If you were poor as a kid...(lighthearted)

[bakedbeansontoastfortea]

If you were poor as a kid but are less poor now, is there a small thing you do that maybe (in a weird way) makes you feel better?

For context, I was a missionary kid and had a really lovely (but poor) childhood. My siblings and I were born in the UK but raised overseas and had some genuinely great adventures but money was really tight. Food was plentiful but plain, clothes were hand-me-downs, Christmasses were always a bit scary in the run-up as our parents saved their pennies knowing they'd never be able to keep up with the latest-whatever. And oh, we always had to be careful with toilet roll...that stuff could be expensive.

But today, I have this thing...I have baskets in the loos at home, both with stuffed with extra toilet rolls. It's like me saying to my guests and family, 'there's loads...use freely and as much as you like'. I also can't bring myself to buy clothes from charity shops because as much as I want to support the charity, it reminds me of being that kid who never had new clothes.

I've been on MN for a while (NC) but wondering if there's others like this? If you grew up poor, are there things you do today as a response to this? Loads of loo rolls? New bedding? Something else?

Also, hoping this will be lighthearted. I fully understand there's massive issues around COL and extreme poverty in the UK, also that some people had horrible, horrible childhoods and adulthood is sadly no better. I want to do what I can to make this better.

We also grew up with endless boxes of random second hand clothes sent overseas with well worn underwear. Grey, holey. I can remember the embarrassment of school health check ups when we had to strip off and all the other little girls had lovely white underwear and matching vests. I had never seen a vest before then. I can remember how awkward I felt.
My children had beautiful underwear and I still buy it for my grandchildren. I myself have a drawer full.

I buy too many Christmas presents for my children and always get them things they want.
I make sure they always have well fitting good quality shoes / trainers / boots. New and well fitting clothes.
A well stocked bathroom cabinet with plenty of toilet rolls and sanitary products for my eldest.
Eating out at least once a month.
Lots of hugs and kisses and telling them I love them (nothing to do with having been poor - just something I never got, although I knew my parents did love me).

Nice food, warm house.

I was pony mad as a kid, worked at local riding school for free rides. We had a local show twice a year we could take riding school ponies for a fee and I always saved up to take one. But needed cream jods, black hat silk etc. Only ever got kit like that once a year Christmas so was always the plain colours suitable for the show. Always wanted funky colours or even just navy jods and a coloured hat silk.

Now I have my own pony and funky jods and hat silks. And then plain stuff just for shows and events.

We do things! My cbildhood was all about entertaining ourselves in our free time with sometimes a trip to the harvester (excellent salad bar to be fair) and often 1 hobby/lesson/club each. Nowadays my daughter has regular 2 clubs that she enjoys and I will pay to take her to fun places. Normally nothing extravagant but we will pay for days out at kids attractions, pay for a good Santa's grotto experience, Xmas disco, little city, national trust, art sessions at art cafes etc. We have fun doing these things together!

I second the fruit too! Not just tired old apples and bananas but we actually buy berries. Berries!

We were the same... egg and chips and everyone was full and happy. I still think of that phrase when i shop now ha.

I overstock toilet rolls too! And always have food as hated growing up with only a couple of tins in the cupboard.

I pay for parking when it's going to be much easier! My DH had to coax me round to the concept!

I longed to go to a cafe or visit a gift shop on an outing. Days out were creative, lots of public transport to interesting places (that were free to get into) but I envied those who didn’t bring a packed lunch. I’d have been over the moon with a bought drink from the newsagents even rather than squash from a flask. Christmas was magical though, my parents ploughed every spare penny into it, researched prices, shopped carefully and it was amazing.

I really enjoy getting food or even stopping at a service station with my children. We never did because the food and petrol was too expensive to stop there.

I have a snack draw - fruit and treats available.
Growing up we rarely had food available- we had some food but it was allocated ie bread for lunches. Any chocolate/treats in the house allocated to parents (& counted)

Husband & I both don’t like empty cupboards or access to food heavily controlled something that we’ve both experienced from our childhood.

We were poor but happy hippies, no meat, no central heating and....majorine (sp?) Vile stuff, butter gives me so much pleasure nowadays. As does the odd steak and of course...lovely central heating (used within reason, of course!) Growing up poor helps you appreciate the basics in adulthood I believe.

We were poor, poorer than we looked, when I was growing up. Days out were 3 or 4 times a year.

