Young mum ditches corporate job to live off Centrelink: NSW woman Shara Owens reveals why she doesn’t regret the move

A single mother who quit her high-paying job and traded it for Centrelink payments claims she worked full-time and left her broke amid the crippling cost of living.

Shara Owens returned to the workforce as a state manager for a retail company six months after the birth of her son Hendrix.

The NSW woman hoped to have 12 months of maternity leave, but found her savings rapidly dwindling due to the cost of living.

Shara returned to her job on the road, only to find after working long hours that most of her money was spent on basic necessities.

About 40 percent of her income went on rent, 30 percent on childcare, and the rest was for bills and groceries.

After spending, the mother “went down” financially, with work costing her money as she routinely used her own car, which added gasoline to her spending list.

To cut costs, Shara left the heating off and often went without food to pay for baby food for her son.

Shara also felt guilty for working too hard and not being as present for her son as she wanted.

Due to the financial and emotional stress, Shara lost 30 kg of weight and developed some health problems.

So she made the difficult decision to quit her job, move apartments and apply for Centrelink benefits.

“I dropped my son off at daycare at 7 a.m. every morning and picked him up at 5-6 p.m. every night,” Shara shared 7Life.

“I just got to the point where I wondered if this was really worth it. I’m independent, I’m not a government bloodsucker. It was a huge blow to my ego to have to do this.’

Shara explained that her quarterly electric bill was over $1,100, weekly groceries cost $250, gas costs hundreds a month, and utilities mean “money in” is less than “money out.”

Her rent also increased by $60 a week and her son’s daycare increased the daily allowance to $165 after the government announced the increase in childcare allowance.

Shara added that she received less than $50 a week in childcare allowance due to her earning potential.

To make ends meet, the mother opted for quick and cheap meals for herself, such as Up & Go drinks, claiming she would “eat when she could.”

Shara realized that despite her full-time job, she couldn’t maintain her humble lifestyle, so she quit her job.

She sold her furniture, bought second-hand items on Facebook Marketplace, and moved into an apartment closer to the shops so she could walk and not use her car.

Shara said quitting her job was “the best thing” she could have done and is now studying to become a wedding officiant while spending quality time with her son.

She receives $1,500 every two weeks from Centrelink, with the government covering 85 percent of Hendrix’s childcare.

Shara quit her job, moved apartment and applied for Centrelink. She added that she is in a better financial position than she was when she worked full-time

The rest of her Social Security benefits are used for bills, groceries, school fees, and rent, while she supplements her income with AirTasker odd jobs, including cleaning, mystery shopping, and taking parcels to the post office for people.

Shara has no savings, but is shocked to find that she is in a better financial position than she was when she worked full-time.

She calls on the government and the workplace to better support mothers returning to the workplace.

“There’s a whole workforce of single moms who want to work, but financially it’s better for them to stay at home,” Shara said.

Shara said she is grateful for the ongoing help she receives from Diamond Women – an organization that helps women who face parenting without emotional or practical support.

The organization sent her fresh food packages and offered Shara free advice and general guidance.

She hopes to be in a better financial position to return the favor to others who need it too.