"16 Kids and Counting" - how do they afford it?

lazer

I think fair play to them

My mum is one of a family of 10 and when I look at them and how close they are and how in tough times they rally round and support each other it seems to me that its the way it should be, and I grew up sorrounded by my aunts and uncles and cousins and many of us are stillvery close.

When my Granny was ill it was good that they had each other for support.

My Dad's family on the other hand is small in comparison to my mums - there was 4 of them - one has passed away, one has a serious mental illness and there is just my Dad and one brother to cope with all family issues - I can see that it is much harder for him than it is for my mum.

The couple with the bakery own their own home outright, have their own business and make £577 from this business and are entitled to Child Benefit too (ok maybe there is an arguement that they should only get it for the first 2 or 3 children - but they don't).

Thats £750 a week to support them all plus whatever the 2 older children are earning - I am sure they contribute something too - and with the economies of scale I am sure they can manage

shoppaholic_returns

Alchemilla wrote: »

I feel very uncomfortable about where this policy would take us ultimately.
Increased child poverty?
Compulsory contraception?
Forced abortion?

Whilst I understand your viewpoint, we can't be held responsible for the fact that people need to start and take RESPONSIBILITY for their actions.

Look at it from the point of view of the people who pay for these people to breed.

*max*

Of course in an ideal world everyone would be responsible and think before having children. But it's not an ideal world, there will always be people who don't think, don't plan, don't care...etc. Those people WILL continue to have children they can't afford and there is nothing to be done to stop it realistically, since we are thankfully not in a dictatorial country.

Stopping the child benefits at 3 children would be a good idea in principle IF you could rely on people to be responsible, but you can't. So the only people who would suffer would be the kids, who are innocent in all this.

There's no right answer to the issue unfortunately.

HappyMJ

shoppaholic_returns wrote: »

Whilst I understand your viewpoint, we can't be held responsible for the fact that people need to start and take RESPONSIBILITY for their actions.

Look at it from the point of view of the people who pay for these people to breed.

It's an awful argument to have really..wait until one has enough money before starting a family but if a couple did that they would be too old to have babies. Women are most fertile in their 20's and if they did attend university for a good few years they simply would not have the time to save enough to pay off a mortgage and have enough left over to raise children to a reasonable standard....so the child benefit helps. Of course many earn too much to get child benefit earning over £60,000 but that is only a small proportion of the whole population and most people really wouldn't earn over £60,000 until they are at least in their 30's with many years of experience behind them.

So yes even though we are paying young parents medical costs and child benefits it isn't really that much in the scheme of things. It'll be paid by the future tax contributions the parents make later on. Half will be contributing to the system and half will be taking from the system...but that's what you get in a welfare state.

PinkLipgloss

MerlinMags wrote: »

They prepare 7 meals for 18 people on £60 ? Crikey.

What is the link to their blog please? And how the hell do they have time to write one?!

Wifey commented the mum looked heathier and had more energy that we ourselves did (a mere 3 kids!). There's some other tricks up their sleeves too, it seems.....

This made me LOL :rotfl:

Anyone have the blog link?

hunters

HappyMJ wrote: »

It's an awful argument to have really..wait until one has enough money before starting a family but if a couple did that they would be too old to have babies. Women are most fertile in their 20's and if they did attend university for a good few years they simply would not have the time to save enough to pay off a mortgage and have enough left over to raise children to a reasonable standard....so the child benefit helps. Of course many earn too much to get child benefit earning over £60,000 but that is only a small proportion of the whole population and most people really wouldn't earn over £60,000 until they are at least in their 30's with many years of experience behind them.

So yes even though we are paying young parents medical costs and child benefits it isn't really that much in the scheme of things. It'll be paid by the future tax contributions the parents make later on. Half will be contributing to the system and half will be taking from the system...but that's what you get in a welfare state.

personally I would as soon those earning over £60k had my taxes towards child benefit than those producing child after child with neither parent working

neneromanova

10KG of carrots for £1!! Now THAT is money saving!!

http://www.theradfordfamily.co.uk/sues-meal-challenge-did-he-do-it/

thunderbird

neneromanova wrote: »

10KG of carrots for £1!! Now THAT is money saving!!

http://www.theradfordfamily.co.uk/sues-meal-challenge-did-he-do-it/

All the veg is priced at ridiculous prices - how on earth can they get it so cheap?

thorsoak

Shop at Farm shops - buy the sacks of carrots for horses!! Just don't buy in the supermarkets :-)

sassyblue

Alchemilla wrote: »

I feel very uncomfortable about where this policy would take us ultimately.
Increased child poverty?
Compulsory contraception?
Forced abortion?

It would force people to think and take control over their lives. If you're having sex you take precautions if you don't want a pregnancy, if you're not doing that then you may have a problem.

Lots of problems in the world could be solved if people took control over their lives, it's no bad thing!