To think the cost of living payment should have been paid differently?

[muddlinthroughit]

Would like to think 99% of people have used it as it's meant, to help with food, fuel etc

However, on my socials today I have seen 1 person spend it on nails and 2 tattoos, and another on a PS5....

Not sure that's what it's meant for?

We have put ours aside for food and power and to help with Xmas

This is the problem with any handouts/help. Most people are sensible and have a sense of responsibility regarding that kind of help, some are not. They won't change.

I don’t care what people spend it on, but I also don’t want to hear about how skint they are in a few weeks time and how they can’t afford to heat their house, buy Christmas presents or food…we got nowt due to being rich homeowners who have had 4 holidays abroad this year!

I meant if they paid their bills first then bought he ps5 with earned money. What difference does make that way round? Bills will need to be paid or they'll be cut off. Some people are on pre payment meters so even more important to actually pay for fuel as there is no wiggle room. People will have to go without something else instead! Their choice!

I’m with British Gas, £66 payment was made to them but as my D/D more than covered my usage it was then refunded to the bank account the D/D comes out of.

I've started work this week so most of mine will make up for the carers allowance I've lost , it will help get me through till pay day at the end of the month . The rest is likely to go on gas

I have a friend who's not entitled to it, getting a bit bored of all the fb moaning, she's spent over £500 on tattoos herself in the last couple of months so wouldn't say she's in need of the money

It's not such a good life when you're bad at budgeting. I knew people a long time ago that would spend benefits on these types of things and then not eat or pay rent. End up getting in arrears, kicked out or desperate and turning to crime. The tattoo instead of putting money on the electric key isn't the end of the story unfortunately. I wouldn't be envious or angry about that life.

@colette1970 i hope you see this. I held off going on to UC for years because I was doing the same as you - fearful of a long wait and paying the rent from a small income. In the end circumstances forced me to claim and it was actually flawless and took the 5 weeks. Within minutes of me putting in a claim I was able to take an entire payment as an advance to be paid back over 2 years interest free. In turn this meant the rent was covered and opened up further support.

I claim CTC, my wage is below average, but with 3 children inc one on DLA I actually receive a not-so insignificant amount of CTC so am entitled.

I have received the payment, I don't tell anyone but I don't need it to pay essential bills. Having a new freezer.

@Brainfogmcfogface people won’t do IF this is happening. We are facing council tax increase, income tax increases, alongside fuel, gas, electricity and food. This money is rightly needed by people BUT it’s paid for by the tax payer who are about to get screwed over a bit more. So I can see why people might be pissed! If you are going to use this money for PlayStations on nails then sorry the money should be returned to the tax payer or given to someone who can’t afford to eat.

We all pay tax. All of our spending, especially in local small businesses, or using the services of local self employed people, benefits 'the tax payer' and wider society. What doesn't are people going in long haul holidays and spending outside the UK, hoarding money, people having holiday homes/savings outside the UK.

Some people see a game console as a entertainment investment. Something paid for upfront which means that they don't have to leave the house (which means less pressure on any emergency service), that will last for years and have a good resale value.

We had reached a good standard of living pre the Tory government. As said this was a cost of living payment, not a survival payment.

How is spending it on nails any different than putting some aside 'for Christmas'? Both are luxuries.
I am not eligible but one of my family members is and how he spends it really isn't any of my business. If it helps to take the pressure off struggling households, that's all that matters.

I haven't had mine. I was moved into the support group of UC due to disability. I assume I'm still entitled.

Anybody else in the same boat?

Well you've already mentioned food so what else is there at Christmas?

@WrongWayApricot I also know people like this and agree it's very sad.

Drink....and lots of it.

@itsjustnotok but if some people are receiving it, and decide that for them, personally, they would prefer to carry on not putting their heating on and wearing layers, or have worked out they can cut their food bill by going to Sainsbury's at 4pm and picking up reduced to clear stuff, if they want to get their nails done with the savings (keeping someone employed), that's great isn't it?

I received it AND I'm a tax payer. The two are not mutually exclusive.

@edwinbear i see your point but I disagree. Most of us will have to work more hours or cut back in order to make ends meet and I don’t call nails paid for by the tax payer acceptable. If someone is getting this money, it tells me it’s because they are really struggling. I have a friend who never has money for the stuff she needs because she blows her money on stuff like this and then complains and expects her parents to help her out. Furlough is one reason (of many) we are in this situation and again I know of people happy to take tax payers money and then go out and get a job so they had even more income. The country is in dire straights and we have more homeless on the streets than we have had and someone thinks it’s ok to use money meant for food or heating to go on nails or electronics. Mean while you have others going to food banks who won’t qualify for that help. It’s just not right in my humble opinion.

I’m going to spend mine on a weekend away and then as much fancy shit from the M&S food hall as I can carry.

I'm pretty sure that in other Euro countries there is a voucher system so they don't just get cash and it has to be spent on supermarkets and power and that kind of stuff. I think you're right OP.

@itsjustnotok yes, I can see where you're coming from. If we have the choice as a nation to either get the homeless into somewhere safe or give lower (housed) earners the option of being cold or getting a manicure, maybe we have got our priorities wrong. I'm going to reflect on this - thank you.

any money that goes into the local economy is good. You are BVU if you want to dictate how people spend their money.

If they had put it in savings that wouldn't benefit the economy

OP I see your point in some of ways as it's meant to cover energy. I guess if people have enough to spare they can afford to get nails done, tattoos and PS5 which are luxuries it begs the question do they need it. I just don't know how it could be managed differently though. I have heard of people blowing it all on one drunken night out then going to the food bank. This does annoy me as some people really are choosing between eating and heating so need foodbanks.

We did get it but i put out aside in a savings account purely for energy bills. My summer bills were relatively low but my Oct bill was £110 more than my sept one with the heating barely on. I am dreading the Dec/ Jan bills as northern Scotland is cold so I am expecting about £350 a month bills. It will pay those. We both work but one of our kids has complex additional support needs so I can only work very minimal part time (we are actually no better of me working but I need to for my own mental health)

@WhiteFire i totally get that you can be a tax payer and still receive it.

It's tricky isn't it, personally I wish this had been the case when I was younger as my parents spent their benefits on themselves and we often went without. It wasn't unusual to have one cold meal a day, one bath a week which we shared the water of, never heating, birthdays and Christmas would be presents of others but never mum and dad. On reflection I'm resentful when they managed to have enough to spend on alcohol and other things they fancied. If food banks had been a thing they absolutely would have spent this money on their own selfish endeavours and been there hands wide open for the food others had selflessly donated.

But people like that are thankfully a tiny minority, so should everyone have their autonomy taken away so that children who have no power over how the money is spent don't suffer? No. I think if adults go short as they're bad with money then that's on them, it does make me sad though when children are affected and the concensus is invariably everyone should mind their own business- not your kids not your business. I don't know i an adult had advocated for us. Anyway.