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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Jack Monroe again

1000 replies

scabbers44 · 15/08/2022 05:33

Has anyone seen the recent tweet about her pawning/selling three diamond engagement rings? Aibu to think if you are pleading poverty and asking the general public to donate money one week and then showing off pictures of three massive diamonds you own the next, it's never going to go down well? Especially when you are already being challenged on lying and grifting?

For a long time I thought JM was nothing but a force of a good but I can't understand how she can be so tone deaf. It can't be deliberate but equally how can she not realise how it looks to produce three huge rings just a week after claiming she's so skint she needs handouts.

Apologies if there's already a thread on this.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
38
NWQM · 15/08/2022 07:39

RaspberryBeret1999 · 15/08/2022 07:28

Thank you, I was scrolling through twitter and couldn’t see her asking for money. Like you, I feel that’s fair enough having links to her books, or a “tip jar”, we all have to earn 🤷‍♀️ however I still don’t see her claiming she’s living in dire poverty, only that she has experienced it.

As for pawning and not selling, considering the trolling she gets, maybe she felt pawning was safer than gumtree/eBay/marketplace?

Agree.......I appauld the tip jar model too.

AnneLovesGilbert · 15/08/2022 07:40

She obviously isn't good with money exasperated by an irregular income.

You know what might help. A job. With regular hours and a regular wage. Like most people have to pay the bills and avoid the “exasperation on an irregular income”.

Trixiefirecracker · 15/08/2022 07:41

Well, taking a look at her Instagram she seems to be able to have money to do up her house and change her hairstyle every two minutes…

Scianel · 15/08/2022 07:42

And buy a cockerpoo and go to Venice.

AnneLovesGilbert · 15/08/2022 07:42

I still don’t see her claiming she’s living in dire poverty, only that she has experienced it.

A month ago she said she couldn’t afford soap or shampoo. If that’s not claiming dire poverty I’m not sure what is. Soap costs pennies.

FrancescaContini · 15/08/2022 07:44

I agree - tone deaf. And tiresomely self absorbed.

CornishGem1975 · 15/08/2022 07:45

@gogohmm and clearly neither do you realise either, because most of these bloggers/podcasters etc make their money from adverts, media work on tv and magazines, other side projects. So while could still be irregular, it's not just being thrown a fiver here and there for a subscription- it will be a lump sum of possibly thousands.

Jack is no different than many other self employed people - for who an irregular income is part of daily live. Learn to save and budget.

scabbers44 · 15/08/2022 07:45

Surely the sensible thing would be to sell your diamonds before pleading poverty and asking for handouts from strangers. There are people with absolutely fuck all donating to her because they believe she is some sort of saint. For her then to produce 3 massive diamonds she's had kicking around in her drawer leaves a very bad taste, surely? She must know this. Yet she posts a photo of them anyway. And she has the cheek to call other people out for trolling.

OP posts:
GettinPiggyWithIt · 15/08/2022 07:46

Boybandfacedfannyfart · 15/08/2022 06:52

Couldn’t the angles have a word with the big man and ask him to stop covering beans in sauce so people don’t have to rinse them? 🤔

😂😂😂😂

DashboardConfessional · 15/08/2022 07:47

I do applaud her general efforts but yep, the recent purchase of the dog and all the associated expenses does it for me.

I'm sorry if you can't afford to rent your lovely little house and need to move into a flat, but honestly join the bloody club.

WhereAreMyAirpods · 15/08/2022 07:48

EveSix · 15/08/2022 07:16

Engagement rings may hold sentimental value, hence pawning.
I'd definitely see parting with inherited family jewellery as an absolutely last resort and would want to try to pawn as opposed to sell.
Jack seems to do precisely zero actual harm -what is the problem?

I'd argue that she's actually doing quite a lot of harm by constantly taking money from her followers, who are by nature not affluent people.

There is nothing wrong with campaigning against poverty and helping people stretch their food budgets. Or having a website, Twitter account and posting recipes. All fine. Good on her.

What's not OK is the constant lying/inconsistencies which suggest her financial situation is very different than she claims.

RoyalCorgi · 15/08/2022 07:48

There is almost nothing that would induce me to go on social media and ask people to send me money. The level of shamelessness is off the scale.

Lots of people make a living from freelance writing, including people who aren't remotely famous. If you have a high public profile, then getting writing gigs is much easier than it is for most other people. If she's not making money, it's because she's not working hard enough. And as others have said, there is nothing to stop her getting a job.

I have lots of sympathy with people who are genuinely poor. She isn't one of them.

FitAt50 · 15/08/2022 07:49

CornishGem1975 · 15/08/2022 07:36

She's ridiculous. If she is skint then she's horrible at managing money. That's not a dig at actual skint people.

Jack has had more than enough opportunities in the media to make a decent amount of money. I know lesser "influencers" without the same level of followers or media presence that easily make a proper full time salary - 6 figures in some cases. How can Jack have nothing?

Not forgetting her partner over the past few years while she was still bleating how hard life was, was high up at C4 so I doubt on the breadline.

She's a disgusting human being.

What a strange world you must live in if you think she is "a disgusting human being". She is raising lots of money and awareness of food poverty. I have nothing but respect for her.

RaspberryBeret1999 · 15/08/2022 07:49

Clymene · 15/08/2022 07:31

She posted this at the very end of July: cookingonabootstrap.com/2022/07/ when she wrote she is SO poor she has had to take the lightbulbs out and hasn't bought shampoo for 2 years.

