To be worried?

[RollonBed]

New to mumsnet, just joined purely because its all i can think about. Love reading other threads though.

Ok, so the cap comes into place tomorrow 384 pound a week. Im a single psrent 2ith 4 children. How on earth an i expected to pay rent out of this and live? I will have to pay £104 pound rent a week! Thats 280 to buy food, petrol, gas, electric, water... yes i pay monthly for these but each week i make sure i set aside 50 pound... its said some 300,000 children will be pushed into poverty and people may loose there home over it. Im so worried i cant eat or sleep!! Should i be worried. aibu to think this is such an unecessary thing gor goverment to do?

Op I'm not being goad. You say your income will drop to 384. And then you describe outgoings that are less than 384. So what is the issue?
Sorry for what you and your children have been through.

Thank you elsa. Everyone rants and raves how brilliant and nice the mumsnet community is and all iv had is abuse. I didnt say the goverment should pay for my children. I said i am worried. And all the people who live on less. Do u also have a family of 5?

Compared to my situation yours seems very comfortable.Try having only £720 a month to feed and clothe 2 adults (one disabled, one with long term physical illness) pay for multiple lifelong medications that don't qualify as free, pay electric, gas, water, tv license, phone line, basic tv package, internet (housebound and need something for entertainment) mobile for emergency contact, home insurance (owned so no help with housing benefit etc), car insurance (car is necessity as disabled and cannot use public transport) MOT, yearly service, petrol plus all repairs (is a fairly old car with over 80,000 miles on clock). It's a very old house and not energy efficient. A broken boiler so no heating or hot water and can't be fixed as old model, can't replace as illegally placed according to new safety rules, can't afford to have house ripped up to move it, so reliant on expensive inefficient space heaters. Plus having higher than average living costs due to the specifics of MH problems. Benefits for disabled/mentally ill people are FAR lower (less than 9,500 a year) than those for people with kids, when children were a choice and ill health isn't. We get a supposed "means tested" amount, but what they don't tell you is it's means tested for "Job seekers" (so expected to be on the most basic meals possible, no use of electricity for leisure items, just the absolute bare necessities to get by). It's is purposely made to be unlivable long term to force people in to work, with no regard for those who won't get better and work is never going to be a possibility.

OP, sorry for what you have been through
I hope you can manage and get some advice on here. In the future you will hopefully be able to get yourself re established and will go from strength to strength. Of course it isn't possible right now, and you all need time to recover.

I'm finding some of the tips on here quite useful (the Facebook group and Jack Monroe website) so thanks to the people giving advice, money saving tips are always appreciated!!

RollonBed I fully agree with you, what you are getting isn't by far enough, and I don't think you are being unreasonable either.

I think it is best that you stop posting, because as you can see the Mumsnet bullies are coming out, you don't need to explain yourself to anyone here, this is just entertainment for some people.

Sproglets mum. Again thank you for your kindness. .. i have recently moved to the area which is a small village i do shopping online at tesco because the closest store is 11 miles away.. that goes for all supermarkets. However maybe if i look for an aldi the trip would be worth it

I lurk a lot on the credit crunch board which is full of absolutely fantastic advice.

Also OP I'm sorry you have had such a rough time, I've had a few issues this year (not half as traumatic as yours!) That have left my life in a completely different place so I know how scary it is and how hard it is to start rebuilding your life but you are doing great, just take baby steps for now and you will get there

i do have a fone which is 35 a month

That's extortionate.

Maybe you could do a monthly trip to aldi, stock up on nappies, tinned food, pasta etc then a smaller weekly fresh shop
I find tesco expensive these days

Is there an aldi near to your children's school? I manage to feed 5 of us 2 adults and 3 children for around £50/ £60 a week tesco is mega expensive. Even online asda shop will be cheaper than tesco.

Instead of bitching about the how much the OP gets, why don't some people who are earning less than that try to help, and tell her how you budget.

Posters who are saying "I earn less than that.....but I've got a working husband", well your household income isn't less than that then is it.

