Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have cried in asda

705 replies

Littlemissdan · 02/04/2022 20:39

Is it just me that the whole cost of living thing is getting too much for? I actually had a (very small and no one watching!) cry in asda when I saw some reduced bakery goods because I didn’t know if I could afford them alongside my entire smartprice shop. £30 I had for a 2 week shop including nappies, and it just broke me that I actually had to wonder if I could afford a 55p treat for my kids. I can’t believe we’re living like this, 3 years ago we were comfortable and now I’m relying on the free school meals half term vouchers.
Not really looking for advice or budgeting advice here, just a bit of solidarity really :(

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
uggmum · 02/04/2022 23:48

@Littlemissdan
I volunteer at Citizens Advice and I regularly arrange food bank vouchers.

It is not means tested. I ask a few questions regarding people's circumstances and sort out vouchers for the food bank. You don't need to be on any benefits to qualify.

Please consider calling your local branch to see if they can help you. It might help take the pressure off. I hate to think of you and your DH not eating.

ParkheadParadise · 02/04/2022 23:51

Absolutely Disgraceful that people are living like this in 2022.
My sister works for the local council I know that the council in my area has been given a budget to help residents with the cost of living crises.
Fuel vouchers
Supermarket gift cards
To all families who need help.
Does your local council have a Welfare Rights team?

Kittykat93 · 02/04/2022 23:52

I feel you op it's awful. I'm feeling very grim and a bit hopeless today. Myself and my husband have ok jobs, both full time, always worked since I was a teenager. We have young children who we likely won't be able to even afford to take away for a cheap holiday at the seaside this year as we can barely afford to live with these new increases.

I feel quite guilty at bringing a child into this world to be honest. I'm scared for our future, and our quality of life. We are not going to be able to afford basic things, never mind luxuries such as new clothes, hobbies, holidays, treats. It's fucking depressing. Yes we can survive if we live on beans on toast and keep the house cold and don't go anywhere or have takeaways, but the thought of living like this for the rest of my life is quite an unpleasant one.

earsup · 02/04/2022 23:53

I have noticed that even the reduced items are barely reduced now also...maybe 40p off a £3 item...used to be a lot more.

Hillary17 · 02/04/2022 23:54

So sorry you’re going through this. That budget is pretty tough! When I was on really hard times we lived on cheap pasta bakes, jacket potatoes, beans on toast and cheap sausage and mash. No matter how small please make sure you still eat!

Lifeisbeautiful01 · 02/04/2022 23:57

If your children are at school, please speak to the pastoral leads. You can be referred to the local food bank and they will drop it at school for you to pick up. They might also help with breakfasts etc. Most secondaries provide toast or porridge before lessons start. I hope things pick up for you- I know the soul destroying feeling of struggling to feed your own kids.

MaryAndHerNet · 03/04/2022 00:00

Yep solidarity from me. It's been that way for us for a long time now.
There's no light at the end of the shitty tunnel either.

Stay strong. Remember one thing...
If the kids are fed and no one's dead and everyone's asleep in bed... The day went well.

HRTQueen · 03/04/2022 00:03

I’m so sorry you are struggling like this it’s so unfair

Have been totally broke myself in the past it’s utterly miserable. Having to careful budget again it’s so draining to think about money all the time

Kitkat151 · 03/04/2022 00:05

@MaryAndHerNet

Yep solidarity from me. It's been that way for us for a long time now. There's no light at the end of the shitty tunnel either.

Stay strong. Remember one thing...
If the kids are fed and no one's dead and everyone's asleep in bed... The day went well.

That’s sets a low bar though doesn’t it I want far more for my GDs than being alive with food in their bellies
BikiniB0tt0m · 03/04/2022 00:13

Have you got any social supermarkets in the area you live you can get lots of food cheap there?

Whitefire · 03/04/2022 00:24

Is that you, Boris?

No. It's Norman Tebbit giving it a 21st century twist.

LBFseBrom · 03/04/2022 00:29

I wish you could have a treat, Littlemissdan. Your post was so sad and I empathise having 'been there' many years ago. Things will get better (everything always comes too late), but for now all you can do is hang on. Your jacket potato plans sound good, they are so versatile and most of us have stuff in tins or cheese to fill them.

I hope you enjoyed your cup of tea. What is our country coming to that people are going hungry? It's a dreadful situation.

jytdtysrht · 03/04/2022 00:32

Perhaps the electric bike poster posted on the wrong thread?

k1233 · 03/04/2022 00:33

I've been there too. Buy ingredients, they're cheaper than the end product. By that I mean flour, sugar, milk, eggs, butter. You can make many things with those and much cheaper than you can buy eg biscuits, cake etc

I like making little herb and cheese dumplings (flour, milk, butter, dried herbs) to go on mince bulked out with grated root vegetables. Really yum and filling.

