Period poverty

[ChocolateAndMoreChocolate]

AIBU to remind you period poverty exists?

Came on this morning, did not have any sanitary items. Asked my DM to send me £5 until payday (Friday). She could only PayPal so I tried to withdraw the funds and I’m on a 72 hour wait!

So no view of having sanitary items for 3 days... and now I also hate pay pal

Sorry I just find this such bullshit. Period poverty is complete non sense in the context you are using it in. You have a set amount of money for all essentials, it’s basic budgeting. It generally happens every month, so not exactly difficult to plan for. Cheap sanitary products are widely available, about the price of a can of coke.

If you have to ask your mom for money for this that does not mean period poverty is to blame. It means you are shit at budgeting, rely too much on other people to bail you out and are too stupid to realise this.

Yep, sure the bleeding heart brigade will jump down my throat now. But seriously guys, fucking hell...

And if you're one of the many women whose accommodation/finances are too small for a washing machine have to use the laundrette. I doubt many laundrettes will let you wash heavily soiled sanitary towels

🤔

So apparently many women, according to you, that are not homeless or seeking refuge, don't have 50p to spare and also don't have access to a washing machine? Give me a break...

And a mooncup is nearly £30

I had a £30 one, lost it and brought a £5 one on Amazon from another brand, the £5 one is way better

*Sorry I just find this such bullshit. Period poverty is complete non sense in the context you are using it in. You have a set amount of money for all essentials, it’s basic budgeting. It generally happens every month, so not exactly difficult to plan for. Cheap sanitary products are widely available, about the price of a can of coke.

If you have to ask your mom for money for this that does not mean period poverty is to blame. It means you are shit at budgeting, rely too much on other people to bail you out and are too stupid to realise this.*

Agree

Some people are suggesting a cheap mooncup type thing from eBay. At under £2 it’s cheap. But what risk are you taking with your health putting something like that up your vagina? Not all women can use mooncups. I’ve got vaginismus and couldn’t use them.

I know some of you have been luckier in life than others. But for some people there are genuinely times in life when they have NO MONEY. If this has never happened to you then you’re very fortunate

I have used rolled up loo paper for years. Works perfectly, just flushes away no plastic involved

Easy

I haven't read replys after page 1 but I'm surprised so many people believe in "period poverty" complete marketing tag made up by who I wonder?? Its awful to think that ladies cant afford basic sanitary items but this is because they are living in poverty not because having a period is making them poor???

Jojobears

I don’t see how it would be more toxic than tampons which contain heaps of nasty ingredients. I’ve used the expensive and a cheap one and I’ve honestly found the cheap one way more hygienic, the expensive one seems to smell no matter how much it’s cleaned, the cheap one is so easy to clean.

You can wash cloth pads entirely by hand. It's a bit of a drag but then so is doing your laundry by hand.

Of course OP knows she can use rags/loo roll/woven grass and the tears of a unicorn. She's not stupid. I would imagine she was using something rather than bleeding all over the place while she waited for her sanpro to arrive.

But in the world's fifth largest economy she shouldn't have to. It's shameful. And the fact the people on here don't understand that is even more shameful.

In one of the richest countries in the developed world women can't afford to buy basic hygiene items, families can't afford to eat, school children are going hungry over the summer. That's not something to be proud of. It's not the good old days ffs and it doesn't fucking matter if your gran and her seven brothers and sisters had to share one tampon between eighteen of them and only ate crackers.

It's 2019. In the fifth largest economy of the world. No-one should have to go without basic, essential hygiene products, food, shelter and power.

it doesn't matter what name you give it, it's shameful. It's disgusting. Anyone defending it needs to give their head a wobble.

Have not suggested the op use "rags/loo roll/woven grass and the tears of a unicorn.".

Have provided a link to a blog about making your own cloth pads repurposing stuff you have at home with limited sewing skills.
You can, of course, make fancier cloth pads with other material but the Precious Stars vlog link I provided below is perfectly good and cheap place to start.

I usually use loo roll... not for poverty reasons, but because it just works better than pads! So I don't see the fuss about needing 'proper' SanPro.

can't use tampons or moon cups and resusables... well if pads with sticky don't stay put, can't see them staying put either. Also...mess... fuss...washing...
That being said until I got too old I just took the pill back to back which was fab as well as a fantastic anti-depressant.

@Francium there's no way I could just use toilet roll. I'm sure many others are the same.

I've just looked on tesco and they have a pack of basic maxi towels for 23p.
No excuse for anyone to go without.

Also agree with others who have suggested making your own pads.

I have heavy periods and have used loo roll from public buildings because of poverty. If you have heavy periods it is not ideal, but needs must.

To the people worried about the teachers giving toiletries in their school. It is a choice. No one is going to stop it out of their wages. Yes they don’t earn loads but often people are happy to throw something in with their own shopping as many of us do for food banks. I run a red box in the CAMhs services I work in and people give as they want and use as they need.
The fact that we need such things is a total disgrace and that’s something to fight against but to get cross with those who are trying to help seems to put your anger in the wrong place.

But in the world's fifth largest economy she shouldn't have to. It's shameful. And the fact the people on here don't understand that is even more shameful.

That rather depends on OP's situation: if she was on a very low income or there was a delay in a benefit payment, it might be shameful. If she is just bad at budgeting and spends all her paycheck on things she wants as soon as she gets it, rather than for things she needs, (and it is not just people on low incomes that do that) then it is nobody else's fault. She must have known she was completely out of pads or tampons at the end of her last period, (which would possibly coincided with her last pay date) so it would have made sense to buy some more when she had the money.

In real terms sanpro must be cheaper than it has ever been, so I'm not sure why 'period poverty' has become a thing in the last 10 years or so.

I usually use loo roll... not for poverty reasons, but because it just works better than pads! So I don't see the fuss about needing 'proper' SanPro.

Then couldn't you also suffer from loo roll poverty? Surely, to get a thick enough wad to do the job, would work out more expensive than using cheap sanpro.

Without anyone jumping down my throat, is it really possible to be in a financial situation where you cannot budget 23p for sanitary towels over a month?

Surely a period is a foreseen expense, and every household budget can accommodate 23p for a ‘must have’ rather than a ‘nice to have’?

derbee

Yes it is possible. It shouldn't be but it absolutely is possible when you've got a minimum six week wait for universal credit payments. My friend is good at budgeting and but had to wait ten weeks for any kind of payments when he husband upped and left her one night. Her income took a massive decrease and she was left with £0 income through no fault of her own.

She's lucky because she has friends like me and some family who between us managed to provide dog food and san pro for her and her dd. I know she wasn't lying because I helped her make her claims and attend interviews etc as her mental health (diagnosed bipolar) took a massive decline in the weeks after her husband fucked off. She's still in the middle of her most serious flare up yet bland being terrified of being sanctioned if she can't manage her bipolar and a psych appointment clashes with a job centre one.

@K1ssIt thanks for the reply, as I was genuinely interested.

I do appreciate that I’m in a position where I needed to ask if it is possible, and so I am trying to tread carefully whilst also educating myself. I’m sure relying on universal credit whilst battling mental health issues is a very tough situation for your friend.

I think what I take from your reply is that it is absolutely possible, but it comes down to what you choose to spend money on? Presumably not having the expense of a dog would allow access to a lot more than 23p a month?

By the way, not at all saying that someone shouldn’t have a dog etc, but do budget shortfalls usually happen on items that an individual doesn’t prioritise?

I guess a simpler question would be. Are a lot of people living hand-to-mouth whilst having/enjoying absolutely zero luxuries or frivolities, or does everybody have the freedom to make certain choices about how they budget to some extent?

I used to use the 'toilet roll' method as a teenager. It works well but a) only if you have plenty of access to free soft toilet roll, if you work in an office etc. b) you have efficient flushing - a large wodge of toilet roll will block a lot of systems and can be too large and thick to get into the tray of sanpro bins and c) your flow isn't very heavy. If it is, then this method simply won't work, it just floods straight through and goes everywhere.

I was never short of tampons etc but in my early twenties I’d spend most weekends out on the razz and often would end up not eating dinner most nights in the week. No MN to beg on then though due to my own crappy sense of priorities.

Mooncups are available from eBay for £1.97 delivered

Actual Mooncup brand? They are over £20 so I’d be surprised.

In fact I’d be wary about buying one so cheap from EBay as god knows what it would be made from. Mooncups are made from medical grade silicon I believe.

OP saving for a menstrual cup if you can would be a good investment. I hope you got sorted, I’m sure a lot of friends/colleagues IRL would have given you some if you asked.

Again if/when you get a bit of spare cash might be with squirrelling away a few packs, maybe a pack in your desk/work loos etc so that you can try and “forget” they’re there month to month but can access them in an emergency. I have a stash in our work loos of stuff like tampons, toothpaste, deodorant, wipes, dental floss, painkillers etc and anyone is welcome to help themselves if they need x

This thread is awful, some of you should actually be ashamed at your contempt for people and total lack of understanding.

Why has period poverty become a "thing" in the last 10 years - I imagine it's always been a thing, poverty isn't new, but we now have social media and the internet which has allowed for stories to be publicised and campaigns and awareness to be raised. Let's not also forget that we have been in a period of a Tory government austerity for 9 years.

If you have every penny budgeted, or something comes up unexpectedly, 50p is a lot if you DON'T HAVE IT. Regardless of whether it's 50p or £5 or £50!

Someone asked about donating sanitary products - the boxes in the supermarkets for food bank donations will also accept sanitary products.