Working single parent posters who actually do have less coming in are the only people who can complain really.

The OP has said several times she doesn't get maintenance and her partner left her with debts. Obviously she has to pay these, she can't just ignore them and wait for the bloody bailiff to turn up.

OP, you need to dig out copies of your bills if you have them, and then sit down and make a strict budget. If your money goes in weekly but your bills come out monthly, you need to make a spreadsheet, list every bill and divide it by four. Then starting at the top of the page, deduct each payment from your weekly income. List absolutely every penny that you need to spend. At the bottom is what is left for the week. Draw that amount out in cash and put it in your purse. That is then your "pocket money" for the week. Leave everything else in the bank. That way, when the monthly bills come, you will have the money in your bank to pay them. Ask the companies you pay bills to if you can change them all to the same day of the month. It's much easier to keep track of your money if it all goes out on the same day.

If you are paying off lots of different debts, find out if you can consolidate them so you only have one payment.

Only go to the supermarket once a week. Meal plan and make a list so you aren't buying random crap.

Good luck.

£384 isn't a lot for four children.

I have five children. Like I said, I could do it if someone helped me with my debts and got rid of the car but even then it would leave me struggling and I would have to scrimp and save for everything. It would be an awful way to live.

Four children are hugely expensive but I don't know what the answer is either. Something has to change with our benefit system, but I certainly feel for anyone who now has to find themselves struggling.

Natty - all very helpful.thank you very much. Two things are always paid rent and food never behind on either as they are necessities. if one week im low i.e children need new shoes or winter coat, i will cut back.on electric savings that week and make it up over the next two weeks

I work full time plus two hours' commute each day. By the time I've paid all my expenses including fares to get to work I less disposable income than you.

Oh and phone your mobile provider and tell them you can't afford the monthly payments. Most of them will try and find you a cheaper tariff.

I don't wish to add to the 'abuse' but I'm sorry, it's hard not to & you have to be very careful posting this type of thing on a network full of people who work full time to pay for the likes of families like yourselves.

I'm not quite sure why you've ended up having 4 kids, I'm pregnant with my first on a very well paid job & I myself would think very carefully about having anymore unless I can pay for them & general living. There is such a thing called 'contraception'....

I can't imagine the pain & upset you went through with the father of your kids but are you telling me you didn't have just an inkling that he was a 'wrongen'... yet continued to have kids knowing how expensive it can be.

You seriously get a lot more than many people who work 40 hours a week.
I think the system is already far too damn lenient!!

Four children are hugely expensive

How true. That's why I have 2.

Why can't you open another business from home? You said she did it before with a 'fantastic' income until you had to move.

How many children do you have Aunt?

Do you have a husband or anyone else working?

Posters should stop comparing their situation to the OPs. Unless you have £384 a week with 4 children and you are a single parent then talking about your situation isn't really helpful, unless you are actually giving the OP practical advice.

Some people should try having a bit of empathy. So what if you have less and you manage? Share how you do it instead of berating the OP for being worried over a financial change. She is a single parent to four children and she has to manage this all on her own. She is allowed to be worried without a bunch of people coming on saying how hard they work for less.

If your situations are comparable then help her.

Lhilton.. no i didnt have an "inkling" becaude he was a fantastic loving man until his parents died when he then turned on me... but of corse u having less children and working a job makes u better then nyself right?

If you live more than 2 miles away from the children's school, you're entitled to mileage payments or school transport. Contact the council tomorrow to apply.

YANBU OP. There are some horrible people on this thread. Seriously, it's very easy to look down your nose from your position of privilege. Really winds me up. The OP came on here for advice, you've all leapt down her throat. Do you all actually believe what you read in the mail and the sun?

OP - I'm with you, times are worrying and scary, it must be overwhelming to have the responsibility alone for your children and having been abused too. I take my hat off to you. Here's an unmumsnetty (((hug)))

How true. That's why I have 2.

The OP had four when she was married and had her own business.

I am sure she didn't expect her situation to change.