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..

Also, I don't socialise, have satellite tele, new mobile phones, buy new clothes for myself, etc.

£3.75 a week for subsidised council-run yoga is probably cheaper for the taxpayers than repeat prescriptions for asthma inhalers. I haven't needed new inhalers since starting yoga, so I'm not feeling guilty about this expense.

Salon wax every 6-8 weeks. Mmm. Debatable I suppose. Although the stats for benefit claimants who smoke at £7.20 a packet probably adds up to the same. Or spend some of their benefits on totally unneccessary satellite packages that start at £80 a month. So no, I don't feel guilty about that either.

Now the youngest has just started achool, I'm on an IT course, applying for volunteering and jobhunting, the 6 years I have stayed at home with the children as a lone parent will be paid back into the system once I'm working again. It also means my children will not grow up thinking there is a 'benefits lifestyle'. They both pick up coins in the street so they're already aware of how not having a job means making massive sacrifices.

Squirrelnuts

Income support is £98.10 fortnight
Child Tax Credit for two under 6 £114.20 a week
Child Benefit ££34.70 a week
CSA absent father £10 a fortnight

Housing Benefit isn't paid into my bank, goes straight to landlord.

No,gadgets are not essential.a form of internet access fine,but that does not mean several gadgets etc which does actually happen!

While the Daily Fail et al provide a very bias view of benefit lifestyle,the fact remains that some do live that way,and they can afford it -on benefits.

I don't know one single benefit claimant who is financially struggling,not one with at least one child anyway.So,it's harder for them to have everything new or everything others have.Sorry,fact of life.You live within bbc your means and to a basic standard.

goldface satellite packages do not start at £80 a month.In fact,I don't know of any that cost that much unless landline and broadband is included.If one does exist it will be the highest possible.

I've never had satellite tele. I always assumed a landline was compulsory if you had broadband. Don't most people have tele/broadband/landline as the whole package? Adverts I've seen always seem to be around that much for Sky.

I have TV, phone and broadband but its no where near £80. If it was ex wouldn't be paying for it!

you can get internet without having a phone line or tv, can get it with just a phone and no TV.

I have Internet. My boyfriend bought me an iPad one Christmas and has paid the wifi bill since. I'm in the process of changing the bill over as it was gifted, I don't expect him to keep paying for it.

Is it rude to ask why your ex pays for your telly, phone and Internet? Or was that a gift too?

Many people use desperate providers for things.

I've had the full sky tv package-HD and every single channel,including movies etc,plus unlimited broadband (highest broadband package) plus landline with free calls at £87 a month.

I believe sky tv packages start at £21 depending on whatever (saw it advertised somewhere a while back)

Seperate not desperate!Autocorrect sucks

Benefits claimants pay tax too - 20% on everything they buy etc. Yes I know it wasn't their money to begin with.

This is such an odd way to look at things. Every member of the UK is a financial burden on the system in one way or another. Some more so than others. Do we really want to go down the route of deciding who is 'worthy' based solely on their net financial contribution to the economy? I can't remember what the figures are, but very few individuals make a net contribution in taxes after everything they have taken out.

Whilst your desire to work is admirable op, chances are you will still be claiming some benefits once working. Unless you land yourself a top paying job, then I think you'll find in the end you will have taken out more than you wind up contributing.

Benefits bashers often ignore the other contributions they make to society. Carers, volunteers, etc. most of whom are 'giving back' in other ways. I'd be interested to know what financial value could be placed on that.

We need to stop this 'in fighting' and turn our attention to the real problem - the policy makers.

Gold I explained earlier in the thread. Its because he lived here then walked out. Couldn't cancel the contract as was only open for 2 months. He forgot to cancel last year. He cant transfer it to his place as he lives with his mum who already has it.

He pays it but he gets to watch it too on the go with his phone. They class it as maintenance when it isn't at all.

To be honest, I never see 'in fighting' on this subject in the real world. 'Benefit scum' just isn't a topic I hear spoken about on the street, at the school gates, down the pub, amongst friends and families, I only ever read about in Mumsnet and Facebook or in the media.

I've had a PM telling me I'm daft for declaring the full amounts I receive as people will just continue to think single mums are rolling in benefits, but I stand by my claim that this amount whilst probably too much for my circumstances at present, might also highlight how little it actually is for others.

SP Thanks, I was just curious. Hope I wasn't being too nosey there.

