Are working people this dependant on benefits

[The Spartan]

Been following all these stories on the Grauniad:

Food costs: 'When four bars of chocolate are £1, you end up on junk' | Society | guardian.co.uk

'Needs must': family squeezed by coalition cuts and rising food bills | Society | guardian.co.uk

Are people really this benefit dependant? As they don't sound too bad off to me, the one family even has 4 kids. Sounds like childcare might be the business to being as both these articles cite it as being expensive.

[Mich the Tester]

Been following all these stories on the Grauniad:

Food costs: 'When four bars of chocolate are £1, you end up on junk' | Society | guardian.co.uk

'Needs must': family squeezed by coalition cuts and rising food bills | Society | guardian.co.uk

Are people really this benefit dependant? As they don't sound too bad off to me, the one family even has 4 kids. Sounds like childcare might be the business to being as both these articles cite it as being expensive.

"People might think that four children is asking for trouble but we coped perfectly well until the coalition came in and began cutting away at the tax credit system

Arguably, yes, having four children if you're dependent on tax credits to pay for their food is asking for trouble.

On the other hand, it's scary to see the middle classes being squeezed so hard. If the middle classes have no disposable income then the economy's fooked for a very long time yet.

[Robinho]

People don't know the meaning of poverty in this country.

[NotAllThere]

Finlay doesn't have free school meals because we earn more than £15k a year. I make him a packed lunch: a sandwich, made from a single slice of bread, folded over a slice of ham. A bag of crisps, a Kit Kat and, very rarely, a banana.

He gets free milk and free fruit until he turns five in one month's time. After that, it'll cost us £20 a term for milk and fruit

We have the most basic Sky TV deal – £24 a month. I would get rid of that entirely if I had to but Tony would have a problem with that, because the sport is important to him

um.

[Robinho]

People might think that four children is asking for trouble but we coped perfectly well until the coalition came in and began cutting away at the tax credit system at the same time as childcare costs increased. We used to get half of our childcare costs paid but now we get nothing because we earn over £40,000

Yes you poor innocent victims. You thought living off the taxpayer was the path to a secure future.

[OwlHoot]

um.

um what?

£20 per month for milk and fruit for a family with 4 kids sounds more than reasonable to me, in fact amazingly cheap.

Or are you implying that £24 a month for TV is wildly extravagent?

[Mich the Tester]

um.

If sport's that important I'm sure his local football/rugby/athletics club would appreciate one or two volunteers; that's a good way to get to see sports for free. OK, not necessarily premier league stuff, but it's sport and it's worth watching and getting involved if you really do love sport.

[BrilloPad]

They have to drive a car. And have a mobile phone. And money for booze. And fags. And Sky TV.

Only after all the above are taken care of will they spend on food.

[cailin maith]

um what?

£20 per month for milk and fruit for a family with 4 kids sounds more than reasonable to me, in fact amazingly cheap.

Or are you implying that £24 a month for TV is wildly extravagent?

I think he meant "um" in that if they jacked in Sky they could pay for the kids milk & fruit at school.

[minestrone]

Do you get any sport on the basic SKY package? (other than eurosport which is mince)