. People get used to having things and change is hard to budget for. But on the whole people find a way - humans are resourceful when they need to be.

Ah so it’s hearsay and tittle tattle with a soupçon speculation. Thought so.

No impact. No one in my family on benefits. However I wonder whether services I use, like the Tube and buses would be affected?

How do ill or disabled folk with no family support survive then?

Don't people realise welfare system means state pension and nhs

Ifs data shows even the wealthiest 2 deciles of pensioners get as much as 25% of their pension from the state pension.to say nothing of paying for healthcare I.e. cancer treatment or prescriptions for expensive drugs!

There was an article in the Times about a Kings counsel who went private for cancer treatment and paid 100k even with insurance

Like it or hate it, we have this system. We could reform the nhs to a European style system with top ups but we would likely have to contribute more (and it would still be 'welfare')

I don't know a single person who doesn't want their state pension even though i don't think it's likely to exist when my turn comes.

Who are you people who don't need state pension or nhs. You must be absolutely minted.

We have an Aldi and Starbucks next door to each other. I regularly see 2 Aldi staff (relatives to each other) in Starbucks. I know one of them is the sister of one of the supervisors who works in the starbucks. The Aldi employee looks after her sister children when she’s working, those children go to my DDs school so I know them pretty well. I’m guessing the supervisor gets some kind of discount for her relatives. I know the family can’t do a lot of stuff due to finances and know many of them work in poorly paid minimum wage jobs. I certainly don’t begrudge them a latte occasionally.

Well, I was married when I had my children and had no need for benefits. Fast forward 13 years and I'm a single parent in rented accommodation, working 40+ hour weeks taking home around 26k. Not enough to survive on in the South East where my rent alone is 18k a year. Can't move anywhere "cheaper" as this house is already under market value. Without UC my children and I would be homeless, I am unable to ever earn enough alone to be able to keep us going.

So in summary. I'd be fucked without benefits.

I hate bludgers who choose it as a lifestyle, but one coffee a week sounds fine. It may be the only treat she has.

I get that's it's hard to understand as someone who doesn't need it but the process is horrible, demeaning and terrifying. The system is the same where I live. It you need long term support because you're sick or you're a carer or you're disablity has meant no one will hire you, you get treated like you're lazy and trying to con the system. You have to jump through so many hoops, often have to have decisions reviewed, fight them at the tribunal level. I had to apply after leaving my abusive stbxh and it was a nightmare.

I wouldn't have been able to leave my abusive ex without access to benefits, because I'm sick and a carer for our Autistic DC and his abuse has left me and our eldest suffering PTSD.

No impact at all.

I would be dead. DS2 would never have existed @Mamajoycewig.

I'm eternally thankful that I lived in a time and place where I could see a health professional and get the antibiotics I needed to save my life, without having to be worried about the cost. I've been so grateful and acutely aware of the benefits of the welfare state since then.

You don't use the nhs and your private pension is big enough that you would have a comfortable life without state pension?

What happens if you need A & E, there is no private a & e..

Why do they have 7 children...

There's some really horrible posts on this thread - serious lack of empathy! But hey - you're ok so fuck those not as lucky or smart or healthy as you!

Are people on this thread calling women out for daring to have a coffee in Starbucks? FFS. We all need an occasional break from sitting at home. If that comes in the form of a starbucks coffee then so be it. It's probably the only or one of a couple of things they do socially. And you can get a filter coffee with a free top up for under two quid. Hardly breaking the bank. Also you have no idea how else they economise. Mind your own business.

I once watched a documentary in America about a family who adopted a little girl from abroad so didn't have much in her files about her background and health. Turns out she had a disability and she rapidly deteriorated and required lifelong medical care and support for her disability.
The family then tried to put her into care because they couldn't afford her medical care but no other adopters stepped forward as they too couldn't afford to take on a child with medical needs.
They did fund raisers for treatments but there was only so many times you can ask you local town for money. She would require extensive support forever. They did give her up in the end but went to drastic tand terrible measures to do so (long story).

But its shocking when you think that even an innocent child would be left to fend for themselves if disabled.

So grateful for our NHS.

I would have to put my disabled child into the workhouse to be able to work and feed my other two children. No childcare will take him, LA can't find him a school that will take him, so I had no choice but to give up work and live off benefits.

Maybe a family member would take us in and I could sell my house and live off the equity. If I do t pay rent/mortgage I could possibly strech it until disabled child is an adult but without the welfare state if he can't work or at least be left alone while I work we would be fucked

Oh actually if we don't have the NHS my dd would dead and both me and my youngest child would have died when I was in labour with him. So my disabled child would be all alone in the world if no one took him in he would be dead too

I'd argue it's a similar attitude that Brits have to those in other countries (including poor Brits on benefits)... all the birth lottery

Growing up I lived on a rough council estate, my father was in and out of work, did a lot of cash in hand jobs whilst claiming benefits, my mother never worked even when we were older. They were horrendous at managing money. They divorced in my teens and my mother claimed benefits. I was able to go to uni on a full student grant and hardship fund.

DH and I have worked really hard, we don’t claim child benefit but obviously we have DC who use education, we use the NHS etc. I’m very thankful for the welfare state and the safety net it provides and yes there are a few cheats but compared to all the legal tax avoidance loopholes and illegal tax dodges they are probably a drop in the ocean. Would rather have a few cheats than children starving.

I'd lose my PIP and carers allowance but DH's earnings mean we'd be fine if I lost those. Adult disabled DS would lose most of his income (PIP and UC) but we'd be able to support him, he still lives at home so his expenses are minimal. I was completely dependent on benefits 15 years ago when I was raising him as a single mum but thankfully our situation has improved.

I would have to manage on £500 a month, my rent is £95 a week, so I would starve & not be able to use heating, water, be able to cook if I could even afford food.

We would be fine, but we would be working until we dropped down dead. And if we could not work any more, we would die from lack of food.

We would be fine , the only bit we use currently is the NHS and presumably if there was no NHS there would be some kind of insurance option . If there was no state pension when we get to it we would manage on our other pensions / savings .