My personal view on benefits, is that instead of being given in cash, it should be given in vouchers instead ( so specific for food/household etc) and then if one has a car, they can trade in x amount of vouchers for car maintenance/pets etc

I spent years in the Thatcher era being castigated as scrounging slut (unsupported mother because the OH walked out). I scrubbed floors in the morning and washed glasses half the night to supplement the pittance we got (and yes, I declared it!)
If anyone thinks it`s easy... walk a mile in their shoes.
I`m saddened by the sour sniping at people who are `not like us`...because they`re foreign, black, workless, unsupported, depressed, homeless, uneducated or plain hopeless.
Why not be grateful for what you have rather than being unhappy about how others lead their lives? You`d be a lot happier.

Well said!

I'd be a damn sight happier if there was some equality in this country that's for sure!

I'm sorry that you feel guilty for being on benefits, but as I've said already (and many times before) I have no problem with people claiming benefits genuinely - that's what being part of society should be all about. My problem is with those who use benefits to fund their lifestyle when they could quite easily go out and get a job.

I would suggest you walk a mile in my shoes, being surrounded by layabouts who do ****** all day in day out and have a fantastic lifestyle, while I go to work each day and can't even afford a holiday isn't a lot of fun either.

Oh and before you advise me to move house I can't, because I'm priced out of the market in my old village, unless of course I'd have popped out a couple of kids - then it would've been my god given right to have social housing in my local area.

As it happens because I'm honest and I've worked all my life I have to live where I can afford it and that, sadly, is behind the local town chav estate!

I learned a long time ago, you cannot change other people, but you CAN change your attitude to them, I then found life became a lot more harmonious and I was a lot more content.

As the old saying goes:

Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?

I was on £50 p/w once, which I believe is fairly similar to JSA?

With that I had to keep my horse (livery/farrier/wormer), my car (weekly petrol costs, MOT, Insurance, Tax) and make sure I ate! It was hard but I did it. Thankfully my rent was covered by OH's parents, as around that point I was very ill.

Even to this day I don't buy new clothes, don't drink, don't smoke and go out maybe once every 2-3 months. Although I am glad I am well enough to be able to work in a job above NMW and pay for things - Although sadly still can't afford sky TV!

The same here..We both work (one of us part time) everything we own, we pay for ourselves, therefore we treasure everything we have (OH's passion is his Volvo V40 t4)

There are people in this village who are nice, people who are morons. People who are low incomes, high incomes, on benefit or not (well, if you have kids, technically you are on benefits!) Matters not one jot.

Yes, its annoying that I cannot buy the Oh a newer T4, and DS has mainly cheap toys/clothes or ebay/car booted bits and bobs when the local sponger has a brand new Mini Cooper and her kids are in the latest Baby Gap. But you know what, I wouldnt trade our lives nor our possessions. Couldnt be happier with our lot. Plus I love that we are the only people in this neck of the woods to have a Volvo T4 (200bhp would beat that Mini without breaking a sweat!)

ditto that!

(and btw...you are not missing anything with not having sky!)

But babies could not care less WHAT they wear or WHAT they play with, they have not learned to be competitive or to think that something with a logo is worth MORE than something that is not.

It is not THINGS that make you happy (or at least it should not be) it is what you CANNOT buy however rich you are that are priceless..........

quite agree. baby poo stains whether its primarche or gap!