breadline

starchild1972

Poverty in the UK is mostly relative poverty (please note the mostly). According to the last government to be in poverty means not having holidays, takeaway meals or owning a car. They classed that along with not having the latest fashionable clothes as "material deprivation" and if you have children was a cause for NEGLECT! (and not having a TV was seen as social deprivation as children would have nothing to talk about at school with their peers!! !!!!!!!)

We are a family of 6, before anyone attacks, my health did not deteriorate to it's current stage until 7 years ago and my husband has only been disabled for 3 years, before that either one or both of us worked and supported our own children. I wouldn't call 4 children "hoardes" though.
I am self employed now though don't earn a huge amount (£240 profit last year..wooo Acapulco here we come!)
We find we are able to live on £375 a week. £62.50 per person covering water, food, rent, council tax, clothes, electricity, coal, diesel. We always ensure we don't use DLA for day to day living because who knows what will happen in the future. We even manage to save some and give the kids pocket money.

We get Child benefit, carers allowance (Me for DH and DH for epileptic daughter who needs watching, all above board and done when jobcentre still helped with that sort of thing), tax credits (child and working) and DLA. I have a Motability car, DH is buying his wheelchair through his.
We are entitled to HB/CTB but don't claim because we can manage without it, DH is entitled to ESA but we don't claim it, we can manage without it.

Officially we are in poverty, but we just saved like stink and (by having a great local electrical store that still does old fashioned put by service) bought a 32" LED TV, I also saved like stink to buy a new DSLR camera which is partially used for work. Strangely enough all without fiddling or working "on the side". Would have got them quicker if we were getting HB/CTB but we weren't but saved.
It is easy to judge someone who has expensive stuff and call them scroungers or fiddling the dole but sometimes, just sometimes they may have saved, had it bought as a gift or similar.
As for "designer" clothes, some could be knock-offs or there are stores around like Original Factory Shop, T.J.Hughes etc where they sell overstocks, bankrupt stock etc. (Once saw Versace jeans in a T.J.Hughes for £15). Unless you know the person, you don't know the circumstance.

Sixer

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Yes, on the whole I agree with that. I know at least one person on JSA who has undeclared income, another on Tax Credits who has an undeclared job upon which no tax/NI is paid; I also know of (although not personally) other people who buy their furniture and kid's designer clothes off the back of a lorry.

Unless you have hordes of children I do not think it is not possible to legally live 'the life of riley' on means-tested Benefits although it can be possible to legally live a comfortable lifestyle on non means-tested ones (in which case their income may not be solely from Benefits)..

Yes, exactly. Depending on household income, non-means tested benefits such as DLA can improve an already comfortable lifestyle (financially, not physically, obviously). For example, I'm usually quite sanguine about benefits, unlike many hereabouts, but even I was gobsmacked when I heard David Cameron at PMQs describe his own claim for DLA for his deceased son. Not that I'm disputing he was entitled, or lack sympathy for any family dealing with disability, but he's as rich as Croesus, for heavens sakes.

But means-tested, out-of-work benefits are usually the subject of these Daily Mail-style anecdotes one hears or reads, and I do take issue with the view that such benefits will finance the lifestyle often described.

Sixer

starchild1972 wrote: »

Poverty in the UK is mostly relative poverty (please note the mostly). According to the last government to be in poverty means not having holidays, takeaway meals or owning a car. They classed that along with not having the latest fashionable clothes as "material deprivation" and if you have children was a cause for NEGLECT! (and not having a TV was seen as social deprivation as children would have nothing to talk about at school with their peers!! !!!!!!!)

We are a family of 6, before anyone attacks, my health did not deteriorate to it's current stage until 7 years ago and my husband has only been disabled for 3 years, before that either one or both of us worked and supported our own children. I wouldn't call 4 children "hoardes" though.
I am self employed now though don't earn a huge amount (£240 profit last year..wooo Acapulco here we come!)
We find we are able to live on £375 a week. £62.50 per person covering water, food, rent, council tax, clothes, electricity, coal, diesel. We always ensure we don't use DLA for day to day living because who knows what will happen in the future. We even manage to save some and give the kids pocket money.

