Sign here if you're below the minimum standard of living

[mybabysinthegarden]

Which is £201/week after housing costs and childcare if you're a couple with 2 children according to this. I just worked out we're on about £140/week (only the one dc though. Until October) How about you?

I think the point of the JRF study was to show the govt etc what should be an acceptable income/standard of living. The organisation have been researching poverty and disadvantage for a hundred years or so.

in what world does a pair of £45 boots last 3 years? im moving there! boots only last me a year or so! i must walk to much due to the fact i cant afford driving lessons never mind run a car!!!

a bird feeder and film tickets!! id be happy to be confident i had enough for basic living expenses i.e. food, clothing, gas, electric.

agree with the mobile phone I don't need one I have a P&G one which has £5 on it but if it runs out I can't use it.

I have £90 p/w to pay all bills, (phone, fuel, gas/elec/food/run car/'luxuries' etc and do stuff with DS. on and also top the rent up as well as mine is usually about £80 a month short of the HB.

ahem since when was bacon 82p?? (even the value packs are more like £1.30

and a loaf of bread is 62p??

where are they doing their shopping?

62p for a loaf?????

£1.10 more like!

milk £1.34 for one week!! more like £2.12 for 4 days!

For a couple with two children it is £370 per week.

The £201 is for a pensioner couple.

We do have two children. We don't have £370 per week.

Oh dear, I hadn't seen the budget breakdown!

They allow £10 for a pair of smart trousers (second hand maybe) and yet £450 on family birthdays.

I love it that they base rent on a 3 bed in Loughborough - rent of £69 per week. It is £140 for us, because we rent from my uncle. It would be £196 on the free market.

6 bra's for £4 - obv that person doens't have huge norks like mine where a bra costs £25 - althou that's one thing I like to buy good with.

10 pairs of nickers for £1??? even in primark sales it's 5 for £1 - and they'll last 2 3 months absolute max!

kids shoes £18.00??? DS's on monday were £15 for two pairs one clarks and one sandles form woolies- this is only as both were in the sale other wise it's £30 - and that's for 6 months (abslute max!)

my water's more than that p/a as well - as is the rent - even council rents here are more expensive than that!

bath towels 5 for £3.99?? honestly where are they shopping? (althou if you buy cheap towels/sheets I find they wash badly and you need to replace them quicker - false economy.

nappies they have right thou. wipes - not so much.

Who needs 6 mattress protectors?

its no wonder that they dont have a clue how to solve poverty when they dont even know how much a pint of milk/loaf of bread is and how much the average family uses. my dcs use at least 1.5 pints of milk a day and me and dp about a pint!!

i need to know where they shop!!

I had a pair of DMs (£45) which I wore day in day out as they were the only shoes I had - they lasted 3 years and then fell apart. The next pair I got were still only about £45 and have lasted 12 years, but I wear sandals in the summer now

Gawd, Lou, you're right! And that's after housing, which includes council tax, utilities etc.

not better off on the 'dole' either.

#Dp and I have had 10 pound to last from tuesday till fri after everything has been paid for including some rent.

I note that according to them one packet of fishcakes costs 80p and would last two weeks.

Which shop is this?

Even Lidl or Aldi aren't that cheap!

Oh and I'll sign on as I am well under what I am supposed to be.

whichever shop it is im moving so that i am close to it!!! so please let me know when you all find out where you can get towels for £3.99 and fishcakes for 80p coz im really struggling to afford things here, it sounds much cheaper where they are!

we have 90 a week and they have just stopped my tax credits i feel bad for spending 4 pounds on jeans for my lo let alone a bloody bird feeder

We were always below the minimum standard according to those figures, until we quit the UK (economic migrants, tsk tsk).

sheepgomeep I remember many days going to the supermarket with my daily food budget of one pound - not that long ago.