Always skint and have a 3 month old child. I need money advice

BigAunty

Shen81 wrote: »

Why have you taken it upon yourself to try and besmirch this young man?

I responded to his vague observation that his partner got 'some money' in benefits that covered 'basics'. I contextualised it against employment income and other benefit sums. That's perspective, not besmirching.

It will help ensure that she is getting her full entitlements (in case she is not) and it also clarifies to forum members (and the OP in case he is not aware) her specific potential income.

BigAunty

moomoomama27 wrote: »

.................................And you know she is on full benefits because??? Perhaps she receives working tax credits and child benefit/child tax credit! How do you know she's unemployed or her parents aren't supporting her?

I have strong knowledge of the benefits system and a history of assisting those on the benefits forum to know their entitlements.

I provided benefit income widely published in the public domain and based on information contained in the OPs posts. He didn't specify her age so I gave both scenarios for under and over 18 - that's about the only speculation I did.

The OP said she was on benefits, he also said she was at college. Lone parents in education are entitled to income related benefits (unlike the majority of students without dependents). Therefore if she is a student (as I noted and as he indicated), it should not constrain her benefits. She might get some kind of student related income which may reduce her income related benefits but won't have a net drop overall.

If she is not now in college and not working, she will not be classed as 'unemployed' as lone parents with children under the age of 5 claim Income Support - there is no requirement for them to seek employment until their child is at school age in which case, they will then be swapped from IS to Job Seekers Allowance. She will not appear in the unemployment figures and I doubt that lone parents on lone parent related benefits class define themselves as unemployed, either, but as stay at home mums.

If she is in employment, then she could be significantly better off than £190 a week.

Lone parents are only required to work 16 hours in order to qualify for working tax credits if they are on a low income which will simply increase her income by around £50-100 a week or so depending on this.

For example, if she earned £100 a week over a minimum 16 hour week, she would lose the Income Support but still receive £63 in child tax credits, £76 in working tax credits and £20 in child benefit. Her income from employments and benefits would then be £259 a week.

Her parents may well be supporting her. The OP didn't say.

She may not be claiming her actual entitlements in which case I've done the OP a favour.

jaylee3

Shen81 wrote: »

Why have you taken it upon yourself to try and besmirch this young man?

His girlfriend's income from benefits is nothing to do with you, nothing to do with this thread and you have no right to post potential income details about anyone. He has created this thread for himself to help himself save money. This is very irresponsible of you.

Some people make it out that being a young parent and receiving benefits is a bad thing. They are both studying to better themselves and at the end of their studies both of them will have careers to enable them to become competent providers for their children. As a taxpayer, I prefer to see my taxes going towards people who are actually making an effort, rather than our taxes going to those who make no effort at all.

moomoomama27 wrote: »

.................................And you know she is on full benefits because??? Perhaps she receives working tax credits and child benefit/child tax credit! How do you know she's unemployed or her parents aren't supporting her?

When I was a teenage mother I received only child benefit with the lone parent top up £27 a week, my parents supported me living at home and I got 3 cleaning jobs in the evening while my parents babysat! I took less from the government than a lot of working couples!!! But I expect there were the people on high horses assuming because I was a young single mother, I was a waster, or used benefits as a career!!

Give the guy a break! What a bunch of nasty, snotty people there are on this thread!

Couldn't agree more. Well said. :T

I haven't seen a thread for ages, with such highly judgemental and pompous posts in it!

The 'I work a thousand hours a week, so you should be doing it too' brigade are the ones who make me laugh though. :rotfl: There are always some in this type of thread!

The young man is doing his best in a tricky situation, and trying to be the best person he can, he is working 32 hours a week, and going to college as well, and still, some people have nothing but negative things to say about him.

Seems that no matter what this young man does, someone will come along and berate him and look down on his girlfriend for having the audacity to claim a bit of money in benefits.

Take no notice Flinchey stryder: you are doing your best, and that is all you can do. You have had some good advice on this thread from the less judgemental posters, so just take heed of that.

cgk1

Flinchy-Stryder wrote: »

Na its a contract phone and the cheapest deal is £30 a month. I'm also tied in to it for 3 years, well 2 now. I need it for the internet access cause its to expensive using internet cafes.

How were you tied into it - three year mobile contracts are not legal in the UK.

mattyprice4004

Just wanted to add my support - OP you're doing really well.
Keep going and it'll get better - at 19 I was in a similar situation, and now I own a successful business in a field I specialise in. You can do it too.

Good luck.

Shen81

BigAunty wrote: »

£72 income support (assumes mother of child is 18 otherwise it is £57), £20 child benefit,£98 child tax credits would be the typical sum for a lone parent with one child. There is no impact on her income through attending college or living at home.

That's £190 a week, around what most people earn on the national minimum wage for a 35 hour week and nearly three times the sum of a single person on Job Seekers Allowance.

And twice as much as you earn (with presumably, little or no requirement to pay rent to her parents from it).

BigAunty wrote: »

I responded to his vague observation that his partner got 'some money' in benefits that covered 'basics'. I contextualised it against employment income and other benefit sums. That's perspective, not besmirching.

