Bills, living & limited money.

[Beccaxo]

Like thousands of people me & my partner found ourselves on benefits due to him loosing his well paid job end of June, the contrast from having over £900 a month spare after the bills got paid & rent got paid to having just over £500 a month to used to spend on weekly shopping and bills is a real struggle. We're trying so hard to get jobs but the market in our area is so competitive and more 'qualified' people get the jobs, we apply for about 10 a day and do everything in our power to find on but we seem to have no luck which is getting us down.

We put our Virgin package on the lowest basic one as they wanted to charge us £180 to get out of the contract, so we had to keep it as we can't pay out £180 to cancel it, we got out of our contract mobile phones fine and do a cheap pay as you go deal with minuets and texts which is £45 combined for both of us - these are the 'luxury' items we have.

Basic bills we have which need to be paid for are:
- £26 a month electric which I pay weekly in installments of £7
- £40 a month gas which I pay weekly in installments of £10
- £6.00 a week on a payment card for TV license
- £23.75 a month water supply which I pay in weekly installments of £6.00
- £15.17 a month waste water which I pay in weekly installments of £3.75
- £30.00 a month Virgin which gets paid end of the month
- £45.00 a month on our pay as you go phones

What ever is left goes on weekly shopping, my son can't drink cows milk so we have to used the growing up milk which is expensive & nappies aren't cheap, we given up smoking and don't drink alcohol anymore, we are just surviving.

I feel guilty getting all our rent covered and our council tax covered, just feel like I am relying on the system to much & is making me so down. I know that millions of others are in the same situation, just need to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel x ​

 

[Eleanor ace]

. I can imagine that would be really hard, it can't be fun to rely on benefits when you are used to providing for yourselves and having a lot more money to spend. But you're not abusing the system, you're the sort of family that the system was intended for. Hope you find jobs soon and that things get better for you!

 

[Beccaxo]

. I can imagine that would be really hard, it can't be fun to rely on benefits when you are used to providing for yourselves and having a lot more money to spend. But you're not abusing the system, you're the sort of family that the system was intended for. Hope you find jobs soon and that things get better for you!

It is hard, just hate feeling like we are being scroungers & the adviser at our job center said where my OH paid tax since the age of 18 it is sort of like claiming off insurance which mad us feel a bit better. Just miss being able to out and buy all this nice stuff & feel good but now it's like we just survive, so glad my son isn't old enough to know what is going on! & thank you hope we do too x​

 

[starangel27]

hi so sorry to hear about your situation im worried ours will slowly end up going that way. i get made redundant in 3 weeks time and just cant find a job and i apply and search the internet constantly.

 

[Louby]

were the same and we both work (although im on maternity leave), times are so hard, and bills seem to be getting higher and higher.

Have you tried aldi nappies? weve started using them and they are really good and about half the price of huggies/pampers, the wipes there are really good too. Actually pretty much all their stuff is good, especially fresh fruit, veg, meat and dairy etc.

Are you not entitled to milk vouchers?

xxx

 

[KayBea]

im in the same boat as you, although due to DV im now a single mum.
i can just about make ends meet at the moment. it really got me down that i was another single mum scrounging but my DV worker said the benifits are there to help you, ive worked since i was 13 & paid tax etc the whole time i was supposed to etc... so she said its like insurance, youve paid your way & now your claiming on that insurance like you would your house insurance if something went wrong etc!!
you will get there!

have you or your Oh asked at the job centre about a college course?!

im currently sorting out enrolling in one to start Sept so LO will be at nursery 15 hours a week & i'll be at college hopefully doing childcare so i can work at a nursery & put her in that nursery for a cheaper rate *fingers crossed*
xx

 

[alicecooper]

yeh we're on benefits too - have been for 3 years since DH's mobility problems got worse. It sure as hell aint fun. And we are still paying off a huge loan to Barclays which eats up £223 a month, as well as paying £100 a month to my mam because we owe her a ton of money too.
It's a struggle, I know.

 

[Beccaxo]

were the same and we both work (although im on maternity leave), times are so hard, and bills seem to be getting higher and higher.

Have you tried aldi nappies? weve started using them and they are really good and about half the price of huggies/pampers, the wipes there are really good too. Actually pretty much all their stuff is good, especially fresh fruit, veg, meat and dairy etc.

Are you not entitled to milk vouchers?

xxx

Yeah I use either Lidl brand or Aldi, we have a Lidl literately at the top of our road & it's only £5.17 for 50 nappies which is good & i've not looked into milk vouchers? Would it matter that he is 1 1/2? x​

​

 

[Beccaxo]

hi so sorry to hear about your situation im worried ours will slowly end up going that way. i get made redundant in 3 weeks time and just cant find a job and i apply and search the internet constantly.

It's so hard isn't, hope things go good for you & hopefully you find a job fast ​

 

[Louby]

were the same and we both work (although im on maternity leave), times are so hard, and bills seem to be getting higher and higher.

