To believe £780 month lone parent benefits income is adequate to live on.

[goldfacegreen]

There's some myth busting required at last I think.

As a lone parent of two under 6, I receive a total of £780 a month in benefits:

Income Support, Child Tax Credit, Child Benefit, CSA (£5 a week).

I receive full housing benefit for a two bedroom house (£75 shortfall which has to come out of my income support, currently being paid via Housing Discretion Award) which doesnt go into mybank account, it gets paid direct to landlord, and £16 a month council tax shortfall also has to be paid out of income.

I'm on meters and gas and electric are around £20 a week each, some of which pays off accrued debt. Water is deducted directly from my income support via an 'attachment of earnings' type court order.

I don't have loans or credit cards, no landline, no satellite tele, no car, no travel expenses, no socialising costs, don't smoke, my Internet is paid for by someone else although I should have organised a bill swap ages ago and I run an old phone on £10 month contract. My other costs are regular swimming, yoga, wax salon, and I buy school uniform and children's clothing as and when required.

Childcare such as nursery (pre-school), morning and after school clubs are free to those on income support, school holiday clubs are heavily subsidised, as are school meals, dentistry, doctor's prescriptions, council run leisure centre swimming and gym classes, and many other recreation facilities.

My budgeting skills are atrocious but having recently done some sums, I actually have around £250 a month 'spare' from all benefits income. Although for the past year or two I've been constantly overdrawn by around £500 so whenever income is credited, I'm always 'one step forwards, two steps back' amd because of this will never get back in the black again.

So, with better budgeting (I don't buy a regular weekly food shop for instance, instead spend a fortune every few days buying dinners and sundries at the overpriced local Tesco Metro) I just don't understand how so many lone parents claim they can't afford to live on these same benefits.
Even if you have debts, there are features in place to reduce your debt payments to just £1 a week or even write them off altogether as a last resort.

Also, the father of my children earns thousands but fraudulently claims benefits, so he is only required to pay the minimum £2.50 a week per child direct from his benefits. Many lone mothers receive full child support which isn't deducted from their other benefits income, so can be receiving up to £800 a month on top of their benefits depending on what the chikdren's father earns. I have noticed that rarely will lone parents on benefits state this fact or include it in their income along with their complaint.

Yes, it is a struggle trying to support myself and two young children on £780 a month (but mostly because I can't get over this overdraft debt shackle) but on paper, budgeting well, it is entirely doable, and if you are frugal, you could even save a little too.

Why does the Daily Mail stereotype exist that single mothers are rolling in handouts, given the above figures? Just under £195 a week is an adequate income for one adult and two young children, surely..

Thanks Sock . I will have a proper look later, just on my lunch break at the moment.

Todmorden is semi rural. Although does have train links to Manchester, Leeds etc. Still would incur train fare though.

If I didn't have debts I could have lived off benefits quite comfortably.

I live in a town with free internet at the library, two doctors surgeries, four primary schools, three supermarkets, a leisure centre etc all within walking distance. 20 minutes tops to get to the furthest. I wouldn't have needed any travel costs.

We also had a furniture reuse shop until recently which offered very cheap white goods etc. My council holds give and take events where people can donate and others take those items for free.

My electric is £120pq, water £80pq and gas is on a meter so £40pm in the winter, prob £20 in the summer. That's for a 2 bed semi detached. I had no rent or council tax. £12pm council tax, free prescriptions etc.

Obviously it's different for everyone, I do live in an ideal place. Plus as I mentioned I came into the situation with an armful of debt so couldn't really manage. Still clearing it now, but once I do I know that should I lose my job again I won't struggle.

If you had enough to live on, then you wouldn't be in debt.

Though, personally, I'd get rid of those debts before paying for waxes and yoga.

You are also in the fortunate position of having a Tesco metro nearby. £5 return bus fare to our nearest supermarket. There are local shops, but they sell very little and are more expensive than Tesco Metro. Most leisure facilities are a similar bus journey away, and we no longer have a community centre.

She's talking out her arse anyway.

'Attachment of earnings order', 'HB paid directly to landlord' both suggest that at some point in the past she was massively struggling on benefits as they only do these things if you're in arrears.

