AN UNEMPLOYED mother has left the internet enraged after sharing a typical week of her spending.
Not only did stay-at-home mum Maria Joy treat herself to multiple meals at McDonald’s, but she even splashed cash on Tk Maxx hauls and a sunbed too.
But since showing off her weekly purchases, the content creator, who has two children named Noah and Tommy, has left viewers furious.
Not only have countless people questioned why they bother working after seeing 27-year-old Maria’s weekly Universal Credit spend, but others were horrified at just how much cash Maria splashed in only seven days.
Posting on social media, the self-proclaimed “shopaholic” and “unemployed mum-of-two with credit card debt” gave a breakdown of seven days of her purchases.
On Monday, the brunette confirmed that she spent £1.59 at McDonald’s, £27.49 at Aldi and £3 at her local corner shop.
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On Tuesday, Maria had a ‘no spend day’ and rather than forking out cash on fast food and takeaways, she instead cooked herself tuna pasta to cut costs.
On Wednesday, Maira received her Universal Credit, which she described as her “pay day.”
As a result, she splashed £64.88 on TikTok Shop, spent £34.94 on an Amazon order and forked out £38.45 for her child’s school photos.
Not only this, but she also took another trip to McDonald’s where she spent £1.59, and also paid £60.11 at her Tesco garage.
On Thursday, Maria took yet another trip to McDonald’s and this time, spent £5.19.
As well as this, she also splashed £91.22 in Tesco.
Following this, on Friday, Maria got another McDonald’s, setting her back £7.08.
She also spent £14.50 in Home Bargains, £11 in a charity shop and £16.97 at Tk Maxx.
Pretty sure this is the worst week so far
Maria Joy
Then, on Saturday, Maria took a second trip to Home Bargains, where she spent a further £28.25.
As well as this, she went to Tk Maxx again and spent £23.98.
To finish off the day, Maria treated herself to a sunbed which cost her £3.
Am I entitled to Universal Credit?
According to the GOV website, if you’re on a low income or need help with your living costs, then you could be entitled to Universal Credit.
To claim, you must live in the UK, be aged 18 or over (with some exceptions if you’re 15 to 17), be under State Pension age, and have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments.
Other circumstances are if you are out of work, or unable to work, for example because of a health condition.
To complete a week of spending, Maria made an online order worth £48.32 at Jobalots, the UK’s go-to platform for liquidation stock, customer returns, and clearance items.
In total, in just seven days, Maria shelled out £481.56, as she reflected: “Pretty sure this is the worst week so far.”
Social media users react
Maria’s TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @themariajoy, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 113,400 views in just 24 hours.
But viewers were left stunned by the mother’s spending and many raced to the comments to share their thoughts.
One person said: “I wish I had £481 to spend a week, and I work full time.”
After mortgage and bills I certainly can’t have three to four McDonald’s a week, sunbeds and shopping trips!
TikTok user
Another added: “I’m paying for your sunbed and McDonald’s.”
A third gasped: “£481 in a week?!!!!!!!! I have 3 kids and work, I wouldn’t have time to spend that much nor would I know what to spend it on.
“Shopping bill is £80-£100 per week maximum and I cook everyday. WOW. So pleased you utilise my tax well.”
Meanwhile, someone else chimed in: “I think I need to stop working my a**e off and start claiming benefits! After mortgage and bills I certainly can’t have three to four McDonald’s a week, sunbeds and shopping trips!”
At the same time, another user sighed: “I would love to be able to spend £418 a week.”
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