Whats happened to "no family on beneits will be better off than a working family"!?!?

[Ju_bubbs]

Very pricey indeed! I'm in Hayle, I live right next door to a pub at the moment coz the rent was £100 cheaper than other houses the same size in the area! lol.

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

Very pricey indeed! I'm in Hayle, I live right next door to a pub at the moment coz the rent was £100 cheaper than other houses the same size in the area! lol.

oh lovely! jealous! i spent all my summers since i was a year old ! in carbis bay/st ives! work gets in the way now.. but we still try and get down for least a month! x

 

[Ju_bubbs]

Oh I'd love to live in that area, even tho its only a couple of miles down the road lol, but... I'd have to have a 1 bedroom flat to live there!

 

[natty1985]

Excuse me? Please dont be so rude.. have I said once that OH is going to quit work before moving in so we can both be on benefits and have more money?

My kids are proud of me, proud of me for having to struggle on benefits while raising them alone for a few years and going without so they can have things, proud of me running my own business for a couple of years, and are proud of their dad (not my OH) for running his own business for several years.

I'm not sure if you have even read what this thread is actually about, but I am sure they will now be proud that we are now coming off benefits again, even tho it's going to be one hell of a struggle.

I read your post thoroughly and i never assumed your OH was to give up work either , if you read my post you will see i was referring to someone i know!

The benefits system will always cause a big debate some will agree some wont but i suppose that is just life !!

Its just unfair as the ones who truly put the effort in to work and not claim get punished as you will now find out if you are coming off benefits ! I think everyone understands your point but are simply saying the money you are left with is alot more than what other people are left with !

 

[jenstar]

Just to clarify to the few people who seem to be thinking when OH moves in we will be left with 900 each month to do with as we please, I am not. That 900 is after direct debits/rent etc have gone out my bank. Yes, it sounds like a lot, but still leaving things to pay for such as...

enough food to feed us all (I already make everything from scratch so its cheaper, not like I'm going out buying extravagant food stuffs)

replacing kids worn out school uniforms/clothes/shoes (that cost me over £300 this september due to their school requiring very specific items)

other clothes/toiletries/household cleaning products (all of which I use tesco value)

fuel to school/work, we both run diesel cars but it still comes to a LOT considering OH would be traveling 100 miles a day to work and 200 miles on sundays due to split shifts (which is 700 miles a week costing £100 a week putting our monthly budget down to £500),

tax and mot for 2 cars since neither school or work are within walking distance or bus routes,

bday/xmas presents, hair cuts etc.

Not to mention the fact that our rent will be increasing by another 150 a month atleast just so we have somewhere to put the baby. So thats our 900 straight down to 350 a month after OH's fuel to work and rent!

So, to clarify thats £87.50 a week left for everything else listed above.

I'm not at all saying I'm proud of currently being 'better off' on benefits, I was simply ranting that we're going to be worse off working 50 hours a week. That figure means we're gunna have to eat beans on toast most the month just so we all have food everyday!... thats the kind of thing I'd expect and be happy to have to do on benfits, NOT as a working family!

As for the people talking about having to save up for mortgages etc, I dont have a problem with having to save for things, the problem I've got is we're going to have to save up when we need a new tube of toothpaste, let alone a mortgage!

I think everyone appreciates that you don't have £800 going up to £900 left over after paying for everything. But the things you have listed- food, clothes, running a car etc- are the normal things every household has to pay for, and £800-£900 is still a lot of money to have available to spend on them. Don't try and make out that you're on the breadline or something because from the figures quoted you obviously aren't.

 

[Boony]

I'm a SAHM and i dont claim benefits i'm not entitled to any because my husband works full time he's in the RAF and earns a average wage we have around £500 after rent bills etc and we manage.

I find it absolutely disgusting that someone on benefits can have £900 left after rent bills etc when someone in the armed forces has half that!

My DH mate has been out to afghanistan and fought for his country and he certainly doesnt have £900 left every month so why should someone on benefits? I thought benefits were to help people live not have luxurys like 2 cars!!

