51.00p wage = 46.00 rent......

black-saturn

Personally I think a stay at home mum is worth 10 of a working mum. Much more dignity and much less guilt. But thats just MY opinion.

larmy16

black-saturn wrote:

Personally I think a stay at home mum is worth 10 of a working mum. Much more dignity and much less guilt. But thats just MY opinion.

I agree and this is why I think the allowance paid to a child minder is ludicrous in the WTC SYSTEM. Most Mum's want to bring up their child and I personally think it even more important for a single parent child to have their parent caring for them when they are little. The parent will have to work at some point, so let them care for their young if they want to.

This government wastes so much money on daft schemes and wars and abuses by politicians - let them claw the money back from those areas.

Rikki

I know married mums that work part time. I have on many on occassions got into heated debates with them over single mothers not working and claiming benefits. They say well I work and I'm alright so why can't they. I have wasted my breath saying to them 'If your husband walked out tomorrow would your part time job pay the mortgage, bills and would you still be able to run a car', the answer would be no.
Maybe if they were to read the plight on the people who sometimes post on here. Their fears and desperation laid bare in black and white for all to see, they would think again and not be so quick to judge.

Rikki

Somerset wrote:

I agree, but why should I pay for it ?

You may find yourself in a situation beyoned your control and may need help one day.Then you may look differently at this type of situation.

larmy16

Rikki wrote:

I know married mums that work part time. I have on many on occassions got into heated debates with them over single mothers not working and claiming benefits. They say well I work and I'm alright so why can't they. I have wasted my breath saying to them 'If your husband walked out tomorrow would your part time job pay the mortgage, bills and would you still be able to run a car', the answer would be no.
Maybe if they were to read the plight on the people who sometimes post on here. Their fears and desperation laid bare in black and white for all to see, they would think again and not be so quick to judge.

Not all of us are lucky enough to find responsible loving fathers who bring in a good living and want to care for their families. This is why I get so mad when people judge single parents. Do they really think that is not what they want for themselves too? (the single parents I mean). Even those poor girls who go on to have child after child are searching for the elusive caring man, yes they may be naive, and yes they may be a drain on the tax payer but why are we not teaching our girls at school that sex is not love, even though it can feel very much like it to a needy young girl!!!!!!! No, they just go on and on about contraception and positions and morning after pills. Sighs........

black-saturn

Sad thing was I thought I had found the right man. I was with him for 9 years and were in a happy relationship at the start before he turned into an a***hole. I didnt choose to be in the situation I'm in. To be honest it has knocked me for six. Everything I have ever owned before the age of 31 has been lost. It's taken ages to get back on my feet and not feel bitter about the whole lot and I still have very depressed days. In fact to be honest I'm not back on my feet yet, but getting there.

mummytofour

The OP was asking for advice with regard to weather it is worth her while working?

At the end of the day the OP is a single mum trying to do the best she can and if she is worse off in work and now has less than the gov min to live on then IMHO she needs to think that perhaps for now not working is going to give her and her child a better standard of living after all the gov are trying to cut down on child povity!

As for job centre plus ( I sometimes wonder if they know their !!!!!! from their elbow) I know for sure that you can get funding from the OU if on a low wage or benifit.

Another point tho, I was under the impression that families earing UNDER 15k ( so getting working tax credit) were entitled to free school meals, so I would check that out for sure.

Vxx

Spendless

mummytofour wrote:

Another point tho, I was under the impression that families earing UNDER 15k ( so getting working tax credit) were entitled to free school meals, so I would check that out for sure.

Vxx

No it's (another) abnomaly in the system it's come up here before. You can get free school dinners if you income is below (around) £14,000 but not if you are on working tax credits.

Somerset

Rikki wrote:

You may find yourself in a situation beyoned your control and may need help one day.Then you may look differently at this type of situation.

I have on many occasions, and no doubt will many times again.

As I get older I appreciate that much as I'd like to, I control sod all in my life. Life is about making the most of what you've got, while you've got it, and accepting that neither bad nor good times last forever.

The point I made, whether that's what people 'read' or not, is that all benefits are designed to be a safety net, not a career choice. Of course people need help through circumstances beyond their control. This thread had moved beyond the OP's question to - at what point is it worth-while to work. That's dishonest and if our system encourages it, the system is fundementally flawed.

Spendless

Somerset wrote:

. This thread had moved beyond the OP's question to - at what point is it worth-while to work. That's dishonest and if our system encourages it, the system is fundementally flawed.

How's it dishonest . I'm married but if I were to become a single parent then I would take the option that would make my family financially better off. I don't see how that's dishonest. On the one hand you have single parents complaining that they would rather be bringing up kids than out at work, on the other people complaining that these single parents should be in work. As a married SAHM maybe I don't cost the tax payer as much as a single mum does, but why is it ok to be at home with my kids today but tomorrow if hubby left me, then that's not acceptable