David Cameron's new Benefits

This a serious matter thread. we' re gonna get a smack in a minute

 

Getting back to topic, that tale makes me wonder whether families who have a second child of the same sex as earlier ones actually need the same amount of Tax Credit, Family Allowance, JSA, etc. as those who say have a boy then a girl, as they could be dressed in 'hand me down' clothes, share toys, bicycles, bedrooms (& therefore have lower heating costs), etc., thus reducing wasteful benefit payments (similar to what's done with Housing Benefit).

Any other suggestions?

 

Our local hospice shop has more pristine "cast off" toys that you can throw bricks at. A newborn baby has about 12 sets of 0 to 6 month starter sets from doting grand parents and friends. Why so many?
Start a pension fund account instead.

 

That's could be the basis of further savings - base the clothing element of benefits charity shop/jumble sale/car boot prices, and reduce maternity grants for non-workers as they can hunt around for cheap 2nd hand stuff.

Keep them coming.

 

If you have a girl followed by a boy, make the boy wear his sister's old pink dresses. It saves money and is character building.

 

Some blue Dylon and it's sorted.

What about reducing the food element of all benefits? If housing benefit is being paid for a property with a garden then they can grow some of their own stuff. If not working they'll also have the time to forage in the hedgerows and hang around supermarkets until they reduce their end of shelf life food? No Garden? - then make some window boxes, tubs, etc. out of old pallets.


P.S. If you think all of those suggestions are rather harsh, I've done and still do all of those (except the blue Dylon one).

 

I've noticed that immigrant families in my area make their food money stretch much further than native born Brits simply because they are prepared to spend their time scouring shops for the cheapest options and indeed grow their own stuff. We used to have a greengrocer's shop over the road. The owner was always moaning that mums on benefits wouldn't touch anything that didn't come out of a freezer, oven ready.

 

My dd's 10 are wearing clothes my ds had when he was 14, he is now 19, due to him being disabled (from birth) some clothes don't last, and they are certainly not branded clothes.
Ds uses wheelchair, in pain daily, and as well as his college subjects he also doing another course , paying for it himself, all because he is worried that any job he goes for, he will be passed over for an "able bodied" person, not all people who claim are happy with that life style, Ds would give anything to be pain free, be able to walk and rely on no one for basic needs.

However there are far more people who are happy to live the lifestyle of the world owes me everything, which unfortunately ruins it for all the legitimate cases.

 

Thanks for your post, Sparra. No one could label your family as undeserving. I do hope everything works out.

 

Thank you ClaraLou, Luckily ds is very stubborn, don't know where he gets it from

I know people who refuse to seek help just so they will not be tared with the "scrounger" label, but also have heard of parents my age advising their offspring of how to wangle this and that with as little effort as possible, It is maddening.

 

I have followed this thread from start to finish ( no - nowhere near finished yet) and I haven't seen anything that condones the "benefits for nowt" ethic.
It's quite a cathartic thread and it can only do good to voice our opinions. It isn't going to get better in the near future. Maybe it will never get back to where it was, in cloud cuckoo land. I don't think we are the revolution type in GB ,all we can do is vote for change at the next election.
Thank goodness I have a little garden.

 

I think some of those claiming benefits need educating in how to use their spare time in being frugal/growing their own stuff. Some people actually complained when Mrs Scrungee suggested to them that they would reduce their expenditure and perhaps not have their homes repossessed/be evicted if they grew some food in their garden rather than buy stuff in packets from supermarkets.

If you're finding your heating bills excessive you can go a charity shop and buy thick woolly jumpers and then collect fir cones/sticks from the woods to burn in your fireplace to top up the turned down heating. Try suggesting that to some people though.