to think that too many people rely on the Tax Credits for their income.

[IdRatherBeInBed]

Bit of background first

My sister and her boyfriend has got back together after they split up last year. She was then claiming income support.

He has moved back in with her so her benefits have all stopped. she works 13.5 hours a week, he works over 30 hours. They earn £17k between them. Which lets be honest in this climate is not alot of money.

Shes just called Tax Credits to let them know hes moved back in and wanted to know what she would be entitled to WTC wise. Due to her HB/CTB stopping. Her rent is £500 per month, CT £100 per month. She is entitled to £4.90 per week.

I am sad for her because after all rent, ct, bills have gone out shes isnt left with anything. her food bill for the month has had to be cut to £200 per month. She has a car on finance (through my dad) which is shagging her tbh due to engine size (she got it when still with partner before splitting up and he had to get a 1.8 sport^^) her insurance with just her on it is £115p/m. - (she isnt 25 yet)

Anyway she called them last week to ask how much she could be entitled to, they told her £80 per week so she was like
"ooh we can afford this, we can afford that" so went out and spent £100 on clothes for her, him and nephew. I told her not to rely on what they have said because it could be wrong but she wouldn't listen and was saying 'it will be right'. Today she rings me bollocking me as to why she is only entitled to £4.90 per week.

FFS why bollock me - i dont work for them.

WIHBU to have said to her 'cancel your £24p/m gym membership, get rid of the car or change it if you can, stop getting things from catalogues that you cant pay for and get your arse of a boyfriend to stop spending money you don't have on shit like £5.50 magazines each week, stop getting shit for the garden you dont need, you don't need so many fucking flowery things to make a garden look nice.

Or what i come across as a complete and utter bitch.

She is one of these who says "oh i have no money" but yet has enough for new clothes or go out for a meal, or takeaway"

So,because coco has suggestions for if/when tax credits could be withdrawn she is slated ?

I think she has indicated clearly that she understands ,and is now thinking beyond .

I think she made the fatal mistake of thinking that people might like a plan if things go pear shaped .

I imagine we will be piss poor to start with when we return back to the UK,I would love to rely on tax credits ...fact is, they could evaporate and I would like to think my family has a way forward without them .

She hasn't made any suggestions.

Sorry xstitch. Must have missed your post. Hard for me to comment not knowing your personal circumstances and you'd probably just find excuses reasons why you can't do any of those things.

All I know is that back when I had kids to feed but earned a pittance, there was no such thing as tax credits to supplement my meagre income. So we did things like buy clothes from charity shops. Our family helped us out by gifting us second hand car seat & buggy. I bought my daughter's cot from Loot. My GF & I lived with my parents. We didn't own a car or go out. We shopped at Aldi (before it became really nice).

What I didn't do was expect the state to give me money each month. I'm a firm believer in giving people opportunities to help themselves rather than just handouts and hope the problem goes away.

She did ...go back a bit !

thesecond I understand .

However ,retraining was an idea she put forward as a possible solution .

I don't think it is her fault that that is not something Xstich is able to do .
Cocotook on board the pharmacy background and brainstormed a bit !

It will not work for xstich ~cool ,no problem .

Again,she didn't say you shouldn't rely on them if you need them ,I think she was trying to find a solution as she has been stung by the system herself .

I think she has been misunderstood ...I think she wanted to help :)

niceguy2 I think you will find that tax credits have been around for a long time

It was called family income support

Oh newsflash....

I was a single mother and retrained. What do you have to say to that now?

Running out of excuses to stop being so dependent now right?

everyone else she's said should save their TC's....

What a absolute lie. You really are discrediting yourself now.

Still waiting for your excuse why people cant retrain on a course thats paid for them where they receive a busary and childcare help.

coco I have noticed something on MN .

We have the boasts about large incomes ,we have the children brags -we also have a very strange thing called : "My situation is way worse than any of you could ever imagine ,I will never get off the breadline and I will wear my badge with pride !"

Not directed at anyone on this particular discussion ,but have a look around ... cocoit is everywhere !

Just make excuses would I? Yet you say you don't have a low opinion of me, really?