It doesn't mean she's talking out of her arse at all. She said she's crap with money and wastes what she knows she could be saving. Is it not possible she blew money meant to be rent/water as it was there? Now the responsibility is taken off her hands, she still spends everything but doesn't buy as much iykwim?

Agree that most city dwellers live close to shopping/leisure amenities, it's something that I thought carefully about whenever I've moved as I wouldn't want to live too far from a shop, I can walk to about six metro-type supermarkets and it's a short bus ride to a major supermarket. I think rural living can be much more expensive and makes it harder to cope on benefits, but there is the trade off with quality of life/community/type of housing etc.

She's making out like benefits rates are excessive. If that's the case then she would never have got into debt or arrears surely? The whole thread is making me .

If that's the case then she would never have got into debt or arrears surely?

Part of the reason she's in arrears is because she is, by her own admission, a bit profligate with money. Less of the salon waxing and yoga sessions would perhaps help avoid eating into the overdraft.

It was the free before and after school care and the free furniture and white goods that made me . They don't exist (except in unusual circumstances) but easy for people to believe they do. I still maintain that no two situations are the same can you imagine having to completely start from scratch on that amount, having to not only buy furniture but plates, cups cutlery etc, pots and pans.

The cost of the odd leg wax and LA subbed yoga class would not be enough to avoid the water order.

Absolutely Jacks. I'm in that position right now. How do you do it without resorting to credit? Crisis loans and their ilk have long gone. Charity shops are not cheap because demand is high.

I said up thread that budgeting education would be good but I wouldn't specifically target that at benefits claimants.

She did say that she was rubbish with money but again this statement was used to further get at benefits claimants in a 'even I can do it' way.

This was the op's first post under this NN at least. She seems to not 'get' the goats and flat tv screen jokes despite being a long term MNer too. None of this stacks up for me.

As I said up thread, I believe it's possible for people on limited set of circumstances. Doesn't mean it's the same for everyone and this thread just perpetuates the myth that you're rolling in it on benefits.

If you live in a city, with close amenities, with no debt and hardly ever do anything(days out etc) then yes, it seems manageable.

what happens when you don't live in the city? I use at least £30 a week just transporting my dcs to school in the next village....the bus would be no cheaper, enquired and itll cost £52 for a weekly pass for us all to go on school run....so more expensive than the car!!

I have debts, most of which the ex got me into but they're in my name. £1 debt payments are not always possible. a lot of people rely on hp/cataloges, I know I do for emergencies- eg washer breaks or need new kettle or something...therefore you have to keep up the payments otherwise the account would be passed to debt collection.

Im lucky that at dcs school we do get some free 1hr after school clubs, but I also pay out subs for scouts for both.

in conclusion, its not a massive amount to live on, but it is adequate for many, but if the government want mums back into work they need to make the incentive much much greater - afaik there is currently no back to work help/support for single parents. I had a comparison done at the back to work interview and they basically said ooohh yes your'll be £40 a week better off than you are now not working, but I wouldn't be at at as I would then have to pay for - prescriptions dr+ optician /school dinners.....so I actually would not be better off working as it stands!! -That cannot be right, something needs to change.

I'm just here to talk about one thing : the free furniture.

My church runs a furniture recycling project. We have a van, and some of the young guys will go and collect furniture that is no longer needed. Odds and ends of stuff, and we also do house clearances if required. We store it in the church hall. Every week there is a drop-in session where people who have been referred from other agencies can come and choose what they like. We then deliver it for free.

Some people are referred by other churches, some by SS or the Sally Army or Women's Aid, or a food bank.

Everything is decent second hand, we have a fabulous bloke who safety checks electricals.

I do data analysis for them - our records show this is. Going to the very poorest - ex addicts leaving treatment, families fleeing domestic violence, political refugees who left their homes with only what they could carry.

You need to qualify but we know there are projects like this elsewhere. I'm really honoured to be able to be part of it.

Hi It's was me who said about free furniture and white goods and I did state in the post this was in glasgow from GHA(glasgow housings association) which is a local council housing department but you have to be on benefits to get it for free or you have to pay 161 pound a month for the package you also get to chose what stuff u need and also of anything break ect they replace it aswell not everyone is entitled to this though as far as I'm aware you have to be in one of their council hoagies I'm not totally sure on this tho? But all I mean with this is this is the only free thing I have heard about in glasgow I don't hear of shops you can go to for free furniture ect x

The incentive to work should be that you earn your own money instead of living off others who pay taxes.

