Reality finally dawns!!

theoretica

Have you divided up your spending and compared it with the benefit amounts you are getting? It might be an interesting exercise.

By this I mean does your son's DLA cover his extra expenses - guitar lessons, taxis, more expensive holidays, whatever else... if not this is a sign that somewhere in there is a place to look to cut down. How do your other child related benefits relate to what you spend on your children? The ones for housing with your rent and the benefits which come to you with what you spend. Obviously some things like electricity will need to be shared out.

Little_Miss_Sunshine

. In regards to "funding" for my sons taxis... He doesn't qualify as he is in recipit of Dla but we are only in the process of statementing and without this there is no help.

Hi I'm really struggling to understand this. If your son attends specialist provision which the the local authority has approved (they must have to fund the placement) then he is entitled to a taxi, regardless of the Statement situation. But if its your choice to send him to a mainstream school away from home (because you prefer that school) a Statement will make no difference. Also it has nothing to do with having DLA, unless your LA feel that you have chosen a more expensive option - ie you want a taxi. As I said, a Statement will make no difference at all

I hope this doesn't sound harsh - it could be you've had really poor advice regarding your son and a taxi

BEAT_THE_DEBT

Hi welcome and good luck. It will get easier the more you read about money saving x

shinner

I am well shocked that you have had the response you have had. Look into reducing on magazines coffee etc.
Don't stop guitar swimming etc. Keep up with childcare maybe look at a cheaper alternative for your night out although dont stop it you need your time. Maybe go to your local leisure centre with friends and go to sauna, gym or pool to aid with relaxation. You will need your time you could even go for walking until money sorted.
Keep a log of what you are spending. Try do i need or just want when shopping. Have you looked through cupboards freezer etc maybe meal plan. Chin up and welcome:):):):)

strandedinaber

No advice as such to offer I'm afraid (I'm new to this money-saving business myself!) but wanted to wish you the best of luck in your money-saving journey, OP

FBaby

You might take what I will write in the bad way, it is not intended, but it is becoming clear from your posts that the only reason you are in the situation you are in is your mindset. You said you had a decent job before, yet managed to wrack so many debts that you had to go bankrupt. Surely it wasn't just your ex spending on things that only benefited him. I can understand getting in some debt this way, but to the point of going bankrupt?

You said that you accumulated debts previously, so when you were working? Surely you were already receiving DLA for your son then? So your income must have been quite good then that you had no reason to accrue more debts as you are continuing to do now because you are choosing to live way above your means.

Your comment about Christmas left me speechless. My husband and I are both high tax payers and I would feel sick spending that amount of money on just Christmas not because we couldn't afford it, but because it just doesn't feel right to spend such an amount on one day. Yet, you on benefits in debts seem to think it is a right.

People have said that the fact you have a disable son justified your income. I personally think it shows how wrong DLA is. You are clearly not spending the money on your son's disability specifically. Guitar lessons and nice holidays benefit any child.

The posts are hard, as is mine, but that's because you seem to be showing no concept of the fact that you can't afford the lifestyle you think you are entitled to. Instead of being grateful for being able to claim such a massive amount of benefits, you seem to be taking it for granted. That's what prompt people's reactions. You are very fortunate to be able to care and support your son and educate yourself without having to worry about finances, if you adjusted your lifestyle. Take all the comments on the chin and use them to make a final change in your attitude to money.

KxMx

pennies_from_Heaven wrote: »

Actually you are wrong, we earn less than that and do not receive any top up benefits, only child benefit which just about everyone gets if they have kids, they have lowered the earnings limit for tax credits.
Whilst I do not think the op deserves some of the comments on here as she is claiming what she is entitled to, I too am shocked at the amount she gets as we both work, don't go out and can't afford that much for Xmas etc!

It is certainly sad when posters see the £££, and conveniently forget OP has a disabled child.

You should be thankful your children are healthy which one would hope cancels out the jealously about the benefits income.

Sadly it seems not.

conisme wrote: »

Its even more sickening when you see someone who actually needs help and they can't get it like an older man I know who was made redundant . He has worked hard and paid tax all their life for over 40 years.

The job centre refused to help him until he got his redundancy ( he just wanted to sign on as he actually wants to work) yet gives houses to druggies and alcos, its unreal and annoys the life out of me.

This thread is annoying me now lol.

Well he obviously wasn't good enough at his job to get made redundant, trying to get help while he is still in work is outrageous, why didn't he save did he squander it all away?

See, not nice when a stranger on an internet forum makes negative assumptions is it?

suburbanwifey

KxMx wrote: »

It is certainly sad when posters see the £££, and conveniently forget OP has a disabled child.

You should be thankful your children are healthy which one would hope cancels out the jealously about the benefits income.

Sadly it seems not.



Well he obviously wasn't good enough at his job to get made redundant, trying to get help while he is still in work is outrageous, why didn't he save did he squander it all away?

See, not nice when a stranger on an internet forum makes negative assumptions is it?

How dare you attack the man who was made redundant? Has it occured to you that maybe his redundancy was caused by the place he was working at closing? My husband worked at a company that closed the plant 13 years ago and all 144 staff were made redundant! How dare you imply he lost his job through not being good enough at it? the levels people will go to on here to defend benefit claimants is astounding? and yes, guess you'll get this post of mine removed like you did the last one. You don't like people having opinions that differ from yours do you? its not a public forum this, its a forum where we have to all agree or posts are removed.

Do your stuff sad one but leave the man who was made redundant alone, spiteful one you are.

KxMx

suburbanwifey wrote: »

How dare you attack the man who was made redundant? Has it occured to you that maybe his redundancy was caused by the place he was working at closing? My husband worked at a company that closed the plant 13 years ago and all 144 staff were made redundant! How dare you imply he lost his job through not being good enough at it? the levels people will go to on here to defend benefit claimants is astounding? and yes, guess you'll get this post of mine removed like you did the last one. You don't like people having opinions that differ from yours do you? its not a public forum this, its a forum where we have to all agree or posts are removed.

Do your stuff sad one but leave the man who was made redundant alone, spiteful one you are.

The poster who mentioned the redundant man was happy enough to say he didn't doubt OP's childs disability, but then proceeded to list all the cases where this disability is faked. Apparently he knows intimate details of others lives in order to make such judgements. Which made me wonder did he really believe OP's child was truly disabled.

I was merely demonstrating the folly of making negative assumptions when you don't know all the circumstances of people involved, and how would they like it if they know a genuine case and others assumed the worst of that case.


EDIT: I see the newer post above mine explains your attitude perfectly. Thankfully Autism understanding has come a long way in the last 50 years however there are still some die-hards who refuse to accept the knowledge of the medical community and call it "bad behaviour". Thankfully that attitude is not mainstream any more.

I hope YOU never have the misfortune to encounter disability in your life and then have people making such vile slurs upon you as you feel fit to make upon others.

I realise this topic is better suited to Discussion Time and my posts will likely be deleted (along with others I hope) but really I could not help but comment on the vitrol OP has had levelled against them.

Muhren

suburbanwifey wrote: »

KxMx wrote: »

It is certainly sad when posters see the £££, and conveniently forget OP has a disabled child./QUOTE]

Disabled? Autistic? don't you mean badly behaved? or cash cow?

Is it any wonder mental health has such a stigma attached to it with ignorant views like this? I suppose you tell people with depression to "just pull themselves together" as well.