Could you live off £53 a week

[kaosmark2]

Don't agree with all of that.

Increasing the minimum wage now will result in higher youth unemployment.

[thetime]

Also, regarding the welfare/benefits bill, a big part of that is tax credits for working people..

Edited April 4, 2013 by thetime

[Katster]

You haven't mentioned how you do, or would, wash your clothes either. Washing powder ain't cheap and neither is running a washing machine!!

After all my bills (including food and petrol for my car) I have £200 a month to spend on fun and any extras....for two of us.

Thankfully though, my partner starts his new job next week! Living on one income for 6 months has been tough!! We still had good food though really, and a day out here and there!

Have you seen how much fresh fruit and veg costs nowadays?

In terms of whether I could, well I do before luxuries.

I buy one packet of 'junk food' once a week (something like a pack of cookies, or a large bag of crisps), and get a takeaway slightly less than once a week (as a social thing with my flatmates). I cook for myself from scratch 3 days a week, making large portions, putting leftovers in either the fridge or freezer to cover the other 3 days a week.

I eat ~8 portions of fruit and veg a day, occasionally I spoil myself and buy fresh fruit juice or strawberries, but usually it's spread between bags of moderate-priced apples/oranges/bananas, with veg typically being peppers/carrots/potatoes type things. Over the '5-a-day' recommended minimum but not by a stupidly excessive amount, and a lot of the extra is to replace unhealthy snacks that I'd otherwise spend on.

Excluding the junk food and takeaway, my typical weekly food shop is about £30. And that excludes the 'rare' expenses like a bottle of own-brand olive-oil, herbs/spices, stock cubes etc. - all of which I tend to stock up on when on offer. It excludes purchases of cooking equipment, which wear out, and need to be bought at some point.

In addition, that 'typical' shop is reduced in price by the fact I can bulk-buy tins/pasta/rice (which I have factored in), because I can drive to a large supermarket, because I can get multi-buy offers in meat because I have a fair amount of freezer space.

In a single week, with no food to start from but all equipment, yeah, £53/week would be plenty, but over a year? Adding in clothes, shoes, transport. Not a chance.

Bear in mind, over a year, that's £636 quid. Hardly ever get a chance for luxuries. Sure, I completely agree that TV is a luxury, but you need something. Books? Cost money. Board games? Money. Internet? Computers aren't free. Talk to friends? What do you feed them? How do you get to their house? Phones cost money.

There is no way I could do it for a year. I live cheaply so that I can save up for luxuries such as festivals. You look at an individual week and it seems reasonable, managable, but imagine an entire year of living like that. That's not life, that's fragmented, isolated survival.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I would like to challenge those that say about whether the benefits should fund entertainment. Given that people need some form of distraction for a good quality of life I would say yes. Without it people will suffer all sorts of health issues. It pisses me off when people go on about Sky. For many on low incomes it really is a good value form of entertainment.

I remember a few years ago I received a letter from Housing Benefits. I had declared my earnings and it was below the level of what income support was for me and the kids. I had explain how the money was spent and I had to produce receipts. I was called for an interview and had a real grilling. I was balancing the budget on a knife edge and for me Sky and my internet was a priority. To be frank it is nobodies business how anyone chooses to spend their money whether it be earned or benefits. We are now at the stage were the government have stopped Crisis Loans. Now people have to go cap in hand to their council and may be given food vouchers or a fucking food parcel. Birmingham is issuing a card to spend on food in Asda. It could be miles away but tough shit. Crisis loans were available to all btw not just those on the dole. I once got one when I lost my wallet.

Now the bastards want to fuck with the minimum wage. So not only do you get it in appeal with your tax credits frozen but the c**ts will effectively reduce your wage given food and energy cost increases. Oh and under the new scheme if you are on in work benefits they will pull you in to the dole office for a review if they feel you should do more hours or increase your wage.

What a fucking state of affairs and I am sensing some real anger. I can see the Poll Tax riots happening again. Fuck em.

[TheGayTent]

Rufus - sorry but I disagree with you massively. Sky monthly subscription costs are huge.

IMO, anyone that subscribes to it, whilst not working (which I accept isn't the same as being on benefits) has any right to complain about the level of benefits they receive.

You think it's ok to w*nk housing benefits on Sky whilst having the temerity to claim food vouchers???

Edited April 4, 2013 by TheGayTent

[kaosmark2]

I agree that entertainment should be funded, but I strongly disagree that Sky is a good value way to do it.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

Rufus - sorry but I disagree with you massively. Sky monthly subscription costs are huge.

IMO, anyone that subscribes to it, whilst not working (which I accept isn't the same as being on benefits) has any right to complain about the level of benefits they receive.

You think it's ok to w*nk housing benefits on Sky whilst having the temerity to claim food vouchers???

[TheGayTent]

just to clarify. Housing benefits where wondering why I put Sky as a priority.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I'm not surprised.

What had your smoking or drinking habits got to do with the housing benefit you receive??

[TheGayTent]

To be "pulled in" presumably you were on benefits of one kind or another, whether that be income support or any other?

You were spending (that benefit) on satellite subscription.

You are surprised they question what you spend that benefit on?

You think the state should pay a person/families satellite subscription (regardless of whether you smoke or drink)?

I would have thought the issue was if you didn't spend on a satellite subscription you could spend more on necessities?

Edited April 4, 2013 by TheGayTent

[hot_ice]

I do chuckle though when people bang on about people owning Flatscreen TVs. I don't think you can buy CRT ones anymore can you and if you can they probably cost more than some Flatscreen ones do

[whisty]

I do chuckle though when people bang on about people owning Flatscreen TVs. I don't think you can buy CRT ones anymore can you and if you can they probably cost more than some Flatscreen ones do

[RobertProsineckisLighter]

Benefits should not go on entertainment! There are plenty of folk that work and still cant afford 'entertainment'.

Which leads me onto the question... who's the mugs? Those that graft and just scrape by, or those who are on benefits and just scrape by?

Perhaps I'm just having a bad day at work, before going home to beans on toast (again) because i have spunked what money i have left over after necessities on my Glasto ticket this month.

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

I don't think there needs to be defined a set of "mugs". Everyone's getting done over in one way or another.

[kaosmark2]

I would rather work than claim benefits even if it left me with exactly the same amount, just for the self-esteem value a job can provide. Working can be a fucking miserable, knackering, horrible experience, with particularly bad days where you wonder why you bother, but I find being unemployed for more than about a month far far worse.

[Paul ™]

I would rather work than claim benefits even if it left me with exactly the same amount, just for the self-esteem value a job can provide. Working can be a fucking miserable, knackering, horrible experience, with particularly bad days where you wonder why you bother, but I find being unemployed for more than about a month far far worse.

[MrZigster]

Not been to claim JSA yet, I prefer not to as I know there will be work coming up, but with 6 or 7 weeks left till start of season, I might have to make a claim if nothing turns up shortly.

[Paul ™]

I do it quite a lot, due to the type of work I do being seasonal. They don't really seem to bother me at all, maybe though I should let them know for NI purposes.

[neilloggie]

I would think that with the cost of even basic food,clothing and utilities it would be very hard to live on £53 a week.

Is this £53 after rent/bills are paid, or does it all have to come out of that amount?

[Hendricks]

I'm not surprised.

What had your smoking or drinking habits got to do with the housing benefit you receive??