so you save kid's child benefit money?

milliemonster

My child benefit is paid into an account each month and saved for emergencies, but I spend (more than I get in CB) on my kids in other ways, feeding, clothing, clubs, etc, at the end of the day, the amount you get goes nowhere near to the cost of looking after a child each week (not that I expect the government to pay for my children though might I add) but it helps, I do think though that when yoyr children are older and if they go to uni then they should still be entitled to the money to help put them through uni

jellyhead

Welshlassie wrote: »

I think you are talking about child tax credits - which is means tested. Households with children with an income upto £66,000 (last time i looked) are entitled to something

This thread is about child benefit which isn't means tested and everyone with children is entitled to it. Around £18+ for the first child and £11+ for each subsequent one per week regardless of the households earnings.

hi, i phrased it badly. i was responding to the comment about people who are able to use CB as a house deposit etc. and was saying that's the way it should be - not means tested like tax credits but givcn to every parent. people who pay a lot of tax get something back, and i don't think that's a bad thing.

swampytiggaa

out of our CB a small amount each month is saved for the children - a larger amount is put away each month to pay for shoes/clothes/school trips etc as required. The rest goes into the joint account towards bills.

I save where i can - the baby is breastfed and uses cloth nappies so doesn't really cost much at the moment but that does increase our electricity and water bills.

the child tax credits we get pay for shopping and the surplus goes into the joint account - i do keep some for spends for me as i am a SAHM but that is minimal eg top up for my phone every so often and playgroup costs tbh.

I consider that the CB is designed to help with the costs of bringing up children - at the moment we need it to keep a roof over our heads and to keep warm etc if our circumstances change at some point then we may save more for them on a regular basis.

as it is we have access to their savings accounts and if things got really bad we would use their savings to pay the mortgage <shrug> better for them to have a home in the long term i think.....

Treading_Water

loveandlight wrote: »

This post proves what a great place England is to live if you have children and are comfortably off. What other country would give you free money to enable you to buy extra homes for yourselves?

Sorry but I waited until I could afford children before I had them and never even considered CB until the government insisted on given it to us. Therefore I felt it better to put the child benefit to a use which will hopefully benefit my children long into the future.

Unlike many who can't even afford to look after themselves let alone children!!!

blue_monkey_2

Treading_Water wrote: »

Sorry but I waited until I could afford children before I had them. Therefore I was then able to put the child benefit to a use which will hopefully benefit my children long into the future.

Unlike many who can't even afford to look after themselves let alone children.

What nonsense. I can 'afford' my children because I go without myself to afford them but the child benefit is there for the kids for the things they need. Who can 'afford' children without being lottery winners in all honesty? Not everyone earns 100k per year. It would be a lovely dream to think that everyone lives in a utopia with lots of money to bath in before they have kids and not have kids unless they have this money. However, it is not going to happen and some people are poorer than others and need that money for day to day expenses - that is what it is for after all. It is called Child Benefit, not Child Savings. That should not mean they should not have children.

If the governement wanted them to have the money when they were teenagers then they would give it to them then. The goverment give it to them as babies to help families out. If I had money I'd still spend the child benefit and save my own money cos the money is theirs. I lose track of how much of the money goes on my kids so I do not need a lecture on being told I should be saving the money for their future.

They'll only spend it on beer when they are old enough to get their hands on it anyway! More so if they go to Uni! :rotfl:

My dad was kind enough to 'save' £50 for me when I was a kid - he gave it to me and I bought some Roller Skates. They were the best skates in the world though and well worth the money!! That is what kids want their money for.

And don't even get me started on the trust fund that only the child can access at the age of 18. I refuse to put anything in that account as very, very few 18 year olds know what to do with money at such a young age. All but a few of the 18 year olds have only been interested in one thing and that is going out to get drunk. Mind you, you have to give it to GB, he gives it out knowing it is coming back in duties in 14 years time....

lauren_1

I pay the council tax with it.

I don't get this martyrdom with the whole CB thing. I still but them clothes and shoes, but does it really matter whether it came from CB or my wages??

blue_monkey_2

That's it isn't it. It should tno matter whether it get 'spent' or not. If you get it then it is because you have kids, if the household money is being used to feed and cloth your children this this is important. If your kids are going without essentials through life so you can spent the CB on going to the pub or buying fags then that is wrong and it is not what CB is for.

I was speaking to another lady this morning and half term is looming, I've got to then pay for new shoes, school dinners, new clothes, a few days out, the clubs they go to, books to read, things to draw with, food to eat.... that certainly costs more than the CB I get for each week.

And another thing, I've never understood why the 1st child gets more money, is that because they eat more or cost more to clothe or are entitled to do more things?? Anyone know what the reason for this is as my kids cost me the same amount? I can understand that the 2nd same sex child might get hand me downs but I've one boy and one girl.

tiamai_d

Blue_monkey, think of those with twins, one twin gets more the other gets less, yet they are both first children and both need a cot, clothes, and what not.

I think it was originally going on the idea of hand me downs and you could re use equipment for the second child. But today we are now told we MUST have a new cot matress for each child, we MUST have a new car seat for each child, so it kinda defeats the purpose.

Lets just be happy that we do get it, some people would have us all remain childless and cut what little we do get from the government. Probably increase taxes while they are at it. I could go on.... But I'm sure we have all heard it before.

shazrobo

i have twins, by the way, and had to always buy two of everything, still do, so i dont understand why one does get more than the other. i use their child benefit to pay for the things they need, especially new shoes, as they cost a fortune, they are already in a size 14 which most shops dont cater for and they are still growing :eek: , CB also goes towards school trips, outings etc,

Mumto5

It's about £255 every 4 weeks and goes in a savings account. I use it once a year to pay for our flights and holiday accomodation for 2 weeks away in the school holidays.