Could you live off £53 a week

[Barry Fish]

Ian Duncan Smith can Be funny if he put his money where his mouth is

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/apr/01/iain-duncan-smith-live-benefits

[bunique]

Not on your nelly.

[Paul ™]

Nearly 130,000 signatures in less than 24 hours.. I wish he would do this for a year and see how he gets on.

Link

[Kyelo]

Well between my phone and Sky bills half that money would be gone...I think I'd have to cut back!

[windy_miller]

I don't think it is possible. I have signed the petition.

[the_hedge]

Wouldn't cover my car loan and visa bill

[Spindles]

I signed the petition, up to 185k now, I am sick and tired of hearing people who have no clue what hardship is talking about hardship like it is something they could handle. Bullshit, utter bullshit.

It is possible to "survive" on this money, however as many have mentioned, it wouldn't even cover travel to work in some parts of the country, let alone living expenses.

[LondonTom]

You could probs just about live....it wouldn't be any sort of quality of life.....but maybe just about survive.

Edited April 2, 2013 by LondonTom

[gary1979666]

Heard a lot about this £53 - what is it meant to cover? Food, rent, utilities, ...?

[bunique]

I think it's after housing. So bills, food, travel, childcare presumably too.

[lost]

Heard a lot about this £53 - what is it meant to cover? Food, rent, utilities, ...?

[Paul ™]

Take off FB

https://www.facebook.com/dom.stocqueler/posts/10200504189300601

OK Duncan Smith, here is your £53

I've deducted -

£15 for your electricity and gas. You are on a pre-payment card and it costs more

£3 towards your TV License

£3 towards your travel costs to sign once a fortnight

£14 as your are now a social housing tenant you have two bedrooms. Don't give me that nonsense about your wife being unwell

£2 Council Tax contribution as you live in England

That leaves you £16 a week to live on, barely enough for a daily pint of milk and a copy of that vile newspaper that published you this morning.

OK, let's forget the milk and the paper. I'm going to take another £5 for phone charges as the DWP are on a premium rate number and £5 off towards that crisis loan you took out to pay to get your boiler repaired. That's £6 a week to survive on.

Think you can still do it? Try doing it ever bastard week.

No 'just saying', no 'best wishes' and Seren is too fucking cross to comment.

You can rot in hell.

[GuitarManDan15]

As a student I used to live on £53 a week, minus rent of course.

Around £20 a week on food, had to save up for a month for a TV and the ariel.

My phone contract was £5 a week, doing things with my girlfriend like Lunch or going for a coffee in between lectures a tenner.

I walked everywhere so no travel costs, and had a bike if I needed to go further a field, which i saved up for and bought cheap of gumtree.

Then internet was around a fiver a week

So £40 a week expenditure, with nearly £15 a week to save up, so after a month i had £60, plenty for a second hand bike or TV.

People need to learn to live within there means and get bargains. Not everyone needs a HUGE TV, a car and sky TV

[mrtourette]

It's possible depending on circumstances, although some in other situations would fins it impossible and it wouldn't take much to swing it in that direction (although some would also find other forms of benefits avialable to them).

I fully agree that if it is possible it's still a desperate situation to be in and MP's wading into the argument will only ever come across as patronising and smug. Foolish move.

[Paul ™]

As a student I used to live on £53 a week, minus rent of course.

Around £20 a week on food, had to save up for a month for a TV and the ariel.

My phone contract was £5 a week, doing things with my girlfriend like Lunch or going for a coffee in between lectures a tenner.

I walked everywhere so no travel costs, and had a bike if I needed to go further a field, which i saved up for and bought cheap of gumtree.

Then internet was around a fiver a week

So £40 a week expenditure, with nearly £15 a week to save up, so after a month i had £60, plenty for a second hand bike or TV.

People need to learn to live within there means and get bargains. Not everyone needs a HUGE TV, a car and sky TV

Edited April 2, 2013 by Paul ™

[mrtourette]

If I was in that situation I don't think I'd bother with home insurance. I doubt I'd have anything that would make trying to afford it worthwhile, especially with any excess on the policy.

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

As a student I used to live on £53 a week, minus rent of course.

Around £20 a week on food, had to save up for a month for a TV and the ariel.

My phone contract was £5 a week, doing things with my girlfriend like Lunch or going for a coffee in between lectures a tenner.

I walked everywhere so no travel costs, and had a bike if I needed to go further a field, which i saved up for and bought cheap of gumtree.

Then internet was around a fiver a week

So £40 a week expenditure, with nearly £15 a week to save up, so after a month i had £60, plenty for a second hand bike or TV.

People need to learn to live within there means and get bargains. Not everyone needs a HUGE TV, a car and sky TV

[Rufus Gwertigan]

What about Gas & Electic?

Home Insurance?

Clothing?

[lost]

http://devilsknife.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/ids-and-53-per-week.html?m=1

reading this it seems my figures maybe wrong, might be 53 a week after all bills are paid.

[mrtourette]

Or TV licence, council tax and water rates.

[mrtourette]

Also the original statement was £53 after rent and bills.

The MP, who earns £134,565 a year as a Cabinet minister, insisted he could live on £53 a week after a 51-year-old market trader told the BBC that he gets by on the meagre sum.

David Bennett said he earned around £2,700 last year - around £50 a week - and has had to borrow money after his housing benefit was cut to £57 a week.

It later emerged that Mr Bennett also gets tax credits, which can be worth between £37 and £50 from the Government. However, he is left with just £53 a week after paying rent and bills.

Edited April 2, 2013 by mrtourette

[Paul ™]

Still need Gas & Electric though, so that's going to be a minimum of £10 a week.

Yeah he wouldn't pay Council Tax as would be exempt from it as a Student, but will still have the water rates part of it.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

Dont forget that 53 a week is not far off what an under 25 is expected to live on on the dole.

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

Also the original statement was £53 after rent and bills.

Of course not sure what 'bills' covers, could be gas, electric and water or could also be phone and TV.

[mrtourette]

It doesn't pay for water or heating.