£1,730 Aibu that this is alot of money

[RiceAndP]

Maybe I'm being judgey/pissed off on a Rainey day today. Friend of mine has just booked herself a weeks all inclusive holiday to gran canaries, leaving her 2 DC with her husband. He doesn't work and neither does she, has no intention of and says " Why should I". This will be the third time she has gone away this year not counting her four day trip away at Christmas, staying in a four star hotel.
Last week in the hot weather she brought an enormous swimming pool costing £180. I'm sitting there thinking shit, that would be my food bill for two months.
This week I would dearly love to take DC out for the day but cant afford to. I work but am taking this week as holiday.
I can never hope to have this sort of wage into my house of £1,730 each month? Granted one of her Dc has a mild disability and has an active life in all he does, goes to school every day. Has to attend hospital appointments twice a year for check ups.
She also gets full H/B and C/T so really that's a lot of money going into taking care of this household.
I need a bloody holiday just to get over the figures given to people that don't work... Aibu..

Im entitled to my view as you are esp as lot of nasty posts have been directed at me. Its very hard to see someone you care about crying and stressing about money every month.

"Its very hard to see someone you care about crying and stressing about money every month."

Do you know what's also hard? Being that person but then having to listen to ill informed people claiming you are living the life of riley because their neighbour's sister's mother's hamster is getting loads in imaginary benefits.

What nasty posts directed at you?

I have many family members on benefits, it's a very depressed area. In most instances they work hard to make ends meet, they are austere & make the most of what they have. Life is a struggle & there is little room for treats, booze or extravagance. When they have the chance to get work, whatever it is, they snap it up. One of my cousins has a PHD in applied physics & is currently working in their local spar rather than subsisting on benefits. He is on minimum wage & says he is definitely better off. It's safeti say his maths is sound.

I have another cousin, unemployed on DLA & wife on JSA who go to Mexico, Egypt & turkey every year, always have the latest gadgets, 'designer' shite clothes & eat take away all the time. Know why? He's a thieving, lying, drug dealer with a nice side in counterfeit goods. He'd never get by on benefits.

When my bitch of an aunt slates people on benefits she always cites this one example of 'benefit wealth' and ignores the dozens of other examples of people just about getting by, legally. She reads the DM.

Kali,

Nobody has been nasty to you you have just been told the facts. Your view point can not and does not change the facts as they are.

Of course its hard to watch someone you care about struggling but if you advise her to give up work because she will be better off then you will have to watch her cry more because the facts do not support your view point.

Have you reported your cousin and wife to the benefits agency and/or the police?

He has been to prison more than once, cautioned etc etc. he still openly flaunts his lifestyle on fb. it's a very large family (DM is one of ten) & I now live over 500 miles away. As a result of this & him being a twat, i have nothing to do with him personally any more. I don't think anything I could say to the benefits agency would be taken very seriously. He does have spondylitis & other pretty severe back problems, on this basis he is entitled to claim. He periodically loses benefits, but he ultimately always gets them back.

He's a baddun.

I have a cousin like that. Proper wrong'un and has been in and out of prison all his life for violent crimes.

Given that he still hasn't been locked up for good and is swaggering around after having almost killed several people I don't think I'll bother reporting him for petty offences given that I have two children and he knows where we live. Sorry if I'm being remiss in my civic duty but bigger picture and all that...

iv already said that its not everybody who are on benefits that are better off but for some it does work out that way.find people insinuating im making people up as nasty.im not encouraging my mate to give up work to be on benefits.she says she would rather work to set an example to her kids and i respect her for it.
Im hoping i wont be on benefits for long.

And again havent said shes living the bloody life of riley on benefits.
I dont claim to know everything as everyonelse seems to, however you cant say that you know everybody who are on benefits.
Ill leave you to carry on, but this is a public forum so other people are going to have different experiences.

I don't need to know everything about everybody on benefits, I just need to know how the benefit system works how each one works with the other and the actual amounts paid out to know that you have a inaccurate perception

This debate goes round in circles is because there are 2 types of benefits claimant - the majority, who receive only what they are owed, deserve and/or need and are genuinely using the system as a crutch or safety for undeserved reasons near enough out of their control. Then there is a minority, who milk the system and/or criminally abuse it. Hence all the conflicting personal stories about criminally over the top claimant wealth and the undeservedly suffering in borderline poverty. The former need to be punished severely and the latter publicly supported in the media and on forums like this.

It's not hard to do the sums. We know how much minimum wage is. We know how much each benefit is. I can't figure out many average scenarios where someone is financially better off out of work. Really. Just do some sums. Really.

Some people prefer not to work as they think the little extra they get just isn't worth it. Mathematically that makes sense. The only unknowns are how much is paid for transport, necessary clothes etc, but it would need to be balanced by savings on household utilities. It would be marginal.

Don't let the DM fool you.

Isn't that the wrong way round Ehhn?

Shouldn't that be latter THEN former? Or is it a joke I'm missing because I'm hungry.

EVERYONE needs to remember the fraud rate for benefit claims is so small it really is worth just ignoring them for the sake of helping those who are genuine.

Don't get me started on the Tory/ukip medias deserving poor bullshit.

Missing apostrophe. Sorry.

My fil greets me at the door with a 'true story' of the mother with 9 kids, gel nails, a yacht & 12 ponies living in a mansion in Highgate, every, fucking, visit. He calls me a soft liberal for pointing out that the DM have an agenda & maybe, just maybe they have omitted something or fudged details.

Kali - why are you hoping you won't be on benefits for long? If people are so much better off on them why not stay on them?

How may holidays have you had this year with your JSA? Have you never thought that the working friend who is always skint just dosnt manage her money as well?

I dont want to be on benefits Because i like having a job and a routine.i hate not geting up and going to work.

Im not saying im better off on jsa.i dont get much money just claiming jsa..its enough for me too cope with at moment till i do.as i said earlier only made a claim in last month so nope no holidays just yet.
SOme people get more money depending on what they claim for and circumstances. i havent looked into if im entitled to anythingelse.
Im personally not better off however others are.unless everyone on here are on benefits whos too say that every single person claiming benefits is better off working?
Unfortunately i do have things to do, as said everyone is entitled to think what they want.

a 'true story' of the mother with 9 kids, gel nails, a yacht & 12 ponies living in a mansion in Highgate,

A benefits mum, presumably, babies. The gel nails are a nice touch!

Why are the 12 ponies living in the mansion ... ? Has she claimed they are all severely disabled children needing separate bedrooms, thus escaping bedroom tax?

Kali.

The only people who would qualify for amounts that are not the bog standard run of the mill everybody who is entitled to get does amounts are those who qualify for disability benefits.

These are none means testable so apply to employed and unemployed people.

A few may passport you to additional benefits that are means testable like the disabled child elements of ctc but they are also available to working people who have incomes under the cut off point.

Nobody gets additional money for dogs or none dependants there really is nothing else that bumps your benefit above the prescribed set amounts nothing else at all.

There really are no other circumstances that increase it and nothing else claim able that changes that no matter what your situation.

'Garlic' as I'm shattered I can't tell if you've got that my tale of DM hideousness is a total exaggeration for the purpose of demonstrating my fil's reliance on the DM to tell him how terrible the world is.

I think she did babies

Phew

"SOme people get more money depending on what they claim for and circumstances."

Oh you mean the ones that need more? Eg. the disabled and carers?

Kali, I don't think you understand the simple mathematics or logic of this do you?