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BENEFICIAL BUDGET
I spend ALL my child benefit cash on Christmas presents – it’s a huge haul, people might get mad but I’m entitled to it
Elesia Hayes spends a whopping £500 on each of her kids
IT’S less than two months until Christmas and plenty of mums across the country will slowly be descending into panic mode.
But mum-of-two Elesia Hayes isn't afraid of people mentioning the C-word.
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This is because Elesia, 23, has been shopping for her presents since January and wrapping them since March.
And budgeting hasn’t been a problem for the mum either a stay-at-home-mum Elesia has been using her child benefit to cover the cost.
She says that being on a tight budget means she likes to spread the cost of Christmas gifts out as much as possible.
“I can’t afford to buy in bulk,” the mum-of-two, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, says.
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“I have a low income, and I find that spreading the costs [helps].
“I spend my child benefits on presents, and it builds up to a good amount by Christmas.
“I’m usually finished around August, but if I see things I like after that then I’ll pick it up.”
Elesia, a single mum, estimates she spends around £300-£500 per child each year – which, between January and August, balances out at around £100 per month on gifts.
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Her efforts come complete with a Christmas Eve box for her son Jaxon, five, and her three-year-old daughter Olivia to enjoy ahead of the big day.
And their haul of gifts to open on Christmas morning is equally as impressive, with the mum able to nab bargains by shopping early.
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Elesia said: “It’s cheaper because I manage to pick up deals in the Prime day sales on Amazon and the toy events at shops like Asda, Tesco, and Argos.
“It just saves me struggling in the month when I spread out the cost.”
The thrifty mum lays out stacks of presents under their tree, all beautifully gift-wrapped months in advance.
This year, she has the lot sorted, with piles of toys wrapped in Disney, Marvel and standard festive paper.
Her little ones will enjoy goodies including Fisher-Price interactive stuffed animals and branded action figures, as well as a kindle for Jaxon.
Elesia said: “It’s important to me to give my children the best Christmas and gifts because I haven’t always [had that myself].
“I want them to have the best childhood, with occasions to remember.”
HOW TO CLAIM CHILD BENEFIT
Child benefit is worth up to £1,331 a year for your first or only child and up to £881 a year for additional children.
This works out at £102.40 every four weeks or £25.60 a week for your first child and £67.80 every 4 weeks or £16.95 a week for their siblings.
There is no limit on the number of children that can be claimed for.
Applying is straightforward and can be done in minutes at gov.uk or through the HMRC app.
Parents with a newborn baby should make a claim online as soon as possible and could then receive their first payment in as little as three days.
You can also backdate claims for up to three months.
Parents can make a claim and then choose to opt out of receiving Child Benefit payments can still receive National Insurance credits if one parent is not working.
National Insurance credits build up your entitlement to the state pension.
Child benefit is a four-weekly payment that’s designed to help with the cost of raising a child in the UK.
The benefit is worth £25.60 a week for your eldest child, and then £16.95 a week for any subsequent children.
For a family with two children who qualify, this adds up to £2,212.60 a year. For just one child, you get £1,331.20 a year.
While some might be quick to criticise the mum for using her child benefit on gifts, Elesia says it is exactly how she should be spending the money.
She says: “I use our money as a whole for essentials and stuff we need including the healthy start card etc which I save up so the child benefit we receive is spare.
“It’s the kids' money so I spend it on the kids.”
And it isn’t just presents that Elesia makes a saving on with the thrifty mum finding ways to cut back on food and decorations.
It’s the kids' money so I spend it on the kids
Elesia Hayes
“I buy a lot of Christmas dinner stuff etc frozen at the beginning of December then I will buy the meat and veg a few days before Christmas,” she says.
“I also save my Christmas tree and decorations from previous years and use tatty bits around the house to make Elf on the Shelf fun and games.”
While the mum makes a point of celebrating the holiday for her children’s sake she admits that Christmas is a difficult time for her personally after she sadly had a stillbirth in 2020.
She gave birth to daughter Myla on 29 December, shortly after Christmas.
The mum said: “I used to love Christmas, but since losing my little girl, I don’t like it anymore.
“It’s always a hard time leading up to Christmas and New Year, knowing I should be preparing for three children.
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“I honour Myla by getting balloons made, and we get her a cake and candles that my children blow out.
“We talk about Myla, especially around Christmas and her birthday, and we go to her graveside to have a picnic with her when the weather is nice.”
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