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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wonder how pensioners exist on 113 a week?

53 replies

mls3 · 23/09/2014 09:13

Just heard this on the radio, can't believe it is so slow.

Aibu to think it should be double? I earn more than double this and in 30 years time when I'm 66 not sure I could exist on 113.

OP posts:
jammytoast · 23/09/2014 10:42

Yes we get top up benefits the same way that pensioners get top up benefits. So what is your point?

A single person on minimum wage could have less outgoings than us, and a couple of low paid workers paying childcare might have less disposable income than us, but we all cut our cloth accordingly don't we? It really is a case of priorities.

I currently do not have a pension, but in two years time when our youngest starts school I will get a job and then a pension.

arethereanyleftatall · 23/09/2014 10:44

I'm not sure on the amounts, but I do know that my grandmother who never paid into the system, sahm to 8 kids, says she has more money now than she knows what yo do with. And that's all and only from benefits. I know one person does not cover all, but that's my only real life experience.

Chunderella · 23/09/2014 10:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Random1999 · 23/09/2014 10:45

its very sad to see if im honest, btw 113 is the maximum state pension.

gunnsgirl · 23/09/2014 10:46

Jammy - you said anyone on minimum wage could contribute to a pension plan. That just isnt true. You may be able to because you're receiving top up credits etc. Single working people on minimum wage paying exhorbitant rents and high costs of travel to work wouldn't be able to put into a pension pot. Okay, they may receive other benefits when hitting retirement age, but they certainly wouldn't have been able to contribute into a pension plan whilst working as you suggested.

ssd · 23/09/2014 10:48

Even a min wage worker could afford to put something away each month and it would be a substantial amount by the time they retire

I get mw, its £6.31 an hour

try living off that, never mind saving up a substantial amount

ilovechristmas1 · 23/09/2014 10:49

and the Bingo halls are pretty busy still

and i dont buy the argument that they go to keep warm

a conservative estimate on an afternoon at bingo will cost £5-£10 that amount could have the heating on a fair bit

Random1999 · 23/09/2014 10:50

if you work 100 hours a month, 7 an hour is 700 pounds, average rent around here for a one bed home is 500 a month, thats 50 quid a week to live on, if you take out 10 pounds a week for a weeks bus ticket that is just 40 a week to live on, 5 gas, 5 electric, not sure how much youd have left at all to put a way!

ssd · 23/09/2014 10:51

springlamb, good on your MIL! she probably shops in charity shops and takes care of herself well.

jammytoast · 23/09/2014 10:55

We could spend all day going through all the scenarios that prevent people paying into a pension. Really we could.

The fact is, having a pension isn't really seen as important. It was never mentioned to us in school, or spoken about at home.

I know many people, on min wage or on benefits, who say they cannot afford to live, and please understand that we do not find life easy ourselves, and I am sure there are many people who genuinely are struggling.

However, everyone I know has at least one foreign holiday a year. We don't. So we are paying into a pension instead of having a holiday basically. That's our choice. I don't feel hard done by, but I am slightly bemused at all these people who are complaining about how little money they have while jetting off on holiday!!

Like I say, priorities.

jammytoast · 23/09/2014 11:01

I know how much minimum wage is. And I do live off it. :)

Missunreasonable · 23/09/2014 11:10

You live off minimum wage and probably the same amount again in benefits.
Do you get housing benefit? Council tax benefit? Child tax credits? Working. Tax credits? Child benefit?

Now take a single person on minimum wage who pays £500 pm rent and gets no benefit top ups. How are you expecting them to save? I don't think they are one of these people going on an annual foreign holiday either.
Let's just hope for your sake that your husband doesn't divorce you before you have the chance to build up a big enough pension pot of your own because once your children are grown you could be one of those people on minimum wage with no top ups which will limit your ability to save.

Missunreasonable · 23/09/2014 11:13

My husband does have a pension (mine is currently frozen due to me being a carer) but it doesn't affect my ability to understand that not everyone has enough money to save for old age. Some people are struggling to feed themselves now let along think about feeding themselves in 30 years time.
Not everybody is prioritising holidays over pensions.

jammytoast · 23/09/2014 11:22

So why are pensioners so deserving of our sympathy and not younger people struggling now?

