What is a reasonable amount?

jellyhead

I suppose so. Hmmmm ....

While at uni I calculated that I would be financially better off on the dole because at uni I had to pay for my asthma inhalers. After paying rent, water, fuel, TV license, contents insurance etc. I had to be careful about what food I could afford, so looking at it that way yes, if the food, rent and bills are taken care of then she doesn't need anything for herself. aren't i mean!

p-pincher

A reasonable amount is whatever amount you think is correct. everbody will have there own idea of what should be asked for but at the end of the day its your call.

zzzLazyDaisy

Remember also that if you are currently a single parent getting 25% single person discount and/or CT benefit, you will need to factor that into the equation - depending on where you live and how much CT you pay, that could be a fair whack before your start.

carolinosourus

jellyhead wrote: »

While at uni I calculated that I would be financially better off on the dole because at uni I had to pay for my asthma inhalers.

I went to uni in Wales (as far away from home as I could get, pretty much) and prescriptions in Wales are free until you're 21 (or if you're still in full-time education), which I have to say was the best thing about going to uni in Wales! (Not that I ever had that many prescriptions, but it meant you didn't have to worry about going to the Drs and not being able to find £7 for some medicine...)

ceridwen

jellyhead wrote: »

How much is dole money anyway?

I do think £80 is too low, but if she isn't working then I'm not sure if it would be fair to take more than half of the dole money? Not sure though, I haven't thought about it enough

Dont know for someone in that age group. 25 and over is only £64.30 per week and I know its substantially less for under 25s (think it might be around £45 per week???). The DWP has had this wierd idea in recent years that people arent entitled to be treated as adults until they are 25:eek: - unless they have children of their own that is:cool: - so they pay them less on the assumption they are still getting a degree of financial support from parents:rolleyes: - yep I know its wrong (particularly as they used to accept that you were an adult as soon as you were an adult IYSWIM - ie think it was at 21 one got full entitlement to benefit?)

EDIT: Just checked - those under 25 get £50.95 per week JSA - unless they are single parents (in which case they get the £64.30 other adults get).....hmmm....thinks: "another reason then why there are so many women from some backgrounds having children on their own".....hmmm....grrr...)

Oldernotwiser

jellyhead wrote: »

How much is dole money anyway?

I do think £80 is too low, but if she isn't working then I'm not sure if it would be fair to take more than half of the dole money? Not sure though, I haven't thought about it enough

If she was living in her own flat, housing costs would be paid by LHA/CTB and the JSA would pay for food/utilities/housekeeping etc, with a small amount over for personal spending. Why should this suddenly turn into 50% for spending money when living at home?

Oldernotwiser

jellyhead wrote: »

In some ways it is a sign of good parenting that the children want to spend time with their parents.

I'd be more convinced about this if the "children" were paying a full share of their costs - including rent/mortgage as well as bills and food. I really wonder how many of these people would want to "spend time with their parents" if they could have a place of their own for the same money- call me cynical if you like!

jellyhead

I didn't properly move out until I was 21. At 20 I was spending time with my parents happily - trips to beaches, days out, even to nightclubs with my step-dad and also an uncle who lived with us at the time who was 30.

I didn't want to watch the same things on TV as my parents, so I had a TV in my room, and I spent a lot of time away from the house because I wanted to have sex, stay out until after 2, go home with whoever I felt like (I mean the student houses of friends of mine, not random men lol).

I suppose I wasn't paying a 'fair' rent back then, but I couldn't have afforded to because I was at college and I only worked 18 hours a week. After forcibly rescuing me from an abusive relationship with an older man when I was 18 my parents wanted me to live with them for a while.

Also, my parents always said they would never charge us to live there if we were at college - they wanted us to go to college.

18's an adult but some 18 year olds are more mature than others. I had made silly mistakes at 16/17, dropping out of college, moving in with an abusive man etc. and my parents wanted to help me change my course in life, get back to college and be a kid instead of a 'wife'.

I'm grateful to them.

At 21 I wanted my own life though, my own flat. I think living with my parents until 21 was a success though, I think they did the right thing.

ceridwen

Well - I certainly think anyone that expected adult children to move out on the dot of 18 would be being pretty unreasonable. Full National Minimum Wage doesnt kick in till someone is 22 ...and of course there is the point that the DWP won't pay full benefit until someone is 25 (bar them having a child that is....:cool:).

So - put like that - then its a case of accepting that they might have to stay put till they are 25. One cant expect ones own child to have to struggle on a less-than-adult-level income because of these arbitrary ages the NMW people and DWP respectively have chosen to acknowledge as meaning they have reached adulthood and must be given full monies due.

...and before anyone asks = I moved out at 20 - but back in my day I think all relevant Government Departments had to accept that I would have to be given full monies due at 21 if I'd needed NMW protection or JSA.

Anyone who doesnt like that fact had better direct arguments where they belong - ie write to the Government about those bits of age discrimination.

I think myself that 22-24 is a reasonable sort of age to expect someone to move out - all else (ie Government policies) being equal. So - Government policies shouldnt influence peoples personal decisions - but ITRW one has to take account of them.

EDIT: Surely no parent would even think of charging their child any "keep" if they were still at College/University would they????? Please dont anyone make me even more depressed about human behaviour than I already am - by saying that they would...

OrkneyStar

ceridwen wrote: »

EDIT: Surely no parent would even think of charging their child any "keep" if they were still at College/University would they????? Please dont anyone make me even more depressed about human behaviour than I already am - by saying that they would...

My mum did (for both my sister and me)- she had to to afford to live. At the time my sister got a grant and could sign on in the summer. By the time I was at Uni I got a small grant, a small student loan (in my final year), and worked in Boots. By the time I went to Uni my dad had died also so funds were not great in our household. Why is it odd to expect a student to pay their way at home any more than away ?