In a dillema better off on benefits!

Sixer

£6 a week water! Oh, if only. (I live in the south west).

joeblack066

Sixer wrote: »

£6 a week water! Oh, if only. (I live in the south west).

Out of interest, what is your bill? I hadn't realised there was such a variance!

welshmoneylover

joeblack066 wrote: »

Well my water bill is £24 a month......... nd then only over 8 months of the year so I get an extra £24 in my pocket for 4 months!:j
Elec @ £8 - why would you need more for 1 person? I room lit at a time, 1 TV on....Fridge/ Freezers don't take up much.

Food @ £25 - Let me see......

Breakfasts -

1 pack cereal/ porridge oats £1.00

4 pints milk (Purple top at Mr T's) £0.75

Lunches -

1 loaf wholemeal bread (14 slices, 2 a day ) £1.00

Tin Tuna (2 days sandwiches) £0.60
Value Mayo (only once a fortnight so halved £0.25
Sliced Ham (2 days sandwiches) £1.00
Cheese ( 2 day sandwich, 1 cheese on toast) £1.00
Healthy crips/ baked type things £1.00
Multi pack of apples £1.60

Main Meals

Pasta (3 meals) £0.75
Quorn mince ( 2 meals) £2.00
Tinned toms x 2 £0.60
Beans (on jacket with a bit of cheese) £0.50
Mushrooms £0.80
Baby new potatoes (3 meals) £1.00
Fish in sauce (need 2 they are so small!) £2.00
Tin Tuna (for the pasta) £0.60
Tin sweetcorn (for the tuna/pasta) £0.40
Oven chips (bag would last 4 weeks so) £ 0.25
Fish in batter (Oven bake) £0.75
Tin mushy peas £0.25

Desserts

Iceland Fat Free Yoghurts 6 £1.00
Once a week treat cake £0.75

Total £19.85
Leaving £5.15 per week for other items, bought monthly;

Loo Roll (Nicky from home bargains!) 2 a month £4.00
Wash Liquid (shop around for bargains) £3.00
Conditioner if used (Shop around for bargains) £2.00
Shampoo £1.00
Hair Conditioner £2.00
Cleaning products £3.00

Total per month £15

Leaving £5 a month for extras/ takeaway etc.

Obviously there are savings to be made on bulk buys of pasta etc, and this could be spent on more veg to get up to the 5 a day.

Thank you, what an eye opener!
Your 2 a month bog roll made me laff though, I think my lot eat that just as quick as the food :rotfl:

Sixer

joeblack066 wrote: »

Out of interest, what is your bill? I hadn't realised there was such a variance!

For a family of four, it's £55 a month. And we have all the water-saving devices (loo blocks etc), share baths, low-water use washing machine/dishwasher, rainwater butts for car washing and lawn watering.

Most people I know pay £60+ per month.

We're paying for everyone's blue flag beaches, dontchaknow.

HappyMJ

welshmoneylover wrote: »

Thank you, what an eye opener!
Your 2 a month bog roll made me laff though, I think my lot eat that just as quick as the food :rotfl:

LOL it's not 2 rolls it's 2 packs of rolls for £4. A roll is around 22p each when purchased in a large pack and it's a little better quality than the cheapest supermarket brand. Me I get SpringForce http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Tissues_And_Toilet_Rolls/Spring_Force_Toilet_Tissue_9.html

HappyMJ

Sixer wrote: »

For a family of four, it's £55 a month. And we have all the water-saving devices (loo blocks etc), share baths, low-water use washing machine/dishwasher, rainwater butts for car washing and lawn watering.

Most people I know pay £60+ per month.

We're paying for everyone's blue flag beaches, dontchaknow.

That's about right then £60 divide by 4 is £15 per person per month. The budget here is £26 per month for a single person. I spend about £20 myself in the Midlands. The budget is how to live on virtually nothing (for a single person) and it can easily be done. Families get tax credits which would make it easier. I can quite easily live on the JSA amount plus rent and council tax paid. I choose to work and only get a few pounds more a week for working.

joeblack066

HappyMJ wrote: »

LOL it's not 2 rolls it's 2 packs of rolls for £4. A roll is around 22p each when purchased in a large pack and it's a little better quality than the cheapest supermarket brand. Me I get SpringForce http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Tissues_And_Toilet_Rolls/Spring_Force_Toilet_Tissue_9.html

Without doubt the best value loo roll is a brand called Nicky - 9 rolls for £2 and it's good quality too! Around here we have a chain called Home Bargains, but if you go on the OS board I think there's a thread about where you can get it!:D

bestpud

joeblack wrote:

As an aside, is there any chance that your boss could have overheard you saying that you are worse off at work? They could have interpreted this as a lack of committment. You need to go in and say, although working doesn't leave me much better off, I am committed to working hard, succeeding in my job and making a better life for myself.

ravernoloo wrote: »

hi i have never mentioned this at work.

You appear to have a photo of you as an avatar, so your employer could be following this thread...?