A single mother with three kids has gone public with her household budget – and it’s got a whole nation talking.
New Zealand mum Ebony Andrews works as a learning support teacher. She also receives child support and some government assistance, bringing her weekly income up to $968.80. But by the time she’s paid rent ($460), power and water bills ($80), car loan/expenses ($115), petrol ($100), phone and internet ($32.50), insurance ($85) and school costs ($15), she only has $81.30 left for food.
This is how she spends it:
$9.20 for milk
$10 for bread
$1.50 for margarine
$10 for spreads
$1.75 for cheese
$35 for fruit
$12.55 for vegetables and meat
Bread - cheap and filling. Photo via iStock.
Andrews went public to dispel the myth that parents who send their kids to school without lunch must be jobless, wasting their money or bad at budgeting.
"If you have seen my budget, I can't waste," she told NZME. "I think they are just assuming. They don't actually see it, in real life, how we run our own budgets. It's really hard."
Andrews doesn't drink or smoke. She says the family can't afford treats, and she hasn't taken her kids to the movies in four years. She sometimes turns to NZ charity KidsCan for food, clothing and shoes.
Her decision to share her household budget so openly has sparked off a big discussion in New Zealand about poverty. KidsCan chief executive Julie Chapman says 40 per cent of kids living in poverty have at least one parent working.
Andrews has had a sympathetic response since going public. One woman offered to shout the family a trip to the movies. Others donated money, with one person in Japan offering $1000.
But she's also had some criticism on social media, with some saying they manage to get by with less, and others pointing out savings tips.
It's not just jobless families living in poverty. Photo via iStock.
Personally, I can't imagine feeding a family of four on just $81 a week. I'm sure I spend at least three times that feeding two adults and two children (and two dogs). If my kids like something that's healthy but expensive - avocados, raspberries, etc - I'll buy it. For me, it's important for everyone to enjoy their meals, as well as to be nourished. Plus, I tend to buy everything in one hit from the supermarket, rather than hunting around for cheaper options, because I don't have much time for shopping. But I'm lucky that my family has two incomes and I can afford to spend that amount on food. I make my savings in other areas (like, I drive a really old car).
The thought of struggling to find enough money to feed my kids, or having to send them to school without lunch, is terrifying.
Could you feed a family on $81 a week?
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Top Comments
I'm on a disability pension, have a 5 year old, and have no money left in my budget for food, after paying the essentials (utilities, mortgage, insurance, petrol, etc). Unfortunately, because of my health, I have to have health insurance which, along with gaps for specialists, puts my costs over the top. But, without the health insurance, I would be in an even worse position. I have no debts at all, apart from my mortgage. And yes, I have been told by a "friend" that she knows people in a similar situation who manage on less. Well, I have no idea how they do it, but I have cut my costs to the bone, and cannot find a way to make my budget balance. This is a fairly new situation for me after going through a separation in April. I used the small amount of savings I had for food and other essentials, but that is gone now, so I have no idea what I'm going to do going forward. I am being forced to sell my house, but my mortgage payments are less than rent will be, so that won't help me at all!
I'm not looking for sympathy, as the same "friend" suggested I was. I do think, though, that people should be aware that being unable to make your budget balance on a government pension does not mean that you are a spendthrift. I rarely drink, I don't smoke, and when I go out it is mainly to visit friends or my older children (who are in uni, so are not in a position to help).
Its an awful position to be in for somebody who used to be quite independent and completely self-sufficient, and not something I would wish on anybody. If push comes to shove, I will have to ask for help from a charity, so I can feed my child. I cannot tell you how hard that is to do, though! I have had to do it before, and to my dismay, I ended up in tears when explaining my position to the very kind lady helping me. I am trying to find some way of earning even a little extra income so that I can buy food, but haven't got anywhere with that so far. One way or another, I'm determined to find a way to offer my little boy a better, more positive, successful role model than I'm able to give him right now. In the meantime, the best I can do is to make sure he doesn't go hungry, and that home for him is a loving, safe harbour from the storms that surround us.
Beth, I'm not sure why you are being forced to sell, especially if it is not going to improve your situation. You should phone a financial counsellor before you make any decisions. The hotline is 1800 007 007. You may be eligible for financial hardship whereby the bank will offer a temporary arrangement with your repayments to assist your particular situation. Can you maybe uber drive for some cashflow?
You sound super resilient and I know you will get through this. Your little boy is lucky he has you.
Is there a more affordable area that you could possibly move to? Is there someone you could co rent with temporarily? Can your sons school help at all with perhaps covering uniform costs or excursion costs etc? Are there any other benefits that you could claim for? Does your sons father pay child support? Could he pitch in extra for your sons food? Could your older children possibly temporarily pick up an extra day of work to help you out? (A Sunday shift with penalties might be enough to cover his food expenses?) I hope any of those suggestions are helpful to you.
That's kind of you to say so, thank you.
With regard to being forced to sell the house: my former husband wants money out of the house so he can buy a house for himself. Even though I bought the house two years before we got married, apparently he has a right to about 40% of any profit from the house. Because I have no real income I cannot borrow against the house to buy him out. Even if I could, I wouldn't be able to pay the increased payments.
A hardship arrangement with regard to my mortgage payments might be possible in the short term, but apparently it will only be possible if I have a plan as to how to improve my financial situation going forward (eg. by selling my house).
Thanks for the telephone number. I have contacted a financial counsellor, but there is quite a long wait for an appointment. I have asked them to put me on their cancellation list, though.
Unfortunately, my health isn't good enough to do Uber driving. Any work I do would need to be something I could do from home on my computer.
I haven't given up yet. I've just got to get through the current dip in my health, so I can do some more research and deal with another round of telephone calls!
Thank you for your suggestions :). Unfortunately my son's father isn't working. I don't live in an expensive area at all, and moving schools would be difficult for my little boy, because of his issues with anxiety, amongst others.
I'm afraid my older children wouldn't cope with work on top of their studies because of other issues I can't get into here.
I've considered co-renting, but my health makes it hard. I'm not sure how to manage it.
I've been given numbers to contact, that I will try as soon as I'm a bit better.
$1.50 for margarine. There is a reason margarine is so cheap.