You can get 1 kg of flour in Australia for $1.25 - you get 8 cups to a kg - so 15c a cup, which is cheap.

We have fruit and vege ships here. Some are really cheap and have big bins for sweet potato, pumpkin etc at prices a fraction of supermarket prices. I also found eggs, milk and bread cheaper at these. One near me now is stocking tins of tomato etc at low prices.

If you have the room for a vegetable patch, a cost effective approach is to reuse the seeds from things you buy. Mum used to keep the seeds from nice pumpkins and put them in the vege patch. You can do that with lots of fruit and vege - google for tips.

In really bad times, my go to was egg on toast, jam and toast. Bread here can be cheap if you know where to look. If I could afford milk, then I'd do french toast. Work at the time provided vita weats in the snack room, so vita weat and vegemite for lunch.

xgze · 03/04/2022 00:34

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Quatrophoenix · 03/04/2022 00:43

I think there needs to be a seismic shift in knowledge about incomes. It's a very, very big black hole.

What is now the 'average income?'

What is now the income consistent with the poverty line?

And, in my case as in thousands of other women, what is being done to force absent fathers to support their children and imprison them when they don't.

I suspect a few posters on this thread get either none, or very little support from their children's fathers.

Lone parents should certainly be rioting over this.

NippyWoowoo · 03/04/2022 00:46

@Londoncallingme

Get an electric bike for work?
😂😂😂

Brilliant advice for someone who is wondering whether or not they can spare 55p

Idiot.

EatSleepReplete · 03/04/2022 00:48

I've reported the nonsense above from xgze.

Quatrophoenix · 03/04/2022 00:52

The Department of Health and Social Care has a budget of nearly 140 billion pounds.

EmeraldShamrock1 · 03/04/2022 01:00

Aw OP I'm so sorry. Flowers

It's shocking.

I know no-one wants to attend a food bank or charity and you shouldn't have to, they are there to help.

I got accustomed to a decent life, from poverty to paying bills with ease, the odd treat now back to budgeting.

It's one thing after another wages are being reduced whilst everything is climbing, life is killing people.

I hope that things get better for you.

Bloomingblooms2022 · 03/04/2022 01:01

I feel you , my 3 year old has had tonsillitis and now a lower chest infection. He’s been on antibiotics now for 7 days but finally got his appetite back and eating everything in the kitchen. Went to do grocery shop today and terrified now I had spent what I had left on food to try to make sure he keeps eating I don’t have any money left to take him to Dr or hospital if he gets unwell again. 3rd time he’s had tonsillitis and chest infection this year, feel bad that I can’t keep heating on and that might be causing it.

EmeraldShamrock1 · 03/04/2022 01:16

@Bloomingblooms2022 Flowers that's horrendous.
Not helpful but a steam humidifier really helps with tonsillitis if used for 1 hour per night. They're about €30.

My DS has it 5 times a year.

I'm not in the UK though SVDP have helped people with electricity bills especially with a sick DC.

People donate to help, it might be worth writing or emailing them.

Quatrophoenix · 03/04/2022 01:35

@Bloomingblooms2022

I feel you , my 3 year old has had tonsillitis and now a lower chest infection. He’s been on antibiotics now for 7 days but finally got his appetite back and eating everything in the kitchen. Went to do grocery shop today and terrified now I had spent what I had left on food to try to make sure he keeps eating I don’t have any money left to take him to Dr or hospital if he gets unwell again. 3rd time he’s had tonsillitis and chest infection this year, feel bad that I can’t keep heating on and that might be causing it.
How is his father helping you? Your post is in the first person. Sounds like the father isn't around?
BionicEar · 03/04/2022 01:38

Sorry things are so tough for you OP.

Are there any food clubs in your local area? This is a club where you pay a set amount of money where you’ll be given food that has a short shelf life or shops have too much stuff.

We joined our local one and for £4 get a good mix of stuff. For example you might get one or two meats like a small gammon joint or bacon, fish cakes, various veg like potatoes, carrots, onions, kale, milk, cheese, yoghurt and bread. Also sometimes get non food items like toothpaste, shampoo or cleaning wipes.

It is different every week what you get given but it really helps in terms of reducing food bills and knowing we have a regular source of food.

lemmein · 03/04/2022 01:55

It's sickening that people are having to live like this - truly sickening. Yet every single day there's a fresh Tory scandal that's cost the country ££££.

We should all be cancelling our direct debits till they learn to fucking play fairly - massively taking the piss.

Least Sunak sends his sympathies......from California - twat!

Sorry op, truly sorry you're experiencing this. Every last bit of humanity has been squeezed out of this country - food banks shouldn't even be a bastard thing, yet it's just so commonplace now. Sorry, it makes me so angry!