 

[swordsman]

Well, the goverment just saved billions of pounds without barely having to touch the benefit system... Mostly by getting rid of ridiculous wasteful 'projects' not by taking money from every day people who may need it to get by... And they're trying to make it more difficult for people to just spend all their lives on benefits while not taking money from people who need it, which is not a simple thing to do. So yeah, people taking the piss on benefits were a slight problem, blown out of proportion by the media and in the process of being fixed..

The price of childcare is a much worse issue and is one of the main reasons it's more affordable not to work. I read an article in a pregnancy magazine the other day, unfortunately i cant find it to quote it now, but we have one of the highest childcare bills in the world! By a long way!

I understand where people are coming from, as i used to have a massive problem with benefits. But after witnessing such ridiculous government waste of money in other areas first hand, i've totally changed my opinion. The thousands of levels of management in the nhs, the ridiculous quangos which should never have been set up... Just one example of waste, my best mate works for aimhigher and gets paid like £9 an hour to talk to some kids about maybe going to uni. They have like 6 aimhigher staff per class. Sometimes she does 4 hours and gets paid 8, "just because". Oh and we still pay for her lunches. Aimhigher is getting scrapped next year and even she just says it's a good thing, that they do some good but it's a waste of money. I personally would rather my tax money go to someone whose just lost their job and is most likely having a crap time of it!

Well I still don't understand why you think 'people taking the piss on benefits were a slight problem, blown out of proportion by the media'.

Taking the p*ss out of the benefits system is choosing to live off the state rather than work, when they could be doing so. That's NOT a small problem and there's a hell of a lot of evidence out there to prove it.

It isn't just the people who are pulling scams to claim benefits to which they aren't entitled, who are taking the p*ss. It's anyone who is purposely choosing to live off the backs of hard working people even if they are 'entitled' to my tax money.

I know someone who has 3 kids, is single and lives entirely on benefits. She gets enough housing and other benefits to afford to rent a very nice 3-bed detached house. Neither her nor the kids seem to go without anything but she regularly moans about not being able to afford a car at the moment. When asked why she doesn't do some part-time work while the kids are at school to help pay for a car, she said that she wasn't 'going to work in some poxy shop for £6 per hour!' THAT IS taking the p*ss out of the benefits system, because she could be contributing to her income herself, and it's all too common.

As for the cost of childcare and the money wasted on quangos? Well I agree with all you said about those two issues.

 

[MrsRH]

I'm a SAHM and i dont claim benefits i'm not entitled to any because my husband works full time he's in the RAF and earns a average wage we have around £500 after rent bills etc and we manage.

I find it absolutely disgusting that someone on benefits can have £900 left after rent bills etc when someone in the armed forces has half that! My DH mate has been out to afghanistan and fought for his country and he certainly doesnt have £900 left every month so why should someone on benefits? I thought benefits were to help people live not have luxurys like 2 cars!!

well said hun and TOTALLY agree!

xxx

 

[LilLickysBump]

£900 a month.....fuck me,(scuse my french) i dont even earn that a month!!
I AM better off on benefits.... But i refuse to sit on my arse all day as quite frankly it would drive me insane.... (im actually shittin myself to think im gonna be startin my maternity leave soon as il be so so bored)
i have a nice house, car, and the usual luxuries i/e phone and internet.... oh and i can afford the odd pizza (i work at pizza hut and get 50% discounts)
I put 10 a week in my car and if i run out, i walk to work...
All my baby stuff is second hand (cept mattress and breast pump) and all my clothes and stuff are from charity shops....

I choose to do this as i dont want my children growing up thinkin that u get anything for nothing.....

 

[swordsman]

£900 a month.....fuck me,(scuse my french) i dont even earn that a month!!
I AM better off on benefits.... But i refuse to sit on my arse all day as quite frankly it would drive me insane.... (im actually shittin myself to think im gonna be startin my maternity leave soon as il be so so bored)
i have a nice house, car, and the usual luxuries i/e phone and internet.... oh and i can afford the odd pizza (i work at pizza hut and get 50% discounts)
I put 10 a week in my car and if i run out, i walk to work...
All my baby stuff is second hand (cept mattress and breast pump) and all my clothes and stuff are from charity shops....

