Surviving on benefits - could you?

We had to for a while when my partners work closed down, it took him over 6 months to find another job and our savings disappeared really quickly.

Because his job was quite good money we got a place that the rent was above average. So when he lost his job we really struggled...we had $40 Australian a fortnight after we payed the rent to put on food, bills and fuel.

We practically lived off noodles and toast. We had cheap meals like spaghetti bog for dinner, and we cooked in bulk so we ate the same thing about 3 nights in a row. It's really hard to eat healthily with much money aswell, so we didn't really feel that great.

It really played on our relationship. We could barely leave the house because we had no fuel, so we were stuck with each other all day everyday, bored, feeling like crap, and really snappy at each other.

We also had to borrow heaps of money from my mum to cover bills, which makes you feel pretty low.

So we survided, you have to, but barely, it has a huge physical and emotion effect. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if our rent wasn't so high though :-/

hi,are you sure you are getting everything you should? because i was on income support for 6 months 2 years ago after being made redundant and i had £123 a week plus 20 a week of child benefit . Are you claiming child tax credit too? you should.

I never Judge people like you and me.my brother in law just lost his £30 000 a year job and he has not have been able to get one for 8 weeks now,not even a £10000 a year one.

I think the answer is I can if if i need too,but it is hard as you know it

So you get child's tax credits, child benefit and housing benefit.

My outgoings come way under £130 a week, excluding rent (full housing benefit until my maternity leave is up) and I also have a family of three. I don't think it's too unreasonable.

We don't smoke or drink which helps A LOT. I know so many families on benefits who smoke and drink and then complain they don't have any change at the end of the week.

i'm in a simalar situation to you my partner just got made redundant last week without pay and he had to claim jobseekers allowance and child tax credits his final wage has just run out and were waiting on job seekers to come through we have 2 sons 5 and 7 and due a baby at christmas it will be a few weeks before i can say how we're managing on benifits but i can honestly say we're not 1 of the well of on benifits the papers are talking about i'm just so glad we sorted christmas and the baby's stuff before this happened and hopefully he will get a job soon

University cities may have a lot of bar jobs but they also have a lot of students applying for them.

I'm not sure why you think seven years of flitting between widely varying jobs would make your fiance an attractive interview candidate. I'd imagine most employers would want someone they think would stay for a while.

Could we survive on £130 a week? No. Which is why we waited until we had graduated and were in stable careers until we had kids. Having a _second_ kid while this uncertain financially is just completely alien to me, I'm afraid. Having to work until 3 am to "make ends meet" is _desperately_ financially unstable. Didn't this occur to you? You seem to think your situation was stable and normal. What were you planning to do when the baby was born if you _hadn't_ lost your job?

It's people like you who deserve the benefits but sadly, they are squandered on the scum of our society who have no intentions of contributing anything at any point in their miserable lives, instead happy to scrounge forever, working on the side if need be to top up their benefit income.

I feel bad for you, but it won't be forever hun, your fiance will get a decent wage when he qualifies so hang on in there and take pride knowing that you, unlike most, are not happy living on benefits.

Good luck.

I am a single parent living on £65 a week.

I wouldn't have got pregnant.