have just seen this on gingerbread website

[fransmom]

"Free Money Manual for Lone Parents

It is estimated that the average cost of raising a child until they are 21 is now £23.50 per day. With 42 per cent of lone parent families living on an income of less than £200 a week... Free Money Manual"

i get child benefit, tc, and is plus maintenance. less than half of what they mentioned

sorry also meant to add is anyone else in this situation????

yep I am, crap isn't it.

yes it is
crap couple of weeks with only odd spot of dd amking me laugh

less than £200..... I think they mean half of £200!!!

I get £168, and I've got 6 children. Makes me so mad when I hear people going on about 'fiddling the system'. You'd find more down the back of some bloody sofas, mate. Grrr. (Not my sofa, clearly.)

I live off £50 a week with one child. This is after all bills etc have been paid. Heaven help me if she needs a new pair of shoes!

I get £168 BEFORE all bills are paid. I am seriously considering giving up paying the bills

If the dc's need new shoes it's "hello Clark's, goodbye food", isn't it? lol.

Oh, I didn't come on here to moan again, I meant to say thanks for the website, fransmum. Found out something v interesting on here.

Blimey! I don't get £200 a week either!

Wow littlewoman how do you survive? Yeah good bye to bills, Im considering giving up electricity this year ;) as my dd payment has gone up! so I think Im living on £45 a week from now on. Woohoo!!

Littlewoman, hopwe you don't mind me asking, but why do you only get that amount ??

I have 3 dc and get just over £200 a week.

hello, is anyone about for next 20 mins or so? feeling bit lonely today, fed up of being lp

hiya i am here

being skint!

hi pc hows you? i skint too, tho with maintenace in bank am so tempted to go shopping in town 2moro but i know i have bills to pay first. bugger.

im here too

skint also but deseparatly wanting to move house

same here. here i would need deposit and first months rent for most places. on hb so thats out for starters.

HIya, i had to pay out 200 quid today, thats all my bens, for the bloody gas and electric.

I am sooooooooo skint too.

no maintainance but hey I am managing ok. Did a huge shop fr 38 quid today in morrisons, so going to try and be as frugal as poss for the next 2 weeks.

My ex dh is getting married soon so i have been a bit down too. I keep dreaming about him unfortunately.

(((((((((((((((pc))))))))))))))

i think that with some companies they have what they call a social tariff, maybe you could ask about that? and see if there are cheaper compaknis around too.

my problem is that i cant get hb so would never afford to pay the rent on a private place.

means we r stuck on crappy sink estate with no hope of being moved in the forseeable future

is anyone else in my situation, i have just calculated what I get per week. Approx. £45 child tax credit, £18 child benefit and £60 Income support. thats £123 a week, this cant be right!!

fiodyl, have you looked at housing associations? someone mentioned them to me, not sure if its any good though, need to look into it myself.

I get just over £200 with 4 children. Not including CB,i get that 4 weekly. Am always skint.

I get 160 a week (thats Child benefit, income support and child tax credit), i have one DS.

After i've paid all direct debits and nursery for DS i have 10.52 left to buy food, shoes, clothes, nappies etc.

its mad... I have quite a bit of money in my bank account but it is my student loan so it has to last me untill september untill my next installment comes in. got to pay rent, gas, electric, food, petrol to get to uni, insurance etc... whoever said students were loaded was seriously misinformaed!!!

its mad... I have quite a bit of money in my bank account but it is my student loan so it has to last me untill september untill my next installment comes in. got to pay rent, gas, electric, food, petrol to get to uni, insurance etc... whoever said students were loaded was seriously misinformaed!!!