Not As 'Depressed And Stressed' As The Poor Bloody Taxpayer, Dana...

Via TimNewman on Twitter, who I think is trying to kill me:

Dana Sanderson, 21, who gave birth to her daughter, Ruya Ansin, in January, is five months behind on her rent and struggling to make ends meet because of a ‘mix-up’.

She has had to ask for donatins (sic) of clothes for her baby and says she has become depressed because of her financial woes, which she believes is impacting Ruya. Miss Sanderson said: ‘I feel like I am failing her. It’s devastating and gutting for me.

‘I want to give her everything but at the moment I can’t give her anything. They are only young for a short amount of time and I don’t want her looking back and thinking she didn’t enjoy that time of her life.

‘I am so desperate and it is affecting my baby because I’m stressed, full of anxiety, crying all the time and I’m struggling to get her to sleep.

‘Babies can sense your mood, and with me being all upset and up in their air it’s definitely affecting her.’

GAAAH! WHERE TO START?! *necks blood pressure tablets like Smarties*

Miss Sanderson, whose parents emigrated to New Zealand three years ago, worked for Greggs before going on a year-long maternity leave to give birth to her daughter.

Greggs? I didn't know they paid enough to raise a child?

Of course, they don't, do they?

She receives £140 a week in maternity allowance but after her outgoings, including rent, utilities, food, clothes, nappies and Ruya’s other essentials, she has virtually no money left.

She has been trying to claim extra money through working tax credits, child tax credits and child benefits, which she believes would give her an extra £140 a week to spend.

However, she claims HMRC made an error in taking down her postcode, which led to her baby’s birth certificate, which she had sent to them, being posted back to the wrong address.

Hmm, bungling government agency meets scrounging single mum. Can't they both lose?

‘I feel like I would have done better out of this if I was unemployed,’ Miss Sanderson said.

‘I pay tax and my national insurance and they don’t pay you when you need it.

‘If I could work now I would work overtime because money means everything but I can’t because I'm a single mum.

‘I’ve tried to see if I could start working from home too, but that would then conflict with my benefits.’

Translation: "Then I'd have to work, and I just want free money..."