Well that's it then, officially. Not a penny left in the bank.

[LostInSockLand]

Very scared, totally fed up. I could have gone to see a friend tonight (Haven't been out since January and by that I don't mean out out, I mean visiting a friend), I can't even afford to get to her house. Sigh. Any funny threads someone could point me to?

I was not hostile to anyone! Heck, where on earth did you get that idea...I thanked you all for your advice several times did I not?

I asked for it to be dropped because I could see a row brewing and wanted to avoid that ....sadly it still happened.

Noone is attacking you but it does seem like you don't want to see any other point of view other than your own.

There are ALWAYS choices. It's just a matter of what the other choice is and how appealing it is. You've made several choices which I believe has contributed to your current situation and it's a shame you won't consider any other thought process other than your own.

You CHOOSE to cook separate meals because you don't want your child to go hungry.

You COULD send your DD to another school which is closer but you choose not to because you fear she may get bullied and not get the same level of education.

You CAN apply for jobs you cannot do but you choose not to in case you get an interview

You CHOOSE not to appeal the decision of the lone-parents advisor because you don't want the stress.

All these are choices you make. The latter two contribute to the fact you now have no money. The school thing makes it harder for you to be employable because you have even more restricted hours than you otherwise would have.

So the question remains....what do you want? Because if you are serious about wanting to work then you need to sort your life out because being blunt, no job will fit around you.

Yes it will mean your kids will have to make sacrifices, changes, be more responsible etc. But hey, they have to live within the means you can provide. And right now you are really doing them a disservice by not at the very least making the effort needed to claim the right benefits so they can live more comfortably.

Do you REALLY want to live like this for the next four years (or more)?

What the...are you kidding me? Do you even realise how ridiculous your post is?

I dont CHOOSE to cook different meals, my kids WILL NOT eat the same thing and I have allergies.

I could CHOOSE to send my dd to a crap school? No words needed I think.

I could apply for jobs I cannot do......again, speechless.

I could appeal the decision (of the jobsworth on the desk who is not actually a lone parent advisor). I CANT HANDLE the stress, it makes me ill, i've had enough.

Once again, i'm not claiming anything so i'm not taking from you, WHY does this bother you so much?

You said you were managing on tax credits.

On the "claiming anything" side, I think you miss my point. I WANT you to claim JSA. It's there for people such as yourself.

I don't think my post was ridiculous. What's ridiculous is that you are not applying for JSA because you:

1. "...cant handle the stress" (of which is pretty much send a few letters out to PROVE you've actively been seeking work rather than turn up at the office with vague stories of how you've been "looking".)

2. In case you get an interview

Of course you are perfectly entitled to NOT claim JSA. It's a CHOICE you've now made. As a result your kids are going without, to the tune of £67.50 per week! Faced with logic like that, it's hardly surprising you've run out of money.

I agree. Like you said, you have always worked before now. Now it is time for you to get the help you deserve for you, and your kids.

That happens to us every single month and we're a working poor family.

We have what we need, though.

C'est la vie.

You can get a short-term loan/crisis fund loan.

What are you tax credits based on if you're not working and you're not claiming benefits, because the amount you get is based on this?

You need to claim DLA and then see if you qualify for Carer's Allowance.

Your tax credits might increase if you're on income-based JSA.

Really, you need to apply for more benefit or this will be a continuing thing.

I do understand why you are reluctant to claim jsa, it's an absolute frigging nightmare. Dp had to claim it for about 4 months, very complicated situation as to why he left his last employer, they held the payments up forever. We were reduced to about £20 in the bank, stood outside the jobcentre in the phone box repeatedly ringing the emergency loan number, it was frigging awful, we were made to feel like scum.

They eventually started paying him (contribution based too, how kind), but he hated it at the job centre, they were just so horrid, it's just not a nice thing. Then again it kept us afloat, you need to play the system. If they are forcing you to apply for jobs, then just apply for jobs you have no chance of getting, if you get an interview, feck it up.

Just explain once you get to the interview your limitations. £67 a week is a food shop basically, not to be sniffed at.

We are working poor and often have - amounts of money in the kitty. I have to shuffle and rob Peter to pay Paul, it sucks tbh and I don't see our situation changing anytime soon.

We have an Iva which will end in 3 years, but we are never going to be well off.

Never goinbg to be well off??! How do you know that? Seems like a defeatist attitude to me!

I don't wish to blow my own trumpet but having left school at 16 with no qualifivcations and then having a baby on my own at 22... At 30 I would now consider myself very comfortable...not 'well off' as such but I have years and years ahead of me yet. Unless you are 60 years old I dont see how you can say you'll never be well off.

Same here duckypoo. We're currently working with Consumer Credit Counselling and it's looking like either trust deed (IVA for Scotland) or Low Income-Low Assets (a form of bankrupcy for those with assets of less than £300, like us).