It will help ensure that she is getting her full entitlements (in case she is not) and it also clarifies to forum members (and the OP in case he is not aware) her specific potential income.

Oh come on, do you think I was born yesterday? Nowhere have you mentioned your post being advice for her to make sure she is receiving full entitlements. You only say that once you are called out on your post.

In actual fact, the OP has not even asked advice on what benefits his girlfriend is receiving, which once again leads me to say you had no right to make that post. My belief is, you made that post in a subtle attempt to besmirch him because you seen the bigots marauding him and talking about his girlfriend receiving a significant amount of benefits and that prompted you to make a post showing a significant amount of benefits. A significant amount, that in your own words is what most people on minimum wage earn.

Nothing you said was productive or advice, even if in your perspective you perceive your besmirching attempt as advice, I certainly do not. I see your true colours and anyone can see you have used a lie in the form of suggesting advice as a way to justify besmirching him. To add further fuel to my dismantling of you, you have not even contributed any advice anywhere in this thread! The only said advice you gave, was not advice now was it dear? The facts are written.

lulu_92

Shen81 wrote: »

Oh come on, do you think I was born yesterday? Nowhere have you mentioned your post being advice for her to make sure she is receiving full entitlements. You only say that once you are called out on your post.

In actual fact, the OP has not even asked advice on what benefits his girlfriend is receiving, which once again leads me to say you had no right to make that post. My belief is, you made that post in a subtle attempt to besmirch him because you seen the bigots marauding him and talking about his girlfriend receiving a significant amount of benefits and that prompted you to make a post showing a significant amount of benefits. A significant amount, that in your own words is what most people on minimum wage earn.

Nothing you said was productive or advice, even if in your perspective you perceive your besmirching attempt as advice, I certainly do not. I see your true colours and anyone can see you have used a lie in the form of suggesting advice as a way to justify besmirching him. To add further fuel to my dismantling of you, you have not even contributed any advice anywhere in this thread! The only said advice you gave, was not advice now was it dear? The facts are written.

How is this productive? (yes I know this isn't productive either)
None of this derailment will help the OP. (but in my opinion the benefits stuff is valid)

Shen81

lulu_92 wrote: »

How is this productive? (yes I know this isn't productive either)
None of this derailment will help the OP. (but in my opinion the benefits stuff is valid)

It is productive by showing the length people on here are going to in order to besmirch this young man. Your opinion regarding benefits is not valid either, because if you have read this thread, you will see and you're not going to believe this, but this is a thread about a young man trying to save money on his earnings. It is not a thread about his girlfriends benefits. If he wanted advice on her benefits, I'm sure he would have asked now wouldn't he?

lulu_92

I have actually read the thread from the moment OP posted it, I just haven't written a reply until now.

My opinion is valid, it may not be relevant to the discussion of how the OP is to decrease his expenditure (see, how would I know that if I hadn't read the thread? )

For what it's worth I think OP is doing a fantastic job so far and I really respect his maturity towards his situation (and some of the posters on here)

I don't agree with people allegedly "besmirching" him but I think people who are just bringing up benefits are doing so to point out that they may be available to him and his family.

At the end of the day OP is doing all of this to support his child. If his girlfriend claiming benefits helps support that child whilst OP is training then that's fine by me.

Or is none of this valid? (hint: it is valid, whether or not you agree with me)

To the OP - some people have left some great advice on here. Yes, some things such as the phone bill can't be altered yet but you're doing great. Keep it up

BigAunty

Shen81 wrote: »

Nothing you said was productive or advice, even if in your perspective you perceive your besmirching attempt as advice.... In actual fact, the OP has not even asked advice on what benefits his girlfriend is receiving, which once again leads me to say you had no right to make that post.

My information was highly productive and relevant. The OP appeared to be ignorant about his child's mothers potential income. Assuming she has a modest amount of budgeting skills and is claiming her full entitlement, he may glad to know that she may not be enduring the struggle he is just to provide for himself because he is part of the working poor.

The OP was candid about his meagre income and how his basic expenses swallowed it up. At least, part of his anxiety is how to provide financial support to his child.

50% of his income goes on rent (and that's after a significant reduction by his kind landlord). This is an untenable ratio of income versus accommodation expenses. Many landlords would never have offered him a tenancy based on that level of rent versus his salary.



His income versus basic expenses lends itself to poverty/subsistence living standard. His budget does not stretch to things like replacment shoes, clothing, haircuts, social expenses, gifts and he has just a couple of quid spare each month to treat himself to minor luxuries like a soft drink or bar of chocolate.



In contrast, I was able to comfort him that his ex? partner had a considerably higher disposable income that would not lend itself to the kind of scrabbling down the back of the sofa looking for pennies that the OP might perform.



Nobody criticised the posters who recommended that he look into his entitlement to benefits like housing benefit for besmirching him.

However, the very fact that his baby mother's benefit income, her actual legitimate welfare entitlement, could be as twice as high as his employment income (and potentially her disposable income is almost 4 times greater due to his rental expense) seems to have caused an extraordinary reaction.