The £40k family

Poppy9

"Benefits keep us happy but we'd like a bigger house says mother rof 11 who has never worked"

From the Daily Mail (mon 14th March)

Mrs Scoot 42 has just given birth to her 11th child (by 3rd partner) and claims they have no money worries even though she has never had a days employment in her life. Their benefits income comes to £40948 - equivalent to over £50k before tax. She has never worked because she had her first baby at 17 and there isn't any job that would pay her as much as she gets on benefits so whats the point?

The house which comes rent free has a £1000 tv in sitting room and tv in every bedroom. There are 2 hi fi's and a playstaton. Between them they have 5 mobile phones.

Benefits made up of £752 per month for 3 kids with learning difficulties. The mother says "there is nothing physically wrong with them they are just a bit slow.

Remainder £25087 income support and £71.75 child benefit per week. Rent is free and they pay no council tax. Due to arthritis Mrs Scott says she can't manage the 2 pre school age children herself so her husband cannot work.

She says they spend per week
£200 on food
£60 on clothes
£40 on books and toys
£20 on washing powder
£25 on tobacco
£40 on utilities
£30 mobile phones
£10 on taxis

Total £425

Income: per year

Income support £25087
Child benefit £3731
DLA £9024
Free rent £2392
Free council tax

£787 per week including free rent; £727 excluding free rent/council tax

Finally she says they dont' have to scrimp and save and we can afford to buy the kids everything they want for xmas and birthdays.

Do you think this is what the benefit system was meant for?

lady_noluck

So that's where i've been going wrong. I've worked since 16 and always paid my taxes. I was told "if you work hard enough, you'll eventually live comfortably"

I'm gonna consider suing my school for giving me the wrong career advice. What they should have said was:

"Get yourself knocked up as soon as you can, then apply to the council for every available benefit. Then keep having children, doesn't matter who by and watch the money come rolling in!" :T

Sorry if I come across as a little angry but that's because I'm FUMING! If you can't afford children you shouldn't be having them. I would love another child but can only just afford the one I have. Therefore I won't be having anymore to scrounge off the state.:mad:

Just one other thought. I hope she does her Pelvic Floor exercises! Hmmm.

Sofa_Sogood

It's like reading about Lizzie Bardsley all over again :rolleyes:

People like that, imo, give a host of other people on benefits a bad name.

Queenie

lady_noluck wrote:

...
Just one other thought. I hope she does her Pelvic Floor exercises! Hmmm.

:rotfl: :rotfl: Seems there IS something you can't rely on the State to do for you

The welfare system, I always believed, was there to cushion you through life's knocks ... not a career choice! Oh well, I must have misunderstood

soolin

I can't even read those stories anymore as I get upset. Mr Soolin was made redundant at Christmas and we are trying to survive on my part time wages which don't even cover the bills. We can't get any assistance as we made the terrible mistake of saving hard since we had children so we could afford to put them through university if they wanted to go.

Just think, if we'd spent all our money we could now claim to be broke and get some help, but because we tried to help ourselves we are penalised.

Apologies, feeling sorry for myself at the moment.

Soo

Daytona_nev

Parasite, pure & simple.

Oh, look there's tobacco in the weekly bill. What a surprise.

Becles

I agree the benefit system should be there to look after you when times are hard. It shouldn't be a lifestyle/career choice though :mad:

At the end of the day we all look at these people and call them scrougers, lay abouts etc. So they don't have to 'scrimp and save' but money doesn't buy happiness.

I'm a working single mother. I'm on a low income and it is a struggle making ends meet. However I can walk down the street with my head held high knowing I'm doing everything I can to support my children and me by myself. That pride is something Mrs Scoots money can't buy, and I know it's looked on admirably by friends/neighbours as they've told me so.

Bun

Go Becles!
And that doesn't include all the free dental and prescriptions during being pregnant for (wait for it) 8.25 years, milk tokens, child trust funds etc. They are such a bad example. Surely they can be reassessed?
There are people all over this board who struggle to make ends meet in difficult circumstances who could do with some of this!
Presumably the children will also be paid for us in the future being shown this example too - why on earth would they work?

System

Hey let her have all the kids she wants, by the time she is 50 she will be so old and haggered with a worn out body she will be dead by the time shes 60. I have had 6 kids and its not when your young that your body starts to complain, its later on. She wont be elegible for her pension when shes dead.

Am i bitter, well yeah, i hadnt ought to be but i am.

nickinoo

Well her arthritis doesn't seem to stop her being flat on her back! It's shocking that she continues to have kids if she's so bad (as if).

I can't even consider having another child but then again I worked since I was 16 & put my husband through uni so that we could have a decent life (still hasn't happened yet though!).

I don't suppose anyone has the link to the oirginal article do they?

Poppy9

What I would like to know is how do they find out what benefits they are entitled to. Mr & Mrs Average who have worked most of their adult life and suddenly face unemployment through ill health or redundancy struggle to find out what exactly they are entitled to. They end up exhausting any savings and living on the breadline.