What can't you afford?

[Marleymerm]

Last week at work my colleague told me her recent eye test showed she needed glasses, but she couldn't afford them, she's known she's needed them for a couple of years but said she doesn't have the money. We both work full time in office jobs and neither of us have expensive hobbies or social lives, we're both pretty boring.
I realised this morning I haven't bought new shoes for months despite the ones I have coming apart, because I can't afford them. I've picked up pairs but put them back down when I've thought of what else I need instead.
When I asked this question to my friend about what she couldn't afford she told me her monthly prescription! She hasn't got it for 3 months.
It's a weird time we're living in so everyone's doing without something. But do you have any necessary things you need but can't afford?

Yes do check. I’m my area they do - it’s same as pensioners bus pass.

www.lancashire.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/public-transport/apply-for-a-concessionary-travel-pass/

The disabled and pensioner bus pass can be used anywhere in England, sorry I don't now about the other countries.

You can't use it before 9.30. Where I am you can get a £1 add on fare if you travel before 9.30 am

Mine allows travel on trains and the tram in a defined area, so if I get the train to Stafford (I'm in Wolverhampton) I only pay the difference between the edge of the travel area and Stafford. If I went by bus I would not need to pay.

Going south I can get as far as Coventry.

If I'm in London I can use them on the bus but not the tube, those who live in London their pass will allow them on the tube.

When they were first issued some intrepid pensioners decided to travel long distances using local busses.

If there is anyone in South Birmingham on here that is really struggling, there is a wonderful little bakery which is Pay as you can called Lil’s Parlour. Lucy is fabulous and you literally pay what you can for a sweet treat or hot chocolate. She is also doing a Christmas grotto for children which I believe is free. Alongside that I can get you some hot meals. Nobody should have to actually go hungry or be skipping meals, what a world we live in!!

To be honest - I don't think you'll be lucky this time. I can't find any NHS dentist who accepts new patients. I'm pregnant too. I'm still looking for it, even if I'll find, waiting lists are crazy.... My friend is 2 months pregnant, got her check up in 2023 February. ONLY CHECK UP.

As to the tube (for those living in a London borough) once you turn 60 if you pay £20 you can get a free tube pass. I have used mine 3 times so will now have paid for the £20 and I am sure over the next few years it will prove useful. I work full time from home so not doing a lot of travelling at present on the tube or otherwise. We are also lucky with having an NHS dentist which we registered with in 1997 when we moved here and ours saw me in Jan 2020 and then in Dec 2020 so even during the pandemic despite the break it was within the same year we got check ups and now back to normal. We are in a bit of outer London which is very popular with dentists I think and young doctors so although we are crowded to the gills (and more beds in sheds sadly than any other London borough) at least we seem to have dentists. Whereas my son who moved to Oxfordshire still has to come home to use the NHS dentist here and I keep reminding him to keep having his check ups otherwise he might be removed from their list and then be stuck without one. He was able to find an NHS doctor in Oxfordshire so that's all okay.

Can you afford a tin of cheap soup? That works ok as a pasta sauce.

Re the glaucoma - my Dad had it and my word was accepted when I told opticians. When he died I checked that they didn’t need proof as if they did I might be able to obtain it from his medical records before they were destroyed. No. I now have it too and DS consequently gets free eye tests because of it, without having to provide proof (even of my existence!)

Yes definitely plenty of dentists and competition in the area thank goodness

Agree about the beds in sheds and hideous extensions

I could do with new bras.

This thread is so bleak - I'm single but earn an okay amount (above average for my area) and have no kids. For about 8 years now I've gone without clothes, holidays, any luxuries due to saving to buy a place - which is now screwed due to the Tories. Lately the money I used to put towards saving to buy is now going on extra bills and cost of food so not saving, not spending, just surviving. In short I can't afford anything other than rent, bills, food and I spent £20pcm on a council run gym as it keeps me sane. I no longer have a car as it needs fixing and I've no money. I don't buy birthday or Xmas presents for people any more, I don't go out, I don't smoke, drink, have Sky or anything.

