To Iain Duncan Smith: Yes, you could live on £53 per week

Dear Iain,   Here's your grocery shopping list of mostly weekly or bi-weekly essentials. And the rest, like transport, phone bills/top-ups, Gas, Electricity, Water, Internet... Try this for a Year at least! as asked by over 58,000 of us in this petition, change.org - Iain Duncan Smith to live on £53 a week - petition We would like you to put your, no, our money where your mouth is!

Costs of Living:

BILLS Electricity £4.00 Gas £6.00 Council Tax* (maybe) £10.00 Water (Fresh/Waste) £10.00 Telecommunications (yes IDS, you need to cancel that £60pm mobile contract) £15.00 £45.00 GROCERIES Food & living £33.94 £78.94

In focus: That's £25.94 Over budget, which means I need a shorter shopping list... £8.00 to spend.. £18 if you don't pay Council Tax £23 if you decide you can afford not to be contacted or call JSA/Benefit Agencies; with a premium rate call cost if you cannot leave the house and call from their offices. Which reminds me, they do not allow Crisis loan calls on their land lines, so guess what... you pay at least 50p a minute. Last time I did this I spent 90 minutes in a queue, 60 on hold, and after insisting I fill in the form over the phone, as the online form is fundamentally flawed, 30 minutes of talk time, resulting another 90 minutes of hold, and then being cut off, only to receive a letter of rejection. £135 call, I guess that goes to the government.   We Haven't even got round to basic clothing, transport, even insurance or even poll taxes yet!

*With Council Tax, The CAB really beats around the bush here with no actual useable figures, typical of a government agency created to make things easier for people!

Also assuming that benefits pay your rent.
At what's left for people who have lost thier jobs, still paying a mortgage and repayments on a car, pets, divorcees still paying for children? The disabled, who on most account are now denied help or recognition by even the NHS thanks to massive barbaric cuts.

Also picture this, paid for by your taxes:
http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/more-spent-on-bombs-and-war-than-disability-benefits-the-true-legacy-of-the-paralympic-games/

Forget even having a TV Liscence

If you think you can fit this in to £53 to survive, please, please contact me!

See also:

• http://www.nriol.com/uk-visitors/cost-of-living-in-uk.asp
• http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=1107251
   

Conclusion:

 

If you ask me at the end of the day, the ones of us who are being given no choice but to live on benefits make such fantastic accountants that really they should be the people in government calculating the nation's budget!

Well Iain, I guess that, seeing as you have benefitted from inheriting a paid for house, being able to claim expenses, having the money to pay you own cleaners, accountants, have your own savings, a decent pension which will never be stolen the your government, and financial contributions from wealthy supporters, you should have no problem living on £53 a month. Now you can buy your weekly petrol or train pass with that handy £53, and spare the rest of your weekly budget with those savings, expense claims, and those contributions you earn.

Well done, see, you can prove to us all now that you can easily complete this task! I am sure many people will visit you in the future to give you a hefty pat on the back for showing us how it's done

Your's Sincerely,

"Benefit Scum"