£10 Christmas bonus.

[recklessruby]

Just curious as to if you got yours from DWP (PIP etc). When? And what amazing thing you bought with it?
Mine came yesterday and I bought electric and gas top ups, chocolate and painkillers.

VietnameseCrispyFish

I think it's because you're viewing it as a 'nice extra'. People would give their eye teeth not to have to claim it at all. They would happily give it up just to have a body they can take for granted sometimes.

Like my son will never leave home, will always need care and that leaves me sleepless sometimes. I'd gladly give up his DLA and his extra tenner not to have those thoughts. There's nothing nice about it.

I 'can' see where you're coming from though somewhat and that must be a nice position to be in to even think the way you think about it.

@vietnamesecrispyfish we are not skint at all, my children get DLA as they have disabilities which they need extra help for. My husband has a well paid job. Not all people who claim benefits are extremely hard up. The DLA pays for extra things that they need due to their disabilities

viatnamese carers allowance isn’t means tested as such either (household income can be high but the carers own earnings can’t be more than £110pw) but most carers are still struggling financially. One dentist bill last year took over 3 weeks of my carers allowance to pay. But my husband works full time so I guess you think the carers allowance and £10 bonus is just a nice little extra?

I hope every single person who gets this bonus has a little extra treat this Christmas season. It's truly shameful that it's only £10

so it's made me feel even less appreciated now for leaving my DD over Christmas period to be at work, and not just by my employer and some of the arsehole customers I know I'll have to deal with, but by the country in general.

Knowing some people get a £10 bonus has really made you feel sad?

I am working Xmas day and NYE and my husband just got his £10 bonus for DLA (still not moved onto PIP yet). The £10 will never make up for the wage we lose due to him not being able to work. I get being unhappy in your job but why has the bonus suddenly made you feel less appreciated?

I think sometimes for some people surely it is ‘a nice extra’ (terrible phrasing but I’m not sure how else to say it... extra help rather than fundamental for survival?). Don’t get me wrong, there was a time when my disability was most severe when coming across a tenner would have made the difference between being able to treat an infection or not, as I’ve mentioned earlier. Whereas when I’ve been less unwell and not missed work and been earning a full time NMW wage, that extra money from PIP would have helped me pay for extras to make my life easier (like a taxi to the emergency doctor rather than waiting for a bus in agony) but i wouldn’t have been as desperate for it as when I didn’t have a wage coming in. That was my point, I was surprised but when I thought about it more I figured that maybe the people who are able to spend it on treats are in the latter camp rather than the former. Thanks for trying to understand me and not leaping down my throat! And yes, I really am aware I’m in a nice position currently given that my disability is managed well enough to be able to work.

Sunshineandshowers81 I know, it’s a myth peddled by the right wing press imo that benefits are only for those out of work. People who think that generally conveniently forget that child benefit is also a benefit!

For the posters making shitty comments my carers bonus has.been swallowed up by the massive amount i've debt i've ended up in from having to be a carer. and that's WITH my partner working. Honestly don't understand how people survive on benefits alone.

Jesus. PIP isn't means tested. Meaning that you could be earning 50k a week and still be entitled to it.

PIP is intended to play for all the extra help/support someone might need that someone who wasn't disabled wouldn't need.

I'll swap you my £10 for my Multiple Sclerosis.

My partner works full time and we are not in poverty. But that doesn't make my son's DLA or my carer's allowance a 'nice extra'. It's still alot less than I would receive if I was able to work.

I think it's a lovely idea. I work for PIP and a few of my colleagues have negative attitudes to it - a race to the bottom line of thing. I like it, though.

I do think it should be more. 10pounds is nothing really. I don't think it should be 100-200poynds as someone mentioned it would be if inflation affected it. Well, it'd be nice but unrealistic and can you imagine the Daily Fail and Facebook statuses?

I think 50poubds would be much more reasonable. Enough to be a reasonable help to families over the festive period - that could buy a present for a child and a few treats to eat, for example. I don't begrudge any of the money, shocked anyone does really. Also don't care if they spend it on sensible shoes, chocolate or a night out! It's meant to be a little treat surely, to buy something you wouldn't normally. Not to spend on bills on gas. You can if you want, but no one should be judging claimants for what they spend their bonus on

It’s okay WWlOOlWW. I get the sense you’re implying that I don’t also have a disability or serious health condition though, which is wrong. Not everyone who has a life limiting illness receives PIP, unfortunately.?

Really we should be appalled that so many people are spending their £10 bonus on little treats because it indicates that our most vulnerable people are left in a financial state which means they can not afford basic things and see them as a treat when they get a tiny bit extra money and can therefore afford them - a tin of hot chocolate or a chocolate bar is something we should be freely able to buy on any given week. People getting the £10 bonus are not in receipt of benefits through choice, it is either because they have a significant disability or have given up work to care for a person with a significant disability and are contributing to saving the govt many tens of billions of pounds every year in formal care.

Apologies @Buswankers. I missed your updates

This thread has honestly cheered me up as I had no idea about the tenner bonus, so thanks OP. Not sure many people who aren’t on benefits know about it, I’m surprised the daily fail haven’t had an aneurysm over it!

Does anybody here remember the year when bonuses were £60 as a one off? I treated myself to a dress and a bottle of wine that year

I spent DS's on scratch cards

@u2 don't apoligise, they have had some of their posts deleted by MNHQ for being vile.

Everyone should get a bonus at Christmas. It's not the dwp in the wrong it's the stingy bastard employers who don't including mine the nhs.
Question though would everyone be happy for the nhs that you all pay into to give all staff a bonus?

@VietnameseCrispyFish

I hadn't even read your contribution to the thread.

But take what you will from my post.

intense nhs staff have kept my son alive many times and I would be happy to see them all have a small bonus.

Scrap my earlier comment on what I'm spending mine on. I'm thinking maybe some weed because my spine has had an episode and I can't move without feeling sick. disclaimer I have no idea if £10 is enough to buy weed

Wish we all got bonus including those of us working shitty NMW jobs and working for little more than we would get if we were on full benifits.
Been on benifits myself so not bashing that just wished everyone was treated more fairly.

Oh sorry WWlOOlWW didn’t realise your ‘you’ was the general ‘you’ 😂