Just opened my brown envelope – it says I have to go to the Job Centre to sign on today.  I have to deduct £4.50 to cover the cost of a bus fare there and back.  As John has said on his facebook page, this leaves me with 65p for three days, including the weekend.  I would have to go in real life otherwise I would be sanctioned and lose my benefits.  I live about 8 miles from the nearest Job Centre which highlights just how unfair the system is to these young people – if they live close enough they can walk and not spend the money – but for most people this would simply be too far and take too much time to walk – 16 miles there and back.

The same applies to shopping – you can only carry just so much at one go.  and long distances make it difficult to pop into the shops at the right time to buy up the reduced price food, which you can get in places like Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s every day. I’m not allowed to carry much at a time anyway as I had major surgery in January – lots of people trying to survive on benefits must be in the same situation and can’t afford the luxury of a car, which I do have.