Unemployed single mother on benefits spends £2,000 on Christmas presents
 

Unemployed single mother on benefits who spends £2,000 on Christmas with 20 presents for each of her children.

Leanna Broderick plans to give children designer outfits, iPads and jewellery.

The 20-year-old has never worked and claims nearly £15,500 a year.

Claims she is better off on benefits and last year saved £2,500.

Said there was 'no point' getting minimum wage job and paying for childcare.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...39_634x451.jpg

While many families are worrying about how to afford Christmas this year, one jobless single mother has revealed she receives so much in benefits she has £2,000 to spend on designer gifts, clothes and partying.

Mother-of-two Leanna Broderick plans to buy 20 presents for each of her children, including Burberry and Ralph Lauren outfits, iPads and gold jewellery.

The 20-year-old, who has never worked, claims nearly £15,500 a year in state handouts.

She claims she is better off on benefits and would not get a job unless she could continue her luxury lifestyle, which includes designer outfits, holidays abroad, clubbing, lunches out and expensive gifts for her daughters Zelekah, two, and Zakirah, one.

‘Last year, I saved £2,500 and my kids had 50 presents each, including Burberry and Ralph Lauren clothes and dolls, DVDs and CDs.

‘This year, I’ve saved £2,000 and they’ll get 20 presents each, including iPads and a new Disney-themed bedroom to share, with designer wall art and bed linen,’ she said.

She is also buying gold earrings for Zelekah, who has pierced ears, and keeping £300 for the sales and £150 for a New Year’s Eve outing.

Miss Broderick, who left school at 16 with no GCSEs, said: ‘I don’t care if people get annoyed. I don’t take advantage, I just choose to save – it’s smart.’

She said there was ‘no point’ earning less in a minimum wage job and having to pay for childcare on top.

After becoming pregnant at 17 with her on-off 23-year-old boyfriend, Miss Broderick was allocated a temporary three-bed council house.

When Zelekah was eight months old she considered working in care, but then became pregnant again by the same man.

Now split from the girls’ father, she has a new two-bedroom council flat in Croydon, South London, with a garden, which is paid for by her £111 weekly housing benefit – part of £1,290 a month total claim.

She said: ‘I didn’t want to miss out on my kids’ childhoods or have someone else raise them. I’m not one of those girls who gets pregnant for the benefits.’

The money for Christmas comes from the £250 she saves each month, which she said shows she is ‘really responsible’.

She adds: ‘Anyone who thinks people on benefits don’t deserve nice things is talking rubbish. I work 24/7 as a mother.

‘This way, taxpayers know I’m raising two well-brought-up kids.’

But she admits Christmas might not be so lavish next year because of the Government’s benefit cuts.

‘I’m not against the cuts, but only if the Government helps me find a job,’ she said.

‘In the meantime, I’ll stay on benefits and get as much as I can out of it.’


Daily Mail

Good on her for saving and being thrifty so she and her kids can have a nice Christmas, or does she get too much in benefits? What do you think?

wow well done to her

Well done to her for managing to save for xmas, but thats far too much to spend on just 2 children imo.

Expensive: Miss Broderick is planning on buying iPads and gold earrings among other gifts for her daughters

Her Daughters look 4 or 5 so she's obviously buying them for herself :joker:

yeah she will be but that will not be a good news story so she as to say that

Well done to her for managing to save, although I would not be her when she has to face the outrage of the taxpayers.

My only question is where is her ambition with her life, surely it will be boring sitting around doing nothing or swanning around with her friends or family etc after a while when her kids are in full time education?

yeah it would be

She won't have any excuse not to go out and find at least part time employment when her kids are in full time education.

I KNEW this would be a daily mail link :laugh:

Anyway, I hate stories like this as they make out that everyone on benefits has a great life when its not the case. I hate women like this who think the state should provide her with the lifestyle she choses, and I think when they sell stories such as this to the press they should have their benefits reduced by the amount that they 'waste' on crap such as this.

Of course people on benefits should be able to save a little for a rainy day, and should be able to buy xmas presents and such for their kids. But this woman is taking the piss tbh. Especially boasting about it.

Why are people congratulating her

God knows.

Who congratulated her?

What a surprising source :rolleyes:

More condemnation of those on welfare.

What a great woman, congratulations

:joker:

Looks a bit like Rebecca Ferguson after discovering meth

God forbid a story was posted from The Daily Mail....

:laugh3:

As this is a quote from the daily mail I would seriously question its validity.

they not reliable

The full feature actually appears in the Closer Christmas issue. Of course they most probably made it up too, photographed the woman with her kids, and then printed it without her permission.

:joker:

I struggle to afford Nike and her girls are getting ralph lauren :(

Isn't saying ...well done...much the same as congratulations any more...:shocked:

As long as they wear designer, it doesn't really matter if they live on crisp sandwiches.

good point

Thank you Marcus...!

that ok cherie

Not in this case, no.

Oh.:joker:

I did not know that this article had appeared in the Closer Christmas issue. However the Daily Mail are notoriously right wing and this would fit their criteria perfectly, with just a soupcon of disingenuous spice thrown in for seasoning. In fact did they not suggest capital punishment for such a heinous crime? Who supplies this money? She has not stolen it. The taxpayer funds this and our government pays it out. I would suggest that this publication questions the government it champions so whole heartedly. I would also suggest that if the last shower were still in power( Wow I'm a poet and I didn't know) it they would be pointing their Victorian digit at them.Hypocritical to the end.

well I have to agree the DM is very good at whipping up a frenzy over so called benefits scroungers.

True inspiration... One day I wish to push children out of my penis to get money and buy them ipads

have you seen the price of a bag of crisp's:joker::shocked:

Well I hope she has a nice Christmas on my tax.

The annoying thing about stories like this is that people who are struggling on benefits will be lumped into the same category by some, as this workshy leech.

Aren't the kids a bit young for an ipad anyway? If it was me, and I had managed to save such a sum of money from my benefits, I would be keeping quiet about it. I would be concerned about any repercussions.

Them kids should be getting legos not ipads
Life if you're a 90s kid x

Lego :love:

As much as she's good for saving and that, it should be saved from money she's earned and not been given just for having two kids.

The benefit system in this country is disgusting. I had to sign on for a couple of months between jobs and I was given £49 a week to live on. The amount the law stated I could live on.

She has a point. Why would you bother working a minimum wage job and paying for childcare when you can get more on benefits.

She's just very fortunate she can save £2000 to waste on Christmas. I work full time and I can't afford to spend a quarter of that.