I choose to do this as i dont want my children growing up thinkin that u get anything for nothing.....

Shame there aren't more like you around! Great work ethic and a great example to your child/children.

 

[angelic_one]

£900 a month.....fuck me,(scuse my french) i dont even earn that a month!!
I AM better off on benefits.... But i refuse to sit on my arse all day as quite frankly it would drive me insane.... (im actually shittin myself to think im gonna be startin my maternity leave soon as il be so so bored)
i have a nice house, car, and the usual luxuries i/e phone and internet.... oh and i can afford the odd pizza (i work at pizza hut and get 50% discounts)
I put 10 a week in my car and if i run out, i walk to work...
All my baby stuff is second hand (cept mattress and breast pump) and all my clothes and stuff are from charity shops....

I choose to do this as i dont want my children growing up thinkin that u get anything for nothing.....

Yeah this is exactly how I feel as well. Plus, personally I think you get a lot more out of having a job, you learn skills, you feel valued..you have something to do with your day...you meet people and can make brilliant friendships! Not that being a stay at home mum isn't brilliant too, but people living off benefits for no reason apart from that they're "better off" are missing out imo!

 

[Rósa]

Excuse me? Please dont be so rude.. have I said once that OH is going to quit work before moving in so we can both be on benefits and have more money?

My kids are proud of me, proud of me for having to struggle on benefits while raising them alone for a few years and going without so they can have things, proud of me running my own business for a couple of years, and are proud of their dad (not my OH) for running his own business for several years.

I'm not sure if you have even read what this thread is actually about, but I am sure they will now be proud that we are now coming off benefits again, even tho it's going to be one hell of a struggle.

How do you struggle when you have £800 left over a month? |Im self employed Im lucky to have £300 a month left over

 

[luckdragon]

When i got pregnant i was in a loving stable relationship!! Then all of a sudden my oh changed his mind and tried to pressure me into a termination!!
i've scince left him and now a single mother of one.

The job I had before all this happend used to pay me £9 an hour, now i was going to go back to this job but scince George osbourne and David cameron have announced thier cuts, as of january 2011 they will make it so you only get 70% help with childcare, it makes me much better off on benifits.

i get 450 housing benifit a month
260 income support a month
260 maintenece of the father a month
80child benifit a month
and 200 child tax credit a month!

whats the point in going back to work to not only not see my child in the day but to be worse off becasue it will cost me £120 a month in childcare

 

[MikaylasMummy]

it sounds to me like your benefits are far too much money to what needed!!as i said before all my single friends who have kids that are only 2 also work as well as receiving their benefits..if they want they do get nearly free child care which is great cos it really encourages single parents to get back to work and contribute as well..
i had 6months maternity leave when i had lo and then went back to work 3 days a week..we didnt necessarily NEED the money but i just felt like i wanted to contribute as well..this time i wont be going back to work and oh and i both want me to go to uni after a year off and do nursing so wer both in well paid government jobs and once im finished and start working will be very well off..we have it planned so i will do uni part time only taking me about 5 years(as we pay full price for childcare and would be hard on one wage)and by the time both kids are in school i can return to full time work..once kids are in school especially i think there is absoloutly no reason why people should be living soley off parenting benefits..(unless there is a disability involved with the parent/child) and i think in aus there is a certain point where u have to be actively looking for work to receive benefits or u dont get them!i think this is a great idea!

 

[luckdragon]

because we get more money on benifits! i've always worked scince i was 16 i'm now 26.
if i went back to work as of april 2011 (just been announced in the spending cuts) he is reducing the help with childcare by 10% to all mums including single ones. So i'm worse off if i go to work even part time lettalone full time

 

[Flipsy]

yep its a strange world. I have to say I HATE my job with a passion I get nothing out of it at the moment at all so I think if you doa job ytou enjoy with people you like then it's great if not then you are simply miserable all the time.

