To be really upset to read on MN

[shootingstarz]

That parents are going without food because they can?t afford to feed their kids.

Yet, THIS is the government that was voted in...

Were people too starved to think straight?

See I don't believe the solution is handing over more money either.

I think the solution is a government having the courage to actually do something about the ridiculous spiralling of housing, commuting and childcare costs, to encourage job creation and to remove the postcode lottery aspect of education so that those born into poverty into deprived areas aren't condemned to a life of history repeating itself.

Thing is, that requires investment, which has to come via taxes (either on individuals or businesses), which is usually greeted with outrage by those who condemn the feckless poor.

It wasn't actually Quint. This is the default government.

dog,you say you have £25 a month for food for you and dc ?

you have said you need formula,dont you get the voucher for that if on IS,because if you are on IS you would be entitled roughly to £130-£135 a week eg £540 a month

most of your rent covered,ct covered so i dont get how you only have £150 a month for food,elec,gas etc and you included formula which is free

like i said if you have large debts i get itthat things can be dire,£540 is crap to live on dont get me wrong i live with three dcs on IS so i do no how rubbish it can be

Well they were not technically voted in...

Nick Clegg has a lot to answer for. What was he thinking?

So whatme what was your solution about my car?
Wouldn't want to "fritter" away your tax money so you tell me?

I have a load of washable nappies if they would help anyone. They're older style and some are getting ona bit but theres enough to do a child for a while yet. Would save someone the money on disposables. I got rid of the last lot of freegle but would be nice to know they are helping someone.
Just send me a pm and I'll get them out of the attic and stick them in the post

These threads always go the same way. Posters picking over the finances of those who say they're struggling.

It's actually pretty difficult to read.

I think the solution is a government having the courage to actually do something about the ridiculous spiralling of housing, commuting and childcare costs, to encourage job creation and to remove the postcode lottery aspect of education so that those born into poverty into deprived areas aren't condemned to a life of history repeating itself.

I totally agree , and I think most taxpayers would be behind that as they can see where the money goes. I think what taxpayers are now very wary of is a benefit black hole, as anyone who does the numbers sees a huge amount of money divided by not so many recipients, and thinks "where the fuck does it all go???"

There must be ways of getting the food the supermarkets and restaurants throw out to shops where people can buy it at a heavily discounted rate. What happens to all the veg that are not EU standard and Food that has reached its sell by date (but not necessarily off)?

Elf and Safety stops most of that unfortunately, sometimes I think E&S is deliberately used by businesses to drive up prices and remove low cost competition

Growing up my mum ate one meal a day. Usually egg and chips just so we could ate healthy foods cause my dad thought it was unreasonable to waste HIS beer money on food!!

kidz read the thread, i'm not on income support.

yes sorry i meant is for mother ctc and cb would work out at this a week,still total benefit for mother and dc £135 a week

I used to go without food when my older DCs were little.

I am very sad that it is happening again, twenty years later, when things were supposed to have improved.

I do find it hard to understand but I am mindful that when it was happening to me, others didnt believe it.

In the early 90s it was common knowledge that single mothers spent their money on cigerettes , colour tvs and video recorders (video recorders were the Internet acess, colour tvs the flat screens, of their day) whilst their feral children starved.
Apparently if we were not so sexually incontinent we wouldnt have been in that situation and we should have been grateful we were not all in the workhouse.

Seems like things havent changed as much as I had hoped they would.

dog genuine question if things are that tight on maternity leave why don't you go back to work?

It would seem that a major problem for quite a few posters is absent fathers not paying for their children, not sure how that can be fixed though.

dog,i really wont bother,but what are you living on then

whatme I've asked 3 times now. What do you think I should do about my car?

Madam, erm, try living without the internet for a while. See how you lose out. Quite apart form the support sites like MN give...

Some utilities, for example, charge for paper bills.

Internet-access is getting more and more important for students.

Internet shopping.

Cheaper in terms of financial outlay- and time (which is also worth something) to order over the internet, than take a bus around town. Or, you can interent comparison shop in the first place.

Job applications.

Skype for children of divorced parents.

There's loads.

bronze that's sweet of you

I wish there was an MN version of freecycle, so we could all help each other out more....

Sorry that wasn't very helpful.

Nameinchalk, that's the opposite of what I actually said. I believe posters on this thread, as I have said repeatedly.

I think inevitably any thread about not being able to afford to eat will lead to discussion of how to ensure people can afford to eat.

I think that food vouchers would be a.very obvious solution.

Because in general, those on very low incomes are also spending some of their income on non essentials.

I'm a tax payer WhatMeWorry and actually I don't think "Where the fuck does it all go???"

You do not speak for me.

My ire is directed at the tax dodgers, the big corporations who don't pay a decent living wage and the media who seek to turn the poor against the poorest.

As to "Elf and Safety" I presume you are of the opinion that the less restrictions placed on big business the better? Like making sure that workers aren't actually killed?

How bizarre!

MrsDevere In the early 90s it was common knowledge that single mothers spent their money on cigerettes , colour tvs and video recorders (video recorders were the Internet acess, colour tvs the flat screens, of their day) whilst their feral children starved.

Ohyus. My mother did buy cigarettes, but for most of my childhood, we didn't have a tv, never mind a video recorder!