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Can we afford to live together?

4 replies

Totallyconfuzzled · 05/10/2014 15:30

Posted in chat but thought here would be more appropriate

I'm really confused. Basically I had a full time 30k job a year ago which I've had to leave because my DS became severely disabled.

So now we live off Housing benefit, income support, carers allowance and child tax credit and child benefit. As well as getting most of the council tax paid, I think I pay about £14 a month.

Anyway my partner has asked about moving in, we've been together a number of years now and DS loves him, but I just can't work out if we can afford to.

At the moment he's a lodger at someone else's house. He pays £70 a week for all bills and rent, which suits him because about 18 months ago got made redundant with no pay out and has basically taken up bar work from which he gets minimum wage and is sometimes quite short of full time hours

It would support me a great deal to have DP living here, as that means someone to help with night watch when he gets in from work (at 3am) and then I could get 3 hours sleep and then get up and get DS ready and to school and picked up while DP sleeps in the day etc. At the moment I don't get much time for sleep at all.

But I can't seem to find a way to work out how much we would lose and if it could be covered by DPs wage. We are already on our knees financially.

OP posts:
CogitoErgoSometimes · 05/10/2014 16:50

Have you run your details through the benefits checker at www.turn2us.org.uk? That's a quick way to do a 'what if' for both scenarios

Totallyconfuzzled · 05/10/2014 19:44

I've done that for if he moves in but it's all changed to universal credit now so I can't work it out properly. Also will they stop while we make another claim as a couple? If they do he might have to save up a bit before we make the move so we have enough to get through. (I have nothing at the end of the month)

It's so hard. I wish I could just work! I loved working. Not that I don't love being off with DS but caring is 100x harder than working and we are on the breadline because of it.

OP posts:
CogitoErgoSometimes · 05/10/2014 22:16

I didn't think Universal Credit had come into force yet?

Teeb · 06/10/2014 11:28

Could you go back to work and your partner take on more of a caring role for your son, while doing part time bar work hours?

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