That said I earn a grand total of £450 is per month luckily I own my house outright so I manage. but I get NO help for anything at all at the moment.

 

[rubixcyoob.]

I don't think this thread was made for anyone to bash anyone. Simply to highlight how people are better off on benefits than they are working, most of the time.

The fact it has turned nasty when it wasn't needed is just sad. If anything we should be complaining to the government about this, reducing benefits drastically for everyone and stopping cuts in the private sector, instead encouraging more jobs.

No one on benefits should be better off than someone working like a slave all week. Yet, sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case. Something is seriously effed up here.

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

^^ agreed x

 

[TattiesMum]

Obviously there are people who take the piss. But the problem is nowhere near as big as people think it is, and the benefits should be there for people who need them, and they should be enough for them to be okay!

I'm sorry, but I just can't agree with that. As an example of how I believe it IS a big problem, over the last few years the bill for paying housing benefit alone has gone up from £10bn to £21bn!

Yes - but the HB bill has gone up so much because the Tory Gov't of the 80's sold off so many council houses leaving a HUGE shortfall in affordable social housing for lower income families (not everyone who claims housing benefit is unemployed - it is also available to people on low incomes ... even if they are also recieving tax credits). At the time of sale the Councils were forbidden from spending the profits on building more social housing - in fact the Gov't 'took' most of that money in a roundabout fashion and it's now long gone.

Successive Gov'ts coming after (both Tory and then Labour) were faced with a growing affordable housing problem and, lacking the vast amounts of capital investment needed to build new social housing, they chose instead to 'fire fight' on an as need basis by paying HB on private rental - cheaper on a year to year basis but not long term.

Then the ridiculous rise in house prices (initially prompted by the Thatcherite belief that all families should own their homes - leading to MIRAS, and then fostered by low interest rates and Banks' irresponsible lending) generally led to a corresponding rise in rental prices and, because of the lack of social housing, landlords are able to charge what they like for rental property, which in turn is then being paid by housing benefit - there is no other choice : it's that or see people with families living on the streets.

The only way around it is to spend our way out of it by investing huge amounts in building more social (and thus affordable) housing ... that would reduce the need for private renting and thus would force landlords to lower their rents if they want tenants

In many ways this housing crisis is the root cause of this ridiculous situation where families are better off on benefits than they are working .....

As an example: 19 years ago rental on a 2 up 2 down terrace where I lived would have been around £250pcm.... rental on exactly the same property is now £600pcm - yet neither my wages nor anyone else's (for the same job) have increased by the same percentage over the same period. This leaves a ridiculous situation where those on lower earned incomes are unable to afford housing (a pretty basic need) and so they are better off being unemployed - as their highest expenditure is being paid. Now IF adequate amounts of affordable and rent capped social housing were still available (as they were pre sell off) then this would not be the case.

 

[Ju_bubbs]

Well.. this thread wasn't meant to yet another debate about how bad the benefits system was!

To all the poeple saying I'll have loads of money coz you manage find with 500 left over with your 1 or 2 kids in cheap places of the country.. I'm jealous! Try living in Cornwall, with 6 people to provide for.

Also, I've been a single parent working. The help with childcare that the government shout about itsn't quite what it seems.. again, brilliant if you have 1,2 children, but when it comes to 3 or 4 children, its a whole different story. I had to give up work and go back on benefits because the child care alone was more than my wages WITH the government childcare help!

2 cars is also not a luxury when you live in remote areas of Cornwall with work and school 55 miles in opposite directions. Unlike some bigger towns and cities in the UK, we're lucky to get 3 buses a DAY not an hour like upcountry, and none of those buses go anywhere near the childrens school, or OH's work, especially not at 4.30 in the morning when OH starts work!

Anyway, I'm going to leave this thread now, coz to be quite honest some of the comments are quite upsetting and come across as tho I've sat on benefits living the life of luxury all my life and proud of it, or something.