UK welfare benefits - surviving on nothing.

Seriously. Surviving on nothing. That is what the unemployed of the UK do now.

Let me clarify just a little

UK Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) Is 51GBP per week. That's just over 200GBP a month. At current conversion rates, that is roughly $326US. A month. A MONTH!

The only bills we have removed are rent and council taxes, any other taxes, electric, gas, water rates, etc etc, are all to be paid out of that amount per month. So lets work this out shall we?

I get 204 per month (no money symbol = GBP, american laptop)

My electricity and gas costs 45 per month, so deduct that = 159
My phone and internet, which are essential for my ldr costs 30 a month = 129
My water rates cost 54 a month = 75
My cellphone contract doesn't end yet, so that costs me 36 p/m = 39
Oh, I had a loan when I moved in, so they deduct 20 p/m for that = 19

Nineteen Pounds. That amount there, good folks, is all I have with which to keep my cat alive, buy essential toiletries (for any confusion, I'm female, shampoo and tampons are considered essential), feed myself, keep my clothes clean, travel to and from job interviews which I never receive anyway, and any other emergency that may come up.

As a result of this, i've lived on nothing but ramen noodles for three weeks. I can't afford anything else, other things take priority.

There have been a hell of a lot of calculations done by various sources, and all agree that the current JSA rate isn't even HALF of what the average single unemployed 21 year old needs to survive on. This is independancy? No wonder adults are living at home with their mom's into their mid 30s, it's impossible to do practically.

As it is, I have no option but to do this, because I have no where I can go. However, I strongly advise anyone who wants out but has no job and no income to think twice about what the fuck they're doing, because it's nowhere near to easy

Enjoy your day.