Worked 50 hour week fed up AIBU

[itsahardknocklife87]

Having just worked 50 hours this week and completed a ten hour shift today, I look on Facebook to discover that a friend who hasn't worked for years and is on benefits has had a weekend away. I like my job but I'm fed up of working so hard in a low paid job and still skint. Never see my kids or Husband and there isn't no option to stop working at least 49 hours a week. I had to do overtime this week to pay a Uber expensive garage bill (I live in a very rural area so car essential to get to work) AIBU to get upset that people who don't work on benefits and tax credits have a better quality of life?

dh was on jsa for 6 months, we were well off for 6 months, but that was all that was allowed.
you have to work, we all have to work, as will your friend
if you are working 50 hours a week, do you have a day off? that must be a low hourly rate?

£70 a week or whatever it is to pay all bills, food and clothing plus the fact there's 24 empty, hours to fill ?? No bloody thanks. They can keep it.

Honestly, have you done any calculators to see what benefits actually add up to?

EleanorReally you were well off on £70 a week JSA? OK.

One weekend away doesn’t mean a better quality of life.

Don’t look at her life, look at your own and what you can change.

It’s not all rosy on benefits though, most people struggle to stretch to the essentials let alone luxuries. I’m sorry your job is so full on but it’s not fair to resent those on benefits - if anything your workplace is to blame for not providing adequate staff and a decent wage.

I'm on "benefits and tax credits" and work 50 hours a week and can't afford weekends away. Does that make you feel better OP?

FWIW, the more hours I work, the better off I am, so I don't believe for one second if I quit work and lived on UC I would suddenly be able to afford a holiday.

As others have stated, instead of looking down to find the reason for your problem, look up. How is it fair, or even legal, that the tax payer has to top up my wages so I can afford to live? I work in care so my bosses aren't raking in millions but the local LA can't afford to pay carers more than NMW and the child maintenance service is as much use as a chocolate teapot when it comes to getting my ex to pay for his kids. That's the not the fault of people claiming UC or JSA, the fault lies well above their pay grade.

which is already improving and making it fairer.

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/27/universal-credit-fuels-homeless-crisis

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/06/universal-credit-flaws-leaving-families-debt-child-poverty-action-group

www.theguardian.com/society/2019/sep/19/universal-credit-wait-fuels-poverty-and-food-bank-use-says-research

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/pip-waiting-time-deaths-disabled-people-die-disability-benefits-personal-independence-payment-dwp-a8727296.html

five holidays on abroad while on benefits

I assume that your sister flies there by unicorn.

www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2013/apr/04/living-on-benefits-readers-panel

www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jul/29/uk-deep-poverty-study-austerity

See this is why I dont go on FB at all! You are only getting one side of the story here. Maybe someone paid for her W/E away ,or she had someone she knew of to stay with? You are building up a pension and employment history ,you have a car and live in a rural area .Does she have any of these things? If you need a new W/M will be easily accepted for credit .Ask yourself would you like to swap lives with her? There seems to be a general feeling that if on any sort of benefit you are not allowed any treats at all ,and must be always at the food bank! Perhaps she goes without other things .Are we in the Victorian times where "The Undeserving Poor" were entitled to nothing and looked down on to boot?(BTW we are not on any benefits ourselves!)

no for 6 months dh had jsa plus housing/council tax benefit, all the benefits, dentist, prescriptions
but 6 months of high living ended!

plus, good point earlier, you have 24 hours in a day to fill

Eleanor were you not working either then? You don't get council tax and housing benefits if you're living with a working partner.

These people on benefits- it isnt the jsa or UC or whatever that gives them the money it is the child tax credit on top and then the housing benefit and council tax benefit that they don't actually SEE that improves their standard of living.Depending on how many kids they have, if the kids have any disability you aren't aware of that they claim for. Don't compare, as one day that will all stop and they really will be living on £70 a week

Comparison is the thief of joy.

nice try. I don't work as I have a severely disabled child and cannot access childcare. should be starve just because it is tough for you?

And let me tell you one thing - being benefits dependant is utterly shit. I wish I could work, even just a few hours.

You are very lucky that you are in a position to earn your own living. Many aren't.

You might envy benefits but a lot of people who are on benefits will envy you, me for starters I'm on esa and feel shit about it every day. I wish I could work and hope I will be able to one day. I'm not better off on benefits at all but I know someone who is because they get other people to pay for a lot but the majority of people I know are skint like me scared to put the heating on because of the cost.

Possibly not the point but I currently work part time and claim tax credits as I am a single parent. I’ve been on a few holidays, I’m (well my daughter as well!) am available as holiday companion to other members of my family who can afford to book cottage or similar and like the company. We can’t pay much towards them at the moment but hope that will change when I go back to full time.

YABU to think that because life is shit for you it should be shit for other people too

This! These threads are so irritating. Focus on yourself. You have some options. Quit your job and live on benefits and come back to tell us how wonderful life is now. Move to another country, one where the poor are just left to fend for themselves, then come back and tell us how great that is as you don't have to feel jealous anymore. Get a better paid job, oh, except life doesn't work like that so I'm not sure why you think all the people on benefits would find it so easy to find a job that paid enough to live on.

I say this as someone who has never received benefits, we don't even get child benefit. Jealousy and bitterness will not help you achieve anything better for yourself.

itsahardknocklife87 - yes of course YABU. How about comparing yourself to people who hate their job and work 50+ hours per week without seeing much of their family? How about comparing your self-esteem with that of someone who has made multiple job applications and keeps being rejected? Thinking jealous, resentful thoughts occasionally is entirely human - we all do it. Thinking those thoughts are reasonable is normally delusional. You know fuck all about anyone else's "quality of life" and would probably be surprised (and offended) by the weird conclusions other people may have drawn about yours. And I presume you do not actually think your quality of life, security and self-esteem would improve if you gave up your job and applied for benefits, or you would have done so.

YABU. There was a thread a while ago comparing mums on benefits to mums who worked. The consensus was that while it might make the early childhood years easier, longer term, the women who worked had much better standards of living.

I don’t feel jealous for one moment of people on benefits, particularly those renting. One day, our house will be ours so no rent/mortgage whilst they will still be paying. Plus relying on the landlord to sort out any repairs and ask permission to repaint. We’ll then have the money for holidays (we can do some now although not extravagant) We’re building a future whereas too many people are setting themselves up for a fall.

Yabu.

We all have busy lives and are tired, whether our money comes from a job or benefits. I don't work as it isn't worth it, My wage would be wiped out by loss of TCs, after school care, dog walker, and I would have to put my horse onto full livery and pay for someone to ride him when the days are short.

I certainly don't have 5 holidays abroad a year!

OP rather than be consumed by this, is there anything you can do to improve your working prospects? Is there anyway to either progress in the sector you are in, use transferable skills to do something else, or train? I know it's not that easy, but it can be possible, depending on what you want to do. Life on benefits isn't fun, the one thing I guess is the gift of time, but when it's not a holiday from work etc it can be soul destorying, and people are more often than not going through a lot to be on benefits.The grass is always greener as it's full of manure.

I see the Tory ejection bots are doing the rounds.