How have you hidden your day to day poverty?

[TeaAddict235]

I was described by a friend as 'a lover of the cheep and cheerful' as she deemed that i chose the cheaper of items when making personal purchases (e.g. food or clothes)

In terms of saving the pennies and trying to increase the pounds in your purse/ account, are there things that you do which others may consider 'poverty'? You may do so as these things are non-essentials or they are just habits?

I habitually shop during the sales for clothes.
I scour the reduced aisle in the supermarket
I've worn DH's cashmere top as it was too small for him and I needed a smart jumper for work.
I am tempted by Charity shops

Borrowing your husband's Cashmere jumper doesn't exactly scream poverty!?

Peachy - hahahaha! First World Problems!!

I've worn DH's cashmere top as it was too small for him and I needed a smart jumper for work.

I'm sorry, but as an example of poverty this is hilarious!

I have to confess, I don't really understand your question. I do everything you say (apart from the fact DH doesn't own any cashmere). I'm not just tempted by charity shops, I regularly buy from charity shops. Half my clothes are pre-owned. But I am a million, million miles away from "day to day poverty" and I'm not hiding anything!

You are making informed choices, but not out of necessity (as I read your OP). Poverty would be going hungry after exhausting the foodbank and not having the choice of scouring the reduced aisle. Poverty would be going without new clothes, not saving a couple of quid in the sales. Poverty would be selling a cashmere jumper in order to buy food.

They might consider it "poverty" OP but actually you sound like youve got your priorities right.
Ive got from compulsive spending to examining every penny I spend.
Im debt free and have savings ,no mortgage.
I make my own coffee at work .
Apparently I must be skint they have no idea

Is this meant to be setious or are you joking? I have a different idea of poverty

“I am tempted by Charity Shops” 😀

I could never afford to buy one for myself, wouldn't event know where to look. He received it from DMil, and wanted to donate it.

Do you mean the kind of poverty when you can cover all the bills and can afford the usual weekly shopping and petrol and things like that but don't typically have spare cash other than that? Because that's my 'normal'.

I say its for environmental reasons and it partly is but its the reason we never eat red meat, take foreign holidays, or buy much. I get the majority of my clothes and furniture 2nd hand. We eat lots of non meat protein and tonnes of veg not for health so much but cost. However I would do most of these things even if I was better off.

I never take the bus (its really expensive around here), always walk. We have the cheapest phones, internet etc. I love going through the bargain section of my local co op (their stock control is shocking). I dont feel hard done by, its just different from how I thought it would be.

My 12yr old self thought I would be married to Matt from Bros and an international jet set supermodel by now.

I think OP was trying to make a point that she’d had to wear her husbands nicest clothes as she needed to look smart.

I don’t go out with friends, I don’t go to the cinema (a lot of people I know consider you to be poor if you can’t afford the cinema), I don’t buy new clothes when I need them. I use cashback with everything possible and free food vouchers I find online. I’ve been wearing the same 2 pairs of jeans for 3 years. It’s depressing as hell but it’s all

This is so funny

“I hide my poverty status from friends & colleagues by wearing my husband’s cashmere jumper to work. What do you do to hide your poverty??

Doris is smart, be like doris!!
Im not taking the pee there either it must feel fab to be mortgage free etc i also prefer to make a coffee than go acrosd the rd and spend £3 on one!
Although sorry op i am chuckling at your cashmere jumper comment lol. Bet you looked out of place in the reduced aisle.......

and in the ‘tempting’ charity shops!

I don't buy any new clothes at all for myself as I can't afford them. Neither do I have my hair cut.
My children were hand-me-downs from cousins and friends' children.
We buy the value range foodstuffs rather than the more expensive brands.
We don't put the heating on until the temperature in the house falls below 16-17°C.
I didn't upgrade my phone the last time. Instead I changed to a sim only rolling contract thing that was less than half the price.
We save any vouchers that we win or earn (e.g. through clubcard points) to pay for uniforms and for xmas/birthdays).
We raise money by selling things we no longer use or aren't completely necessary.
We don't have holidays apart from a weekend at my mam's caravan.

Crikey I think the OP meant her friends considered her to be poor because she isnt flashing lots of money about ?
Or maybe I read it wrong.
My work colleagues are the same.

I'm not sure I understand this thread. I've claimed to not feel well so I can give all the food to my husband and children when it won't stretch to feed the 4 of us. Luckily those days are behind me.

GoodbyeSummer we have recently changed from shopping from Tesco to Aldi and I am saving a fortune.

I got referred to a food bank whilst working as a nurse and my husband is a solicitor as I was waiting for agency wages and my husband's wages only covered the bills plus the giant tax bill we got in error but paid. That was demoralising, showering in work as it was warmer there than at home.

I think the OP has no idea what true poverty means

anotherangel2 we don't have an aldi that's local enough to do a regular shop unfortunately. We do use home bargains and iceland though, especially when my husband wins love2shop vouchers from work, and that saves us a lot of money. I recently won a £300 gift voucher on here and used it in tesco. It was great to be able to buy 3 whole weeks of shopping, plus my youngest's birthday present, card and cake, without having to worry about my card being declined! It's also added 300 points onto our clubcard balance, which will come in useful 👍

Cutting my own and my kids hair myself
Charity shops/eBay/Facebook selling pages (have got a lot of ‘naice’ clothes this way)
Selling things on eBay when I’m done with them
Upcycling - my jumper with a hole in becomes trousers for the baby etc

Should explain the charity shop description: went to another department and had to go on foot so convinced a colleague that the fresh air would be good for us ( I couldn't afford to take the tram), and on the way we passed some charity shops. I knew that by the time we would have finished the shops would have closed, so I wanted to pop inside but didn't and I think that it was because the colleague would then probably bring this up at a later point.

But yes, money is very tight.

Also - when I do have a bit of money eg from selling something I like to invest in reusable versions of things I use a lot
-Washable nappies (bought second hand)
-Beeswax wraps instead of buying cling film
-Washable baby wipes have been a life changer
-mooncup
Just those have saved me so much £££