Both work and we claim UC but still can't afford to live.

[Mocha1]

We have 3 kids, 2 who aren't at school yet, my husband and I both work 30 hours a week for charities so not highly paid. We also have childcare for part of the week and then juggle the kids between us the rest of the time (We don't want to work more as we dont want the kids in fulltime childcare). We rent and down't own. We claim UC but we are still really struggling to make ends meet. We really try to live to a tight budget but I have no idea how to lower our expenses any more.

Am I missing something? Is this normal? does anyone have any tips for saving money/ making more income somehow? I feel a bit at a loss as we keep dipping into our savings for just day to day expenses and we're nearly at the end of those.

Our income at the moment (I'm on MAT leave) - £3980
Outgoings- £4250

Do these outgoings seem like a lot for a family of 5 living in the south west? I've been going over our budget and I have no idea how to save any more unless we literally never bought another birthday present or went to a soft play ever again.

They also didn’t expect others to fund them. The issue isn’t the number of children, it’s expecting others to work and pay more tax to fund them instead of working themselves.

She is literally saying she wants others work for no pay and handing it over to her rather than earning the money herself.

£1819 is the take home pay of a worker on NMW working 40 hours per week
multiply by two £3638

That is less than the OP is getting for her and her dp working 30 hours each per week

£1438 is the take home pay of someone working NMW working 30 hours per week, multiply by two is £2876

wages are two low and although they have risen in the last 3 years - for 15 previous they weren't high enough and so the increases are still not allowing people to live to the style this generation has grown accustom. Its not a race to the bottom, especially when you have large business making billions from those working at the bottom of the rung

Agree completely. People just spent less money when I was a kid (early/mid 90s). No takeaway coffees every other day, fewer new clothes and toys, kids didn’t need a £40 school rucksack with their name embroidered on it and a £50 Stanley cup. I know so many families where a big day out is a twice monthly occurrence, their kids are constantly timetabled with expensive activities. Don’t get me started on the fussy eating! I’m always amazed by how many people think you need expensive red meat and out of season fruit and veg at every meal.

@Anon501178 I had dc in the 90s and mine did extra curricular as did most around us. That isn’t new. The poorer dc got free music lessons at school.

I didn’t think the op was poor - just working part time and that’s not enough.

Agree completely. People just spent less money when I was a kid (early/mid 90s). No takeaway coffees every other day, fewer new clothes and toys, kids didn’t need a £40 school rucksack with their name embroidered on it and a £50 Stanley cup. I know so many families where a big day out is a twice monthly occurrence, their kids are constantly timetabled with expensive activities. Don’t get me started on the fussy eating! I’m always amazed by how many people think you need expensive red meat and out of season fruit and veg at every meal.

OP, you are at the most expensive stage of your lives and it will get better.

But for now there is some sort of compromise you will need to make,

3 children under school age on less than two f/t jobs in a low ish paid sector in the SE is bound to bring pinch points.

And if you have chosen to spend more time with your kids then maybe that IS more important than soft play etc.

Go through all your expenditure and strip out everything that is non essential. Spend your time at home building a menu of economical home cooked food . And everything else you can think of. You haven’t given us much about your lifestyle… do you run cars?

Many people have to have their children in FT nursery. I provide 1 day childcare for my DD to help her out so she doesn't pay for that 1 day. I am presuming you don't get help from DGP? My DD would love another DC but they know they can't afford it. So they only have 1. And no they don't have coffees etc and most of DGC clothes are from Vinted - unless I buy it new

I have misunderstood then, my apologies.
I thought anyone in receipt of UC was automatically entitled to FSM.

I don’t have kids, but I feel so sad for the people on this thread flogging their guts out working full time to provide for their families and still struggling, having to listen to the OP moaning about their part time lifestyle and benefits not being enough!

The world is truly backwards.

OP, I say this kindly, but you need to look at your lifestyle choices. It is a luxury to not work full time. You can't complain about a lack of money if you won't work full time. You also chose to have 3 DC knowing that life would be tough.

The benefits system should be there to support those in dire need, not those who choose to earn less and work less.

Download the MSE budget planner and record all of your income and expenditure on it. Cut back on everything that you can. No lunches out or coffees etc. No tv packages. Only buy clothes when actually needed.

You may do all those things already, but it is surprising how many people don't and then say they have no money.

See if you can find a cheaper place to rent. Up your hours at work, look for better paid jobs.

All of this can be changed by you and only you.

I think people prioritises have just changed over time. It used to be considered a luxury to be a two car family, now that isn't even a term we use anymore - it is the norm that most families have two cars.

3 kids a luxury- wild people think its normal. In Europe families with 1-3 kids are considered small families, 4-7 medium and 7+ large. Each couple should have 3 kids (one to replace mum one to replace dad third to cover for thise who cant have kids,accidents etc) to sustain not even grow population, hence why british are becoming minority,brainwashed to think bare 3 kids is a large family.

Sorry but you don't get to make a lifestyle choice to have 3 kids, work part time in poorly paid roles and claim universal credit and then throw your hands up like its a mystery that you don't have as much money as you want.

Do you really think those of us working stressful full time jobs are doing it for fun? We do it for the money. You want more money, go earn it.

My Mum was a SAHP but ran a catering business from home
I never went to soft play (it didn’t exist) or any paid for ‘attractions’ , but plenty of free stuff, like parks and accessible historical stuff.
We never had new clothes. Clothes were far less gendered and everything got passed between siblings and cousins of different sexes.
Ditto toys
We had one black and white TV. No gadets.

We never had pre prepared food or drink.
Had a glorious childhood, did well educationally and have thrived as an adult (working in the charity sector)

Had Dc, limited the number having carefully budgeted, Dc in childcare from 4m (p/t to begin with) , did spend some ££ on extra curricular and trips:
Dc had a glorious childhood and are thriving as young adults in fulfilling jobs.

@Mocha1
Hi OP,
Can you tell me how it is that you are eligible for UC when your household income is £3,980 a month?
I honestly don't understand.
I thought UC was for those on very low incomes.
Just short of £4,000 coming in every month and you're entitled to UC?

Why are so many posters saying the OP doesn't have much money when she is getting £20 short of FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS A MONTH coming in?
£4,000 a month!!!!
This is seen as not much money?!?

People are getting hung on this 3 kids is a luxury thing.

At the end of the day, it’s all relevant. If you can’t afford something but want it, the reality is, it would be a luxury to have that thing. The OP cannot afford 3 children, yet she chose to have 3. So yeh, 3 children is a luxury in this instance, regardless of what the rest of the world does.

Is this a joke post? You have 3 children, neither one of you wants to work full time and you claim money from the tax payer? You aren’t missing anything, you know what you need to do. Get better paid jobs or one of you gets a second job or both increase your hours. You don’t get to have it all.

The op should really come back and address some of these issues other posters have raised. I can't believe for one second no one in her life hasn't told her they need to work more. Being faux naive isn't cutting it here.

You have 3 young kids. You don’t have the luxury of “we don’t want to work more”. Seriously.

Its the op saying she doesn't have enough money, RTFT

This isn't even slightly true. There is no country in Europe with a fertility rate of two or more.

In France, the country with the second highest fertility rate in Europe, a family with three children is legally classified as a large family.

Perhaps you should have considered this before having yet another child?

Tbh, I don't mind how many DC the OP wants to have, as long as the parents are prepared to pay for them. If they don't want to earn more, that is fine too. But what is not ok is to expect to be able to spend any more than is earned. If you want a simple life, you need to spend simply too.

Hello OP, yet again a load of women who are annoyed about their own lives.

pp