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Original poster

how can she afford this???????/ another possibly classist thread.

90 replies

christmaslovingbluealien · 14/12/2005 17:28

i am perplexed.
a woman i know, single mom with three kids. only income is child support, and the money the dadss give her, which comes through the csa, how can she afford december.
she has all her kids birthdays in december as well as christmas. she says she spends 200 pounds each per child on their birthday. and hten there is christmas on top of that. she also smokes and has fake nails. and she drives. how does she afford this lifestyle?

OP posts:
Original poster
christmaslovingbluealien · 14/12/2005 17:28

i meant, child benefit, not child support,.

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 14/12/2005 17:29

wealthy parents, perhaps?

foundintransleightion · 14/12/2005 17:29

she may well be exaggerating on the 200 quid thing.
Are fake nails that expensive?

expatinscotland · 14/12/2005 17:30

yuk, fake nails.

foundintransleightion · 14/12/2005 17:31

I'm with you on the yuk factor expat!
congrats on Roisin's birth btw
mini-hijack over.

colditz · 14/12/2005 17:31

She might be in debt up to her eyeballs, she might have rich parents, she might budget extremely well throughout the year, she might get cheap illegal fags, fake nails from poundland and tell outreagious lies about how much she spends on her kids. You never know. She might be a hooker for we know.

Screwyslittlechristmascrackers · 14/12/2005 17:32

Someone I know on benefits with children, manages to go on holiday twice a year granted only for a week each time but still twice a year. Am so

Original poster
christmaslovingbluealien · 14/12/2005 17:32

no parents. her dad was never involved with her. mom apparently is useless.
fake nails cost 25 to 30 initially, then 15 to twenty every two or three weeks. i cant afford them. and im not poor.
and my kids get one pressie. in dd case it is 9.99.

OP posts:
foundintransleightion · 14/12/2005 17:33

I think some people, if on a tight budget, can feel it keenly and wish to appear better off to other people.

Original poster
christmaslovingbluealien · 14/12/2005 17:34

thats true colditz. never thought of it that way.
i never think about such things about people i meet in rl iyswim. just assume they are all as straight and stupid as me.

OP posts:
Original poster
christmaslovingbluealien · 14/12/2005 17:34

i cant even remember the last time i went on holiday. years and years ago

OP posts:
QueensSpeechEagle · 14/12/2005 17:36

She's fiddling the benefits system. Obviously.

Allegedly.

Thing is, you will never know unless you come out and ask her directly.There could be any number of legit reasons how she can aafford it.

Out of interest, how do you know that's her only source of income?

expatinscotland · 14/12/2005 17:37

I remember our last holiday. We went to Dublin. No kids. We hired a car and drove round the countryside.

Ah, yes.

That was nearly 4 years ago.

misdee · 14/12/2005 17:37

maybe she is good at planning, and like me, starts xmas shopping in the sales. maybe she cuts back in other areas to be able to have her nails done.

anyone would think people on benefits cant have a life.

sorry, but is it really your business what her money goes on?

[rant] [rant]

expatinscotland · 14/12/2005 17:38

maybe she does homemade hampers.

my coffee and orange liqueurs are famous, but i spend a lot of time perfecting them .

misdee · 14/12/2005 17:39

she will have child benefit(40ish per week for 3 kids?) CTC, incomes/csa payments.

kama · 14/12/2005 17:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Kelly1978 · 14/12/2005 17:41

I'm with misdee on this. I was better off on benefits than I am living with a partner. When you get rent and tax paid, then it is possible to budget and live a reasonable life. Not everyone chooses to be on benefits, and it shouldn't mean they have to live on the bread line. My kids prob got more then than they do now.

NutcrackingXmas · 14/12/2005 17:42

Dunno but i'd like to know her secret.

I have 3 kids with birthdays in Nov and Dec and have a dp that works full time and have just taken on a part time job myself because we are permanently skint.

I have spent £200 on each child too but that is for birthday and Xmas, and I certainly couldn't afford to have nails done or drive.

zippimistletoes · 14/12/2005 17:45

it's to do with outgoings as well as income isn't it

she may have disposable income because she doesn't have many outgoings

and she may be in a christmas club
and have usurious debts from such as provident

misdee · 14/12/2005 17:47

yes, she may have smal lamount of debt. unlike me. tho its going down, only another 2years to go.......

cathyspamtaslittlehelper · 14/12/2005 17:47

my husband has a reasonably good job and I work (very) part time - we have 2 young kids and cant afford holidays or any fancy clothes etc but my brother who is unemployed and his girlfriend who works part time in a fast food van have plenty of money to waste on cigarettes, nights out, take aways and designer wear for their 1 year old because my sister in law is claiming to be a single parent (they live together!) and hasn't told the benefits people she is working either - it makes me sooo mad!

BluStocking · 14/12/2005 18:19

If you know her, and if you genuinely want to know in order to learn from her - simply ask her what her top budgetting tips would be.
If not, stop wasting energy speculating!

Tortington · 14/12/2005 18:30

the povident give out loans. as do other people so those with no income or bad debt - then your stuck in a cylce of paying 60% interest - shit you not

also pawning stuff is a regular way of getting money - then you save up to get it back - pay twice what its worth then pawn it again and so on when you need the money

false nails only cost a couple of quid - got mine off ebay for f*ck all

the £200 thing will be exageratted.

QueensSpeechEagle · 14/12/2005 18:33

A friend of mine got a loan with provident for £300. The ultimate payback to them was in excess of 500 quid. I couldn't believe it! Absolutely nuts but some people are forced to get money from these sorts of companies as banks won't touch them.