People on benefits - how do you cope?

[TheGreatBobinsky]

I'm making plans to leave my relationship with my 2 children, I've used an online calculator to find out what I'd be entitled too and provided I could still work some hours at work I'd be getting around £2,400 a month total (including my earnings). Rent in my area is £1,300 on average for a 2 bed flat, I've added up council tax, water, gas, electric, Internet, subscriptions for Netflix/Disney (we don't watch normal TV so no TV licence) and food and it looks like I'd have around £400 spare a month for clothes, school uniform, emergencies, childcare, travel etc. But am I missing something obvious here? (I can't drive so that's not an issue?). I have no idea how I'm going to manage, embarrassing as it is I haven't been the one to deal with the majority of the bills etc. So I'm a bit clueless about certain bills. What about furniture and kitchen things, and everything we will need in a new home? That's if I even get accepted into a flat, I know a hell of a lot of landlords just point blank refuse to rent to someone on benefits. I'm terrified, and feel sick, but if I stay here it won't be good for any of us as things are escalating rapidly and he's very good at manipulating me, I feel like I'm going crazy I have to leave but how does anyone cope?

Does this include maintenance?

Have you included the single person council tax discount?

I don’t cope. I stopped paying bills

He will also have to pay maintenance, can you move to a cheaper area?

I have no idea how to work out child maintenance and if he would even pay it so I don't know if I should include that in my calculations.

Just Google child maintenance - there is an online calculator and it doesn’t affect benefits. All you need is a rough idea of his salary and how often he would have them.

That’s the equivalent take home of someone earning about £42k - you’ll be fine!

Can you move somewhere a bit cheaper rent wise? Does the calculation include a cheaper council tax payment and single person discount? That might be a lot less than you’re paying now.

Also your ex should be paying maintenance.

And if you think he’s going to be a twat about it - just get a claim in.

What is your housing situation at present? Can your partner not be the one to leave?

If you use formal childcare, you can also claim help towards that. Also use any tax free allowance your employer offers.

Put in a claim for CMS.

Aside from the childcare, 400pcm for extras (as you say food etc is covered) seems manageable to me and similar to what we have, but we get a lot of hand-me-downs for the children's clothes so their clothing bill is max 50 a year each.

Moving to another area isn't really feasible for a few reasons - I suffer with my mental health so I want my family support, and rely on my family for childcare, I also have to walk to work so it would mean trying to find another job as well.

I couldn’t cope so I had to go back to work as soon as DS was out of hospital

I admire those out these that can manage living comfortably on benefits - and I mean that genuinely; as I know when I have no choice but to rely on that money alone; it doesn’t pay for much, leaving me in mounting debt.

£400 a month leftover doesn’t sound terrible tbh. I know people in worse situations. In my experience single mothers often have little money for themselves after sorting out the kids needs firsts - only the occasional bit of new clothes from the supermarket each year, old phone on sim only contract etc. Furniture, appliances etc are hand me downs from family or picked up cheaply off Facebook. Search up threads on here for frugal tips.

As others have asked - have you included potential maintenance? That will hopefully cover kids clothes, toys, travel etc so potentially some more at the end of the month for you, the house and saving for a rainy day

Hate this 'he has to' crap
No he's supposed to, doesn't mean a thing.
Calculate without it to be safe

How old are your children?- trying to work out the cost of childcare.

as for people saying the Op will be fine and she earns plenty, a single person paying rent like that, let alone with children is v difficult. The rental market is plunging people into poverty!

£400 spare does seem like a lot which is why I think I've missed something in my calculations or gone wrong somewhere. We rent privately at the moment, I earn around £800 a month at the moment but leaving would mean cutting down my hours at work for childcare reasons. I don't think he would agree to leave.

Equivalent of £42k a year?!? Are you sure you’re entitled to that much? It sounds a lot to me.

That's more than I earn, OP. J live in a cheaper area though. Rents here are about £700/month. Do you have to leave where you live? Why isn't he leaving. Argue stability for the children to remain. Could you afford to pay the existing rent? How big is the current property? Would you be willing to apply to housing associations?

I used to be unemployed on benefits and got by ok but didn't have much to spare. I now work and claim Universal Credit but my contract ends in September. If I don't find another job by then I don't know how I'm going to survive as with all the price increases I will have nothing to spare. I will probably have to stop driving and pull my children out of dance classes and will only have enough money to pay my rent and bills.

My children are 6 and 3, 3 year old is starting nursery in September but I work unsociable hours (a lot of late evenings). I didn't include phone contract in my calculations so that's something, it's about £35 a month right now but I would be happy to get a cheaper one obviously.

£400 spare a month sounds good to me! Me and my husband both work, we get universal credit top up and don't consistently have that much spare after bills/food each month!

We get by shopping on offers, buy second hand or get things from free pages/olio, sell on what we don't use anymore. Keep food shopping as low as possible, we eat mostly vegetarian as meat is too expensive. Days out are cheap, we take packed lunches and use vouchers/clubcard vouchers. Christmas/birthdays I buy throughout the year when i see a good deal and they have to lower expectations, we are honest about money so they wouldn't ask for or expect anything expensive.

In an emergency school uniform or shoes purchase and I don't have the money right away I've used Klarna to pay over 3 months or bigger purchases (like when our freezer broke) Very on buy now pay later (interest free for a set amount of months).

When i couldn't afford the secondary school uniform I asked student services and they tracked down a blazer for me for free.

I've been a working single mother for many years. It's bloody hard work, I am constantly just treading water. Living on benefits currently is pretty unbearable, ive had to stop extra curricular activities as a result if the increased cost of living.

You will have to buy household goods on finance or pit them on a credit card. Or contact a homeless charity who will help donate what goods they can.

Have you included extra costs for the 3 year olds nursery? My child was entitled to 30 hours but I had to pay lunchtime wrap around of £40 a month.

Those saying that's the equivalent to 42k are bang on. I am mid point band 7 NHS, £42,121 and my take home is £2408 a month. It'll be tight living as a single parent but absolutely doable.

Also don't assume, what the calculation says is what you'll recieve, more often than not its inaccurate.