Have you tried aldi nappies? weve started using them and they are really good and about half the price of huggies/pampers, the wipes there are really good too. Actually pretty much all their stuff is good, especially fresh fruit, veg, meat and dairy etc.

Are you not entitled to milk vouchers?

xxx

Yeah I use either Lidl brand or Aldi, we have a Lidl literately at the top of our road & it's only £5.17 for 50 nappies which is good & i've not looked into milk vouchers? Would it matter that he is 1 1/2? x​

​

im not sure hun, we dont get them but its worth asking your health visitor, or if you take the baby to the weighing clinic they should have some info there

xxx

 

[Beccaxo]

im in the same boat as you, although due to DV im now a single mum.
i can just about make ends meet at the moment. it really got me down that i was another single mum scrounging but my DV worker said the benifits are there to help you, ive worked since i was 13 & paid tax etc the whole time i was supposed to etc... so she said its like insurance, youve paid your way & now your claiming on that insurance like you would your house insurance if something went wrong etc!!
you will get there!

have you or your Oh asked at the job centre about a college course?!

im currently sorting out enrolling in one to start Sept so LO will be at nursery 15 hours a week & i'll be at college hopefully doing childcare so i can work at a nursery & put her in that nursery for a cheaper rate *fingers crossed*
xx

My partner should be put on an SIA course or one to get his CSCS card renewed which will help loads but in the past few days his health has gone down hill so I'm worried about that.

I'm considering going back & doing a Childcare course too, I've already done a Travel & Tourism course, Hairdressing & now really considering a Childcare one just makes that extra qualification and he'll be over 2 by the time I will be able to do it x ​

 

[alicecooper]

were the same and we both work (although im on maternity leave), times are so hard, and bills seem to be getting higher and higher.

Have you tried aldi nappies? weve started using them and they are really good and about half the price of huggies/pampers, the wipes there are really good too. Actually pretty much all their stuff is good, especially fresh fruit, veg, meat and dairy etc.

Are you not entitled to milk vouchers?

xxx

Yeah I use either Lidl brand or Aldi, we have a Lidl literately at the top of our road & it's only £5.17 for 50 nappies which is good & i've not looked into milk vouchers? Would it matter that he is 1 1/2? x​

​

im not sure hun, we dont get them but its worth asking your health visitor, or if you take the baby to the weighing clinic they should have some info there

xxx

You are entitled to healthy start vouchers if you are pregnant or have children under the age of 4, and are on certain benefits :

any of the following :

-Income Support
-Income-based JSA
-Income-related ESA
-Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit unless your family is receiving Working Tax Credit run-on only) AND an annual family income of £16,190 or less

The amount of tokens you will get is as follows :

-one voucher per week if you are pregnant (past 10 weeks)
-two vouchers a week if you have a baby under the age of 1
-one voucher a week for each child you have aged over 1 but under 4

each voucher is worth £3.10

In my situation, we get CTC and ESA. I have a 3 year old son so I get 1 voucher a week, plus I'm pregnant, so as soon as I hit 10 weeks pregnant I can get another voucher a week, so that will make £6.20 for me a week altogether. Then when the baby is born, that will increase to 3 vouchers a week, making it £9.30. But then when Jason turns 4 it will go back down to 2 vouchers a week again, and then when the baby turns 1 it will go back down to 1 voucher a week.
Make sense?

The vouchers can be used on fresh fruit, fresh veg, and fresh milk (in any combination of the three, or just one fruit or just on veg or just on milk if you prefer). You just hand them in at the checkout at the supermarket. I know all the major supermarkets, and places like Iceland take them.
Or they can be swapped at certain doctors surgeries or health centres for baby formula instead, for bottle-feeding babies (you can't do this at a supermarket though).

In addition you also get coupons for vitamins for you and your baby/child.

In order to start claiming healthy start tokens you need to get an application form, which then has to be filled out by both you, and your health visitor (or midwife), and stamped by the doctor's surgery, and then sent off. So your HV should be able to provide you with the application form. Or the doctor's surgery I should think.

I hope this helps.

 

[monkee12]

We're not on Benefits but I do understand how you feel about lack of money we have been ok for the last couple of months but Jan/Feb is going to be really tight

 

[Mummytobe85]

We arent on benefits either, but DH was being threatened at work (long story) luckily he got HR on his side... we're already struggling as it is as some of our bills have gone up and this year we told everyone we cant afford alot... we're just going to get each family member a few bits.

Also with another on the way - it'll become alot more of a struggle but DH is looking for work that pays more, i hope you find something too as it is a dreadful at the moment with 200 people to 1 job - dont give up

 

[LeoTheLion]

I'm in same situation but it can't be helped, I'm a single parent working part time, I have worked since I was 16 so feel I have contributed more than enough to be able to not feel guilty about getting help. I would be better off if I didn't work and didn't put Lo in childminders but although my wages get spent on childminding fees I need my job to feel like I'm doing my bit x