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

If both partners are earning min wage that's roughly £20000 a year (before CTC, CB, housing top up if renting?)

Bloody hell…

… this really didn't go down well for the OP.

£900 after rent is very nice. I mean… even if you spent £100 a week on groceries, you really should still have enough left for other things.

I know for me Pantone we work full time our outgoings just don't leave us with that much spare cash at the end of it all. I understand we have chosen where our finances go and that's on us, but we're nowhere near £900. DC number 1 is on the way so I can't speak as someone with children at home but we aren't eligible to claim any extra income and the gov website tells me we won't be eligible for much when he does arrive.

Pantone I've been watching for it all day (I needn't explain why I actually had nothing better to do but rest-assured it's not benefit related). I'm waiting for a poster to say - guess what I've checked and I am entitled to something! - but they're either still checking, can't be arsed or everyone's income claims are not quite reflective of their true economic situation.

• must add not benefit bashing in anyway. Just adding my bit in from the full time workers sode

Does no one actually care that the father of these children is paying so little?
It's sodding disgraceful

HereBeHubbubs

What would you expect to earn once you're back in work?

Because you will probably figure out that unless you earn at least 30k or so, you will have even less...

I work part time, I'm single mum, I have less than that before I pay rent, council tax and childcare. I do get some housing benefit and obviously have working tax credits, but my wages, tax credits and child benefit add up to less than £900, housing benefit is paid directly to the local authority and i top it up (by quite a bit). I'm not really sure what your AIBU? is.

Owllady it's been said and I think there's a tacit agreement that it is shocking, disgraceful etc but even the old 'Poor Laws' from the 14th Century accounted for this. Seems the internet has a way of still publicly flogging women for this though. And yes the men still get away with it (OP does get a fiver though). HTH.

I work full-time in nightshifts and I have less than that after my council tax and mortgage are paid out. People have said to me I'd be better off not working and they are bloody right. I certainly wouldn't be so knackered, stressed and would see my child a lot more.

So to me you are rolling in it and living a good life.

Yes but married vs lp is less relevant in Op situation as she is renting so no DIY, presumably little to no gardening.
She has 5 1/2 hrs a day spare. That surely makes up for doing bedtimes etc.

Men seem to generate a lot of washing and tidying and of course cost a lot to feed.

(I bf so got up with DD almost every time in the night and would continue to anyway as DH works.

Does no one actually care that the father of these children is paying so little?
It's sodding disgraceful

Owlady my DS father is the grade A wankers of all wankers and has just started paying £1.34 a week. Give it 6months and I be heads up on what it cost me in telephone charges to actually get this. It will provide my DS bananas for a week

camping the childcare costs must be crippling if you are doing night shifts maybe you can switch to dayshifts as childcare is cheaper then.

my ex is supposed to pay £75 a week for his son

he currently ows over £6k and that does not include the 3yrs i didnt apply

he was PAYE and we had to go down the attachment wages order,he paid 2 mths then went self employed,he plays cat and mouse with the CSA they give him loads of chances,he refuses to submit his book work,so now we are looking at court

he has no assetts so god knows what the courts would take

he has never wanted to see his son,i begged him to but was not interested

he never bothered much with his children from a 10yr marraige that should of been a sign

i manage very well without him and if i was getting the money he ows weekly in my eyes i would be very well of,with benefits it would total £1700 monthly in my hand so to speak

and to add i dont even get the £5 the unemployed pay cos he's working

ive given up really now we manage well and it's pretty clear he has no inetrest in his son,like he once said to me "i know he will always be well looked after with you" good job really then

and im by no means a unique case

I think the system is shite where a mother can stay at home with their child all day and be better off than a parent who works 60 hour weeks and sees DC's 2 out of 7 days.
Nothing personal to OP or anyone other LP, just a crap system.

Looking at OPs figures, if I was staying myself I would get £75. Because there are 2 children I am given an extra £150. How is that fair? I've often thought that childless people get a rough deal with regards to benefits. This proves it.

OP I'm glad that you are happy with your lot in life.

As someone who had to give up work to look after a disabled child while my dh works every hour there is and that results in us just not qualifying for tax credits, I'm soooo happy that you get hours each day to sit and do....well....nothing. We have had to fight to get some dla and get child benefit but that is it.

Not sure what you thought to achieve with this thread.

if you are on about the same as the op after rent shortfall (£825ish) but your "rent" is "mortgage" I fail to see how you can say you are in the same position or worse of than the OP

in the next however many years and in retirement you wont be needing to pay any rent and will have a secure roof over your head.

the point of benefits is to SUPPORT those who are out of work for whatever reason not to keep them in eternal poverty as punishment until they get a job!

The system is pathetic. We should move towards a flat rate and no increases every time you have an extra child. A flat rate and you manage on that. end of. that's my opinion.

I'm not anti benefits to those who need them. We live on less than OP after bills and rent is rent. Can't afford a mortgage as no spare cash to save, sadly. doubt that will change anytime soon

the benefit cap will affect claimants so its not always the case of more kids more benefit

remember some claimants will have seen their benefit reduce especially if they are in a high rent area

I'm on benefits and a single mother.
I didn't choose this life. I'm 36 with 2 dc, a 17 and 3 yr old. I've always worked, even when my 17yr old was tiny. I went on maternity leave whilst pregnant with my DS (3)fully intending to back to work after. When DS was 3 weeks old he nearly died, ended up in and out of hosp for nearly 2 yrs.

When he was 4 weeks old his father packed a bag and we haven't seen nor heard from him since, oh and I get no maintenance. My exps actions and the fact that DS was so ill forced me into the position of not being able to work. Again, I didn't choose this life and I've never been so depressed or as unhappy as I am now, even when I was exhausted and broke though working.

I get less benefits than the op because 'officially' I only have one child. My other child is doing an aprenticship and earning a pittance. Dd gives me £20 a week towards her food ect but goes nowhere towards covering £550 rent/gas/electicity ect, but if she gave me me more £££ I would get my benefits docked (and she would have next to nothing to show for working 36+ hrs a week).
It's most certainly not the life I envisioned for myself and I feel incredibly offended by the suggestion that I sit on my arse watching JK. I miss work incredibly and I will be working again once DS is in full time school.

Woah! That was long, sorry

it seems very wrong that so many working people get less than those on benefits. It's a crazy situation.

I wish benefits for people with disabilities and other vulnerable people were increased but that there was more incentive for others to work.

I think having 'lots' of children is a personal choice AND a personal responsibility. It seem very wrong that some working parents can't afford to have move than a couple of kids but that some (note that I said SOME ) people on benefits are disproportionately rewarded by having lots of kids.