To wonder what’s the point when I’m left with this after bills?

[ReLOa]

In a stressful job and single parent to nursery age child. I have 570 left after all bills and childcare and petrol, excluding food. What is the actual point in this?! We can’t do much at weekends and holidays are out of the question. I’m supposedly in a highly paid job (earn 70k) and I feel like giving up. Just been paid and looking ahead at the month I’ve already had to turn down some things like an adventure park day with friends as it was 28 pounds entry and a 35 mile round trip. I feel like I’m failing yet not sure what more I can possibly do?!

How are you getting through all that in a week! You must be buying small boxes if you are. I mean washing powder is what about £6-£8 for 48 washes. You seriously cannot be doing 48 washes in one week! Or in one month either. Thay washing powder should last you at least 2 months and that's based on doing one wash a day!

Same with dishwasher tablets, I get.mine from Aldi, about £6 or less for over 40 tablets, if you really use it everyday thats still £6 for a month not a week.

OP - you have my sympathy. The Tories have dramatically increased taxes on working people and the removal of child benefit is vindictive and counter-productive.

It will get better after nursery/school, but for now the amount you have to live on is shit. Hang in there, it does get better.

Washing powder is £6 and that's for a small box, nappies are £10, wipes are like £5 bubble bath £3.00 for a decent radox dishwasher tablets are about £6.00 aswell so that's £29 and I'm in a less expensive part of the country.

People keep saying the OP won't get child benefit but that's not true any more.

She'll probably keep about 70% or so of it depending on pension contributions.

She is entitled to child benefit she will lose 20% that's all, I just hope she acctually comes back to see it. She's been shamed and talked down to by numerous posters. Made me so sad for her tbh.

Oh have they changed their minds?
Don't get me wrong, some of their points were valid. That saying they didn't seem to have any alternative and said childcare is not their "priority "
I'm glad things are changing even though it won't benefit me.

Are you buying gold-plated wipes? They’re 70p in Tesco and Boots.

By the way she's being penalised because as a single mother she is only entitled to 12500 pounds tax free, if it was a couple earning 35k each they would have 25,000 tax free between them. They would also be lower tier tax payers, Same for child benefit she would be entitled to full child benefit in the above situation.

Exactly. She’d be over a grand a month better off.

@44PumpLane Thats £142 a week, so after a food shop, it doesn’t leave much

I don't know about the nappies (someone upthread said £5-10 pw) but those other prices are for enough of those things to last 1-2 months not things that need to be bought every week.

In Aldi 37 dishwasher tablets are £4
You can get a shower gel in any shop for £1-2
Wipes are a couple of quid a pack, and it would be much cheaper to use reusable ones anyway. If someone is using £5 of wipes a week they need to look at what the fuck they are doing with them.

She's a top rate tax payer!!! She shouldn't be placed in a position that leaves her scrimping and scraping. I was against the raising of the 40% tax rate, initially after seeing this post and the comments on it I've changed my mind. I hope it gets raised to 70k for people like this poor woman

So if someone earns more that means they should buy the most expensive things they can find and be incredibly wasteful and then complain their money doesn't go very far?

OK then.

Mummy2024 - I don't know where you are shopping, but you are being conned.
People have already listed several places you can get nappies for under £5.
I bought 2 of the giant boxes of washing powder for £20 (total) - ie £10 each. I opened the one on 1st October, and am nowhere near the end of it yet, 9 months on. So, even if I finish it at the end of June (don't think I will) , that's £1 a month. That's for 3 adults, one of whom plays rugby 3x a week.

Not sure how the OP is spending so much every week.

She has £570pm after bills and after fuel for effectively one person to eat, then essential replacement of clothes , presents, and other oddments. The little one will be doing most of her eating at Nursery. That's plenty.

Some people are awful on here - hope you’re ok OP.

No one is saying that she should! But she clearly is, so people are suggesting ways to save money. Her childcare costs are temporary and then she will have more spare money.

Er, I do work, I work full time. Where did I say I didn’t?

And nowhere did I say that OP was lucky either. You're literally making stuff up to fit your narrative. I was responding to the person who said it wasn't worth working, not to OP.

Nappies are £5 for a pack of 84 if you buy supermarket ones and not pampers, wipes are 60p a pack, surely you don’t use a whole bubble bath bottle a week, and a box of dishwasher and washing tablets last a good couple of weeks. I live in the south east so an expensive part and have a 3 year old and a baby.

70k isn’t a lot imo at the moment with cost of living etc - especially when you are on your own. I’m really sorry you are feeling fed up, it’s hard working and being a mum even at the best of times (and I’m sure doubly hard when you are on your own). Life does get financially easier when you don’t have nursery fees to pay though so hopefully soon you will start to see some benefit for all your hard work! Sending hugs!

No what they've done is told her she's wasteful, look back at every post. Yes people who earn more shop in more expensive places. Maybe she's adjusting best she can and as fast as she can. Doesn't change the fact that the system itself is pitted against her. A for being in the top 5% of salaries and b for being a single mother. That needs to change. They could have been a little more understanding and polite but no nearly every post has been condescending and some even implied she should be grateful "she's the lucky one" except she really isn't we are thanks to her and her hard work. It's about time people appreciated that abit more tbh

The only having to 16 hours a week thing was scrapped years ago now with the introduction of UC, again someone who doesn't understand the system just making stuff up.

No it was 16 hours until recently acctually it went up last year late last year aswell I think. It's 30 now depending on circumstances, can be less.

I have 160 left after all bills. Widowed mum of 2. I sympathise.

No it wasn't until recently, it has never been 16 hours under UC, that was under the old tax credit system. Under UC it was 25 hours, recently gone up to 30. You've already posted incorrect information about benefits so I don't really think you have much knowledge on it.