Could YOU live off £53 a week

It's been talked about quite a lot this week because IDS said he could live off £53 a week and of course there has been uproar from certain people

Ive been thinking it would be quite easy so i feel that i am missing something out. Could someone clear up for me what this £53 needs to pay for.

This is what is going on in my head please add to and correct any mistakes from the list below

- Rent is covered by housing benefit
- I assume they don't pay council tax?
- what's the deal with the Tv licence? is that paid for?
- Bills aren't paid for and come out the £53
- Food and clothes comes out of the £53

Two points to this thread

1- Clear up exactly what the £53 needs to pay for
2- Do you think you could cope with £53 a week in benefits.

note: please try not to turn it into an attack on labours past welfare policies or the conservatives current policies i feel that topic has been done to death in numerous other threads. I just want to see who thinks they could cope and who couldn't.

Reply 1

Spontogical

Been there done that. If you're savvy - you can easily survive on £53 a week. Not sure what the £53 would need to pay for exactly - but if you cut all the unneeded stuff, and stick to the bare bone essentials + internet. you're fine imo. many others may disagree though.

Reply 2

College_Dropout

21

I could live off £53 easily, it wouldn't be very nice but hey.

Reply 3

Josh93

11

Probably, I think I'll let Ian do it first and see how that goes.

Reply 4

455409

17

Depends. Stuff like the bus can get very expensive.

A bus pass for a week for me is £20.

No.

OP

Original post by Spontogical

Been there done that. If you're savvy - you can easily survive on £53 a week. Not sure what the £53 would need to pay for exactly - but if you cut all the unneeded stuff, and stick to the bare bone essentials + internet. you're fine imo. many others may disagree though.

That's what i thought. I worked out a £45 (delivered cos i'm lazy) asda shop lasts me 3 weeks and i need an extra £10ish over those three weeks to get bread and milk. minus delivery, food costs £50ish for three weeks which is around £17 with some luxuries which could be axed.
Internet works out at £6 a week and i've budgeted bills at £10 a week.

that leaves £20 a week to play around with buying other semi- essential items.

Reply 7

Dragonfly07

18

Can easily survive on it short term, but there are several reasons why long term would be difficult

Job search requires travel, which is expensive
If you walk to save money, then you would need to buy new shoes more often which would be an almost impossible thing to do
If any machine in your house breaks down, you're screwed. No money to repair/replace, so you could be stuck with no heating/faulty toilet/etc etc.

Reply 8

Disputatio

2

Yeah easily.

7 days so thats 3 meals a day.

Of which they'd be kids meal or chicken burger meal at around £2 from the local chip shop so no travel or delivery cost. £48 done.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 9

russellsteapot

16

It's not ideal but can be done. I'm unsure where this £53 came from though as it's less than people get on JSA, the original '£53 a week man' actually gets £156 a week and it's difficult to know exactly what his situation is.

I've managed to survive on less than £53 a week in the past, and it seems more than most students will have left after accommodation expenses if they're not receiving financial support from their parents and don't have a part-time job.

Didn't enjoy doing it, but it's possible.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 10

British199

6

Weekly costs.
Gas/Electric: £17
Mobile: £2.50 (£10.00 O2 top up per month)
Toiletries: £5
Cleaning products: £2.50
Food: £20:00
Bus cost (For getting groceries back home): £4.00
Water Bill: £8.00 (Average £32 per month)

I think I have gone over £53 :eek:

Reply 11

College_Dropout

21

Original post by British199

Weekly costs.
Gas/Electric: £17
Mobile: £2.50 (£10.00 O2 top up per month)
Toiletries: £5
Cleaning products: £2.50
Food: £20:00
Bus cost (For getting groceries back home): £4.00
Water Bill: £8.00 (Average £32 per month)

I think I have gone over £53 :eek:

Use less electric
No mobile
No bus
No toiletries
The question was if you can live off £53, not if you can live off £53 while maintaining luxurys.

Reply 12

Kibalchich

It can be done for a few weeks or even months. Longer than that? How you gonna pay for repairing your washing machine? Buying a new hoover? Things like that?

Reply 13

miser

20

I'm sure IDS could do it in a technical sense, i.e., he wouldn't die, but the quality of life from doing so would be unacceptably low.

Reply 14

uniphysics

8

The reason for claiming benefits is a lack of/no income, and it is simply a fall back to get you by. It should therefore only cover the bare essentials, all of which amount to less than £53 a week. So yes, it is sufficient TO SURVIVE.

Reply 15

blue n white army

OP

16

Original post by Kibalchich

It can be done for a few weeks or even months. Longer than that? How you gonna pay for repairing your washing machine? Buying a new hoover? Things like that?

as a student those two things wouldn't be noticed for about 6 months anyway :P

Reply 16

Millie228

9

No, I don't think so.

You can say "if I had to" - obviously if you don't have any more money and there is no way of getting some, you don't have a choice. You won't die of starvation.

But considering it should cover TV licence, cell phone bill, internet, TV, food and more, no. I wouldn't be able to get clothes anyway. Of course it's related to lifestyle, I spend that amount on food alone, so I would be a miserable **** if someone forced me to live on £53 a week.

That doesn't mean the amount is too low. It shouldn't be an amount you live comfortably on, it should be an absolute minimum until you get back to work.

Reply 17

Bronco2012

11

Original post by russellsteapot

It's not ideal but can be done. I'm unsure where this £53 came from though as it's less than people get on JSA, the original '£53 a week man' actually gets £156 a week and it's difficult to know exactly what his situation is.

I've managed to survive on less than £53 a week in the past, and it seems more than most students will have left after accommodation expenses if they're not receiving financial support from their parents and don't have a part-time job.

Didn't enjoy doing it, but it's possible.

You know that practically everyone gets one of the two at least?(I get both)

I honestly know one person who lives solely from his student loan.

Reply 18

Martyn*

13

Well it is difficult and even more difficult if you have to pay electric, gas, water, etc. I currently live in a bedsit and don't have to pay any bills except add £8 per week to the rent. It is difficult and you have to really watch your money. Sometimes you will run out of money and you may have to dip into the rent money, but claw it back later. Sometimes you won't have to. Remember that politician who went on that programme to see if he could live on JSA for a week or so. He lasted a couple of days.

The issue is that IDS doesn't have to live off £53 per week. He doesn't have to. I can easily say in comparison with IDS's statement, that I could sow seeds in a field in the middle of the Sahara and try to live off that if my life depended upon it. I don't have to though. The reality of me finding myself in that position is extremely slim. The reality of IDS finding himself in that position now is extremely slim.