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

You are articulate. You write naturally and well. Some of these posts would make great blog posts.

Little snapshots of life.

thats just a bit more than i earn part time and we couldnt survive on my wage with one dc and my mortgage is way cheaper than most private rents. hope you find a solution

Herebe, of course you are articulate enough to writ a blog. Do it if you've got time.

I agree that going back to work if you can will make you feel better as you say. Good luck with it.

As today's political announcements suggest benefits will not continue to rise more than salaries (they have been rising ahead of salaries) it is probably going to make it more important women keep in full time work than before which will be very good for fairness and families and also ultimately for ensuring more women get to the top of organisations rather than clustering around the bottom and lower paid roles.

Not only articulate but ballsy, strong and intelligent.

I too would rather people had appropriate help in times of need, than scorn them because of those who milk the system. It's shocking that the cost of living is such that that those in work are little better off. That's the real crime.

I am totally with you on supermarket shoes. It has taken me the best part of 6 years to work out they are a false economy. DS's supermarket shoes used to scuff at the toes within weeks and while still in fairly good nick otherwise, I would feel so embarrassed for him as the layer underneath was white which used to stick out like a sore thumb and I felt pressure to buy another pair before he'd grown out of them.

I had been known to colour the white bit in with a black marker pen, just to make them last a bit longer

This went on and on but I simply felt I could not justify spending £30+ on shoes. I never even looked at them. I thought they too would scuff (I thought it was just what would happened with most boys until they grew up a bit and learnt to look after them better) and that that would be an awful waste of an expensive pair of shoes.

Last January I decided I was going to try Clarkes because I noticed a pair with super rubber scuff protectors! We bought a slightly larger pair with insoles and they have lasted until now, when he still hasn't outgrown, but a split developed in the seam above the rubber protector. Leather is so much healthier too for their feet to breathe, I am not looking back! DS2 has gone into them straight away - you can get bargains on ebay too if you're lucky - winner!

Go for it herebe with a blog, we'd all read it!