Family Life on benefits - expenditure breakdown

[chris9991]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16812185

Really interesting article. Can see things in the weekly expenditure list which aren't exactly necessities. Surely they should have spent that money getting new skills. The guy has been unemployed since 2001 (more than ten years)

[Gary L]

I see a flaw there of the rent of £76 being listed twice. one as income and one as outgoings.
and the council tax. I can't be bothered to sit and work it out. the reporter could have made it a lot simpler to look at.

even £91 per week for e.g. school books, uniforms & trips, clothing, shows, white goods replacement is debatable.

I can see where they can make savings on the booze and baccy.

and the phones. 2 mobiles, £128 a month?
you can get contracts or even monthly a lot cheaper.
hang on.. (so do all of the teenage children)

[martyh]

Originally Posted by Gary L

I see a flaw there of the rent of £76 being listed twice. one as income and one as outgoings.

It's not a flaw as such they just cancel each other out

---------- Post added at 14:15 ---------- Previous post was at 14:11 ----------

I wish i had that much guaranteed income a week To start with they have £91 p/w set allocated for "e.g. school books, uniforms & trips,
clothing, shows, white goods replacement" .
That is not spent each week so they have £91 p/w floating around for incidentals

[Gary L]

So if the cap were in place would the total rent and council tax per year be part of that £26,000 limit?

Is it just me working it out wrong?
if you don't include the rent or council tax either in or out, you have

income £488.40
outgoing £355.00
left each week £133.40

oh forget it. I missed the others out.

My head is numb today.

[peanut]

Crikey and that's all weekly. Again the report looks like it's set out to do that actual cause more harm than good, good ol' BBC.

I'm sure the wife in that example is claiming full disability allowances that are not included (exempt) means what they really are getting / spending and what on (so the report says) is all total horlicks.

The proposed cap will affect some that can't be disputed, but to use an example based on a typical large family that can change their ways to fit is just the usual propaganda. I'm sure it'll do it's job.

[martyh]

"I see eight people here having to choose between eating or heating."

What an absolute load of emotive rubbish

[nomadking]

Public transport £30
'Most of this goes on our eldest son's bus fares to college and back.

Isn't EMA meant to cover things like that?

If they were a couple on their own without children, they wouldn't be able to support the adult related part of their spending. If you add up just the things like the booze, tobacco, water rates, and half of the energy costs, you end up virtually wiping out the JSA income which the 2 adults are meant to live on. The child tax credit of £300+/wk is funding the lifestyle of the adults.

97 Benefit cap

(1) Regulations may provide for a benefit cap to be applied to the welfare benefits to which a single person or couple is entitled.
(2) For the purposes of this section, applying a benefit cap to welfare benefits means securing that, where a single person’s or couple’s total entitlement to welfare benefits with the exclusion of child benefit in respect of the reference period exceeds the relevant amount, their entitlement to welfare benefits in respect of any period of the same duration as the reference period is reduced by an amount up to or equalling the excess.

As it seems child benefit is not to be included in the cap calculations, the family wouldn't be affected anyway.

[peanut]

Originally Posted by martyh

What an absolute load of emotive rubbish

Yeah don't you just hate these benefit scroungers who moan that they can't give up their fags and booze who also has an income much bigger than someone who works damn hard for a living......

All very timely isn't it.

[martyh]

Originally Posted by peanut

Yeah don't you just hate these benefit scroungers who moan that they can't give up their fags and booze who also has an income much bigger than someone who works damn hard for a living......

All very timely isn't it.

Indeed ,when did the beeb become the governments PR agent again

[STONEISLAND]

Originally Posted by martyh

What an absolute load of emotive rubbish

Maybe they should stop there $ky and have food with money they saved on that.

£30+ a year = unfunny joke!!!! I want to quitting my job ask the Mrs to quit sit at home do sod all for £30k!!!

Save a shed load on nursery fees!!!!!!!

Rageging!!

[Hugh]

Says Ray: "The market for my skills dried up 10 years ago - there's a total lack of work in my area of expertise."

When I left the RAF, there wasn't much call for Russian linguists (besides GCHQ), so I changed my skill-set......

[STONEISLAND]

£240 a week on food shopping!!! I wish I never saw this!!

[martyh]

Originally Posted by STONEISLAND

Maybe they should stop there $ky and have food with money they saved on that.

£30+ a year = unfunny joke!!!! I want to quitting my job ask the Mrs to quit sit at home do sod all for £30k!!!

Save a shed load on nursery fees!!!!!!!

Rageging!!

or the £35 p/w in mobile bills could go the distance .It doesn't seem like the best descision to have a child half way through a ten year unemployed stretch either

[STONEISLAND]

Originally Posted by martyh

or the £35 p/w in mobile bills could go the distance .It doesn't seem like the best descision to have a child half way through a ten year unemployed stretch either

Just seen that why do you need luxuries like mobiles when your on the rock and roll? Another £32 saved, is this some sick joke?

[denphone]

Originally Posted by STONEISLAND

£240 a week on food shopping!!! I wish I never saw this!!

l cannot believe they spent £240 a week on food shopping as there are 3 of us and we eat well on £40 to £50 a week.