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

Well he sounds like absolute vermin OP. I hope you have reported him to the CSA?

BeastofBurden Yes, it is possible to be better off in work, which is why I am in the process of chasing that.

partyskirt Yes. But he works cash in hand, so it's a lost cause. I gave up years ago.

Oh you haven't upset me, at any rate. I'm just rather concerned that you might be feeling a bit battered by the way the thread has (predictably) gone.

I am furious for you OP about the father of your children! What a scumbag. It's his fault that things have gone this way for you.

I am furious for you OP about the father of your children! What a scumbag. It's his fault that things have gone this way for you.

I suppose it depends on your area as well. We have around that each month for 2 adults 2 kids and I budget v carefully so we can have luxuries.

Perhaps you should have a look at Moneysavingexpert.com OP. There's some great advice and support that might help you cut a few more pounds off your spending and get you out of your overdraft :)

Good luck on job front but do calculate childcare costs carefully and factor it in when choosing what to apply for, or you could end up worse off :(

i believe you OP. i was on LP benefit for years, and now I have a fairly low paid job, but at least i can afford to work now as kids older. I know which i prefer! i pay tax now but i realise i'm lucky now. Paying tax doesn't give people more rights. we all pay loads of vat anyway. Hope it gets easier for you. x

OP I think that you have a fantastic attitude and I no one can give you grief for doing whats best for yourself and your family.

The thing with mn benefit threads is that normally as soon as anyone mentions thm all the regs pile in with talk of goats and plasma TV and detail any actual discussion.

I've always thought it's because they know that people on benefits in this country have it bloody good and they don't want anyone tlto know about it as it is so hideously unfair to us mugs that work.

Threads like this make me think what is the point of me working ten hour days, always being tired and stressed, never seeing DS, if I have less mone after taxes and rent and CT have been paid, than if I just because a stay at home lone parent claiming benefits.

What is the point?

Such a stupid system.

I could claim JSA, stay at home, persue my hobbies, sleep more, and be at home for DS.

We need to change our system so that people are actually better off for working and the option of not working is not something you would choose to do for very long. The pay is too low and the taxes too high.

Well, honestly, you get £800-900 a month after your housing costs are paid for you... wow!

Im grateful for your post though as its interesting to hear where a proportion of some people's 20% or 40% tax on their salary goes to.

I know I'd love to get up and take the kids to school, piss about in my garden for a couple of hours, make a cake, eat some biscuits, watch some TV. SPEND TIME WITH MY CHIKDREN.

Not work full time to fund other people's lifestyle choices.

I agree, it is shocking that the OP's children's father contributes nothing apart from the £5 a week which means he is also claiming JSA and not contributing to society, or working a dodgy cash in hand deal to avoid paying maintainance. Makes me so angry that absent parents get away with this.

it is shocking that the OP's children's father contributes nothing apart from the £5 a week which means he is also claiming JSA and not contributing to society, or working a dodgy cash in hand deal to avoid paying maintainance

Or performing self-employment accounting jiggery-pokery. That's quite popular.

Oh yes, that too arsenic. How do they sleep at night? I guess they know their childrne will be taken care of financially, and not starve to death in the street or anything, so they don't care.

Not to be mean OP but do you feel a bit embarassed to get all that money? Its an awful lot after your rent and council tax are paid for even if you still have gas/lecky/water.

HAVENT WORKED IT OUT but guessing you'd have to be earning around £30,000 odd in real life to get that take home but obv i dont know how much your rent is (imagining £600 pcm).

Im glad that you're not destitute, really and glad your children aren't living a pitiful existence.

You may have intended to dispel the "myth" that families on benefits are rolling in it, but in fact you've actually made people realise that some people on benefits get a heck of a lot more than they thought they did!

26,000 if not, "rolling in it" is actually pretty impressive.

And yes you do have hundreds left each week. You're living off a decent amount of money, and its worth looking at some of the money saving threads to budget it better. Or if you start a thread with your outgoings on it, people can help you to cut back.

It can certainly be a shock though to come down to that level if you're used to a lot more.

Me and my partner both work and I've just started my maternity leave this week... Even with both of us working we are never left with much at all after paying mortgage, bills and food... I'm left with as little as what would work out as 20 pound a week!!!!!
Everyone has it tough! And we're entitled to no help at all

Me and my partner both work and I've just started my maternity leave this week... Even with both of us working we are never left with much at all after paying mortgage, bills and food... I'm left with as little as what would work out as 20 pound a week!!!!!
Everyone has it tough! And we're entitled to no help at all

Of course she should not decline the money- she didnt create the system!

"Embarassed?" "All that money"? £225.53 week??

Overdoing a bit now aren't we?

OP, when you minus weekly electric and gas, the rent shortfall and other small bits you pay for the leaves you with £164.75pw in my calculation to pay for everything else including food for three people, clothes and shoes for three people and anything else that may crop up. It's not a lot. I'm a working single parent and am not that much better off than you, but I only have one child to support. I'm sure your situation must be really tough at times. You are better off in work, but not massively unless you get a fairly high salary. I really do sympathise OP.

Me and my husband both work I'm on matleave but will be going back 4days a week we won't have £900 after rent and council tax more like £650. I grew up on benefits and no how hard it was for my mum just to manage everything each week but we as 2 working people are worse off than we'd be on benefits and at least I'd get to see my dd every day.