Living on £53 a week?

Saturnalia

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...

Exactly. I haven't had a haircut since Christmas when my parents paid as a gift. My hair is thick & bushy and doesn't exactly fill me with confidence to go into interviews with all the other candidates looking groomed. Ditto my work suits. I have 3 that are donkey's years old and starting to look it, plus I have lost weight and they don't fit right - but what can I do? Even a cheapo is £40+.

One thing that is difficult to talk about is the social side of things, as it leads to accusations of wanting to live a party lifestyle on taxpayers' money. But when you are this skint, any kind of socialising (not just the nights out drinking kind) is out of the question. If I were to go and meet a friend for coffee after work, by the time I'd travelled into the city & bought an overpriced coffee I'd be about £8 lighter. So you have to turn down invitations, and you can't do that many times before the invitations stop coming.

Apart from the few true loners, everyone needs some sort of social interaction. It's good for us. And especially because if you aren't working, you're probably spending most of the day on your own. It's like being utterly detached from society.

I've got myself onto a C&G accounting course which begins soon and am looking forward to it, not just because I'll be learning, learning something I'm interested in and will be able to put a qual on my CV which is something employers want nowadays for the roles I'm interested in - but because it will give me Something To Do and get me out of the house to meet people. But while I can get the course for free as I'm on JSA, there's a £30 exam fee at the end. (But hell, I have 12 weeks to find the money and if I have to live on 10p noodles and tap water to get the money, I will! I've done that before in times of desperation.)

I got slagged off on the benefits board when I was in my last house for spending £20 a month on broadband. Apparently I could make do with 30 mins a day in the library. But that's 50p per half-hour for a start, only open certain times of day & shut on Sunday, and there might not be a computer free to use when you go. I do most of my jobhunting online and that can be a full-time job itself. Plus many sites take the ad down once they have a certain number of applicants, so if you aren't in at the start you lose out. And as well as that, being able to use forums and catch up with old friends on Facebook when I can't afford to go out with them in person keeps me sane.

And what I said about friendship being tricky - forget about dating on the dole. Who wants a partner that can't pay their way? The minute "what do you do?" is answered, the excuses are made and the cloud of dust rises.

neverdespairgirl

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.

We pay £19.50 a month for our water, on direct debit. In London.

Rev

I've been on ESA since January. My mum passed away and since then I've been suffering massive anxiety and depression. I can't afford to live but right now I have no choice.

My total income is £280 per month.

Gas is £200 per month (old house, old boiler, poorly insulated no double glazing etc). Most I can afford is £50. Which means three weeks out of the month I go without heating and hot water.

Electricity is around £40 a month.

House insurance is £30 a month

TV licence is £13 a month

Water is £6 per week.

I buy my pets food and go without myself. Some may say that's stupid but its my choice.

I can't afford clothes, my hair hasn't been cut in months. I am still in counteract with TV and Internet so have no choice but to pay until the contract ends. I have lowered them to the lowest packages available.

If I have to go anywhere I walk.

I'm currently having to pay for my prescriptions while I wait for the HC2 certificate.

It's ridiculous. And to top it all off the DWP harass the crap out of me. Like I Really want to live like this and am just living the life if Riley on the governments dime.

Pollycat

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.

HOW MUCH???? :eek:

Is this on a meter?

Is this a monthly payment i.e. every month or is it £56 per month over 8 months (in which case you're paying the equivalent of £37 per month, not £56)


If you are paying £56 every month, I suggest you hot-foot it over to this board:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=79

and see if you can cut it down.

Unless, of course, you have 10 people living in your house and are washing the local football team's kit.

We are a couple and pay (metered) less than £23 per month.

19lottie82

DeeDee74 wrote: »

No pound sign on phone actaully.
Trouble is you have to be on benefits for a year before u have 307 a month as every mon th doesnt have 5 weeks whats wrong with working it out weekly or every 2 weeks like benefit is payed.. $71 a week or $142 fortnightly. .. maybe 307 sounds better...
Fact is first month claiming your get 284 a month u can spend money you have yet claimed so spreading bills that way is a bit pointless..

But bills are usually paid monthly, so it's six and two threes really.
And as someone has pointed out, benefits will shortly be changed to monthly payments anyway.

fluffnutter

The guy in the news article who challenged IDS to live on £53 a week was working. This isn't about someone claiming JSA (which potentially enables you to claim further benefits). It's about someone whose combined income and top-up benefits totals £53 a week.

I think it's important to remember that the vast majority of people claiming benefits have jobs. They're not all work-shy scroungers like the right-wing gutter press and Smug Cameron/Gideon/IDS would like us to believe.

fluffnutter

19lottie82 wrote: »

But bills are usually paid monthly, so it's six and two threes really.
And as someone has pointed out, benefits will shortly be changed to monthly payments anyway.

I heard that one of the pilot schemes paying benefit claimants their housing benefit directly rather than it going straight to the landlord resulted in a fivefold increase in rent arrears

It's all very well having these nice Tory notions about making people take responsibility but the fact remains, some people just can't/won't.

mummyroysof3

We pay £25ish for water but I don't know over how Many months...I assumed it was 12 though

3v3

fluffnutter wrote: »

I heard that one of the pilot schemes paying benefit claimants their housing benefit directly rather than it going straight to the landlord resulted in a fivefold increase in rent arrears

It's all very well having these nice Tory notions about making people take responsibility but the fact remains, some people just can't/won't.

So, they make their choice and take the consequences. That is life.

dandelionclock30

3v3 wrote: »

So, they make their choice and take the consequences. That is life.

.

However, there are a lot of very vulnerable people claiming benefits and its not always that black and white.There may be people with severe illnesses or learning disabilities, or mental health problems that just dont have the capacity or ability to manage properly.
I personally think its should be paid direct to the landlord/council etc.Then nobody is getting made homeless etc for non payment.