Living on £53 a week?

Bangton

I spend 70 pounds a week on food alone. I thought about this very subject after watching a programme on poverty in the UK last week and I wonder to what detriment people actually live on this. I'm sure someone will pick me up on this but I don't buy tons of food nor processed freezer/ready meals yet to eat plenty of fresh varied fruit and veg etc I feel the need to spend 70 pounds and rarely if ever come under budget. I could probably cut back if I had to but I'm not sure id eat as well as I do now. It saddens me to think of people having to turn the heating off because they can't afford too. To me food and warmth is essential and the reality is far too many in the UK don't have the simple luxuries I just take for granted

paulineb_2

There may be some people who have a dis incentive to work being on benefits, people with kids and childcare costs, but speaking as someone who lives alone and has always had the bare minimum of JSA, lower it any further and people really will be in poverty.

Some people will be due to this bedroom tax/HB cut but thats another argument. What I get compared to a single parent neighbour with 6 kids (yes one of my neighbours has 6 kids and a grandkid on the way) would be significantly less and as I said before Im well aware kids are expensive.

Take someone who is getting 71 quid a week, it might be 71 quid for doing nothing, but people are and do get caught in the benefit trap when they get offered low income jobs, particularly if they are single and without family.

As I said before I was worse off in work last year than I was on the dole and that was my choice as well as I made the decision to try and get more work experience and tried and failed to get a second part time job, but Im pretty sure a lot of people and I would say mainly women fall into the category of working in low paid part time jobs. I didnt even earn enough to get my NI stamp paid and it would have been paid had I remained on JSA. Sure theres many in the same kind of situation I was out there.

amcg100

Bangton wrote: »

I spend 70 pounds a week on food alone. I thought about this very subject after watching a programme on poverty in the UK last week and I wonder to what detriment people actually live on this. I'm sure someone will pick me up on this but I don't buy tons of food nor processed freezer/ready meals yet to eat plenty of fresh varied fruit and veg etc I feel the need to spend 70 pounds and rarely if ever come under budget. I could probably cut back if I had to but I'm not sure id eat as well as I do now. It saddens me to think of people having to turn the heating off because they can't afford too. To me food and warmth is essential and the reality is far too many in the UK don't have the simple luxuries I just take for granted

It is good that you admit to being wealthy and try to understand
the problems that others face

geoffky

Anyone saying they can long term is a liar...What happens when you need new clothes shoes haircuts or a appliance breaks....It is a disaster...And it is outrageous that people have so little to live on...

neverdespairgirl

emweaver wrote: »

Yes that is correct his comment was to a father of 2 who had £53 a week left after rent etc. So the £53 is to include all living expenses after rent and council tax such as elec, gas, water, tv licence, travel costs, food and clothing for the children.

Although it appears that the man in question was talking through it instead of sitting on it. He was on a fair few quid more than he made out he was.

pigpen

hunters wrote: »

I don't understand how you can say money for the children aside when you surely have to add the total amount of money coming into the house unless you shop and eat separately from the
kids?

Because money for the children is paid separately.. the £53 is based on a single person.. they don't have children.. ,my point was that we get very little more than that for 2 of us..

£53 for 1 person compared to £58 for 2.. seems a bit unfair! How are we meant to manage on £29 each when they get £53? .. (the point in idiot terms) I'm not saying I want more because I don't I am more than grateful for what I have but it is the vast difference and the outrage I am indicating.

neverdespairgirl

A lot of what I spend every week I wouldn't spend if I was out of work.

I wouldn't pay, for example, for mobile internet, smart suits, dry-cleaning, travel to and from work, childcare, etc.

adindas

geoffky wrote: »

Anyone saying they can long term is a liar...What happens when you need new clothes shoes haircuts or a appliance breaks....It is a disaster...And it is outrageous that people have so little to live on...

It is your right not to believe. But telling that the people are lying is inappropriate if you do not have any evidence to prove it otherwise.

I have demonstrated in my posts #35 and #55 that some people do live with £53 or less for years.

People fall into the benefit trap due to the sick system that make working sometimes worse off than on the dole. If not worse off it is similar or just a little bit less. There are BBC documentary have shown this evidence. Post #65 is also one example where people in this forum have confirmed this.

paulineb wrote: »

As I said before I was worse off in work last year than I was on the dole and that was my choice as well as I made the decision to try and get more work experience and tried and failed to get a second part time job, but Im pretty sure a lot of people and I would say mainly women fall into the category of working in low paid part time jobs. I didnt even earn enough to get my NI stamp paid and it would have been paid had I remained on JSA. Sure theres many in the same kind of situation I was out there.

It does not take a genius to decide, if I am better off by not working why bother to work.

The benefit system in this country have trapped people into poverty, make people depend on it and more importantly make the country less competitive in the global arena.

oliveoil99

DeeDee74 wrote: »

Wow what company does such cheap insurance.
Oh and btw its $284 a month not $307 unless your using 12 months to split costs...
Then thats less than $1 a day allowance of gas and electricity? ?? Really!!
Water cost arent included in calculator either is this mnow an optional bill?

I was thinking all this Dee Dee 74 I want to know these energy companies that are so cheap, my water is £56 a month alone.

pigpen

oliveoil99 wrote: »

I was thinking all this Dee Dee 74 I want to know these energy companies that are so cheap, my water is £56 a month alone.

water varies according the street you live down not just the company! Mine is about £450 a year (about £37 a month over 12 months) so a fair whack cheaper than yours.