A mum in the UK has defended her decision to spend $20,000 on her kids’ Christmas presents, even though she receives benefits. The mum shared her story on TikTok, explaining that she receives just under £1,200 a month (AUD 2,300).
Recently Whitney Ainscough, 30 started making enough as a TikTok influencer to declare an income but for the majority of the year, she’s been receiving benefits.
I don’t care what the trolls think,” she said. “I’m a benefits mum, living in a council house who’s spending thousands on her kids for Christmas and I’m proud.”
Saving welfare payments to pay for Christmas presents
Throughout the year Whitney has been saving the money she receives from the government to put away for Christmas presents. She proudly explains that her three children will all receive 10 big presents, plus stocking stuffers and pre-Christmas treats and toys.
Whitney’s children, Cora, 11, Addison, six and Adley, two, have some pretty impressive items on their Christmas wish lists.
I am spoiling my kids because they deserve it. My daughter wants a £1.2k solid gold bracelet, my son wants a top-of-the-range VR gaming kit and the latest iPhone and iPad.
I’ve saved my benefits. It’s been a hard year. We deserve posh presents. I told the kids they can have whatever they want.
I adore my kids and I am planning to spoil them rotten. But I don’t feel the need to spend on myself, ironically. Seeing them happy on December 25 is all I need. I don’t actually want lavish gifts.”
Whitney is proud of her posh children and their expensive tastes, admitting she may have “Britain’s most spoilt brood”. Her daughter Cora recently caused a fuss at her school for wearing £100 (AUD 192) Vivienne Westwood ballet flats instead of regulation shoes. Whitney also opted to buy her daughter a £230 Michael Kors handbag (AUD 440) instead of a school backpack.
Of course, people on TikTok had a lot to say about Whitney’s Christmas presents budget. One suggested that an 11-year-old doesn’t need a $2,000 bracelet.
She’s been asking for it all year and I know it will be an investment for her,” she said. “She loves fancy things and she’s a good girl who is kind and polite.”
What’s on the Christmas Wish List?
- £160 Ugg Boots
- Designer clothes
- A new laptop
- Perfume
- Makeup
- A nose piercing
- Plus acrylic nails and hair extensions during the Christmas holidays
- A Meta Quest 3 VR headset for £470.
- A Nintendo Switch (£330 Nintendo)
- Designer trainers
- Clothes
Little Adley will receive:
- An iPhone
- A two-day trip to Peppa Pig World (for the whole family)
Whitney knows the trolls aren’t too impressed with her spending habits but she doesn’t care.
I really don’t care what people think of me. It’s honestly water off a duck’s back. I love my kids and I want them to have the best.
To me that means giving them presents they want. That might not be every mum’s choice – fair enough. But it is for me.”
The mum-of-three used to work at a Chemist before the costs of childcare became too much. She received benefits for the majority of the year and now relies on her TikTok account for income. Whitney boasts 220k TikTok followers and 59k Facebook fans.
Whitney’s partner, Joel, is a painter and she’s said in the past that he thinks she’s nuts to spend this kind of money on Christmas presents. We have to agree with him here. What do you think?
1 Comment
Why is this person getting welfare seeing she has a partner? Is she ripping the government off? I feel sorry for the children because they will not know how to handle rejection when it happens