What's your honest opinion on people on benefits?

[cherryglitter]

My OH lost his job in April this year and we have been claiming JSA ever since. (We have had to)

We also get housing benefit and council tax benefit. As well as our tax credits and child benefit. Things are NOT easy. Although I am not too sure if that's because we're both used to a standard of living where there has always been one steady income...!

I honestly don't understand why people would want to live like this through choice. The amount of stress we're both under because of money, it's so distressing!

Hand on heart - I used to look down on people who were on benefits. But being in this situation now has made me realise a few things. Not all of 'us' are the same, at all. I hate this situation we're in and im doing everything in my power to get us out of it.

What do you think about people on benefits (honestly!!)

 

[moomin_troll]

u after a huge fight on here cherry? hahaha

honestly benifits should be there for people who really need them, like ur oh and my mum who is a full time carer for my brother..altho shes had to fight for what little she gets

even tho im a single mum i dont get any help which really pisses me off (i have money thats classed as savings) so instead of helping me im expected to live off these savings and not have a real future for me and my children....but anyway i wont rant about that lol i get a pension and so does my son and we both get taxed.

unfortunatly i no too many people who cant be arsed to work as they are small amounts of money better off on benifits and it drives me mad. they could work but dont want to so just sit around getting rent paid ect where as there are so many families having a hard time right now.

there are people out there who give others on benifits a bad name

 

[cherryglitter]

there are people out there who give others on benifits a bad name

This I really agree with! I never really realised just what some people are like until you're confronted with it.

When OH lost his job I went to the jobcentre with him.
I was looking through some leaflets that were on a cabinet and this woman marched over to me and put her hand on the leaflets and said

"Can you please leave those alone and not take any? There are special requirements before you can just fill them out"

Like I am some kind of idiot. She said it in the most patronising tone!! Never been spoken to like it before in my whole life!

 

[thedog]

I think every situation is different! There is the stereotype that all people on benefits takes drugs, blah blah, Jeremy Kyle anybody? (I swear he's to blame) anyway..
Walking past my local Job Centre, 80% of the people are hanging about, smoking this that and another. But there is the small percentage, of very genuine people who really don't want to be there, benefits not being their lifestyle choice.

 

[summer rain]

I think benefits should be there for those that need them and it kills me that a minority who are committing benefit fraud or treating long term being on benefits as a lifestyle choice ruin things for everyone else. A few years ago OH was too ill to work in the job he was in (he has asthma); but could do other things and was entitled to JSA, they kept messing it up though so for the 12 months he was entitled to it, they actually paid less than 6 months worth, he always genuinely looked for work and filled in the booklet thing every time yet other people in the job centre would tell the advisors to eff off or even pull punches at them and they'd have no problems getting their benefits. To add insult to injury at the end of the 12 months when my OH found a job; the DWP sent a letter to him saying they had overpaid him by £180 and unless we gave a very good reason they wanted it paid back. We sent them a polite but forthright letter saying if anything they owed us money seeing as they had not paid us for over six months when we were entitled; and my OH got in debt with his family and friends due to having to borrow money during that time so we'd have no money to give them anyway; they sent us one letter saying don't worry we don't need it back and then left us alone.

 

[smokey]

What confuses me about some people on benafits is how non earth can some of them afford to smoke, be drunk all the time and have somthing like £60 a day drug habbits.

There was a women where we used to live who was constantly drunk on special brew, I have never seen her without a can in her hand day and night, out for a walk.
Her and her parner who also was never without a drink even used to get in the car and drive to the shop to get more with the can still in their hands.
How on earth can people afford that sort of thing on limited money

 

[Natsku]

Me and OH are on benefits. I never really gave people on benefits a second thought before we had to go on them (OH can't work right now because of his health, although we opted for unemployment rather than disability benefits as we're hopeful he'll get better with the right treatment and be able to work again) but the system is much better here I think, than in the UK. We'll able to live ok off the money and it is near impossible to scam them as far as I can tell as you have to give in all your bank statements every month so they can tell if you have money coming in from elsewhere and under the table paying jobs aren't common here.

 

[Natsku]

What confuses me about some people on benafits is how non earth can some of them afford to smoke, be drunk all the time and have somthing like £60 a day drug habbits.

