A single mum who quit her high salary job and swapped it for Centrelink payments claims working full-time was sending her broke amid the crippling cost of living.

Shara returned to the workforce as a state manager for a retail company six months after her son Hendrix was born.

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

Shara returned to her on-the-road job but found after spending long hours working that most of her money was being spent on basic necessities.

Some 40 per cent of her income went to rent, 30 per cent to childcare and the remainder was for bills and groceries.

After expenses, the mum was financially going 'backwards', with work costing her money as she would routinely use her own car, which added petrol to her list of expenses.

NSW single mum Shara (pictured) quit her high paying job after working full-time was sending her broke amid the crippling cost of living

To curb costs, Shara would leave the heater off and often go without food to afford baby formula 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 30kg of weight and developed a number of health issues.

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

'I was dropping my son off at day care at 7 every morning and picking him up at 5-6pm every night,' Shara told 7Life.

'I just got to the point where I wondered if this was actually worth it. I'm independent I'm not a government leech. It was a huge hit to my ego to have to do this.'

Shara explained her quarterly electricity bill exceeded $1,100, weekly groceries cost $250, petrol costing hundreds a month and utilities meant 'money in' was less than 'money out'.

Her rent also increased by $60 a week and her son's daycare increased its daily fee to $165 after the government announced its increase to the childcare subsidy.

Shara added she received less than $50 a week in childcare subsidies because of her earning capacity.

To make ends meet, the mum opted for quick and cheap meals for herself like Up & Go drinks, claiming she would 'eat when she could'.

Shara realised she could not sustain her modest lifestyle despite working full-time so she quit her job.

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

Shara said quitting her job was 'the best thing' she could have done and is now studying to become a marriage celebrant while spending quality time with her son.

She receives $1,500 a fortnight from Centrelink, with the government covering 85 per cent of Hendrix's childcare.

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

The rest of her welfare payment is used for bills, groceries, school fees and rent, while supplementing her income with odd jobs from AirTasker including cleaning, mystery shopping and taking parcels to the post office for people.

Shara does not have savings but is shocked that she is in a better financial position than when she was working full-time.

She is calling for the government and workplaces to provide better support for mothers returning to the workplace.

'There is a whole workforce of single mums out there 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 organisation that helps women who are facing parenting without emotional or practical support.

The organisation sent her fresh food hampers and offered Shara free counselling and general guidance.

She hopes to be in a better financial position to return the favour to others who are also in need.