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.

It’s sort of irrelevant if a third child is a luxury or not - the number of children isn’t going to change.

Charities are notoriously low paid - you need to job hunt in different sectors to get a wage boost.

Can you do any evening work as a second job, or something that fits around the kids?

One or both of you needs to look at upping your hours - most of us would love kids not to need as much childcare but if you don’t have to pay the bills you have no option.

Yes,this is how the world works today. You can get political about it but it doesn't change OPs situation. And no magic money tree will appear just because you, or her, think it's a shit system. You need to get real.

OP your local Citizens Advice will do a benefit check / income maximisation appointment. You discuss your circumstances and income and outgoings and see what can change.

You say you claim UC. I assume it covers the rent up to the local housing allowance? You should have 2 child element payments (2 child cap). You can claim back 80% of Ofsted registered childcare costs.

In addition, you should be claiming 3 x Child Benefit. Are you getting Maternity Allowance or Statutory Maternity Pay?

Why are there childcare costs while you are on maternity leave? Usually it's one or the other?

Bills - there are social tariffs for internet and phones. Cancel luxury TV eg expensive Sky or Netflix. Check if you're eligible for a social tariff for water bills. Find your local food pantry. Ask the council or Citizens Advice for an energy bill voucher.

Unpleasant? You and your DH chose to have three children. You and your DH choose that neither of you work full-time. You and your DH choose for your DC not to be in full-time childcare. You and your DH choose to work in the third sector.

With the greatest of respect, those are some very privileged choices and yet you expect taxpayers to fund your choices. It is 100% unacceptable. If you are both capable of working, you both should work as hard as it takes to bring home the bacon and live the life of your choice. If you can't fund those choices, you compromise. What you don't do is leech off the state, accepting benefits when they aren't necessary because you are capable of working. Instead you think it's acceptable to hold your hand out and have a whinge up because you think the rest of us should fund your dole outs.

I believe it's called entitlement and you sound as entitled as they come.

The whole UC situation needs a top to bottom review. Nobody should be allowed to receive benefits for choosing not to work.

Bit late for family planning advice!

Honestly, you’re both taking a pay cut by working part time. Thats how you would make ends meet 🤷‍♀️. Additionally, it’s a choice to work for the charities- you don’t have to do that.
To hear you’re taking UC as a choice because you want to both work part time is some what infuriating. particularly when your salaries are already low.
This is an income problem, not an outgoings problem.

My Mum had my brother and then I’m a twin, so regardless of your situation three can just happen. I don’t think three is a luxury. It will get easier, I’ve been there, it’s just hard now.

Exactly this.

"We both have lovely, worthy, part-time hobby jobs. They pay fuck all, but we don't care because we get to virtue signal and some other mug the taxpayers chuck us free money every month via UC. Despite having an income that's equivalent to £70k on PAYE and £2800 a month after paying rent, we're still too spendthrift to make ends meet. We could go full-time, but fuck that shit. What are we, mugs? Does anybody own a magic wand to make it all better?"

You sound vile

Three children is a luxury. Loads of us would have loved a third but couldn’t afford it. I know accidents and twins happen etc but choosing to have three children is a luxury.

Why do you think it's okay for government to fund your choices? You can both change jobs and/or increase your hours.

Your job as parents is to help your children to thrive in the world and reach their full potential. You and your DH are the perfect role models to lead them into a life of renting and gaming the benefits system like yourselves all because of your mentality that parents working full time hours to support their children are what? Less than you and your DH?

Your legacy is teaching your children by example that benefits is a better lifestyle choice than striving to advance in a career. Is this really what you want for your children?

@Mocha1 I don’t know if you’re coming back to the thread but yes your outgoings are very high for a family living on a lower income ie qualifying for UC

If you genuinely want help you need to give a full list of outgoings or post the details on money saving expert. Start a new thread if you like.

I don’t think you should need to work more hours to make ends meet with that income, it’s probably your spending or expectations

Of course children are a luxury. You don’t have them if you can’t afford them!

And both choosing not to work more hours is ridiculous. One of you needs to increase your hours.

Why so people keep popping children out if they can’t afford them? I’m genuinely baffled by this.

Exactly

Two kids in childcare is always going to be a challenge.

Your outgoings are really high seeing as your rent is £1400. Are there cutbacks you could make?
Can your dh work full time? That will fill the gap you have currently along with some cutbacks.
Plenty of people have 3 kids but it is more expensive so you need more income. This usually comes from jobs.
If you want more income, rethink your hours and jobs. Apply for better paid jobs.

Living in poverty is more damaging to a child than being in childcare! And by the sounds of things, once your savings are gone you won’t be making ends meet.

A third child is absolutely a luxury but whether or not you agree, you clearly can’t afford them.

You’ll both have to work more, working 30 hours is a luxury, one which you can’t afford. Opposite shifts if you don’t want childcare. There’s no other solution really.

@Mocha1 might be best to start another thread with your incomings and outgoings.

I'm sorry people are being so rude to you. I don't think it's unreasonable to want three children, or for a family putting 60 hours of work in a week to want to be able to pay their rent. The UC is a red herring. It's not that you shouldn't claim it, you shouldn't need it. We need to work together as a society to make basic lives affordable for people, because nihilism is rising. We can see it all around us.

The rent is high - that's why you're struggling. Everything costs too much, but rent is lower up north. And mortgages even less. My mortgage is £480 a month on a three bedroom house in a poor town in the north east. The trouble here is jobs - there's always a downside!

Good luck. I'm sorry things are so hard.

if you need to claim benefits then you need to work full time. The tax payer should not be paying for you to decide to work less

👏👏👏
Very well said, it's a disgustingly entitled attitude!

nobody “wants to work”!! We do it because that’s what is needed to meet our children's needs. Your lifestyle choices are just that - choices. It shouldn’t come as a shock that 3 children when neither of you work full time is expensive. You both need to go back to work.

That’s very high outgoings basically, for contract my outgoings are around £1800 a month (mortgage paid off, dc adults so eat more) and we live very comfortably.

do a spreadsheet of what you actually spend over a month.

I also gently say working part time may be a luxury you can’t both afford