There was a women where we used to live who was constantly drunk on special brew, I have never seen her without a can in her hand day and night, out for a walk.
Her and her parner who also was never without a drink even used to get in the car and drive to the shop to get more with the can still in their hands.
How on earth can people afford that sort of thing on limited money

That confuses me too! But when I think about it, if I was so inclined I could probably afford to get drunk every day on the money I get - I'd prob have to eat pea soup every day though and never get anything else like clothing etc

 

[charbaby]

My partner lost his job because the company went bust we was on benefits for 12 weeks it took that long to get a new job!!! I feel sorry for people who want to work but theres no job out there for them. My partner went to 10 different job interviews before he got the one hes at now, but i will say you need to put the effort in to get noticed, before them 10 interviews their must have been around 30 job application forms!!!
Good Luck to any1 out there trying to get back into work x

 

[amie-leigh]

my OH lost his job when morgan was 5 months old and we struggled on the amount you get
it annoys me that people choose to live off benefits because they get everything paid for them we were on benefits for just short of 6months and my OH was looking like mad trying to get another job
all my inlaws have never worked a day in their lives my BIL and his wife have 2 kids get full housing benefit, full council tax benefit, income support (or whatever the new name for it is) and BIL claims he has a bad back so gets disability money yet he can work cash in hand as a builder

 

[cherryglitter]

Grrr benefit fraud really gets on my wick!! It drives me mad.
Another thing I never really appreciated, was how hard it is to actually GET a job. OH applies for anything and everything, even jobs that pay £5 something an hour (he's 32!) just so we have some steady money coming in.

 

[Blah11]

benefits are fine for the short term but really, it does piss me off when I see someone has been on JSA for 3 years and say there's no jobs. There are jobs, just not jobs they want to do

 

[ShanandBoc]

Me and OH are on benefits. I never really gave people on benefits a second thought before we had to go on them (OH can't work right now because of his health, although we opted for unemployment rather than disability benefits as we're hopeful he'll get better with the right treatment and be able to work again) but the system is much better here I think, than in the UK. We'll able to live ok off the money and it is near impossible to scam them as far as I can tell as you have to give in all your bank statements every month so they can tell if you have money coming in from elsewhere and under the table paying jobs aren't common here.

So u dont work either and look after your LO?

 

[Harveysmum369]

I was signing on until this week as I started my new job..although its been a shock to the system working again after 2 years I feel so much better for it.

I don't look down my nose at people on benefits because I've been there but to be honest,I fail to see how people who don't work at all have flatscreen TV's..new cars in the drive etc..


xx

 

[cherryglitter]

A lot of the things we have are things that we got when we were working mind you.. so I can imagine people probably think the same thing about us. x

 

[v2007]

I am back on benefits after i booted out my ex for being violent.

Its not something i wanted to do but here i am.

I get by, bills are paid, non essential have been cancelled or downgraded.

He pays some CS so that helps.

Anyway my honest opinion of people on benefits is, they system is there to help us but it gets on my wick the people who find the loopholes and expolit for as much as they can are just thieves and should be made to pay it back and locked up

Because they give us genuine claimants a bad name

V xxx

 

[pupsicle]

I think the view people have of people being on jobseekers is twisted. They think that they are rolling in money when that's not the case. We were on jobseekers before LO came along (OH got a job when LO was 10 days old) and we were struggling constantly. I think the amount people get should be based on their circumstances. I know teens who are on jobseekers, living with their parents and spending all their money on nights out, whereas me and OH were paying bills and buying food as we lived together not with parents.

 

[cherryglitter]

My brother is on JSA and yes I agree! He spends his money on whatever he wants as he still lives at home (albeit it's not the best environment to be in!) but he doesn't have to pay half the things me and OH do.

 

[Natsku]

Me and OH are on benefits. I never really gave people on benefits a second thought before we had to go on them (OH can't work right now because of his health, although we opted for unemployment rather than disability benefits as we're hopeful he'll get better with the right treatment and be able to work again) but the system is much better here I think, than in the UK. We'll able to live ok off the money and it is near impossible to scam them as far as I can tell as you have to give in all your bank statements every month so they can tell if you have money coming in from elsewhere and under the table paying jobs aren't common here.

So u dont work either and look after your LO?

Yeah I'm on maternity leave still, dunno if that counts as benefits? I'm full time carer for OH too

 

[moomin_troll]

Me and OH are on benefits. I never really gave people on benefits a second thought before we had to go on them (OH can't work right now because of his health, although we opted for unemployment rather than disability benefits as we're hopeful he'll get better with the right treatment and be able to work again) but the system is much better here I think, than in the UK. We'll able to live ok off the money and it is near impossible to scam them as far as I can tell as you have to give in all your bank statements every month so they can tell if you have money coming in from elsewhere and under the table paying jobs aren't common here.

So u dont work either and look after your LO?

Yeah I'm on maternity leave still, dunno if that counts as benefits? I'm full time carer for OH too

carers dont get enough support at all in the UK so i dont no if finland is any different. its such a hard job and it really is a job