To hate the family criticisers

[fsmfamily]

All the messages against fsm are doing my head in.
I get the vouchers for my kids and they are so useful, we don't all spend them on tvs and booze.

I've been awake since midnight cos I can't sleep cos I'm hungry. I used the vouchers and bought me kids foods to cook them a meal each night not ready meals and buy them fruit and veg but I only buy them food with vouchers. I had tinned soup for my meal cos it's cheap. Sick of being slagged off on here for sponging.

Sorry op, I’ve only seen support, who has said you are sponging?

Ugh I hate even having to write a suggestion like this but in the tinned section of most super markets you can find "stewed steak and gravy" iirc about 1.50p but way over 56g protien in the tin so split up with some cheap carbs (potatoes, bread, etc) makes a cheap meal that keeps you full and the pains at bay for a while.

Helped me out a lot when I was in some bad times

Tastes half decent too. I miss the 70p cans of Chile con carne :(

@Thepigeonsarecoming There have been a lot of threads recently, after the scheme was extended. Most have been deleted now.

Its almost like they have stopped going on about people being on furlough having a good time and gone onto people who have FSM being scroungers and spending the vouchers on booze, fags and clothes.

I get them op as i am a student...nowt wrong with that...people love to label others scroungers but are all too happy to make the most of what is on offer themselves often as a result of priveledge and/ or luck be that well paid jobs, a rich loving dp, education, inheritance etc.

All mine goes on food....i drink very little booze as is super fattening and ive grown out of being pissed.

Put it down to ignorance. No one knows if or when they may be in a similar situation. To be honest I really don’t know how you manage.

OP @fsmfamily big respect to you, I don't see you as a "sponger" and never would - you're feeding your family! Simple as that.

We should all of us accept help in our lives as it's the only way we get stronger. It's horrible to read that you're hungry yourself, being a true mother that's putting your DCs ahead of yourself. I hope things turn the corner for you.

There are unfortunately folk out there who it appears can't be truly happy unless they're pointing out someone else's perceived failings. The bizarre thing is that some of these folk are only one breakup, or 3 pay checks (or fewer!) from a very uncomfortable position themselves.

I haven't seen those threads, fsm, but people should not be saying anything about it. Children come first, who would deny a child food for goodness sakes and times are hard for many. You are certainly no sponger. Someone else on this thread said a lot of us are only two or three pay cheques away from being in the same boat and that is true.

I’ve seen a lot of people disagreeing with fsm. They’ve been a lifeline for us though. I was newly self employed when lockdown started, so I couldn’t be furloughed and I wasn’t entitled to the self employed help. I was so sure that I was entitled to financial help though that I didn’t apply for benefits until 2 months into lockdown. Unfortunately people like me fell through the cracks, and I’ve only just had my first payment. I’ve got two school age children and a baby, for the last couple of months I’ve been having to feed the four of us off the £30 a week vouchers meant for the two older children. I’m so behind with my rent and bills that we’ll probably rely on the food vouchers to feed us all through the summer. I can’t believe the people on here that begrudge families in poverty getting extra help to ensure their children are fed through the summer.

I think a lot of people must be waltzing around in a complacent bubble completely oblivious to all the povery that goes on in this country. I never have sympathy for these people. Don't they watch the news? It has been spoken about a great deal this week in the media.

I have been living on much reduced income with my business and although I don't need FSM or the food bank I have been waking up in the middle of the night worried sick about money. You all have my respect to any of affected right now and living with hunger. I have a raging appetite at the best of times and have no idea how I would manage if I was in that position.

Op cpntact foodbanks in your area.

@Abadon34 contact a food bank. Don’t suffer unnecessarily.

All children (actually all adults too) have a right not to go hungry. I'm sorry to hear that that is happening to you, even if the chiIdren are fed. It is one of society's most basic functions to ensure that everyone has sufficient food. I cannot believe that anyone with enough for themselves would grudge giving help to buy food to those who might otherwise go without. You have nothing to feel bad about accepting this help.

