Is a single mothers benifits enough

pipkin71

With regards swimming lessons, the usual price for children is £40 for twelve weeks lessons, but if the parent{s} are on benefits and hold a passport to leisure card, the price is reduced to £19, so £38 for my two every 12 weeks.

We have a next clearance that sells children's clothes off at £2 an item, so I buy my childrens clothes from there. They also sell the shoes off at £2 as well.

I don't smoke, we go to the cinema twice a month, but always on a Wednesday:D and take our own snacks. The girls go to a local club that is given funds through charities, so they regularly go on subsidised trips. For example, a family ticket to cabury's would cost us around £48 I think, it is being subsidised though, so we are paying £13 - including travel expenses.

I have probably painted a rosy picture of being on benefits, but it's not all good though. My original point though was that you can live quite comfortably on benefits.

Pipkin xxxx

tigtag02

pipkin71 wrote: »

With council tax benefits and housing benefit taken into account, I would need to earn £300 per week after tax to be better off working than I am on benefits, and that's with two children.

In which case there is something fundamentally wrong with the system.

pipkin71

RubyShoes wrote: »

Pipkin, I dont know where you get those figures from, but they are TOTALLY wrong. You do not need to earn more than minimum wage in order to be 'better off'.

Hi RubyShoes.

Those figures are based on my own personal circumstances. I have included all benefits I am entitled to, including HB / CTB. For me to be better off than I am now, I would need to be earning £300 per week after tax.

RubyShoes

pipkin71 wrote: »

Hi RubyShoes.

Those figures are based on my own personal circumstances. I have included all benefits I am entitled to, including HB / CTB. For me to be better off than I am now, I would need to be earning £300 per week after tax.

Id be very interested to know how - I have never come across anyone who wouldnt be better off working, unless they had massive debts, which were being paid under insurance schemes through not working...

PasturesNew

We go on four - sometimes five holidays a year, but they don't cost a fortune. Gingerbread run cut price holidays. The sun holidays are great for us, and there's a charity where we live that gives you £50 for the first child and £30 for each child after, to ensure the children of single parents don't miss out on holidays. You have to provide them with proof of benefits and your holiday booking forms, and they pay this once a year. Our October holiday is with the sun and has cost £70.

They should run cheap holidays for singles.
As a single, working person I've not had a holiday for over 12 years.
Firstly, after paying out for housing/living costs, there's nothing left.
Then the cost of any holiday as a single person is horrendously expensive. Even a "sun holiday" one single would have to pay 4x over. And it is similar for most other holidays.

vicki_b

are you sure Ruby shoes that they are the correct figures for working and tax credits? we are a family of 5 and when my partner worked we were getting £350 per week when you added everything together after tax!and of course we were having to pay our own rent and council tax...im fairly positive most single mums would be working if they got that kind of money at the end of the week.

please would someone correct me or am i right or just been thick!!

PasturesNew

Min Wage at 40hrs per week £5.35 x 40 = £214 per week.

Note: it is now £5.52 from 1 October 2007, so an extra £7/week. (17p x 40 hours)

pipkin71

RubyShoes wrote: »

Id be very interested to know how - I have never come across anyone who wouldnt be better off working, unless they had massive debts, which were being paid under insurance schemes through not working...

Thankfully, I don't have any debts, so the money I receive is mine to do with as I wish.

My own circumstances didn't arise through choice and I am not in a position to work, so although I can appreciate on the one hand that people have to work hard for their luxuries, on the other I am claiming what I am entitled to, as is my right.

PasturesNew

RubyShoes wrote: »

Total income per week after tax deducted is £516.78

Blimey! Really ....
For a minimum wage job???
Nobody can "earn" that much, so they'd be LOADS better off.
If your figures are right... let's see as this thread develops.

Although it is difficult to work out as there is no simple calculator to chuck numbers into to give quick answers.

pipkin71

PasturesNew wrote: »

Even a "sun holiday" one single would have to pay 4x over. And it is similar for most other holidays.

Yes, there's three of us, and we had to pay for four. That seems unfair, so must be more so for single people.