Living alone is tough financially

[Addictedtofizzydrinks34]

If you have a mortgage or rent a home alone..maybe different if you're mortgage-free or perhaps only renting a room or something.
You have to make sure you can afford everything each month. If anything breaks/needs repairing, you foot 100% of the bill. All renovations are paid for solely by you.
You have to make sure you have money aside for various things.
Living alone has many advantages, but financially it's tough and I'm not sure I can do it for much longer. It's stressful unless you have a lot of savings I think.

So single or single with kids, you could be paying £1300 in rent, but out of work and just single £400 a month, out of work with kids more. So the safety net isn’t a safety net because rents / mortgages aren’t covered. Having the child increases cost of fuel bills and food but in most cases the rent isn’t more with kids, in fact most in social housing the rent is considerably less so it’s the age old argument that going out to work isn’t worth it.

No a single person working is unlikely to qualify for benefits. It is tough.

But it doesnt cost double to have 1 child while they receive double the benefits. Food won't double (unless it's a teen boy at home), electricity doesn't double (standing charges don't change based on household numbers), Internet doesn't double, insurances don't double. They are morr likely to get council/HA housing which saves a small fortune and provides more stability. And, rather bizarrely, holiday costs can even reduce - my sis paid less for her and my niece on our holiday than I did for myself (bloody single supplement vs child free place).

At which point you wake up and leave the relationship because it is clearly shit and you would be better off on your own. The state shouldn't over pay benefits to everyone in a couple just because some are financially abusive. It should do more to support victims of financial abuse instead.

Rent is covered if have children. Not covered though without children if on a low income.

And don’t get me started on the council tax system, where I’ve seen instances of a 1 bed flat (and not a luxury one) be in a higher band than a 3 bed house in the same town.

Yep I live alone( I own outright) and live on disability benefits It's not easy, but my dog is the best male I've ever lived with!
Life is about needs not wants these days
Simple but I'm happy

There would be a housing element on top of the £400/week, I assume (if renting-regardless of relationship status). It's based on the mean market rental for an appropriate sized property for the family size. So yes, more for mum and child that need a 2 bed than single that needs a 1 bed. But that extra money goes instantly on paying the higher rent needed. It's not more money in mum's pocket.

Exactly, that's what I mean by thresholds. The thresholds for qualifying are much lower for single people - effectively there are no top ups regardless of how low your income is. The government says you can live on £80 a week. If you earn more than that, you can fuck off back to your fruit in ziplock bags.

What does the government say the equivalent of your £80 is for a couple, no children? I suspect it's less per person than the single person gets.

But it’s less money in the pocket of the person whose rent isn’t covered. So my situation, I have two dogs and therefore live in a property with a garden, same a mum with kids perhaps. So if I didn’t have the insurance and claimed UC firstly they’d expect me to use all savings and sell my house 🤯but let’s get past that, the amount of mortgage I pay wouldn’t be covered but the need of my family, is that I need somewhere with a garden. That would be covered if I had kids. Most people with children are either in social housing whereby rents are significantly reduced so that’s getting more than covered and another thing that’s wrong when the kids leave, parent(s) can stay in that social housing for very little rent or b) private renting but landlord receives a proportion of the rent via benefits which you are entitled to just by having children. The system is heavily stacked against those that work regardless of marital status.

child benefit in my opinion is an outdated benefit. It was introduced when men controlled the finances and women had no access to the money. It was an allowance for woman to buy basics for children. That should not be necessary now and if as a woman you have no financial independence whilst in a relationship that’s abuse and guarantee if in a DA relationship receiving CB the abuser will control that too.

the system just isn’t fair. Basically to feel a bit more secure in times of hardship I’m best of having a kid, that’s pretty much the only way I can guarantee I’ll be ok. I won’t do that of course but how broken is the system where reproducing in an already overpopulated world is the answer to your prayers

Standard element of UC is £393.45 for a single person, £617.60 for a couple. So a oouple’s entitlement is less than a single person, but I think it would be easier for a couple to live on £617.60 for a month than a single person to live on £393.15.

