Here is my total income as a lone parent on benefits.

[HereBeHubbubs]

Inspired by a thread which is glorifying us lone parents as 'rolling in it', I'm prepared to declare my benefits income. It's not gauche to do so, because it's your money after all (looks at taxpayers), and you should probably know that I am also grateful for this support, prepad to pay back into the pool when working again, and am not extravagant nor consider this a 'lifestyle choice'.

I don't have Sky, a plasma tele, holidays, credit or catalogue accounts, smoke, drink and rarely socialise due to childcare issues. I buy all our clothes from charity shops. I do however have a concession rate council leisure centre swim membership of £18 a month and a £10 rolling contract mobile phone, with a phone somebody gave me.

I am terrible at budgeting and have been living on a £500 overdraft for at least the last couple of years - I never have enough income to return the account into the black, so I'm generally always at least £400 overdrawn.

My utilities are on prepayment meters currently eating up old debt weekly and a not competitive tariff.

I'm currently looking for work and can't understand how people sit at home without good reason, because since my youngest started school, I have been going stir crazy and begun to feel quite down and despondent about not working.

Fortunes will change in the near future as doubtless I will find work, but meanwhile, when you break down the cost of my outgoings, hopefully you can see that lone parents really are not 'rolling in it'.
Especially the ones who receive little or no maintencance from their absent children's father.
Unimagined outgoings include things like termly Brownies subs, school snacks at £8 a month, school shoes every new term, birthday and Christmas presents, rent shortfall £75 a month, winter utilities alone are £40 a week each gas and electric.

Lone parent age 45, two children 5 and 7, private rented three bed (officially two as one leads off the bathroom) terrace Anglia region.'Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit don't enter my bank account, they're paid direct to recipients.

Weekly Income
5.00 CSA
72.40 JobSeekers Allowance
34.05 Child Benefit
114.08 Child Tax Credit

£225.53 week
£902.12 every month

of course she would be busier - but as is a single mother is still a hell of a lot busier than a sahm with a working husband.

Why? In one way she has less to do.

Lets stop with the crap here. It doesnt help. Who cares what people do with their time anyway?

What this shows is how expensive it is to live in the UK and how crap the wages are. Me and DH definitely got less than the OP after tax and rent each month. Him as a chef and me as a newly qualified teacher. Both working 50-60 hours a week each. Even the government consider that money to be too low if someone on benefits gets more in the hand than we did. What a completely arse ways situation. I have no problem with the OP. Good luck finding a job and fair play to you considering that financially you be better off to stay watching tv. I don't know whether this post makes me glad to have emigrated to a country that rewards hard work or sad that I could be sat at home with DD and getting okay money for it.

Viviennemary
"But childcare is never free unless a relative is doing it and doesn't charge. It all has to be paid for. I'm not against extra childcare for working parents but let's not kid ourselves that it's free. It will mean extra tax somewhere."

Childcare payments go to bankers to service mortgage debt. People now have to use two incomes to buy a house. In the past houses were affordable on one income so one of the parents could look after the children. Or if they chose to work they had a second and disposable income. Families are struggling because housing costs are too high. If you are in a couple without a child and your neighbours both work and receive childcare costs, those childcare payments mean you have to work more hours because your house cost more than it should. Childcare payments mean more people work and so more people pay too much for houses, so it's money going to bankers. If nobody signed up to joint income mortgages then houses would be cheaper and women wouldn't need to work, they could do it only if they wanted.

When the government subsidises childcare it's diverting our taxes to bankers.

Suez am that's rubbish 16k is the limited and owning your home makes no difference.

I work full time and it's more than I have left for living expenses after taking away childcare costs and housing expenses . Am surprised that it is as much as that. But assume I must have a low income or high ratio of wages going on housing and childcare. If i was a single parent living on only my wage it would be a struggle.

grockle: Why? In one way she has less to do.

really??? you can't stretch your mind to think of how a single mother might have more to do and be busier than a married mother? honestly?

you don't have a clue then.

I agree that house prices are ever forced artificially higher by low mortgage rates. I'm not sure what the answer is but I don't think 'free' childcare will solve all those problems. There are still areas where houses are affordable on one income.

I'm a working single parent and I have less disposable income than op as I have a mortgage and savings I'm not entitled to benefits.

i take it you're married grockle are you seriously saying your husband does NOTHING to contribute other than work? no housework, no gardening, no balancing bank accounts, taking care of bills, no DIY, no decorating, no repairing the leaking toilet, no helping with the kids, no giving you an hour to yourself to sort shit out of an evening or weekend? nothing at all? no sharing of worries about billy's bedwetting or martha's behaviour issues? nothing at all?

if so i'd recommend a divorce.