Veggie chilli is our cheap go-to here - 40p kidney beans, 35p tinned tomatoes, 45p red pepper, 15p onion, any spare fresh or frozen veggies, some stock and spices, and boiled rice. Tends to last us 2 meals but there's only 3 of us here.

Take no notice fsmfamily Some people are professional moaners and at the moment a lot of people have too much time on their hands.
The economic fallout from this pandemic hasn’t even hit home properly yet, so, sadly, many more of us may face dire economic catastrophe.
You are doing the best for your children, I’m just so sorry that you are going to bed hungry. That is not acceptable. Hope things improve for you very soon.

Op a lot of families have fallen through the cracks I'm afraid and are receiving help in different forms.

Both working but furloughed. Dh for 8 weeks on 80% and has had to take a pay cut to keep his job so now down to 60% and I'm still on furlough so 80% of basic but I topped wage up with commission every single month so am down by well over £1200 a month between us and have been for three months now.

My cars broken down and my dog needs a surgery. Our cooker blew up and dh has to but new tyres for his car.

Everything that could go wrong has.

When calling different animal charities including the one we adopted the dog from in told because we don't claim benefits we can't get any help towards the surgery bill.

I can't afford to fix my car either

Our food bill is so expensive as everyone's been home but we get no help with anything either because we don't get benefits.

I definitely don't begrudge claimants as that's why the systems in place however I feel very downhearted that's with so much less coming in due to COVID we are currently screwed.

There are pockets of people that seem to have been missed but not reported on

I am so sorry you are hungry @fsmfamily . I second going to a food bank. And during the pandemic many are not means testing - I am volunteering for my local mutual aid food bank and we make 100s of bags a week no questions asked. The situation is heartbreaking. Google your local coronavirus mutual aid group.

As for FSM vouchers, I can’t believe people would pick holes in this instead of being empathetic and horrified that they are needed in the first place.

Local covid mutual aid group finder:

covidmutualaid.org/

My siblings and I qualified for FSM when we were young and both parents were working full time, but were paid very basic wages. My mother used to buy our fruit and vegetables at the local market (cheaper than the supermarket or greengrocers usually) and bulked out the protein in the meal with lots of cheap veg and also LOTS of pulses. So we ate lots of lentils, kidney beans, butter beans with herbs and spices (you get the idea) plus we ate lots of slowly cooked cheap cuts of meat and offal. I haven't eaten things like liver or tripe for many years but mum did the very best she could with what she had. It sounds as you are doing the same and good for you. Life can be tough when finances are really tight and all you can do is your best.

BTW: I still love pulses and eat lots of them. They are heathy and very filling. Buying them dry in packets is cheapest - I usually buy them in ethnic shops as again cheaper and more variety than supermarkets (google how to use them) but canned is quick and easy way of adding to the main meal and is filling and health too.

Also do check you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to: www.entitledto.co.uk or www.turn2us.org.uk and, if you are the only adult in the home apply to your local council for your 25% single occupier discount. If there are other adults in the home and you're unsure about eligibility contact your council or check on their website.

Good luck OP. 🌹

This is why we need to stop lockdown and get people back to work.
The economic effects of coronavirus will be 100 times worse than the virus, we haven’t seen anything yet. I am fearful for my children’s future.

I have been at work all the time full time but minimum wages don't go far

OP I know it's hard but you have to try and ignore those types of threads. Full of sanctimonious arseholes who begrudge anyone something 'free' if they're not getting it too. But the more superior they think they are, the harder they fall.

Lots of the posts on FB news articles about this were from the working poor: those who are really struggling despite working and are lashing out. Lots of people are just worried about their own situation and would welcome that money. People have been fed a diet of benefit bashing for years. The image of the boozed up irresponsible scrounger spending the money that those hard-working people have been paying to support is a prevailing one.

Our local council has a cv hardship fund that people can apply to.
Surely all councils have this?
Its not well publicised here so maybe worth an ask.
It was the cv vulnerable person helpline that told me.