£154.

Basically if you want top ups, have kids.

Even Margaret thatcher protected child benefit. It is still sometimes the only money a mum might receive abd have access to.

As a couple you aren't likely to be using double of everything too

You're probably not using double the heating or double the electric and council tax is 50% each instead of 75%
Contents and buildings insurance, tv license, Netflix, broadband
Half the rent or mortgage to pay
If you're having a hard time you've a chance the other person can help out. You can split purchases like a washing machine or bed or fridge

Before anyone tells me to work more hours, I can't due to health conditions and no I'm not unwell enough for PIP but too unwell to do more than 40hrs

You want extra benefits for dogs?

You, a single person, would be entitled to rent for a 1 bed property, because you only need a 1 bed property.

A person with a child, would be entitled to rent for a 2 bed property, because they need a 2 bed property..

You, a single person, would get an amount to cover 1 person's basic needs.

A person with a child, would get an amount to cover 2 person's needs. The amount would be bigger, but so would be the needed spend.

So different, but equal in relation to needs.

You'd both be in the same position re selling property, not getting family pets considered in housing allocation etc.

You're probably not using double the heating or double the electric

You definitely aren’t, considering how much the standing charge can be.

Thinking working single mums possibly coupled mums get working tax credit although probably called something else now. I’d be surprised with the UKs attitude to benefits if that’s been culled

Low users are really penalised by that too

I live alone (well, with my dog who is great company). It is tough. I work 30 hours a week-I do a bit of freelance work. It's become my normal. It wasn't ever planned. I loved living with my ex partner (unfortunately that was just about the only plus point to the relationship, we're friends now and when I stay over to see them although it'd never be a 'thing' to get back together I feel some grief of that time, I really do miss that) but then I met a new partner, moved out (unrelated) and assumed we'd eventually move in together. Never happened and we split.

I honestly have got so used to it just being me and my dog, that I am not sure I'd suit a partnership now. I feel odd typing that as I am such a close relationship type of person who always wanted a loving home and family. But life's like that. And alll responsibility falls to me. Everything.

I earn enough. Just enough.
I have a nice enough life and supportive friends.
It's just a bit 'meh', isn't it?

Water rates would stay the same regardless of number of people (unless water metered of course)
council tax is only 25pc more if part of a 2 wasn’t household.

you said about means tested and all that for your needs. I was saying because of my dogs that means garden just as mum with children, As an example. But just so you know if you’re unemployed you do also get help towards the cost of your vet bills 🙄

as others have pointed out, having the kid doesn’t increase the cost of gas electric, council tax etc compared to a single person and the person with the kid is probably already in social housing and therefore cost of rent is significantly less than those with mortgage or private renting.

id argue my dogs are my family and are my equivalent of children but I won’t go off on that tangent.

the system is broken, kids do unlock a lot of additional support. Those facts can’t be argued

@EG94 You'd have to be earning very little to qualify for working tax credit and it's what? £2500/year if you have kids?

I thought it was automatic, honestly don’t know the thresholds. Perhaps is more automatic if you work part time.

But water rates, council tax, gas, electricity are all going to be more expensive for a 2 bed that a family of mum & son need than a 1 bed that a single person needs.

Disagree re social housing. Many many single parents in private rental.

There's extra support for children, because there's extra costs for children.

I disagree with you. My water and gas electric is the same now as it was when my ex was living here. Literally no change whatsoever. Council tax is dependent on area too so not necessarily someone with a child is paying more CT than me, in fact, I doubt it very very much.

and those many single parents get a housing benefit top up courtesy of the kid(s) I actually said this too.

absolutely and I have no issue with that when parents find themselves out of work through no fault of their own but to set a career on how much benefits you can get by having children, that I take issue to. But also as per first point, having the child often only affects food bill in regards to difference between living with kids and living alone