That's a lot of disposable income OP! I think your thread of making others feel sorry for you has back fired somewhat.

Makes me not want to work TBH, I'd love that money in my bank every month.

but you have a mortgage and savings dolpin - be glad! you'll be able to retire, you're making a huge investment for your future and will one day own a property outright, maybe you'll even have a pension, if the cooker, washing machine and shower all broke next week you'd be able to repair them, maybe you even have a car and the independence that brings, it's good stuff worth working for!

benefits aren't there to help people who are managing to have savings and pay into a massive investment (mortgage) but for people who have zero to fall back on.

the OP is trying to get a job and she needs to because her situation is going to get worse and worse, they'll sanction her, cut her housing benefit, send her on workfare etc. it is not a long term solution to anything. even if by some miracle she has slightly more in her pocket than you currently what you're emptying your housing costs into is an investment for your future - hers is just down the drain and builds nothing for tomorrow. do you see the difference? your 'housing costs' and hers can't be compared because yours potentially will look after you in your old age because when you retire you'll have no rent to pay because you own it or you can sell it and travel the world or downsize etc. you are working for the future and for your freedom and you are investing in it.

the OP is keeping a roof over her head 'for now'. if she gets kicked out tomorrow she doesn't have deposit or proof of income etc. she'll have no properties to choose from because everyone says 'no dss'. she'll have nowhere to store the furniture and possessions she has scraped together.

this is the stuff people don't think of when they just compare 'money in my pocket to spend this month' - they don't think of how their level of money in their pocket, if not as high as they wish, is because they are investing in a future.

Not bad for someone who isn't working. I've definitely gone wrong somewhere along the line :(

I am shocked. That's very generous. I work full time, take home £1000 pcm and have to pay my rent, bills and council tax after that, meaning I have about £300 pcm at the end of it.

meh would you also love no chance of ever owning your own home? no chance of ever having a decent retirement? no chance of leaving a penny to your kids? no chance of seeing your income increase as the years go by and your career gets better and your costs get less because your mortgage is being paid off/is paid off?

think bigger.

HoneyBadger

I have been both so do have somewhat of a clue.

Single mother SAHM: has to do all the housework and everything for the chidren.
MArried SAHM with working husband: has to do all the housework (most of the time) and everthing for the children AND there is another person in the house meaning more washing cooking cleaning etc. (and yes we can pretend that all men do half the housework and childcare if you like but we both know thats not actually the case in general)

If you cant see how that might be the case its YOU that doesn't get it.

chrome if that's what you take home and there isn't another earner in your household on a higher wage then you are surely getting tax credits and working tax credits just like the OP so you are NOT comparing like to like.

and what has any of that got to do with the price of fish anyway? Since when are benefits anythng to do with whether or not one has a man or who watches jeremy kyle or what?

Stop with all the bullshit.

Over 900 pounds a month after rent me and dp both work and don't have that much jezzzh

so you never get time to yoruself via being married then? your husband never even does the gardening or puts the bills out or takes care of some bills or cooks the odd meal? really? i seriously stand by divorce suggestion if this is true.

there's a lot more to be done to run a family and a house and finances than just 'housework' and childcare.

i have been a single mum on benefits, a single mum in employment and a self employed single mother so i've a pretty broad view and no favouritism or vested interest iyswim. i couldn't let it pass though that a single mother has less to do in her life than a married mother - that relies upon either utter nonsense or a very very weird domestic set up.

I am self employed but my business earns very little at the moment, and I am living on a very similar amount to the OP, also as a LP with 2 dc.

It is manageable. But it is bloody tight, and things come unstuck when I need to buy a birthday present or something, because there is nothing spare for that. The dc can't do hobbies or clubs because we can't afford it. Holidays are out of the question. But we manage.

I agree with the dozens of other PP that the problem lies with the shit minimum wage. I would be royally pissed off to have worked a 40 week and still not be able to contemplate taking the kids on a cheap holiday to butlins, or go and get a haircut.

wow i'm envisioning this catch of a man who doesn't even spend any time with his children or take any part whatsoever in their entertainment or development and literally just walks in the door after work expecting to be served and never does a single thing ever at the weekends. i think i'll come back as your husband in my next incarnation grockle and laugh at you with my mates.

I work (but receive tax credits). I have a little over 1k pcm after rent and council tax.

Chrome if that's all you are taking home and have 2dc and are an LP or your DP doesn't work or earn much you could apply for some in-work benefits like HB, CTC, WTC and CTB too you know.