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

Radio 4, a very good source usually o f accurate information. A farmer was interviewed on there last week. (Also I own food and farm law subscription publications). There used to be a scheme where a quota of seasonable workers could be brought in from outside the EU (which used to include Bulg. and R). Farmers are keen to have a new scheme to bring in non EU workers as the B and R workers are instead taking better paid jobs (local will not do the work and I do not blame benefits claimants particularly simply because it is so hard to go on and off benefits - the system is at fault - most food bank need is not because benefits are too low but because the benefits admin is so useless people are cut off without money). Anyway the farmers are lobbying to be allowed to bring in people from outside the EU to gather crops. Apparently only2% ever absconded so it tends only to have beneficial effects.

Now perhaps most mumsnetters don't listen to the Today programme on radio 4. If so more fool them. They could learn a lot.

I don't absorb anything Mr Humphreys says before 8.30. I just enjoy waking up to his voice

Still, owning agricultural periodicals must be handy

I'm not sure seasonal picking is the answer to the OP's troubles, though. Short term cash might help, but has to be declared and she'll keep very little of it.

Your energetic, troubleshooting approach is good though Greengrow. Despondency can snap at your heels when you are in the *OP's position. An injection of vigorous analysis could be helpful. I wouldn't have objected to being mentored by you when I was in a similar spot. Not at all.

seasonable workers I think you mean "seasonal" workers, greengrow.

Genuine question, how much does fruit picking etc pay?

Sounds a reasonable amount to live on. Not sure what all the fuss is about

In Kent, I know it hovers around minimum wage Igot and you often need your own transport. Some postgrads I was on a course with did it.

(that's when it isn't paid by volume)

To make the case for crop picking being outside and moving and sunshine are really major contributions to beta endorphin levels and seratonin levels in the brain and make people happy. A survey found that forestry workers were some of the happiest in the UK. Lots of people also get a lot of pleasure from allotments and their garden if they are lucky enough to have an allotment or garden. Helps solve the obesity crisis too.

*Housing benefit, council tax benefit and WTC cover my rent and all domestic bills, as well as car insurance and a little left over for food. Any monthly business income that doesn't go on travel/exhibition costs/art supplies is mine to play with (usually between £300-£500 a month) If I want/need more money for anything quickly I can churn out some extra art to sell online.

I don't have a goat or TV, but there's a Jag in the drive (no commute means I don't have much petrol costs so I can afford the running costs), I go abroad (for art exhibitions, mostly in the US) most months staying in nice hotels, dine out 2 or 3 times a week, always have good wine in the fridge and spend most days in coffee shops, chilling with friends, volunteering or learning new skills (being on WTC means lots of discounts on evening classes, etc) - a lifestyle I could only dream of when I was in the office, watching every penny, skipping meals and sometimes sleeping in the car when I couldn't afford petrol to get home!

Sure, I'll not be buying a house or having substantial savings anytime soon, but that wasn't an option when I was in employment either.

So for anyone saying 'why don't you give up your job and go onto benefits' - some of us have, and consider it an excellent career move.*

This just seems wrong to me. You have a Jag FFS.

That was a quote by the way, don't know why it wasn't in bold!

I wonder if renart was being entirely serious there, orange. It seems unlikely.

Oh Greengrow don't bring your preoccupation with weight into this. You've said so many constructive things on this thread.

Fruit picking is hard physical work, carried out under time pressure. Employment rights are not well observed. It isn't pottering on an allotment. Nor is it some rustic agrarian idyllic scene from a Laurie Lee novel.

The OP worked until she had children at 38. Presumably she has an existing career and skills and qualifications to pick up or branch off from.

Well I hope so.

That was a quote by the way, don't know why it wasn't in bold!

Because you need to 'bold' (embolden?!) each paragraph individually Orange

I wonder if renart was being entirely serious there, orange. It seems unlikely.

I have a sinking feeling that she was Beast. Very specific detail on tax write-offs, growth plans... Rang true to me

Oh OK, thank you!

yes, arsenic I am not sure either. But as I posted upthread, if she is, then I am afraid she is the one who deserves the pasting that OP got from ppl here. What renard is doing sounds cynical and exploitative to me.

I dont mind my taxes supporting OP and her kids. I pay over the odds as I am so old, and I want to pay into a society that takes care of the vulnerable.

I bloody well do mind paying renard to do a little light art work on the days she fancies it.

a sex chatline worker

yes, that is a great idea. Let's get the poor into prostitution, shall we? can't think why i didn't think of that before. Silly me.

of course, they might not pay their taxes, sugar and that would never do, would it?

and, sugar the word is "paid" not "payed"

OP- you haven't answered why you think your children deserve birthday and Christmas presents- payed for by the taxpayer.

The spirit of Scrooge lives!

How do you think a child's birthday and Christmas day should work in such a household then sugarmouse? Please paint us a picture.

If you cut benefit levels back to two figures a week after rent and council tax (late 90s, pre tax credit levels) parents in the OP's position will still tie themselves in absolute knots, maybe get into slight debt to provide their children with a modest cake a few small (cheap, second-hand?) presents to unwrap. Because they love their children. The only difference is they might go without absolute essentials themselves (food, clothing, god knows what else) to do so.

You sound inhuman sugar, quite honestly.

It doesn't sound like a lot OP

Do what you can to try to budget but it doesn't sound like a lot

yes, that is a great idea. Let's get the poor into prostitution, shall we? can't think why i didn't think of that before. Silly me.

of course, they might not pay their taxes, sugar and that would never do, would it?

We could set up a government agency to co-ordinate the sex work and ensure the single parents register for tax. Sex work vacancies have been advertised on Universal Jobmatch already under this administration, so it's only one more step. A sort of Pimp-Quango, what could we call it?

Beastofburden- that is not prostitution, that is only chat, flirting, completely harmless.

Arsenic- how is it Scrooge like? It's supposed to be the thought that counts! Not buying all this materialistic crap for kids doesn't mean you love them any less!

My mum and her siblings only got an orange for Christmas, and let me tell you, they were bloody well grateful for it. It's done them no harm whatsoever.

Doing something stupid like get into debt to pay for birthdays, because you love your children, is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard. If you loved your kids you'd never do anything so stupid!

Such children as the OPs should only get a piece of fruit for bday/Xmas, cheapo homemade card, cake about to go out of date, OP could do homemade presents for very little if necessary. A trip to the park/library. They're free. And be made to be bloody grateful. Think about children in third world countries.

FGS, chatlines are not prostitution.