Who is the media aiming this at though? Your ordinary working Joe who is then up in arms about it. Facebook - there are real people posting that stuff. Same with MN.

Benefit bashers are alive and well and numerous in number.

I know you say your intentions were to create discussion but you are asserting that you get too much money on benefits whilst all the evidence you have posted points to the fact that you're not.

And you don't give the full picture. You bandy figures around as 'disposable income' and the squeezed middle understandably feel pissed off. Benefits rates etc are easy to find out about online. Few people can be arsed to actually work out their outgoings and compare this to how they'd actually do it on benefits. This thread is no different to those viral posts on Facebook that say 'like this if you think illegal immigrants shouldn't be able to claim benefits'.

Revenger, I'd be pleased if you retract that association with my post.

Why? I personally think you are trying to stir up feeling over this with half truths. Same as those false Facebook posts.

You are comparing my post to racist nonsense on Facebook? Can't see the similarity myself.

There are no half truths either. Everything is written honestly about my own situation. You have been adamnant from page 1 this is a benefits bashing thread though, so I suppose you have your own agenda.

You haven't been honest. You say you're not struggling but you are.

I don't think your post is racist but I still assert that you have posted to intentionally stir things up at a time when feelings run high on this, more so since the airing of benefits street.

But gold you're actually question is that £195 is enough for any lone parent with 2 children. For you it is because you get x y and z but getting x y and z is the exception not the norm and that is why what you have said is so wrong. You have gone out of your way to imply that lone parents get things that they simply don't.

I haven't seen that programme, although I've seen the trailers.

I am being as honest as possible, I'm not hiding anything.

And actually I think this thread has progressed very thoughtfully considering the subject with some very honest and useful responses from other posters.
You seem disappointed it hasn't degenerated into an infamous MN bunfight!

OP, regarding Sky etc, my package with internet, phone calls and some extra TV channels is around £50 a month....and that includes line rental. The top package is around £85(£100 with line rental) I believe and includes Sky Sports and Movies etc.

We do watch TV so it isnt wasted but then again I don't get to have nights out, I don't smoke and rarely drink alcohol.

I don't kniw who it was that got £2k a month but I bet a large chunk of it was HB. And I suspect that they wouldn't have the same entitlement now the rules have changed,

I haven't seen any of the bun fights because I purposefully don't read them so I wouldn't know if this is 'standard' or not. Don't know why I bit this time. I come into contact with far too many people who hold the view that ALL benefits claimants are lazy, good for nothing scrounges .

If you'd started a thread saying 'this is my situation. If be interested to know how others find it' that would have been one thing and much more in line with your stated intentions in starting this thread. Instead, you posted in a sneery 'I can do it despite x, y and z. Why can't others do it?'. There has been posters come on and sneer too, and you invited them to do that.

The fact that there happens to be some useful information posted is in spite of the tone of your thread, not because of.

Triptrap How do you know where they got their gadgets?I have three PCs in my house. I didnt pay for two of them. OH built one out of old parts (and i mean old). The other was given by my mum. The whole power unit has knackered. I keep them for parts, niether of those work as both have an important component that is broken (one power unit other im not sure) We got some PPI money and bought the PC we use for £480. Its was a sensible purchase IMO. Its covered completely for two years so i dont have to worry about replacing it, and it ensures OH can always email in about jobs, email the work advisor he has if he needs help at amy time instead of waiting days for a JC appointment. It also means we save money on a TV licence as we only watch what we dont need a license for.

Our library has closed and the one in town Is always rammed full because its over the road from a homeless shelter.

I have. A blackberry playbook and the tv on finance because theyre in my mums name and i wouldnt just stop paying its not fair on her.

My phone is my brothers and is strictly on loan. I am to give it back to him when i am finished with it or if he needs it back.

No, Im not sneery, Revenger. Not sure how its possible to be sneery aout a thread about my own debt situation! Are you suggesting Im proud to bein debt or something?
I haven't called anyone else sneery either. I think there was only one poster who used that word, Alice something or other username.

I'm sorry that the tone is being misinterpreted, but yes you are probably right a different thread title might have been better.

I'm not the only one who picked up on the tone. It's been mentioned a few times. I didn't say you called others sneery - there have been posters come on to say that they might as well give up work as they'll be better off on benefits - which I'd put money on not being true. That's sneering.

If I have picked up on a 'tone' that wasn't there then I apologise but I have felt it in your op and subsequent posts, especially as you've implied that your situation is the same as that for any other lone parent.