Could YOU live off £53 a week

Scroll to see replies

You guys don't get it.
The £53 a week is not to live of, it is just enough to keep you alive foodwise. That is all, the government don't want you to be able to afford phone bills, internet, etc from their benefits. It is a bit short sighted, as it makes it hard for people to travel for interviews etc and might mean people can't pay rent or something, but I think the benefit scrougers have ruined what the benefits system should be.
Also, regarding to what someone said about fruit and veg, the government couldn't care less about you not getting your 5 a day. You don't NEED a healthy diet to stay alive and look for work intheir eyes.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 81

Kibalchich

Original post by Bonoahx

Pretty far-fetched inference that I think poor people deserve to be ill.

But OK, a bowl of apples, banana, pears and stuff wouldn't cost more than about £5, even if you got the very ripe ones from places like Marks & Spencer.

You're suggesting that poor people deserve to eat a bad diet.

There is already a 30 year discrepancy in life expectancy between the richest and poorest in this country. 30 years!

Reply 82

russellsteapot

Original post by Bronco2012

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.

Of those whose financial situations I know (not loads, admittedly, as I don't tend to ask), probably 50-60% of people I know at uni receive no parental assistance, and only half of those have anything resembling a proper job.

I imagine this depends somewhat on the backgrounds of the people we know, quite a few of my friends have non-working parents or are otherwise financially independent. There are dozens of people I've seen on here in similar situations. I've never had a penny from my parents myself.

I think it's probably incorrect to say that practically everyone receives support, although in the absence of some accurate survey data I suppose we'll never know.

Reply 83

CreedofMaurus

Original post by College_Dropout

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.

If you think they are luxuries....what world are you living in mate?

Reply 84

username242140

Original post by Bronco2012

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.

I live soley off my loan, and this year I'm on placement (unpaid) and it's been cut down to 2 grand, just because "that's what it is" for placement years. This year though I live with my boyfriend and thankfully he's willing to support me making up the difference. You're right though, most people I know got at least one grant. But I don't, and neither did he when he was at uni.

Reply 85

kentjojo

getting to interviews is covered by the job center if you are on benefits.
I live on £55 a week,
£2.50 p/w for my phone (£10 month giffgaff)
£10.50 p/w for broadband and phone (cannot leave contract that was started when i was working)
£2.00 towards tv license
£10 gas
£5 electric (my dad does vice versa £10 electric £5 gas)
£20 food
equals £50 per week
£5 for anything else that i might need through out the week. if not i save this for a luxury every now and then.

to be fair if i lived on my own i wouldn't manage, but that's why i chose to live with my dad when I was working to help him out.

Reply 86

kentjojo

Original post by CreedofMaurus

If you think they are luxuries....what world are you living in mate?

good point,
toiletries are not a luxury, you have the right to wash and keep yourself clean.

Reply 87

Darkphilosopher

Excluding transport, utilities, rent and evening meals, I live off ~£20 per week.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 88

boba

Original post by Darkphilosopher

Excluding transport, utilities, rent and evening meals, I live off ~£20 per week.

Posted from TSR Mobile

why would you exclude all of those things?

Reply 89

PonchoKid

as a student no, considering my rent is £87 a week. but not counting my rent, i have £100 a month to live off. and i can manage that, so £53 a week would be like luxury for me!

Reply 90

HopefulMidwife

Depends on whether that includes bills. If yes, no. If not, yes.

Reply 91

Observatory

Original post by blue n white army

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.

Obviously he just knee-jerk responded that he could live on whatever benefits this man lived on.

You could do it, probably, if you lived in a shed and ate nothing but rice for every meal. Living like that legally would be much harder, but then even benefits nets a higher income than £2,700/year.

Reply 92

bitsandbows

Think it mainly depends who you are and who you live with etc. I know many students who have to live off £15/20 a week- I don't feel for them in the slightest. They have paid their rent and bills before that and anything else that isn't a luxury is food- but when they insist on buying Tesco Organic- again, I tend not to pity them.

However, if you are a single mother and you are handed that a week- don't understand how you would manage. You would have at least one extra mouth to feed and clothe and plus you would have additional expenses. Lets not forget that many people also have to volunteer in order to get jobs on JSA- were is the money for bus fares etc suppose to come from? Childcare while you are job seeking?

Reply 93

bitsandbows

Original post by Martyn*

£20 for food. What are you eating? Noodles and toast?

More than do-able. I brought a packet of Quorn mince, 4 chicken breasts, 4x packets of everyday value veg, pack of pasta, everyday value grapes, packet of everyday value apples and 6x diet coke for £15 today. That will do me for 4/5 days.

Reply 94

Observatory

Original post by Kibalchich

Are you kidding? A diet with no fruit and veg and high in sugar? You think poor people deserve to be ill? There's already a massive link between social class and health, ever wonder why?

1. People with chronic illnesses are more likely to be poor because they are less capable of work.

2. People who are poor are more likely to overeat, smoke and binge drink. These things are choices.

Why do poor people make them? Some people claim it's because the knowledge that rich people exist makes them sad, which causes them to smoke, drink and gulp down chocolates to feel better. This explanation seems implausible to me. It's more likely that lack of foresight is a character trait that makes people more likely to smoke, drink and overeat and makes people less likely to pursue education and long-term employment. If you're living in the next 5 minutes, university or trade school seems like a boring waste of time, getting fired for not waking up in time for work doesn't seem too bad, and who cares about lung cancer in 30 years?

Reply 95

Martyn*

Original post by bitsandbows

There's seven days in a week.

Reply 96

bitsandbows

Original post by Martyn*

There's seven days in a week.

I know. But I will probably only need another bag of frozen veg and some more chicken for another £5 and done.

Reply 97

Heteronym

Know quite a few people in Brazil who work their assess off to make which is a little over 200 pounds a month (minimum salary or a little more than that), whilst having no benefits from the government whatsoever (well, they might receive circa 30 pounds more if they have a kid). Yes, rent, buses, bills, food, bla bla bla.

Bear in mind that absolutely every public service in here sucks. So that results in mind-crashing experiences on the way to and from work, since the buses and tubes are terrible, being subjected to the TERRIBLE health-care system that might just as well leave you in a line while you're dying and sending their kids to a disgusting public school that is not gonna lead them anywhere.

Consdering that 30% of brazilians are not registered workers, those people wouldn't even be entitled to what it's called "unemployement insurance" when they don't have a job. Even the ones who are registered, they would receive the minimum salary (which is ridiculous anyway) for just a few months. Then it's out on the street begging.

So I think, I THINK, that someone could live off 53 a week under a paid roof and no job in a developed country such as England. Granted that the cost of living is different in each situation, but still...it is doable and in now way in a "unacceptable low" standard of living. Well, either that or the definiton of "unacceptable" also differs in each country.

Reply 98

Kibalchich

Original post by Observatory

The downward drift hypothesis as applied to poverty? Despite all evidence, you're seriously arguing this? Coupled with the "individual choice" argument? Lack of foresight as a character trait? Laughable. If you want to seriously argue this nonsense, you're gonna have to provide some evidence.