Its a wonderful life... Want to try.....?? A Single parents View.. !!xx!

missk_ensington

But you're not in debt as you would imply. Its one thing being unable to afford items such as 'branded cornflakes' and another choosing not to buy them to save money. You can't CHOOSE to be thrifty and then moan you can't afford luxuries!

I don't think mortgage is really counted as debt on here (is it?) and student loan (You and the rest of the graduate community, we all have Student loans!) why don't you just become self-employed and earn £14,995 a year until its written off! Only joking before everyone gets on their soap box.

Jet

MORPH3US wrote:

I don't mind you asking at all although I don't want to take the thread off topic....

University and before anyone says, I had no financial support from my parents whatsoever, worked part time (as much as possible whilst at uni) and did not spend my loan on beer / cigarettes / drugs / takeaways etc

Plus of course I have a mortgage on a modest house which I am overpaying because I don't want to be in debt any more than I have to / pay more interest than I have to.

Isn't it feasible that a single parent could have the debts that you have and have to try and pay them out of the £101 a week (for a single parent with one child) already quoted?

I think you are making assumptions that a single parent could not be in the same position as you but NOT be earning £40k to pay those debts. This makes a significant difference.

I know that there are many university educated single parents who either stay at home with their children through choice or through not having a choice due to lack of adequate, flexible childcare.

missk_ensington

I calculate from the lady above that Income Support pays £126 a week, which is £6552 a year. They would also get I think £394 a month maximum Housing Benefit (or something in that region) which is approx £4750 a year, plus Council Tax Benefit worth approx £1380 a year. This equals £12,682 a year, maybe a little more or a little less.

MORPH3US

Jet wrote:

I think you are making assumptions that a single parent could not be in the same position as you but NOT be earning £40k to pay those debts. This makes a significant difference.

In the case of the proggy last night, was not told that they had been to university so I assume that they haven't been, same as I wasn't told that they have a mortgage but again I assume they don't.

I think these are fair assumptions given that if they did have either then they probably would have mentioned in on the proggy!

M

cupid_s

It's not the same thing choosing to overpay, as having no money to be able to choose what to do with it in the first place.

However I remember a newspaper articale about a year back. It compared a single mom and a working couple. Both had 2 kids. The working couple had a mortgage to pay, income tax, national insurance, childcare costs, council tax. The single mom had almost all of this stuff paid for. And when they took away all the essential costs, the single mom had more 'spare' money than the working family.

I am sure this is not always the case but I know that when I have kids I wont be able to afford to stay home. We will get very little help from the government because my hubby will be earning an ok wage. The fact that almost his entire wage is taken by the mortgage is not considered

westernpromise

viktory wrote:

Don't talk crap, BS. My children respect me and utterly admire what I do. And if you had read my posts properly you would know that myself and DH are now better off working. Plus, as I have said before it's a pride thing.

You come across as being very bitter.

BS comes across to me as having a massive sense of entitlement.

I don't understand why anyone whoud be presented with the option of becoming better off by not working. Properly-structured benefits should not leave you better-off than you would be by working.

If you are not able to earn very much, then tough, you are poor and it is not the state's job to enrich you. The state should incentivise you back to work by keeping you poor, so that the only way out of it is to work.

Otherwise, you end up with the attitude personified in several posters to this thread, who are happily collecting benefits instead of working and aren't even ashamed of themselves.

It is exactly because of the colossal taxes paid by those who do work to support those who do not that working is barely worthwhile.

MORPH3US

missk_ensington wrote:

I calculate from the lady above that Income Support pays £126 a week, which is £6552 a year. They would also get I think £394 a month maximum Housing Benefit (or something in that region) which is approx £4750 a year, plus Council Tax Benefit worth approx £1380 a year. This equals £12,682 a year, maybe a little more or a little less.

Is that everything?!? (didn't mean that in a nasty way if it comes across like that!)

Just trying to understand the situation these kind of people find themselves in...

What about stuff that they don't have to pay because they are unemployed / have kids / have a low income?

missk_ensington

Also, don't know if this interests anyone, but you are £6 a week better off for every £1,000 you earn in tax credits. I worked it out, got a £10,000 salary, took off tax, added tax credits. Then did £11,000, then £12,000..... It was exactly £6 between each thousand which may be interesting for anyone considering a pay rise/moving jobs.

MORPH3US

cupid_stunt wrote:

It's not the same thing choosing to overpay, as having no money to be able to choose what to do with it in the first place.

Yes and no.....

I choose to forgoe branded stuff to save money to overpay debts.

The girls on the programme last night had no debts (that I heard of) so IMO should forgoe branded stuff to save up to get herself a toaster or whatever else it was that she said she needed.

The point remains though that its all about priorities. Do you buy branded clothes or a toaster, do you smoke or get new carpets for your flat, which would your child be better off from? £100 spent on christmas prezzies or £100 towards getting the damp problem sorted in the house.....

M

missk_ensington

Oh yeah, there's free school dinners, eye tests, prescriptions etc etc, although this isn't unique to single parents, everyone earning less that £15,000 with children is entitled. They would also save money by not having travel costs to work, and no childcare costs. Although Gov pay (is it 85% now?) there's still £15-30 a week to contribute as most nurseries are £120-140 a week maybe more in London.