Could you live on £53 per week?

[simondjuk]

If you really had to?  It works out to £7.57 per day.

Bear in mind that according to the article on this link below, thats after rent and bills

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9966305/MPs-would-struggle-to-live-on-53-a-week-like-benefit-claimants-says-Treasury-minister.html

My guess would be yes you could but you would have to make sacrifices.

I might get some harsh comments back about this but my message to the £53 per week claimant 'get off your fat arse and get a job'

[Big Dave]

After rent and bills? I could survive indefinitely on £7.57 a day if that's the case!

[simondjuk]

After rent and bills? I could survive indefinitely on £7.57 a day if that's the case!

Thats what it says

"The minister in charge of cutting billions from Britain's welfare bill had claimed he could live on £53 per week - the same amount as one benefit claimant said he survives on after rent and bills"

[Old Cruser]

It's the unexpected monies we need say over 12 months which will bring hardship plus the extra's which are NOT bills.
Bus fares to shop,  (or do people on benefits get this paid via some sort of card?) medication when needed, the iron, washing machine, fridge, vacuum needs replacing or repairing. Do we put our pets to sleep as I doubt we would afford to keep them in food and vets bills if needed.
I am sure you can think of more unexpected monies that we need to pay out of the £7.57 per day.

[Big Dave]

But all bills are paid - to me that includes food bills and if you have pets, vet's bills too.
Until it's explained which bills are paid and which are to be paid out of the £7.57 a day it's a totally meaningless question.

[Old Cruser]

Agreed Dave - are they meaning just on food? and I am taking it that is for one person

[Slacker]

The cost of transport to go looking for a job is likely to be more than that much a day

[Slacker]

So let IDS put his money where his mouth is

https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/iain-duncan-smith-iain-duncan-smith-to-live-on-53-a-week

[Fly]

One things for sure. You wouldn't be having foreign holidays. Agree with BigDave though, what bills are paid ?

[simondjuk]

ok lets assume that rent and bills were just paid, that covers rent, electric, gas and water.

so £7.57 per day on food etc.  Could you if you had to?

[Big Dave]

£7.57 a day on food. I could manage that, the weight loss would do me good!

[emmz]

if everything else was paid for? Im sure then that £7.57 would do ok for a day, it would mean though that you would shop for the cheapest of things at the shop..that would be ok for me bar one thing Has to be heinz baked beans

[Old Cruser]

This is an unclear statement and none of us knows which 'bills' are included so pretty difficult to give an answer to as what one may perceive as 'bills' another may perceive differently.
Food alone would probably be easy enough as I was brought up to economise and can cook nutritious meals and for anyone who can't there are plenty of £1.00 deals in packaged foods although I don't think long term they are good for anyone.

So - what 'bills' are we looking at that a person would need to find?
I would look at

rent
council tax
gas
electricity
TV Licence
home insurance
washing machine insurance
telephone

I haven't counted a car as on £53.00 a week doubt if anyone could have one - or the cat's bills as now ours is getting older vets bills are increasing - or do we just have him put down? If so how much would that cost - could we afford it?

The above are probably the main ones I can think of but can anyone think of any I may have missed that we maybe all need to pay?

@ Dave - I will join you in losing that weight 
@ Emmz agree with you there i only like Heinz baked beans some of the other brands are like bullets 

[emmz]

Water bills too, thats a pain when it comes in £115 that we have had to find in 2 weeks...the other half of that will come out before october.
What i havnt taken into account is Daughter goes dancing once a week, which is an added extra of £4 a week plus other halfs waist wise group at now £2.50 a week since it has just increased the prices.

[therealjr]

Presumably the 'bills' we are talking about are those that get paid to those on benefits.
So that includes rent, council tax possibly water rates.
Pretty sure it doesn't include electricity and gas.
Certainly won't include food.
But equally (and this is where a lot of benefit claiments leave themselves wide open when the Daily Mail come calling) it doesn't include beer, cigs and watching Sky Sports on a 60" plasma tv.