If you look back, that was my original point.

I may get tax credits and child benefit, but that is because I have outgoings that a single person doesn't have. They don't need a whole house, rent a room for cheaper. It is shit, wages are shit, jobs are shit, rent is too high, I agree with all of that, but this thread is about pensions, and how terrible life is for the poor pensioners and I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for the majority.

As I already said, those who have to live on disability benefits and carers allowance do have my sympathy because they don't have a choice.

Missunreasonable · 23/09/2014 11:25

Anybody struggling through no direct fault of their own has my sympathy including low paid workers.

Dawndonnaagain · 23/09/2014 11:27

I am a carer. We are currently living on savings with a child tax credit top up and of course, DLA. There is no pension credit. I cannot save, I barely make ends meet. Eventually the savings will go and we'll get some form of Income Support, it'll still be tight.

SoonToBeSix · 23/09/2014 11:34

Dawn you get NI contributions paid for you if you are in receipt of carers.

Preciousbane · 23/09/2014 11:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

dreamingofsun · 23/09/2014 11:54

my IL's are the best off they have ever been now they are retired. As people above have said, they get pension credit top-ups and reduced council tax. they have 2 holidays per year, at least, with one of those abroad. they run a car. and every so often they give us money because they go over their savings allowance otherwise and their benefits get chopped. they do live in a cheap area though

rainbowinmyroom · 23/09/2014 12:03

You get top ups. You think it should be double? How is the state supposed to afford that?

SurelyYoureJokingMrFeynman · 23/09/2014 12:04

I don't see what you're saying is "not true", ilovechristmas?

I was answering MaryW's statement about pensions that "it's the only benefit that the amount you get does depend on how much you've paid in to the system. I quite like that."

But the amount of JSA and IB/ESA also depends on how much NI one has paid, and also when.

Which you appear to agree with, as you agree that there is NI-based ESA, means-tested ESA (a different amount), and agree that people only may be able to claim either - ie some people won't.

In fact, there's now a group of people who aren't eligible for any income-replacement benefit - too sick to work full-time, not sick enough for JSA, no children so no Income Support.

Fluffyears · 23/09/2014 17:24

They don't seem to fair badly as a pp said the bingo halls are full. Having worked in a bingo hall whilst at uni you see the same people every night spending at least a tenner on books then complaining they are skint. Mil gets state pension £114 a week and a small private amount. She has no mortgage as it's paid, free bus travel ( and uses us as a free taxi service but that's a different AIBU), reduced council tax at £30 a month and her one person shopping at aldi is £30 a week maximum.

I work full time as does dp, we pay a large mortgage, run a small car (required for work) , pay full council tax at £180 per month, factors bill and out shopping is around £80 a week. We have little left to save.

Itsjustmeagain · 23/09/2014 17:35

My grandmother gets basic state pension. She has no other income as she was a sahm/wife her whole life. My grandfather died when he was in his 50s.
She has a retirement /sheltered flat paid for from selling her house the heating costs etc are also included in the actual cost of the flat. She doesn't have much money BUT in the situation she is in she just doesn't need it. The only costs she has are very personal ones such as food and clothing which she seems to easily cover with her pension.

To me this seems ideal - she couldn't afford to or manage living alone, (the cost of the running and heating etc the house was far too high) anymore and since I live so far away from her as does my sister she was found this flat and it has really made life far better for her, living with other people in a similar situation and not having to worry too much about the living costs etc.

I think this sort of solution should be more widely available! A single elderly woman living alone trying to run a 4 bedroom house on a £113 a week is of course going to struggle and although I get they may want to stay in the house they are used to at some point it just isnt practical anymore!

Darkesteyes · 23/09/2014 17:37

Single people dont need a house no but i dont think a one bedroom flat is too much to ask.

Why should they live in one room just because they havent got living proof that they have had sex without contraception.

ilovechristmas1 · 23/09/2014 18:04

yes i think there should be more 1bed places maybe sheltered housing or some small community based housing

we have some here,run by a trust i think War veterans,fantastic accomadation,company if wanted,lots of events,and is very safe

then maybe they can hand their 2-3-4 bed house to an overcrowded family

as they are exempt from the bedroom tax there is no incentive to give it up

and yes i still think they should down size even if they have lived there years