I do shop in charity shops, I do shop at Lidl. Going to Aldi would mean travelling 20miles so would wipe out any savings made. If I run out I just skipmeals and borrow food to feed dd. I don't smoke, drink or have nights out, I live in the cheapest rental in the town and sleep in the living room rather than look for a bigger more expensive property, I wear my coat inside so I don't have to spend money on heating. My coat incidently is 6 years old bought long before I lost my job.

Seriously, what am I being irresponsible about? What is just excuses?

btw I do think coco was trying to help when she suggested that.

Doley Your right.

"My situation is way worse than any of you could ever imagine ,I will never get off the breadline and I will wear my badge with pride !"

And they are horrified when people come on here and say they were on the breadline but aren't any more. Its terrifies some of them.Just about sums the attitude up.

Still waiting for secondcomings excuse

(oh its me that doesnt answer questions apparently)

I never got tax credits as I earn too much. Before they came out there was for the very poor - certainly not for the very high levels of income you now get them from - family credit but that really was for the very poor, was it called working families credit - most people didn't get it at all. What we all got was child benefit, that was it, no help with chidlcare costs either. So we did what niceg says - our children got clothes only from charity shops, we never bought orange juice just squash, never ate out etc etc. People have got used to quite a bit more than used to the norm. That doesn't mean it's easy to adjust to much less but it's possible.

I'm fairly well off but I don't often eat out, I don't drink anything except tap water, I don't often buy clothes, I don't smoke or drink. The main thing is to try to live within your means and women are brilliant entrepreneurs - just keep plugging away at trying to find that business idea or second job which works and sometimes it comes right.

So the xstich situation which sounds difficult - how can that be improved? The biggest current problems are no work at all in mucho f the country even on minimum wage, second one is the benefits trap which even if the universal credit ever comes out is still proposing to take something like 36p in evry pound earned which is not going to incentivised many to work hard for low pay. Anyone with a phone ould market stuff I sell for 10% but then you get your benefits trap, don't you? Anyone who is a commercial agent might make very little or just money here and there unless they're good at selling and it's not at all easy to come off an on to benefits in the UK. The Government needs to ease that for example with my suggestino of £200 a week for housing and your keep for everyone over 18 whether in work or out and abolishing all other benefits. It's simple, universal, easy to operate and very pure. It rewards the idle of course but we can live with that as it also means a huge cutting back of what some peoople get on benefits. It does howeve make everyone a claimant and as niceg said we don't really want that mentality that no point in my rising from my chair as I have an entitlement to cash for nothing frmo the state.

Perhaps you need a u niversal payment plus compulsory work fare for those who don't work.

I'm fairly well off but I don't often eat out, I don't drink anything except tap water, I don't often buy clothes, I don't smoke or drink

Neither do I and what makes me laugh is how someone on here seeking pity, has put on their profile their hobbies are drinking and smoking.

Geez even I wanted those hobbies I couldnt afford them so its a awful to say "I cant eat without TC" yet spend what you get on fags & booze.

Absurd.

Ahh the old benefit spent on booze and fags argument

wondered how long before that one came out

How do you plan to justify it then usualsuspects?

Coco calm yourself down, you're almost frothing!

"And they are horrified when people come on here and say they were on the breadline but aren't any more. Its terrifies some of them."

That's not true at all - what horrifies people is this selfish attitude that means if you no longer need them, then surely nobody does.

The reason people are horrified is that we would expect somebody who was in poverty to understand what a lifesaver benefits like tax credits can be (and i would point out that tax credits actually do encourage you to work, as if you work, then you can get the working tax credit).

Nobody wants to live relying on benefits, of course we would all prefer it if we could afford to be without them, but for the time being, in some peoples current circumstances they are allowing us to live. I believe there are very few people who wouldn't aspire to be free of benefits reliance. I think you have been reading the daily mail too much...

Those of you who keep going on about childcare arrangements - I would ALWAYS prefer to bring up my children myself than send them off to childcare. I think it's inappropriate for MN to try and force a single mother into work, and send her young children out to childcare. (it makes economic sense, you are suggesting swapping tax credits for childcare benefits...()Once theyre in school, then she can think about working.

Nah. Just beginning to see some peoples true colours.

Such a pity party.

Amuses me they can't think of any excuses answers

I spend all my tax credits on Vodka ,so can't justify it sorry

Yes, there certainly are some colours coming out now aren't there?

I would just like to point out here that I am not in reciept of tax credits... so cant call it a pity party really.