Family cant afford Christmas

Owain_Moneysaver

Is it mean of me to say that if the children have no christmas presents it might be a lesson to them to not be like their parents and expect everything to be provided for them?

Suggest the children come round and do a few hours' gardening or car washing for you to earn some pocket money for christmas.

annandale

But people can bear to think of the kids going presentless and hungry. The OP can, other people can as well. Give them nothing has been said more than once on here.

The Op hasnt been back on the thread either. Like lobbing a verbal hand grenade and standing back.

pollypenny

A food parcel from me, too. Lidl has veg at very good prices and surely they apcan wrap their own sausages in bacon to make pugs in blankets.

A frozen turkey is what we always had, one year a 'catering turkey' from Iceland: it only had one leg!

clint_S

annandale wrote: »

For someone who doesn't know nor care why they've had their benefits stopped the OP seems to know just about everything else about their lives!

Claim multiple benefits! Drink! Smoke!

Do they have a sky dish and a motability car as well?

All that's needed to round off this tale is that they have a sky dish, a motability car and the husband works on the side.

If you remove smoking then you've just described my uncles family.

annandale

Yes of course because kids need to be taught a lesson on how not to be like their parents by waking up to nothing on Xmas day.

That will teach them to be born into a family that claim benefits

Poor_Single_lady

Assume that is a joke Owain. It must be. Are you secretly scrooge.

Actually more people said don't give them anything than buy kids something so that made me think that people must think it (kids having no presents at Christmas) doesn't happen. But if people know it does happen and they are not bothered I think that's actually worse.

clint_S

annandale wrote: »

Yes of course because kids need to be taught a lesson on how not to be like their parents by waking up to nothing on Xmas day.

That will teach them to be born into a family that claim benefits

The parent being on benefits has nothing to do on whether they spend money on Christmas presents. My sister hasn't worked a day of her life and her kids get twice the present of any other child I know.


There are people who work full time and don't claim benefits that spend all there money on a large house, or drinking, or smoking, or drugs, or even just trying to keep up with the Jones, that means they have no money to spend on Christmas presents. If you look at the debt forums you'll see people on over £50k so heavily in debt that they have no money to pay all there bills.

thorsoak

annandale wrote: »

Yes of course because kids need to be taught a lesson on how not to be like their parents by waking up to nothing on Xmas day.

That will teach them to be born into a family that claim benefits

What a crass remark! It's really not worthy of a comment but I cannot believe that you've just made such a comment.

Bogalot

clint_S wrote: »

The parent being on benefits has nothing to do on whether they spend money on Christmas presents. My sister hasn't worked a day of her life and her kids get twice the present of any other child I know.


There are people who work full time and don't claim benefits that spend all there money on a large house, or drinking, or smoking, or drugs, or even just trying to keep up with the Jones, that means they have no money to spend on Christmas presents. If you look at the debt forums you'll see people on over £50k so heavily in debt that they have no money to pay all there bills.

Indeed, child related benefits can be very generous. Add in a disability and you'll often get more than full time workers. It's poor budgeting that is the problem here, not benefit dependency.

OP I'd offer to go to the Jobcentre with them and help sort out the problem. If they're genuine they should be grateful for the offer.

annandale

I read last night that rio ferdinand gave 500k of a donation so that kids in Manchester who would be waking up with nothing on Xmas day would get a present. That's a lot of families who don't have much.

He also donated 11500 sleeping bags for Manchesters homeless community.

Maybe in the midst of all this shock horror !!!!less benefit claimants it might be worth considering that some people really do have nothing.

And I'd be very surprised if it was the fault of every single person who has hit hard times.

In my local area there's a baby bank. Gives items and support to families with kids who are struggling. A year ago it gave a cot to a young mother whose baby was sleeping in a chest of drawers!

Sanctions do cause some people real hardship.