Gigi

you would be entitle to single parent payment of the $611 a fortnight.
you would also be entitled to the FTB A and B of what you recieve now, which im guessing is around $350 per fortnight?
and you would also be entitled to rent assistance which you dont recieve now being in a HT home.

so Im going to go with a ball park figure of 1000 a fortnight so there for 500 a week

if you were paying 250 a week in rent that would leave you with 250 for bills, being it just you and bilby i would put 120 away for bills a week (which would include gas elect rego etc) leaving you to live off for food and petrol 130 per week.. which is doable.

it will be tight but it is doable.
i will ask the financial counsellor tomorrow
i'll get two versions of my budget
- one with my current rent ($100 per week)
- one with a projected rent ($250 per week)
so i can compare.

I've just gotten car ins and contents ins, thinking that was the sensible thing to do, as a single mum, i wonder if she will tell me they are luxuries?
I thought luxuries were things like FOXTEL, smokes, alcohol, restaurants, beauty treatments, holidays, - which i go without already.