If you're poor it's basically your own fault, isn't it?

[ReputableBiscuit]

I'm so sick of this attitude, in society in general and on MN specifically. Some people just don't seem to have the imagination to realise that poverty is a complex thing and fucking hard to escape. 'Why don't you try budgeting?', 'how can you call yourself poor when you have a big TV?', 'give up smoking then you won't be poor'. 'Cook from scratch.' It's just not as simple as that. Unemployment, disability, mental health problems, social disadvantage, debt, benefits stoppages... none of these are magically undone by somebody writing a list of their outgoings or learning to cook a hearty potato soup.

As anyone who has worked or lived in the developing world will know, term 'poor' is very political.

There are many people on these threads who own computers and have access to the internet who claim to be poor.

I believe and sympathise with them, however there is a wider context.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, and we should be grateful for what we get, yadda, yadda, yadda, that's not what we are talking about though is it?

House!

Finally, we have the 'We don't have poverty like they do in India or Africa, therefore no one is poor' post.

Damn it. I forgot about the Bingo. How could I have forgot about the bingo?

Poverty is always relative.
The fact that we are discussing it on the internet means we are excluding a lot of people

Congratulations Expat, you must feel very happy with yourself

We really do have poverty in this country complex. Food banks aren't thriving because of 'clever marketing' but because people don't have enough to live on. Pay day loans are doing a booming business too. We have running water and the NHS so we are relatively fortunate in that regard but if you think poverty doesn't exist here you have been very fortunate and protected.

or being an arse who's not bothered to read the thread or what it's about.

I never said poverty does not exist!

I said it is relative.

It gives me a lovely inner glow indeed, complex, which is far cheaper than feeding the gas meter and turning on the heating.

I may be guilty of that Smiles

Ah, ok.

My arse expat!

???

Sorry complex to misquote you. It is relative but that doesn't mean that people should just put up with being poor because we aren't a third world country. People's experiences of poverty in the developed work are legitimate.

I did a stint at the Citizens Advice Bureau and that challenged some of my own perceptions. It made me really aware of how easy it is to get in trouble financially, so many unexpected things do happen and unless you are rich, and I mean really very well off, it is so easy for your whole life to fold.

Since then I have been often thinking about our own circumstances, if we lost our jobs and couldn't find alternatives within months, we could lose everything very fast, our beautiful house and all the things we are surrounded by.

Scary thoughts.

SVU...yes. Very scary.
The recommendation is to have 6 months salary in savings

we have one month and we are lucky to have that!
I could sell my car but wouldn't get much for it (it has a mystery leak)
Unless you are Very wealthy - don't need to work/trust fund etc - then the world can be a scary place.

quit smoking/drinking years ago im still poor i budget cook from scratch still poor my main problem is i have food intolerances i need to be diagnosed to do that i need to eat what is making me ill then go for a blood test however it incapacitates me i can't afford a nanny to look after the kids or a taxi to take me because im flipping poor the simple fact is many people with long term graves disease develop food intolerances but that is not enough to get a diagnosis and help with food on prescription so i stay poor and sick till i can afford it

I work 2 days a week I currently pay £200 per day for childcare this includes 2 tinies and wrap around for 1 disabled child.but excludes anything I pay for carers

It's worth my while doing so but not everybody is in that position.

happymummy how are people claiming full time childcare whilst only working 16 hours given the going rate for childcare.

These are the figures taken directly from hmrc

Childcare element of Working Tax Credit
The maximum childcare costs you can claim for, and percentage you can get help with are shown below.
Childcare element of Working Tax Credit
Rates April 2013 April 2014
Maximum eligible cost for one child £175 per week £175 per week
Maximum eligible cost for two or more children £300 per week £300 per week
Percentage of eligible costs covered 70% 70%

This does not mean that you can claim 175/300 from them it means that's the eligible costs so the max amount you could claim is 70% of these amounts, the rest you pay yourself and not only do you have to provide receipts or evidence of payment your childcare provider does as well.

It's perfectly reasonable for someone to allow travelling time at the start and end of the working shift say up to 90 mins each way.

How do those figures allow someone to claim for full time childcare?

Happymummy is Mrs Cameron I think!

Tatum,

I actually have a secret hope that she's really a lone parent on benefits living in either Barnstaple or St. Paul's Bristol and is really just messing with us.

Nah.
It's Katie Hopkins :)

Nope.

She's got form for this and is on almost every single benefit bashing thread spouting the same thing.

It's only a matter of time before I see her username on those threads.

I know smiles, but I can hope can't I?

We're not allowed to Hope. We need to be kept in our place remember?

To hope is being lazy.