Friend on benefits and holidays

[Happybunny1994]

Not really a friend but someone I know is on benefits. She got one child with her partner and works part time. On a recent night out she mentioned holidays said that she was planning on going to Mexico this year and maybe spain. she then was moaning that her benefits have been cut and will struggle to pay her rent. She’s been on holiday 3 times last year all paid for buy herself to far flung expensive places. I was slightly drunk and mentioned that if she was able to go on holiday and pay her rent previously maybe she could not go on holiday and use that money to pay her rent. She got all defensive saying that she dosnt use the benefits to pay for her holidays. That she uses her wages to pay for them and did I think she shouldn’t be entitled to holidays. She also buys a lot of nice clothes all the time expensive nights out. I know I shouldn’t of said anything but I spent years not being able to afford a holiday while on minimum wage so maybe a little resentful

She is made up.

Also I have been on holiday and done it really cheaply. No way could we afford Disneyworld. But you can go abroad really cheaply using cheap flights and air bnb. We have went away and paid very little more than going camping in this country. Especially some unusual destinations can be very cheap. But I have had people saying we are going on exotic expensive holidays.

Your quite possibly right crunchy she’s either made up or she’s up to her eyeballs in debt. Or maybe she tells people she’s going to Mexico when actually she’s staying in a caravan in Skegness?

True. I was amazed at an anonymous survey carried out at the percentage of people who lied to work colleagues about going on a foreign holiday when they were really staying at home.

There is a poster on Martin Lewis's site who has a monthly income of £5400 made up of approx £1000 Child Maintenance, £900 income and £3500 benefits. Her expenses are £4300 and she is paying off debt. This still leaves money left over each month for holidays etc..

If she gets £3,500 benefits her situation must be fairly unique e.g. multiple children with severe SN.

For the sake of alternative figures, when I was a single parent one child on benefits, I received about £960 a month. That includes housing benefit. That wasn't that long ago either. No holidays on that. Barely getting the bills paid on that.

Op, perhaps she’s married to the Mexican House Thief?

Okay I can't find this person on moneysavingexpert who allegedly gets £3,500 in benefits. Can you provide a link?

Trying to work out how £3500 a month is possible but it could be is she has children on higher rate care and mobility? I have 2 dc, on gets middle rate care, the other gets higher rate care, both get lower rate mobility. If you have a child on higher rate care you get extra tax credits (not a huge amount but it’s extra), if you earn less than £110 a week you can then get carers allowance. You also get housing beniffits but is earning £900 a week that would not be much (I only get £30 a week HB, I lay the rest). It is possible to save money, you are allowed to save your children’s DLA money for things like a family holiday, I use it to pay for our holidays but can only afford a week in Cornwall because most of the DLA gets used to replace things my dc’c Break or to buy special shoes at £100 a pop as well as equipment.

I can not afford a holiday in Mexico, maybe a cheap holiday to Spain once every couple of years if I saved but OP is saying this woman has had several holidays like this in a year?

I will send a pm. No idea how to do a link from MSE.

Okay found it. Yes she gets £3,500 for 6 kids a month in benefits. This includes tax credits towards nursery costs. She pays £1000 in nursery and her only other income is £1875 per month, half wages and half maintenance. She pays £1200 rent a month. She is working towards being able to support herself once her kids are a bit older and all in school.

The Government does encourage single parents to work by giving generous childcare allowances through tax credits. She is the kind of person at one time when her DP left, would have ended up being on the dole for years. But with Government help for a few years, she will become self supporting.

Bit awful to rubbish a woman asking for help in moneysaving expert forums. And no, she can not go expensive holidays. After paying nursery and rent she has £3175 a month to pay for everything for her and her 6 kids. In reality she is paying off debts accumulated in the past so has very little.

And yes, the above does include DLA.

Aaah, her having that many children explains a lot. She will get child tax credits and child benefit for each which bumps it way up! That would explain the £3500 including housing benefit. For more average sized families, the amount of benefit received is a lot lot lower. Like OPs fictional friend, one child would be a much lower amount (like my £960) so would make saving for holidays impossible.

Yes she says she gets the maximum in childcare tax credit. She is working, although her wage at the moment is not high. And she really sounds like someone going through a temporary issue. She says she works because she knows that otherwise it will be difficult to get work when all her kids are at school.

Some people can't see that it is better to support this family at the moment, knowing that she will later be self supporting.

blimey she is still left with nearly £800 a week after rent and nursery thats eye watering

And that includes DLA and maintenance.
She pays over £1000 a month for debts.

And maintenance is not included in benefit calculations.

Yes but if you look at her spending, she will have underestimated some of it. Six children will need more than £100 spent on clothes and shoes each month if they all start to need stuff. Uniforms will cost her a lot, that's not factored in. She has no money aside for emergencies in that budget. She won't have £800 in her hand at the end of the month.

And yes yes to the maintenance. That's never guaranteed and shouldn't be taken into account when you're deciding how well off she is. Look at benefits and wages only and she'll be cutting it close.

crunchy mint, I was in no way rubbishing a woman on MSE. I was just pointing out that it's possible in some circumstance to have money left over each month in reply to the OP's post.

And people on the forum are pointing out that her budget is optimistic. That is why people post budgets to get suggestions.

There's no difference between benefits and wages : it's all just money.

Over 3k per month for herself and six kids is enough, I find.