We get Child benefit, carers allowance (Me for DH and DH for epileptic daughter who needs watching, all above board and done when jobcentre still helped with that sort of thing), tax credits (child and working) and DLA. I have a Motability car, DH is buying his wheelchair through his.
We are entitled to HB/CTB but don't claim because we can manage without it, DH is entitled to ESA but we don't claim it, we can manage without it.

Officially we are in poverty, but we just saved like stink and (by having a great local electrical store that still does old fashioned put by service) bought a 32" LED TV, I also saved like stink to buy a new DSLR camera which is partially used for work. Strangely enough all without fiddling or working "on the side". Would have got them quicker if we were getting HB/CTB but we weren't but saved.
It is easy to judge someone who has expensive stuff and call them scroungers or fiddling the dole but sometimes, just sometimes they may have saved, had it bought as a gift or similar.
As for "designer" clothes, some could be knock-offs or there are stores around like Original Factory Shop, T.J.Hughes etc where they sell overstocks, bankrupt stock etc. (Once saw Versace jeans in a T.J.Hughes for £15). Unless you know the person, you don't know the circumstance.

Hi Starchild - I hope you don't think I was saying anyone on benefits who can afford to buy a flat screen TV is bound to be cheating. I'm taking issue with the media reports and wild accusations bandied about (often hereabouts) that out-of-work benefits are sufficient to finance f-eckless people in carefree and lavish lifestyles, not with people who are wise with their money and make their benefits stretch a long way, like yourself.

NEH

sh1305 wrote: »

In which case, you'd do the sensible thing and put some money away each week to pay for the baby. Actually, babies aren't that expensive - at least not for the first several months or so.

Yes but you have to allow for the "n" amount of years that you have to provide for them and that doesn't always stop at 18....

Babies are for life not just for the first few months...;)

alwaysskint96

happe wrote: »

After being made redundant in september i find myself out of work for the first time in 30 years. I am the single mother (in process of divorce after a 22 year marriage) of 2 teenagers 18 & 15. I certainly dont see the £100s a week people report. I get monthly £260 JSA, £376 TC and £134 CB so around £670 monthly. Take normal household bills from this and Im left with around £550 a month to feed, clothe and entertain what is essentially 3 adults. Its blooming difficult. I read in amazement what some proclaim others are receiving or am i missing out on something?

Doesnt sound far off my figures tbh- and thats with 2 people working. Take home pay about £310 per week, CTC of £30.46 and CB of 33.70 so total of £374 q week. Minus Rent of £85 and council tax of £26 that makes £263 left. Travel to work for OH is another £65 a week leaving £198- so multiplied by 4 is £792

Now if we were to not work we would get £934 every 4 weeks in JSA TC and CB. no train fares to pay, no rent or CT to pay and kids would get free school meals, free prescriptione etc. So in theory we would be better off on JSA than now. Sysytem is MAD. And Id end up killing OH if we were stuck together 24/7 LOL

ska_lover

Honestly, It is hardly suprising people are bitter about this. There are a class of ''working poor'' people like myself, and others who have posted above - and when you are working all the hours god sends just to pay bills - it does gall you that CERTAIN people who are sitting at home on benefits think they have a RIGHT to moan about the FREE existence. It winds me right up

ska_lover

merlin68 wrote: »

Exactly, I have 2 kids and 2 with dissabilities and get £370.

Is that counting rent and council tax plus free school meals, presriptions, eye tests, dentists treatments, or is that besides?

nannytone_2

what help with gas and electric?

many so called saver schemes are more expensive than online tarriffs

nannytone_2

thats a one off saving. my supplier offers a one off saving of £65 for taking gas and electric. it isnt something for benefit claiments.

starchild1972

Sixer wrote: »

Hi Starchild - I hope you don't think I was saying anyone on benefits who can afford to buy a flat screen TV is bound to be cheating. I'm taking issue with the media reports and wild accusations bandied about (often hereabouts) that out-of-work benefits are sufficient to finance f-eckless people in carefree and lavish lifestyles, not with people who are wise with their money and make their benefits stretch a long way, like yourself.

No problem