Why Can't People Manage On £500 Per Week?

[magsmay]

So - the Cap on Benefits will commence, along with a chorus of moaning minnies who say they can't possibly manage and will have to cut down on food and heating -so bloody what!!! If two working people had the misfortune of one of them losing their job they would have to cut down until things got better - your weekly cheque is a benefit For Funks Sake not a wage - Some WORKING couples barely clear £500 after off takes -this makes my blood boil -people these days are like spoilt children when they get their sweeties taken away - Quote from one moaning minnie this a.m. on TV '' I've tried to get work in the past but for me its not an option'' -then suck it up madam- if you want the State to provide for you then cut down and budget like the working families have to.

[naomi24]

Good grief! This is supposed to be a serious section of AB.

Carry on - I'm off.

[MadMen]

Maggie, it takes the piss doesn't it.
No wonder so many people are of the opinion it's better to stay at home than go to work!

[MadMen]

Naomi, exactly what I was saying. Fed up of reading through it.

[douglas9401]

Oh, I see what's happening. It's a game of 'I want the last word'.

[maggiebee]

Oh for funks sake, thought this site was for adults. Name calling and wandering way off the original subject like children in the playground. Give it up!

[Purple_Popple]

Welcome back! :)

[magsmay]

Jim -I presume you mean £500 per week not month -that's over £2000 per month -up north the average rental home is £400 -£500 which leaves £1500 for utilities, food, clothing - I don't spend that much a month and we're not particularly frugal.

[jim360]

There are some serious posts in here. I hope people will count mine among them but it's up to the readers I suppose what they think.

[emmie]

also take of the fact that some like Naomi have lived here, and LG i believe. I am still here, and believe me i know that some estate agents have property on their books that exceed what the majority can afford, that is mostly to buy, not just to rent. I do not know anyone who could afford 3k in rent, that would be bonkers anyway, if you are going to pay that much you would be better off buying even on the outskirts and schlep into the centre. I am also aware as is Boris Johnston who said as much that if it's not careful this city will be one of social cleansing, where the poor are moved out because they can't afford the high inflated rents, and only the mega rich will be able to afford it. I also know that is a very poor society indeed if it happens. NY had the same problem, i have no idea if they ever solved it, but this should be as economically as diverse as possible. As one wag said, who will clean their homes, and do their laundry if the poor are moved away. Only it's no laughing matter.

[jim360]

Oh yes, thanks magsmay per week not month. Though even so the same basic argument applies.

[jake-the-peg]

Ever had to sign on Mags?

I did - was redundant from My job as an IT manager shortly after my second child was born.

I was 5 months getting a new job - in that time the Government paid the interest on my mortgage.

If I'd been forced to move and take any job I'd have found it very hard to get back into the sort of work I'd trained for.

In terms of the tax the country has had off of me since then they are quids in! over if i'd ended up being forced stacking shelves in Tesco.

People need a reasonable time to re-establish themselves if things like that happen - I don't really see that in current reforms.

And yes we had to cut back on all sorts of things


That is where I draw my opinion from I'd be interested to know your experiences and from where you're drawing yours

[EvianBaby]

The cheapest property I could see on that list was £175 per week for a one bed. That's £700 per month. With council tax, utilities, travel fair, food and other essentials on top, that amounts to quite a sum for a single person to have to fork out every month. I wonder how many of Londons shop workers or waiters could afford that.

[jim360]

One more thing, part of the reason that the benefits bill is so high is that house prices have risen for a long time without falling significantly. So house prices, rent and so on are all higher than they could be. If ever the market suddenly collapsed, you might expect the housing benefit bill to fall similarly, and so the amount that the people with the highest "benefit income" would go down. So that's another reason why this cap is a bit of a strange idea, because it's completely artificial.

[MadMen]

Mags, I appreciate what you're saying but it's not as simple as "just moving to a smaller house". Ok, so if you rent then it's probably easier to just up sticks and move, but it's still very expensive and if you have kids, it means uprooting them.

[magsmay]

jake -read the original post - I was left a widow at 29 years old with 2 small children and no job so know a little bit about 'getting by' on benefits.

[magsmay]

Madmen -yes I total appreciate what you are saying -moving house would be a last resort scenario after trying everything else. My concern is that working families who lose income just have to deal with it and sometimes cannot be bailed out by benefits -everyone should be in the same boat -it should never ever be financially beneficial to be out of work.

[jake-the-peg]

Yes - but where do you get your impressions from about how everybody else is abusing the system?

[Gromit]

There are too many people on low paid jobs and the minimum wage is set too low. The result is the Government have to top up their earnings.

Double the minimum wage and see £millions saved on benefits. Cap greedy private landlords and see the housing benefit bill slashed.

[emmie]

well now you got that off your chest, how about coming down to earth a bit. Many that live in the capital are not rich, they are poor, middle and some wealthy, but that fact is changing, and quickly. as many of the first two categories are not able to sustain living here. It isn't just rents or buying that is high but just about everything else.

You have to have a balance of people in any society, those who get benefits of however much, may well have been wage earners, who had contributed to the coffers, and may do so again, but may be out of work currently with a home to support, and children, it may be temporary, but in this uneasy economic climate no one knows how things will pan out.
So the 500 quid cap comes in for a couple and 350 for a singleton.
if the people worked but currently can't get work, what would you suggest is adequate to live on per week. I am assuming someone in government, and with all the relevant agencies has come up with figure somehow. so what would you do..

[magsmay]

jake - i have not suggested anyone is abusing the benefits system -please quote me if I have - my OP was suggesting that £500 a week is a decent amount to live on and anyone on benefits should be grateful of our generous Welfare System and not moan!