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Original poster

What does feeling skint mean to you?

123 replies

ssd · 07/07/2020 17:34

Honestly?
Just asking after recent conversation with someone close who feels skint (3 days ago) and today told me they've just spent £500 on furniture.

It makes me realise my skint and their skint is world's apart.

So what does feeling skint mean to you?

OP posts:
amusedbush · 07/07/2020 17:37

Thankfully I've always had enough to cover my bills so I was safe that way but there have been times where I've had pretty much no money at all after bills, food and transport. Zero savings, no pension pot, no pennies to rub together between one pay day and the next.

I've just taken a £500 a month drop as I quite my job to live on a student stipend and while I now have some savings and will not be destitute, remembering that feeling of being skint still makes me sweat.

amusedbush · 07/07/2020 17:37

quit*

Timeforabiscuit · 07/07/2020 17:38

Depends, when I was proper skint it means you can't get food in until next payday, and a trip to Cex or living on cupboards/freezer.

Now it would mean I've committed my spending for the month and don't want to go above in discretionary spending i.e. I don't want to go to the pub mainly cos I haven't got the money spare, I could stretch but I don't want to.

ClaraLane · 07/07/2020 17:38

Not being able to put fuel in the car to get to work or go food shopping.

DartmoorChef · 07/07/2020 17:39

Skint to me was having to pawn my jewellery and know I wouldn't be able to get it back.

Rover83 · 07/07/2020 17:40

Feeling skint to me was having to borrow money to buy bread and beans to feed my kids the week before payday. I hope we are in a much more financially stable position now but things can change in a heartbeat

amusedbush · 07/07/2020 17:40

@ClaraLane

Not being able to put fuel in the car to get to work or go food shopping.
Yep, about ten years ago I walked to and from work come rain or sun to save £50 a month on my bus pass.
molifly14 · 07/07/2020 17:44

Skipping meals as no money or food in. Worrying about how to pay bills

Timeforabiscuit · 07/07/2020 17:44

There are levels below skint though;

Skint - no money and need to get essentials

Brassic - not enough to cover some direct debits or essential bills, before even getting to food and toiletries

And then fucked - no income, no prospect of paying bills, in rent arrears

Evelefteden · 07/07/2020 17:44

Having to look down the back of the couch for change to buy a loaf of bread.

Boiling an egg for my dd1 breakfast in a kettle as I had no money for gas.

Having to borrow sanitary products.

Move in to my grandparents as I couldn’t afford food or gas for me and my dd1

That was 25 years ago. My other two dd (3,7) do not know how lucky they are.

IHaveBrilloHair · 07/07/2020 17:45

No money or acces to it until pay day.

LaurieFairyCake · 07/07/2020 17:46

Boiling in an egg in a kettle is GENIUS 👍🏻

2155User · 07/07/2020 17:46

Having to think before I buy

Landlubber2019 · 07/07/2020 17:48

Skint is worried about going into overdraft, having no money for food or petrol. My neighbours were skint at Christmas as he lost his job, I was worried but then found they had bought annual Merlin tickets for the entire family Hmm

Evelefteden · 07/07/2020 17:48

@Rover83

Feeling skint to me was having to borrow money to buy bread and beans to feed my kids the week before payday. I hope we are in a much more financially stable position now but things can change in a heartbeat
This. We have an insolvency businesses. Things go bad very quickly. Most of the people I speak to are fucked within three months of losing their income.
happytoday73 · 07/07/2020 17:49

My friend has an equally distorted view having got no mortgage, husband high earner and free full time childcare for all 3children.
She told me she was skint as having spent over £600 on theatre tickets she didn't gave enough cash in account to buy
both the £170 necklace and £70 bracelet she wanted at jewellery party....

I couldn't afford anything as had £80 in joint account to last 10 days as DH workplace had unexpectedly gone into administration... I'd thought money was tight and not skint...

managedmis · 07/07/2020 17:49

Hungry

Waxonwaxoff0 · 07/07/2020 17:49

I was skint when I was 20. I wore the same pair of contact lenses for 6 months straight as I broke my glasses and couldn't afford new ones, and I couldn't afford to buy new contact lenses. I ended up with a very nasty eye infection.

managedmis · 07/07/2020 17:49

I. E. Not having enough food not just a bit peckish

weathervane1 · 07/07/2020 17:50

Ad a child born in 1964 and living in a large council estate in the midlands, it was characterised by both good and bad things. On the good side, the neighbours really did bring up a village of people's kids and shared what they had - although treats of a plain biscuit spread with margarine and sugar was in hindsight not so good. On the bad side, we often had to hide from the leccy and gas people when they can to collect money and the "insurance" man on Friday who took most of my parents money was a frightening man. At least two days a week we didn't actually eat food although school meals came to the rescue for a while. The stress of real poverty also had an effect on my parents who reacted by beating me to the point I had to be moved into a children's home for my safety for a few years on and off. Holidays were unheard of and a car was beyond question. Clothes were second hand and rarely fit well. Television was something other people had - no sky satellite on benefits for us. School was interesting - as a bright person, the kids on the estate didn't like "keen" kids and the boys in school - I went from set 8 (cos council kids are thick right?) to set 1 and got called the poor kid from the council who stunk of piss. That's poverty to me.

managedmis · 07/07/2020 17:50

Having to look down the back of the couch for change to buy a loaf of bread.

^

This.

Iwalkinmyclothing · 07/07/2020 17:50

Skint for me used to mean cannot meet all essential expenses; impossible to actually pay the rent, council tax, water, gas, electric and for food, etc, would have to decide which bill was not getting paid that month.

Skint now means can only meet our essential expenses and there is nothing over for anything else.

My brother some years ago mentioned to me that he was having a really hard month and had "no money"; I said he could come to ours for his tea every day if he wanted until he got paid again and he laughed and said "no I mean I don't have any money for going out". At that time when I had no money, I literally had no money, but for him it meant no fun money.

My friend N says she is skint when her personal account is less than £2k in credit. My account is only ever £2k in credit for a lovely few hours between my salary going in and all my direct debits coming out!

MandosHatHair · 07/07/2020 17:50

At my most skint I took free contraceptive pills I didn't want to take in order to avoid the expense of having periods. Falling asleep during the day as a result of not eating enough.

Luckily my skint now is a long way away from that.

Yankathebear · 07/07/2020 17:50

Having to rely on friends spare rooms to stop myself from being street homeless. I still felt incredibly lucky.

Yankathebear · 07/07/2020 17:51

Forgot to say that it’s completely different for me now.