To think I should work less and claim Universal Credit?

[Tiredandgrumpymum]

After a difficult divorce I find myself supporting my 2 children on my own. Ex-husband pays the bare minimum.

I work full time on about minimum wage, all my shopping is done at Asda usually yellow-stickered where ever possible. This year managed to take my 2 kids away for a weeks break by the seaside in a caravan. We had a lovely time but did it as cheaply as possible. Bought ice cream and put in the freezer in the caravan so when kids asked for an ice cream out I said wait till we get home.

No eating out except for takeaway chips etc. No expensive days out.

Just bought all the school uniforms as cheaply as possible from the supermarket and the school shoes which I've had to put on my credit card.

My SIL popped round for a coffee earlier on her way back from the hairdressers having treated herself to a new cut and colour at a posh salon and she was just on the way to get her nails done. She's just returned from a 2 week all inclusive in Turkey with her 4 kids. Her kids get the best school uniforms and school shoes and she pays for them to do various activities I can only dream about. All this and she works 3 mornings a week and gets topped up on UC. She goes to the gym everyday as she can afford it and has the time to so looks fabulous.
I'm sorry I sound so bitter but I really am.

Well, we know the answer to that.

It's a goady post that is full of inaccuracies/missing information.

Another day, another attempt to whip people up into a frenzy to agree that anyone with the audacity to try and claim UC is a scrounging waster.

Trouble is, people that don't have any experience of UC will believe the OP - and it creates bad feeling towards people who rely on UC to put food on the table for their kids.

You get DLA + UC.

If you have too much money saved up now. What makes you think you can claim benefits because you work less hours. The capital rule will still effect you

So SIL isn't just getting UC, she's potentially getting Pip and DLA too? Which you aren't going to get anyway.

Claim UC if you want. Though I have a feeling this is just yet another benefit bashing thread.

It's amazing how they always tell OP the exact amount they are getting.

It's 30 hours or the equivalent to that over 18 hours. So if you have a better paid job you don't need to work as much, it's around £950 from memory.

And here we have the response the post intended to elicit.
slight derail on the adhd disability/not a disability discussion…but we got there in the end.

So you have money you can live off if you’re struggling so much. You don’t need benefits. It’s entirely your choice to save that and not use it. She won’t be able to give her children any money, she doesn’t have a safety net, she will have a much smaller pension. You’re not worse off than her.

So you admit your OP is a goady benefit bashing post then. Dropping your hours wouldn’t make you eligible for UC anyway. You could spend some of the money on paying off your credit card, a small holiday, uniforms for your kids that will last, clubs etc and then be eligible for UC. No reduction of hours required. If the money was in just your kids names it would be theirs and you’d be eligible for UC, but you’ve got over 16k or savings making you ineligible and that is your choice.

You’ve made a choice then and you need to be confident in that as it’s clearly what’s best for you. Your SIL has chosen to do things differently, doesn’t mean anyone is wrong but is she posting about you and stressing over the fact she has no savings and criticising you ? You need to concentrate on your own life and your own situation or you’ll become bitter and unhappy.😔

Well put some of the money into accounts in your DC name and give it some time and then you can claim.

@Tiredandgrumpymum it's not the life that you describe as yours that I find entertaining as it's the same version in a myriad of variations for most of us right now.

The entertainment is found in the imaginary life of your SIL who apparently manages to juggle 4 kids, work, go to the gym and get her hair and nails done and is mostly funded by the taxpayer's £.

Not including actually caring for, feeding and clothing her 4 children and ferrying them about to their various nurseries and schools. That's a tall order to fill if what you desribe is correct.

Then you clearly choose not to give your children luxuries . Speak with a financial adviser who can help you maybe invest your money wisely .

So you blame the OP for being responsible and saving rather than claiming benefits.

It seems bonkers to me that you effectively encourage OP not to not save and to be irresponsible in order to claim benefits!

This is the rub. I don't suppose SiL has much in the way of assets/savings. It can be very hard and does feel punative when others are living a good quality of life whilst you sacrifice scrimp and save to try and put your kids in a better position.

But I guess the argument is you COULD afford what she's doing. But you have other priorities. She's prioritising holidays and beauty treatments. You're prioritising your children's future financial stability. Or being able to have some financial autonomy yourself. It seems glorious having free money, but you're always beholding to the state and don't have that much choice and control.

UC was never intended so that people who couldn’t be arsed to work much could go all inclusive to Turkey for 2 weeks and visit posh salons.

What a disgraceful state our society is in. People like your SIL appear to be fleecing hard working people. It’s not the govt’s money - it’s ours, people who are tax payers/net contributors.

Well done on missing the point of the thread and OPs opening post 👍

I want to give my kids the chance to go to university.

They can go without your money. Plenty of kids do.

Put the money in a family members name and then claim UC.

So actually you can afford to pay for your DC to do activities "you can only dream of".... but you have chosen to save for university.

Which is absolutely fine.... but don't make out that you're on the breadline because of the choice you made

Still a choice though? A very valid choice that SiL isn't making.

I'd make the same choice in your shoes btw and make those choices daily. But I don't get too upset when my son's friends are on their 3rd holiday abroad this year because I know I've lots in the bank and they don't.

Huh? So you're saying you can't claim because of your savings but your thread title is saying should you work less and claim UC...? Well you can't claim so that's that isn't it. Pointless thread.

Your kids can go to Uni anyway . Childhood memories are only made once . Maybe consider that .

I think you should also claim UC and continue working as you are. UC exists because companies don’t pay a living wage and the government for some reason prefers to pay benefits rather than making them pay properly. There’s no shame in claiming it.

Your sister has done well to save that £500 a month it has to be said.

Edit - if you won’t spend any of then£10,000 under any circumstances and it’s for your children, then give it to them in junior ISAs or similar