The fact I work 50+ hours per week, earn an okay amount, pay f**k loads of tax and I am struggling to do anything but live just shows how screwed this country is. God knows how single parents cope. I can't even imagine.

Uniform for my daughters, PE leggings are £19. School trousers are £27. Blazer? £40. Times two.
My son is wearing my daughters primary uniform. He hasn’t had new shoes.
I have a dog, and I’m beginning to feel like I shouldn’t because she has to be fed and I could save that money, but, she’s the kids joy. I have a car I don’t use and today I felt guilty for buying some hair bobbles because the girls don’t have any when that £1 could have gone towards the shoes for him.
I haven’t turned my heating on since April. Not once.

I can't afford an eye test or glasses, the dentist, a haircut (it's been more than a year since I had one), a holiday or any leisure time, petrol to work. Clothes (if I buy them it's usually on eBay but mostly I don't), make up; I need a new concealer, it's £6. I can't justify it. And these are just the things that come to mind. There are so many more. It's so depressing. We both work,although it also care for children with additional needs so can only work now time now, but even when I worked full time it was the same.

It varies from company to company. Mine only contributed £25 because I couldn’t “prove” I needed them only for work. Crazy! I work for a 1200 people company too so not small. My eye sight has deteriorated since covid as I am now working at home & in front of the screen a lot more. I suppose that my fault! And need to work less.

Fresh fruit. Sounds ridiculous, but cherries, grapes, blue berries, strawberries, peaches, satsumas etc are luxury items to my family. We gorge ourselves on them when visiting family because at home we make do without most of the time. They are pretty expensive here.

As a nurse I’m seeing a lot more patients with endocarditis due to lack of dental treatments, and it’s only going to get worse. Free dentistry would possibly free up hospital bed (just saying)

I know a lot of people that cannot afford dental plans, myself in the past, had them extracted because it was cheaper than root canal. I’ve alway ways worked, not highly skilled but technician level on an ambulance, I’m in my 60’s and I couldn’t afford to not work

Same issue here with glasses. I have a v v high prescription. For almost all of Specsavers frames my lenses would need to be thinned. The actual glasses and lenses don't cost too much if you stick with their cheap ones, but the thinning costs a fortune. And it's not cosmetic thinning, it's literally cos my thick lenses won't go on a normal frame. They tried to make it sound like a good deal as it was bogof but still just over £400 :( I done have glasses of an older prescription which are about 5 years old, but they are literally on their last legs... I work two jobs, we have a decent wage, but £400 in one go is just too much...

Opticians do offer interest free payments on frames to spread the cost.

I’m also on the ‘food for myself’ breadline. Kids fed fine, me not so much. Have been filling up on water / soup. I run a small business so my entire income is based upon people having disposable income, I usually live week-to-week anyway but the orders as usually regular so that isn’t an issue. But right now people aren’t spending a penny. So there’s nothing in my pot at all, another
month like this and I’ll be closed down and applying for benefits.

I couldn’t afford to get my car serviced and then when I managed to scrape the money together it needed other stuff and got hit with a £450 bill which I couldn’t afford, there will be a lot of people going into unavoidable debt

At this stage I’m lucky I can afford most things but I’ve started being more careful with food waste as we previously planned very little and wasted a lot of food . I just went back to work after maternity leave and I’m well aware I used some of my savings . But I admit we are luckier than many

@Marleymerm Check your company policy. If you are working in an office I presume you use computers? I am sure there is something about your company paying towards any glasses you need if you didn't need them prior to beginning your job? I know most companies offer free eye tests if you use VDE but also I seem to remember the offer of prescription glasses if you have never worn them before beginning this type of work? (or at least a contribution towards the cost)

New underwear and socks.

I don’t get my car serviced. Anything that needs doing just gets picked up during the MOT and sorted then.