Hello everyone

Quick reply. I'm sad to keep reading suggestions I'm 'smug' by mentioning the number of free resources that were available to me several years ago and that I still see available to those in my position now. It isn't smugness I assure you, some dreadful demons brought me to these circumstances and I am 'paying' for this lifestyle in many ways.

I wanted to highlight that resources are out there. I want people to k ow they are available, and not necessarily just to those with a backstory like mine.

The overdraft keeps being mentioned. Yes, it's one step forwards two steps back. I can't pay it off with the 'spare' £250 as once my account is credited, bills immediately go out, etc and I a, atrocious at budgeting.

In no way is this post about perpetuating a stereotype, I was honest about my finances in order for people to finally recognise that as the average lone parent with two young children in an average town, the amount of benefits I receive, IF I was better at budgeting, is actually in my opinion far too much for my needs.

Yes, if the children's father was contributing as he is able to but refuses to, the benefits could and should then be reduced to offset his contribution, saving taxpayers untold amounts. I've never understood why the gov doesn't chase this action up, but them I know nothing about economics, politics either.

The 'point' of the thread as has also been suspiciously scrutinised: well, I don't really have one. It's a topic of conversation that interests me. Up late wo a toothache and needed something distracting to get my teeth into I suppose. I was also despondent at the number of people claiming they can't get by on lone parent benefits, yet many fail to mention they get child support on top of their benefits, so if another lone mum with two children like me was getting full child support, she could be on hundreds of pounds more a month an I am, and still complaining its 'not enough' - then returns to the £200 a month smoking habit ...

My hands are up admitting a monthly beauty salon treatment and subsidised council yoga sessions at £3.75 a week are an extravagant use of taxpayers money. It's no excuse saying its good for my asthma or emotional wellbeing, I know.

I'm not a journalist, I'm not articulate, this isn't a 'first post' as I've been on MN for years, I've just registered a new ID rceently as I can't remember the password to my account tonight, but my experience as a lone parent on benefits in different parts of the country north and south has revealed to me how much help is actually available out there which is not being accessed because the information is hard to find, and it's something that has motivated my own current job search, in order that I might find work in this area to then help others in my situation.

I hope this has clarified things.
I realise everyone on benefits has different circumstances. This thread is just about mine. It's important to learn about other people's views on this subject, for me anyway. I want to be less cynical, and more empathic.

Several folk mentioned it ProudMummy, not just you!

My project is in Glasgow, funnily enough!

Elf, I earn but I also receive benefits. Which category does that put me in?

Yes there are some furniture warehouse places that do provide free but like you state you need to be referred so it's not across the board which is what the op implied in the opening post. My local churches did it years ago but had to close down, they just couldn't keep up with demand as very few donations.

gold, if that's what you were doing then your op was written badly IMO. It did come across as smug and scathing of those who don't manage. If you've lived in lots of different places then surely you understand that it's different for everybody? Just my opinion though.

Weegiemum I did read most post maybe missed something thought I would reply just incase I didn't want to seem rude I only know about the GHA scheme because a friend of mine got it but I a haven't heard of anything else or projects in glasgow but I don't look so that's possibly why but there is obviously something as you have a project here so my lack of knowledge is just because I haven't searched x

elf that is true in my case, im itching to get back to work, have worked or been at college/uni since I was 13, im certainly not workshy! but the incentive needs to be greater for others whose work ethic is perhaps not as strong. it should not pay to be on benefits......upon going back to work, people should be at least £50 a week better off in work.....sadly that's not the case.

sockret I'm a waxer and used to get legs waxed in a salon but can't afford it now working part time so buy strips from the pound shop. A salon wax is around £30 and you need to go at least every 4 weeks. Yoga is about £7 per class so assuming weekly class, OP is looking at £60 per month for these luxuries and yet receives discretionary housing payment from the limited welfare pot. I just think the latter should be prioritised out of your existing benefits OP which are plentiful.

Just seen reply about yoga OP. Fair enough and looking after wellbeing is important. Salon waxes aren't. Get them from the pound shop and pay your rent shortfall yourself.