To use a Food Bank if I also had a holiday last month?

[NoseAboveWater]

Checked my account this week and it's not good. I've had a few job options not work out. I now have an offer for February for part time so I'm obviously very happy, however it is minimun wage and freelance so I feel cautious about taking on a payday loan just in case. Not eligible for proper loan from bank as no income right now.

I went on holiday with a new bf last month before things got so serious with my money situation. Part of me thinks I need to prioritize rent and bills I can just about pay until new job starts, if I don't really buy food for the second half of December - I have plenty of food for about a week. However, I should not have gone away so it's my own stupid fault and so really don't deserve any help from the Food Bank. I've been hanging around supermarkets late for a few days trying to get reduced items but not having much luck. Been looking online for information about getting thrown away food from restaurants at night, not found anything yet, but if anyone knows where I could get that that would be great?

I cannot ask family or friends and certainly not bf. Wwyd? No children btw it's only myself so no worry there.

If you can't borrow money then you can't. End of.
Go to GP or if you have any other support in place, ask them for a food bank referral. You need to eat and you need to not be worried about affording food and paying important bills for the sake of your health.

I hope things soon start to work out for you. In the meantime don't beat yourself up and don't let anyone else make you feel shit about needing some help right now. Sometimes life is totally crap and we need to stick our hands out and accept help. It's not a disgrace, it's not a sign of failure. It's just how life can be at times. .

I cannot believe that there are people here that really think that single people shouldn't have access to food banks. OP please do use one if you need to, you can't be going hungry. Some other good suggestions on here as well that I hadn't heard of like the Junk Food Project.

Buttery yes, you're right that homeless day centres and shelters will provide food to the volunteers as well but I think a lot of them get more volunteers than they need in the lead up to Christmas so it would depend if they needed more help now or not. Still worth asking of course!

Cash in handwork babysitting cleaning, ironing, etc

How do you get that sort of work quickly? Who the hell would leave their child with someone who might not have any experience or references? Cleaning would require having the products and equipment and transport. Plus sticking a notice up on Gumtree is not going to mean you will be inundated with calls to come round to do ironing.

ODFO Sheldon, I've taken time to reason with you as have others, it's clearly not worth the effort.

Soubriquet Fri 09-Dec-16 17:34:54 - Martin Lewis advises you have 3 months worth of savings. This should be your priority before holidays.

Good for Martin Lewis. Those who are poor can't afford 3 months worth of savings

But can go on holiday???

I don't know what universe some posters live in but it doesn't bear much relationship to reality.

creaky Precisely. There seems to be a distinct absence of reality in some of these posts. I just hope that the OP hasn't left the thread after reading some of the earlier comments believing she is not entitled to help, because she is.

That's a poor decision whichever way you look at it and OP doesn't blame it on her MH. Despite posts saying ask others, pick up temp work (paid weekly) it appeared easier for the OP to just get a voucher

Oh, Sheldon, that is bull. So you think that everyone else who uses foodbanks made super-sensible financial decisions then? Have you tried to find a weekly paying temp job 2 weeks before Christmas when you have MH difficulties? Oh and one that pays weekly as well. She has no food. I don't know why that is so hard to understand. Yes, it's due to silly financial choices, but she has no food and will starve unless she gets some.

If you've the gumption to book a holiday, I'd have thought the op would have the gumption to get some work lined up. I don't want her to be hungry but her boyfriend and family should be helping before the foodbank.

gloria. I wouldn't bother. That particular poster is fairly prolific on benefits-bashing threads and firmly believes that everyone, regardless of vunerability and unfortunate personal circumstances, should be able to 'help themselves'.

Waggy, Sheldon, YelloDraw, ArgyMargy and others. You should be ashamed. Lets hope you don't find yourself ever in a position where your anticipated work/money doesn't come in when you need it, eh?

How many of you people telling OP she shouldn't use a food bank are sitting at home without enough food to eat??

Unless you are hungry and can't afford to buy food then who cares what has happened in OPs past she needs help not your judgement.

Are families more deserving than individuals? Are people who suddenly have no money unexpectedly not entitled to some fucking support?

Merry fucking Christmas.

Things change WaggyMamma

In a heartbeat things can do from brilliant to disaster

It sounds like there's nothing you'd like better, OhTheRoses.

There's so much information from the OP on this thread and you come in, as a first post, with that. Urgh.

There's no shame in going to a food bank if you need it, OP. But I do think that you should be able to trust your friends. Would you lend them money to eat if your positions were reversed?

Apologies if this has already been mentioned but in terms of the supermarket you need to find out when each one reduces. I go to Sainsburys on my way home from work at about 4.45/5.00 by then they are often on the 2nd round of reductions so if you were to go nearer closing time it would probably all be gone.

Figures.

OP, use the food bank and then when you have some cash you can give back what you used. I don't see any reason to agonize over this.

I would like to apologise for and retract my post up thread

It was knee jerk and based on only my own expectations of myself were I to find myself in this situation. I also saw red with the paying for the boyfriend's holiday. I would still like to know more about why she did that and suspect there are massive issues there but in hindsight that is not what this thread is about

Everyone is deserving of help. I should not have applied my own relatively priveliged pre conceived ideas.

My apologies. Subsequent posts have changed my mind massively.

But can go on holiday???

Lessons I have learned from MN tonight:

1. one unwise decision to go on holiday means if you then become hard up, you forefeit the right to eat ever again

1. You should delay paying essential bills rather than use a food bank

1. Food banks are only for "struggling families", who may just as shitty at managing their finances as any singleton, but at least they've got baybees.

So much judgement!

OP, going on holiday when you had no reason to think you wouldn't have money is no reason to beat yourself up. Circumstances can change all of the time. I hope you had a relaxing time!

Do seek some support with this issue as not eating isn't an option. As somebody else said, maybe make a commitment to 'paying it forward' by supporting the food bank when you have a bit of a healthier financial situation.

Do not feel bad about needing help. Do not listen to the judgemental tittle on here- you are human and we make mistakes and fall on difficult times. It does not make you irresponsible, selfish, idiotic, entitled or anything else- and well done on reaching out for some help & advice.

Stay strong and ignore the negativity.

op

Does it really matter what people here think.

You've been looking at reduced items so you have cash. Pasta, cheese, eggs & bread will see you through.

Or just go to a food bank

Yes OP, you should ask for a referral.
Not quite sure why some people on here are so judgemental. Lets face it, we're probably talking about a few tins of baked beans and some value pasta here. It's hardly going to break the bank, is it?
I donate myself when I can afford it, I certainly wouldn't begrudge a person in your position receiving my donations. Do people have to be literally starving before they're allowed? No of course not.

WaggyMama I wonder how you would feel if you or your DH/OH suddenly out of the blue lost your job and were struggling financially. You might not think it can happen to you, but it can happen to anyone. What if you fell on hard times and people started raking up things you had spent your money on during better times? The OP said that she had jobs fall through. She didn't think she would have no food in December.

Soubriquet I wasn't criticising the OP just suggesting that it's always a good idea to keep some savings for emergencies like rent and food like the situation she is now in.