As somebody who has been on benefits for 2 years now as a single parent, I can kind of understand where you are coming from. As I used to feel the same way. There was a family next door to me on benefits. Their kids were well dressed, had all the latest gadgets. It used to piss me off how they could go to sports day and all the assemblies and stay and play things at school.
2 years ago I was in a relationship 2dc, both worked full time, joint income of 2,800 pm. We were always skint. (Would easy spend 200 on monthly shopping, plus weekly top ups, my kids would think it was Christmas if I done that now)
I had a nightmare with one dc, (SEN) school moves, exclusions etc, had no choice to stop working. I then became a single parent.
The first year was awful, going from being paid monthly, to small amounts of cash weekly or two weekly is hard. If the tv licence comes out on child benefit day for example, It's a constant game of catch up. This is what I had to live on
Week one :
£34 child benefit (Tuesday)
£110 child tax credits (Friday)
Week 2:
£34 child benefits (Tuesday)
£143 income support (Thursday)
£110 child tax credit (Friday)
I had to pay 9 a week water rates. So yes my rent was paid. 5.60 a month council tax. 12 tv licence.
Weekly on a Friday, from 110
20 gas
10 electric
40 food
That left 40, for clothes, bus fare, the schools endless fundraising cake days/non uniform etc if something broke I was fucked. I tried to save even ten pound a week, but every week something happened, new school shoes, holes in trousers, bloody kids growing! School photos, Easter, birthday, half term, the summer fucking holidays!
No maintenance, took a year to get it from him and a deduction of earnings order. When ex left, he hadn't paid the rent or council tax for three months, or the sky bill. (I miss sky). The arrears ended up being taken to court and money being deducted from income support. So the £143 on a Thursday turned into 70 ish. My washing machine broke and I was told I could get a social fund loan as being unemployed you can't get an average loan. I took out 812 which is what a single parent can get. I paid off most of the rent arrears and bought a new washing machine. The income support was now reduced to £14 every Thursday.
At the time my child who is autistic was in an out of area school, I don't drive and i was being called to the school around 2/3 times a week on a "can you come and get him now" basis. Everybody I knew who would give me a lift for petrol money worked, it would have taken an hour each way with public transport so was paying 20 in taxis each time for getting to the school, so I didn't miss picking the younger one up. I applied for DLA for my son out of desperation and fortunately got it. It was his teachers who told me about it when I broke down one day saying "I can't pick him up, I have 56p until Friday" (stressful times)
This past year has been a lot easier. Maintenance of 203 a month (4% reduction as its deductions of earnings) SEN Dc is finally settled. I have extra tax credits and his DLA which has really helped. It means i can save, or at least have enough saved for the next emergency break down of an essential appliance. I hate being on benefits, it's degrading, isolating and bloody boring. Im retraining in September, and once qualified I will never have to rely on any handouts again, or fill in any 30 page forms or hand in bank statements. Oh I won't have to go and see a back to work advisor once every three month either! Patronising me and telling me I'd be £40 better off a week if I became a term time cleaner at a university for 16 hours. I'd still be on bloody benefits though! (They just want the unemployment figures down) I missed one of these appointments once and was sanctioned ( the appointment was at ten, I had a phone call at 9.15 to collect my son from school, had no phone credit until the next day to ring them) income support went down to £3.75. It can go down to 1p before you lose housing benefit if any body is interested.
The reason I wrote about my experiences is because your OP sounded like a typical benefits bashing thread. I know some people on benefits who play the system, they have a shit existence though and not what I would call a good life. I've seen a few people really struggle once their kids have grown up and all they can do is work a minimum wage. With no tax credits. Working gives people a sense of purpose, a social circle, a break from family life and a sense of pride.
I find being a single parent easier with money, not because I have loads on benefits, but because I'm in total control of the money (ex was a piss taker)
If you are not happy with your life, try to change it. Or have a word with your parents and explain your financial circumstances so you are no expected to contribute to your sister.
I hope I got the point across that not all people on benefits are piss taking scroungers who cry poverty.