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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think benefits are pretty LOW actually. How much do you get?

194 replies

ItsGraceActually · 10/08/2010 18:08

I'm on ESA (used to be 'sick benefit'). I get £90 a week, plus my rent (£400/month) and council tax (£100/month).

With my £90 a week, I pay for heating - it's an all-electric house on a pre-pay meter; water rates; phone, internet, mobile, etc; TV licence; everything else.

I can't afford to run a car or, indeed, use public transport. I smoke, which I pay for with 'permitted work' (about £20/week) from home. I NEVER go out, except for one coffee a fortnight. I don't know how I'm going to afford heating in the winter.

I am extremely grateful for the welfare system, don't get me wrong! I feel fine about claiming: I paid in for 30 years, in the belief that anyone who needs it can get it.
Just now and again, there's one thread too many in here about people on a "welfare lifestyle" Hmm, living it up on benefits. Chance'd be a fine thing ...

OP posts:
mixedmamameansbusiness · 12/08/2010 13:50

I have never claimed benefits but having worked from the age of 16 and coming to a rather sticky financial time we may well have to but as the kind of family who (if we are entitled at all) will be very close to the cut off point I doubt it will make any difference.

It does seem really difficult to get anything from what I have read whilst trying to see if we are entitled so I just cant understand how anyone actually manages to defraud the system.

mixedmamameansbusiness · 12/08/2010 13:55

It is difficult. I got turned down for finance for my degree because we are £1,500 over the icome cut off point. I know there has to be a cut off point and someone is always going to lose out but I feel resentful that I have had to defer my place to ensure that I am either eligible or have the money saved and we are trying to better ourselves and makes create a better life for our children. Sometimes I just wake up and think why shouldnt I just quit and claim benefits.

mixedmamameansbusiness · 12/08/2010 13:58

And my last personal rant .... my dad had a stroke and his doctor said he cannot work (he would and wants to but his work was manual) and he is/will be on medication for the rest of his life but he cannot get free prescriptions. Makes me sick.

And the form filling, whoever mentioned that I would like to know who created them and slap them... hard.

YummyMummy1208 · 12/08/2010 14:02

I think hand outs are given far too freely in this country.

Yes, there are people out there who actually are unable to work due to sickness/disabilities but the large majority of people on benefits can work just whats the point as this country seems to reward those who stay at home and dont!

I have a 2 yr old, and just graduated last year. now working full time as an account manager and added to my OH's income we get peanuts towards childchare costs and tax credits, yet people working on our factory floor doing 16 hrs a week end up with a yearly income similar to mine! - how can this be right? How should it be that people are better off working the minimum hrs to get maximim benefits end up better off than people like me who have worked hard to get a degree/qualification and am in lots of student debt due to doing so?

I think the government needs to start taking more note that lots of people on benefits really have a bad attitude and dont work becuase they cant be arsed to work not because they cant find a job or they have kids to look after. If they tightened their belts a little more then maybe genuine people who cant work or are retired will have the money they are entitled to but i doubt that will happen any time soon!

GeekOfTheWeek · 12/08/2010 14:18

I don't think benefits are too low at all, especially if you have children.

SanctiMoanyArse · 12/08/2010 14:59

Yummy it's an acknowledged fact that right now there are mroe unemployed than jobs

That doesn;t mean I don't think there's a huge argument for poeople doing soemthing- even if its a college course for quals but for some odd reason peopel who dont work * whilst not covering retraining for those desperate to.

*Claerly thats not most, IMO, or even wrongf that they should ahve some suport; but it seems wrong we take the ability from zsome and allow others to do nothing

YummyMummy1208 · 12/08/2010 15:41

Its just on my belly, and its absolutely driving me crazy. Im having to get up half way through the night to go to the bathroom just to itch it and slap some more cream on it!I never had this first time around.

YummyMummy1208 · 12/08/2010 15:45

please ignore that! pregnancy brain kicked in - message posted on wrong topic! Confused

Original poster
ItsGraceActually · 12/08/2010 15:47

lol, YM, wrong thread! That possibly explains why you're so cross with the world ... Wink

OP posts:
ccpccp · 12/08/2010 16:00

Are you cross Yummy? Or do you just hate being taken for a fool?

