Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To use my child benefit..

80 replies

ridingshotgun · 29/09/2018 16:32

To pay towards food shopping?

A mix up with a tax bill has left me skint this month and I've just had a lecture from my mum that it should be going into a saving account for my child

OP posts:
starfishmummy · 29/09/2018 17:29

The child benefit is for the parent to use as they see fit. It was started (as Family Allowance) to give women an income in situation a where the male breadwinner was unable or unwilling to provide for the children.
It's only in recent years that people have started to think it's to be saved for the kids.

Mummyoflittledragon · 29/09/2018 17:29

Why are you even discussing your finances with your mother? It has nothing to do with her. If she wants you to save the money she can put up or shut up.

Ifonlystarlight · 29/09/2018 17:30

To be honest I almost am of the opinion that if you can afford to save your full child benefit every month, so £80.00 per month for the first dc, you probably shouldn’t be claiming it.

Most people need it to give their child a good start now - and use it for things to help aid this, an example being shopping/fresh food and any hobbies/beneficial activities.
Tell your mum where to go. How unsupportive of her.

flopsyrabbit1 · 29/09/2018 17:30

dosent your mum know how expensive gin and fags are,lol

DDogMum · 29/09/2018 17:31

If you can afford to save your child benefit, then you shouldn't be getting it!!
Use it for now to buy food and clothe and house your son, or give it back.
There are lots of people not claiming benefits at all who can't afford to save for their children's futures as adults.

starfishmummy · 29/09/2018 17:32

Of course these days the recipients of Child benefit and the breadwinner may be if of other genders.

Zoflorabore · 29/09/2018 17:33

My dc are 15 and 7. For the last 11 years I've had mine paid directly to the credit union. This helps me out at Christmas, pays for a holiday and anything that needs replacing throughout the year, such as a new bed or a washing machine.

Child benefit is to benefit the child(ren) and if I didn't use mine the way I do then life would be much tougher for me as I cannot traditionally save!
It means I don't have to worry if something breaks and the dc have a nice holiday and Christmas.

Lots of people I know do this now. The child benefit is paid straight to them and I don't see it until I need it.

Ask your mum to buy the food if she is so botheredGrin

TeacupDrama · 29/09/2018 17:35

you get £20.70 per week for first child and £13.70 for second and subsequent children it is normally paid every 4 weeks according to government website it is to pay for food, clothing, childcare, pocket money, trips, clubs etc ie it is not meant to be saved!!!!!!

I use mine for swimming and tennis lessons and extras but it is to be used for food and clothes as well what is the point of a child having savings if they are hungry and homeless,

the government did briefly have a saving scheme for children to which they contributed £250 at birth, there are junior isas as well for this purpose

Original poster
ridingshotgun · 29/09/2018 17:35

In fairness I don't normally save the whole thing.. my son is of the age where he wears something once and it no longer fits so it normally goes on top ups of clothing and any thing else goes to one side in case he needs something.

I've never discussed this with her, hence why she's gone off on one just now about "saving".

I was just having a general whinge that I was short this month due to wage/tax issue and said I'd have to use that for food, rather than clothing or other bits. Then SHOCK HORROR - speech about saving it

OP posts:
10degreestostarboard · 29/09/2018 17:38

Housewife

Very slight thread drift but the higher rate child benefit ‘tax’ tapers from £50k (all cb) to £60k (no cb)

I have lots of colleagues who don’t realise that and so don’t claim it...

And before I get flamed, we are a single income family on 55k so not poor but not loaded either!

Newerversion · 29/09/2018 17:38

All the child benefit I receive is spent on day to day living expenses for my children (food, bills, any clothes or extras they need)

The money they have in savings is from either money given to them by grandparents or the odd top up when we have had more than we need.

If you need to use your child benefit in order to top up the day to day money than that is what it is given for.

CrunchieFriday · 29/09/2018 17:48

I'm confused - if she thinks it should be in a savings account, did she give you a big cash lump sum when you left home, then?

BitchQueen90 · 29/09/2018 17:49

I'm a single parent and I receive work and child tax credits, child benefit and child maintenance from my exh.

I don't use each separate payment for specific bills. All the money gets lumped together to cover all our needs. I have a savings account for DS and put what I can afford in it (£20 a month usually).

I'm glad that my exh isn't the sort to question what I spend the child maintenance on but there are some people out there that practically want to see spreadsheets to justify what you do with the money.

It's nobody else's business.

MrsJayy · 29/09/2018 17:49

A lecture from your mum was the last thing you were needing

Original poster
ridingshotgun · 29/09/2018 17:51

I SO wish I thought of that in my head at the time of conversation!!!' No, I never got to seee any "savings" when I turned 18!

OP posts:
MrsJayy · 29/09/2018 17:53

Soo where is the child benefit I think she owes you Grin

AhYeahOkayThen · 29/09/2018 17:54

@ridingshotgun

"I think she thinks because me and husband are eating that food, it's not been used correctly!!!"

It benefits your child to have healthy, fed parents to look after them and go to work.

CrunchieFriday · 29/09/2018 17:58

@ridingshotgun In which case, I think she can butt out of your finances, don't you?! Grin

FlippinNora1 · 29/09/2018 18:09

Ask her where your savings pot is from all the child benefit she saved for you

This x a million. If she ever feels the need to judge you about how you are spending your child benefit this is the only thing that should come out of your mouth.

She is being ridiculous. Child benefit should just go into the pot of looking after the family in general. A happy, less stressed family is far more benefit in the long term to children than the money being saved up. Savings is for extra money, once everyone has been fed, clothed and taken care of.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 29/09/2018 18:37

Lol, I'd definitely ask for the years of child benefit she saved for you

nessus · 29/09/2018 18:54

What Matilda said 😑

Gettingbackonmyfeet · 29/09/2018 18:59

Good Lord stupidest thing in the world from your mother there !!
Child benefit is there to help and frankly in a family if it's spent on anything it allows more wiggle room in the budget meaning DC naturally have more access

Just to mention pp said about if you can afford to save it you shouldn't have it , when ds1 was born we actually didn't need it so I tried to not claim it...its actually not overly easy to refuse it and after a bit of havoc I took it and saved it for a short period of time

Before crisis hit and it massively helped

Oldraver · 29/09/2018 19:14

Yep another one whose first thought was ...did your mother save and hand ove your 18 years worth ?

She is mad if she thinks it's for saving

whatwouldkeithRichardsdo2 · 29/09/2018 20:08

Your mother is over involved. At least you have your response ready for next time OP.

HundredsAndThousandsOfThem · 29/09/2018 20:30

Like PP I would suggest she pays you back your child benefit that she saved for you!

In the mean time I'm sure your DD would like to eat!

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread