Re: free school meal vouchers

[Hadenoughofitall441]

My mum works in a local supermarket, she told me today that at least 6 of the kids parents from dd 7 and DS 12 school came in to use them but spent them on alcohol. Now let me know if I’m being unreasonable but I find this totally out of order. She said it’s been happening last week aswell.
She said the cards have the kids names on so she knew what they were. She too is disgusted by this but obviously can’t say anything because it’s at work. One of the other customers said he thought it was wrong too.

Amen OP

hadenough well said. For some reason on MN it's not ok to question parents who aren't doing the right thing by their children. All people on UC/getting housing benefit etc are saints 🤷‍♀️
I guess we all have a different view of 'this right thing' & we'll have to agree to disagree with those people.

You don’t know if the parents weren’t doing right by their kids - one transaction in a supermarket tells you nothing about what’s gone before. There’s absolutely no indication that these kids are sitting hungry while their parents drink their FSM allowance - I and others have given pretty clear examples and rationale behind why parents might have been buying alcohol and been ok doing so.

This is nothing about “doing right by kids” and everything to do with “do what I think you should regardless of your circumstances”. It started with a gossipy conversation, through a judgy lens and went downhill from there. Never mind the fact that not all parents who get FSM payments are in poverty and may chose to spend the money as part of their wider household budget. If it’s not spent in the exact way people here think it should be, they’re feckless neglectful parents.

Funny how you turn to saying others are being vindictive OP, I’ve literally been called a liar on this thread, others have been referred to as beggars so if there’s vindictive rhetoric it’s certainly not all in one direction.

It sounds like your home was precisely the type where FSM allowance would make a difference, ie those just struggling. The homes I’m talking about aren’t even close to getting by, if you understood life in those homes you’d be much less concerned about the odd bottle of wine.

Not sure there's any point jellycat. Some people have no open mindedness at all and can't think beyond the one example they have seen or heard.

Personally here, I was trying to wait on the next voucher before I do our next big shop because ideally I don't want to be going to she shops more than I have to. Unfortunately if it doesn't come today I will have to go shopping. Again, that might mean I have to go back to the shops to cash it in later on in the week and probably won't buy items it's intended for. Surely better I do that than make a point of holding back on my childs lunch just so I am using it for its exact purpose when it does arrive. (Bearing in mind it expires withing 5 days of being issued)

It’s interesting to see how this pandemic has magnified certain personality traits.

I have as much right to be here and comment as you do. I’m certainly no troll (happy for MNHQ to confirm this.) I’m not the one slinging out revolting names and having my comments deleted.

I also haven’t had any alcohol since May last year. (2 drinks) and it was November 2018 before that.

Sorry to burst that little frothy bubble of yours.

Our high school has issued asda gift cards. I can't get an online shop from there and can't get there to spend them. The primary school has issued ones that are valid for different stores but you have to choose which ones you would like and then wait for them to arrive in the post. Therefore I'm using the money I'd normally be saving towards uniform and shoes to buy food and will use the vouchers to replace that. Really scummy that isn't it

DtPeasbodys it is a totally different thing altogether to use the vouchers towards school uniform. Food/uniform it doesn't really matter as it's being spent on the child it is intended for, on something practical and useful. I would also argue that extra summer clothing would be really useful as they need more clothes now as they're not wearing their uniforms.

Oh Chandler go away and get pissed on your child’s FSM voucher you goady so and so. Total troll.

How is she being goady? Because she’s making a dick of your daft prejudices?

@Hadenoughofitall441

Having read through the whole thread, I Cher a really strong impression that you are judgemental, goody and just plain lacking in intelligence if you can’t grasp that someone spending a voucher on a bottle of wine doesn’t mean they are misusing I’d.
Let me make it easy.
Mum has 2 kids. She gets an online slot for Friday and orders extra good than normal for the kids lunches the following week, spending £20 more than normal, so doesn’t get the wine she usually would as she’s not got enough in her bank,
On Saturday the vouchers arrive. She pops down to Asda to get a few bits they didn’t have in her online shop, plus the wine she didn’t have the money for before as she’d spent it on lunches.

Get it? I’m guessing you get your judge pants from your gossiping mother too 🤦🏼‍♀️

@ChandlerIsTheBestFriend you’re spot on 👏🏻👏🏻

And yes, typing in a phone = too many errors 🤣

I'd like to see more help for the families that earn above the threshold but not way above. I do believe these are the families that struggle the most in my experience.