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.

Been an interesting read. But Uncle Goady has just arrived. I need to look after my 72 nephews for three days - having worked down pit for 8 days straight - so he can swan about do gooding.

It is an absolute privilege to choose to work part time, and live using the taxes others who made a different choice have paid. Most of us want our children in less childcare, but don’t expect someone else to fund it. This has really wound me up. And yes, stop going to soft play. It’s a luxury.
edited to add: you have made choices you cannot afford, and you are going to have to compromise somewhere. Like everyone else does.

So it’s acceptable for the taxpayer to fund childcare? Personally if I paid tax I’d resent my taxes being used for this purpose.

The only option is to work more hours in a job that pays more. Why do both of you need to work only 30hours a week. Sort yourselves out, have difficult conversations and stop feeling sorry for yourselves when there is a solution to facing hardship.

I genuinely have no idea what you mean. Where is the “insane jealousy” pretend or otherwise?

Sorry. I'm not listening now. Please be irrationally over sensitive after the tone....

Children are absolutely a luxury and you need to really check the affordability before you have one

can I ask how you take home £4000 and get UC?

im confused. Can someone let me know please? Could really help w friend of mine who only maes £1100 and struggles to get UC.

I’m also complexed as to how your outgoings are £4000+ per month?

Remember, childcare is expensive but not forever.

Neither parent is working FT! Surely that’s a first step towards “making enough”? Instead you’ve both chosen to work PT and instead have the taxpayer subsidize you, including taxpayers who have decided against a third child because they don’t earn enough working FT. Surely you can see how ridiculous you’re being?

Why are we stuck with them? We need to create a society where people aren’t being rewarded for having ten kids and not working. Conservatives tried to ease into this with the two child cap and of course Labour are now under intense pressure from their own party to scrap it. I completely understand he need to protect children from poverty but we now have generations of people who prioritise their nails, eyelashes and vaping fluids over healthy food for their kids. It’s all upside down and inside out.

They don’t take home £4K. The £4K includes the universal credit.

This is actually making me ponder if people are actually really angry about people on benefits gaming the system which is feeding the asylum-seeker-lunacy as those two things are actually intrinsically linked by more and more people needing help and handouts. I hadn’t really linked those things past xenophobia or racism but I think it predominantly comes down to the ever increasing welfare bill.

Agreed, I have seen this with my peers and colleagues

Whether three kids is a luxury or not is one thing, but what certainly is a fucking luxury is working part time because it’s better for children’s development not to be in full time childcare.

Loads of us would rather have spent less time working and more time at home with our children for all sorts of reasons, but couldn’t afford to do. You can’t afford it either OP. Ideally you’d like your children in childcare for less time but financially you don’t have that option and need to work more hours.

The two child cap didn’t work through did it? It just led to more children in poverty with all the problems that brings down the line

The reason uc is in place is to encourage people back to work. People working part time is better than not working at all. Dh & I both work full time but I absolutely don't begrudge those who get a few extra quid each week..it's hardly like they're raking it in ffs. Why dont all you jealous idiots go part - time and apply for uc instead of blaming people who are ENTITLED to it..whether you like it or not -they aren't doing anything illegal or wrong.

Those who don't want to, sponge of the rest of us.

I don’t understand threads like this.

You have 3 children and neither of you work full time. Of course you are finding it difficult to make ends meet. It drives me mad that some people choose to claim benefits instead of working full time to provide for the children you have chosen to have.

I'm sorry you feel threatened by some of the responses but I'm not sure if you're on the wind up or just ignorant.
Loads of families are finding things tight right now. Loads of families are working Full time without top ups so you and your husband can work part time.
Surely you can see how frustrating that is?
Your outgoings of £4250 a month are huge. I cannot believe there is nothing you can cut down on. You're spending a ton of money after your rent

Your outgoings seem too high for your circumstances.

Ours isn't that high and we're in London.

There's a lot of fat to be trimmed if you're disciplined enough

Why have you had three children if money was tight.

Over £4k take home is a good amount unless of course you have three children and won’t aim for a higher paid role because it might mean that you need full time childcare.

You have made some choices here. Whether you can afford them is another question.

They chose to work in a lower paying sector than was available knowing they wanted children.
They both choose to work part time because childcare isn’t good enough for them.
The father is still working part time only even whilst the OP is on mat leave.

That is at least three things they are not doing right if they are struggling financially.

That rent seems high for the region unless they are living in one of the cities or have a large property so there may be scope for reducing rent costs by moving further out or downsizing.

They are bringing it in September next year for those on UC in England.