Lots of people sent her money. They she posted the engagement rings the other day. Surely you sell those first before you go on the beg?

So I’ve just quickly read the blog you linked, I read it as someone who has experienced poverty, is again struggling financially, and does not want it to get as bad as before so are planning on downsizing, as they are soon free of a locked in lease, doing things like changing bulbs to solar bulbs to save money, decluttering for a move and selling stuff as they do this. All seems pretty sensible to me.

and again, link away to book sales and tip jars, it’s earning after all, isn’t it?

Clymene · 15/08/2022 07:52

gogohmm · 15/08/2022 07:36

I don't think some of you realise how blogs/vlogs/podcast type things work- the PayPal/patreon/stars depending on platform are to support the site - I listen to lists of podcasts and they are all asking for voluntary £5 a month or whatever to support their work, some are very well known.

Why shouldn't Jack or anyone else monetarise their website? She obviously isn't good with money exasperated by an irregular income. I doubt she earns anywhere near as much from books or broadcast as you think either. If you don't like her stop reading about her! She has put a great resource of recipes into the public realm on her website for which personally I'm grateful for when I was having to watch the pennies

Until last week, she hadn't posted a new recipe on her blog since 2028. She has never sent any of the promised things to her patrons on Patreon.

What exactly are people paying her for? Giving out advice that is going to get you into debt on telly?

MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 15/08/2022 07:54

I listen to lists of podcasts and they are all asking for voluntary £5 a month or whatever to support their work

But this is different this is asking for support for their work, it is buying into a service. I donate to free websites because I am grateful they exist and appreciate their use. The idea of a 'Tip Jar' to support Jack is fine however using poverty as emotional blackmail when you can afford foreign holidays is distasteful.

Pollianne · 15/08/2022 07:54

Clymene · 15/08/2022 07:19

Yesterday. Every single post or recipe has a PayPal link at the bottom. There are 15 links at the top, 2 of which are links to PayPal, and an affiliate link (ie she gets paid extra) to her books. Oh and another to her merch.

I don't care if she makes money. Or has money. I do care that she constantly pleads poverty.

I can’t see any of these PayPal links on her Twitter account. And I just looked on her website and I can only see a PayPal donate tab and a tip jar tab. Jack isn’t claiming to be in poverty now but she’s explained she isn’t rolling in money either. The choice to tip or donate is with the reader, she not forcing anyone to pay her. I don’t see a problem 🤷🏻‍♀️

ooherrmissus14 · 15/08/2022 07:55

I don't know much about her other than recognising her name but have just read the blog via the link posted here earlier.
I found it really strange. What stood out to me was the amount of designer clothing and accessories she has to sell which she justified as having bought when she's had money come through from media appearances etc. This is just an odd response to coming into a bit of money when you know it's not going to last, especially as your 'job' is to advise other people on how to manage their income. I know everyone is different but it just doesn't seem to make sense to me and I think it's justified to raise questions about it x

EveSix · 15/08/2022 07:57

TheWay, lapasion and Airpods; thank you for taking the time to explain.

DoraDont · 15/08/2022 07:57

FangsForTheMemory · 15/08/2022 06:40

Nobody is perfect but I’m sick of the threads on here criticising Jack. They mostly chew over the same ground over and over again. There’s clearly a vendetta against her on Mumsnet. I wonder why some people are so desperate to discredit her. She’s been consistently campaigning about food poverty for years and has done a great deal of good. She’s on the side of the angels. Leave her alone.

What exactly has she done? Point me toward just one tangible real thing she’s done to help other people.

I think you’ll struggle. Low cost recipes? Disgusting mostly, neither economical or filling, they don’t work. try buying 3p worth of bacon next time you go to Asda. Pulls in an income from Patreon and does nothing. She’s a lying grifter who appropriates identities and issues like it’s going out of fashion. She needs to have a break from social media.

Oblomov22 · 15/08/2022 07:59

This Tattle timeline is interesting. Tattle
Even if all of it isn't strictly true we know a lot of it is true - for example she was with Allegra, then she was engaged to Louisa.

Claiming not to be able to buy soap in 2022? Oh come on! Habitual liar.

CornishGem1975 · 15/08/2022 07:59

@DoraDont Don't forgetting teaching is to wash the sauce off tinned spaghetti hoopsConfused just buy the basic cheap pasta.

berksandbeyond · 15/08/2022 08:00

She's an absolute con artist and i'm thrilled that more people are starting to see it

lot123 · 15/08/2022 08:00

Clymene · 15/08/2022 07:31

She posted this at the very end of July: cookingonabootstrap.com/2022/07/ when she wrote she is SO poor she has had to take the lightbulbs out and hasn't bought shampoo for 2 years.

Lots of people sent her money. They she posted the engagement rings the other day. Surely you sell those first before you go on the beg?

Blimey, I've read that post. I'm all for descriptive writing but it's so long (and repetitive), it reads like War and Peace.

I don't follow her so I'm possibly missing something. She refers to 94% of her income going on rent. I presume she's not allowed to sublet her property or rent out a room? I also don't think it's the end of the world to move into a flat if she lives in London.

Oblomov22 · 15/08/2022 08:01

Why was my previous post deleted MNHQ?

It's a Tattle timeline link?

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