But what I really appreciate is my washing machine. Didn't have one in my family home nor my own until I was 30 and finally had a place with a washing machine. It is bliss still many years later.

Food here too - I get anxious and flappy when the cupboard runs low! For some reason having eggs available always fills me with comfort. I could bake a cake, cookies, breakfast or tea with them (usually cakes!)

I'm also quite attached to children's books. we never had any. my parents never read to me. So I buy books and I read them to my DC. Definitely too many of them - but still.

and lots of blankets for keeping warm. I love feeling cosy and warm (I didn't have that as a kid!) - my DC love their fluffy onesies, thick blankets and nice slippers.

Oh yes! As the youngest, I got a cold, smeggy bath after my two sisters had been in. Once a week.

I love sitting in a hot bath with a book.

If you wanted a bath you'd have to 'turn the hot water on'. Sometimes my dad would say it was hot enough already and then I'd have a bath that was actually slightly chilled ! Having to top up with hot water from the kettle.
Now the hot water is set to 'on' as default. A luxury!

Unhappy home where my Dad smoked and drank any spare money.
For me

• I always have lovely sheets and bed linen, warm bed , electric blanket
• Always nice underwear
• Lovely selection clothes so I can choose how I want to be
• Regular haircuts and nice shampoo
• Being really generous with other people…I know how it feels to have nothing

I remember being treated to a wimpy meal for the first time ever. But we sat outside and ate it on a bench because takeaway prices were marginally cheaper
Loved it though, it's a core memory for me - my first wimpy burger !

I love this! I grew up poor but never felt it at the time as everyone I knew was. Then I went to a few paying secondary school on a scholarship and I realised just how poor we were. I’m still not wasteful at all but I grew up without central heating so being warm now feels like a luxury but one I insist on. Making sure my kids have nice packed lunches with little things like baby bel cheese etc as I always looked at kids with nice lunches like this with envy.

My DM was a fabulous seamstress and knitter, nearly all y clothes were handmade. She would patch or darn holes and turn collars when they became worn, rip down jumpers that were too small to knit up into something else, even turning sheets. It's definitely where my love of shopping for new clothes and bedding comes from. Although not averse to a small mend I never go as far as she did to lengthen the lifespan of things.
She also saved card and paper for notes and lists - backs of Christmas cards, the inside from packets of tights. No plastic tub or pot was thrown out, they were used for storage or for planting seedlings.
I often think she was ahead of her time in terms of reducing waste and recycling.

On holiday DH and I really enjoyed buying our DC the big inflatable dinghy that our parents would never have been able to buy us.

Not poor but my mum never had a washing machine. We would go to the laundry every 2 weeks all the clothes would be lumped in together so all the light stuff would come out a grey colour. I have 2 washing machines one for dark clothes and one for light clothes, so my whites stay white. Actually i am a bit obsessed with washing 😂

I love this...especially the part about generosity. Because we were a missionary family we often were given little anonymous gifts, hampers left on doorsteps etc.

I love doing secret acts of generosity too because I know how it feels to not have much and then suddenly someone does something really lovely. 😊

This is intesting. My mum was a sewer, too, so made clothes and mended them. This was the economical thing to do in the 70s. Not now!
Fabric is so expensive, so homemade clothes and far more expensive than, say, Primark. And take hours to make.
My granny used to knit me jumpers. Again, that's very expensive now when you can get a jumper from Primark or Tesco for, say, £12.

I can sew and knit myself, because my mum and granny taught me, but it's a creative hobby rather than a practical need or financial help!

We weren't poor (so I feel a bit of a fraud posting here) but my parents rather overstretched themselves to have certain elements of a lifestyle otherwise beyond their modest income i.e. a large house, private school, piano lessons, tennis coaching and other "class markers". They managed it by being super frugal with everything else.

I remember feeling very out of place as we had a single set of school uniform. Some items had an alternative version for the summer term but we had to wear the winter uniform all year round. We got a single gift for birthday and Christmas (something like a pencil case). We were simetimes not allowed to go to friends parties if my mum didn't have enough left to buy a present. We usually didn't go on holiday (there were 3 in total during my childhood, all in UK).

It was fine. We weren't neglected and were perfectly happy and appreciatedwhat we did have. Just a real sense of not really belonging in the world I lived in. My best friend had a swimming pool at her house and that wasn't unusual for our school!

My kids go to state school but have lots of presents at Christmas and holidays every year. I earn a lot more than my parents did but spend it differently. I want them to feel comfortable, not just materially but socially.