As a taxpayer, shes being fleeced.

juneybean · 12/08/2010 16:06

Can't be bothered to start my own thread, can I get prescriptions for free if I'm on JSA?

Original poster
ItsGraceActually · 12/08/2010 16:09

Yes. There's a box for you to tick, on the back of the prescription form.

OP posts:
Original poster
ItsGraceActually · 12/08/2010 16:12

ccpccp, would you prefer to step over homeless families on your way to the bank? Mind you don't breathe in their tuberculosis ...

Have you been to India?

OP posts:
juneybean · 12/08/2010 16:13

Thanks ItsGraceActually :)

usualsuspect · 12/08/2010 16:15

God forbid the lowly factory workers have a decent standard of living ..how dare they ..

Original poster
ItsGraceActually · 12/08/2010 16:20

I resisted that one, us Grin

OP posts:
usualsuspect · 12/08/2010 16:28

Grin I tried

ccpccp · 12/08/2010 16:42

Decent standard of living. Dont make me laugh.

Yummy is taking about workers deliberately doing less hours to maximise their benefits. They are gaming the system for all its worth, yet you continue to skip over it like it means nothing.

SanctiMoanyArse · 12/08/2010 16:49

OK so we will agree that some are working less hours to cheat.

But say they up it to 25, what then?

DH started his own business to keep working when he couldnt dfind a job and is retraining as well, he does a minimum of 20 hours a week alongside full time study which IMO is far from fleecing anyone. He will and looks forwards to doing more, as the work comes in. Buiding a website to spread the retail arm more right now (well, not literally- just gone to PO to send off parcels LOL)

I don't think many would have an issue with what we are doing as a family to dig ourselves out.

But if the 16 hours rule changed for TC we wopuld be the ones suffering because with the boys etc we can't physically manage more any more- I need DH home between 7 and 12 at night, and otehr times in the holidays, just to cope with silly things like the fact that as of next year the SN will mean we have 4 different schools to juggle, some 10 km in each direction(!), and the simple aggression we deal with in teh evenings.

It comes down to ideology: if punishing those who fleece as a broad group* worth knocking those of us trying our best? Are we valid collaterel damage? That's something we each have to answer for ourselves.

  • I mean by making swathes of rules; punishing tehm individually is all well and good by me when they are caught!
usualsuspect · 12/08/2010 16:55

But Yummys got a degree ..she deserves more money ...not

YummyMummy1208 · 12/08/2010 16:59

umm yes i think i do actually.

I didnt go to university and get into debt just to earn the same as minium wage jobs due to all of their hand outs.

May sound judgemental but im sorry, i have earnt the rite to be judgemental.

why should people who couldnt be arsed to get any qualifications get given handouts to up their income to those who can???

SanctiMoanyArse · 12/08/2010 17:01

I've got one too, and a part of an MA but I don;t think I need any more right now (not that I would refuse the chance to earn it you know)

And the thing is, yummy has a point. Society should be able to provide a protection for those who need it and reward those who have some bad shit happen.

the trouble is that the people who are fraudulently fleecing all of us (becuase everyone pays tax, even if not income- and we happen to pay income and NI in my house) aren't on MN making a case becuase, we;; they'd getc aught and let's face it, they aren't going to be the ones giving a stuff about parenting etc. There's an intri9nsic self centredness to falsely claiming benefits isn't there?

So the people who get polarised are the genuine claimants who feel tarnished by the accusations of there being a very many fraudsters, and the hardworking tax payers (of any income- income does not dictate energy expended!) who feel they are being cheated.

So instaed of agreements you get upset and polarised cases when actually pretty much everyone ewants the same thing- an end to fraud.

just please, without making my life any harder!

SanctiMoanyArse · 12/08/2010 17:02

See yummy I get that

But to me you are lucky becuase you get that chance to earn that money- i'd love to, but the luck of having two disabled kids can hit anyone.

It hit me . Random shit.

SanctiMoanyArse · 12/08/2010 17:03

And I emant and reward those who work hard.

usualsuspect · 12/08/2010 17:05
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