To have a thread for us poor folk?

[UsPoorFolk]

I'm really happy for people who have enough money for food/holidays/bills/savings etc...

But it sucks having nothing for anything extra in life, including increasing bill cost.

Anyone else.

Thats an idea i,ll have to google electric lunch box ,my dh works shifts ,he takes sandwiches normally
But i have just got a new slow cooker so i can try out new recipes for him to tske to work 🤣

Joining in on here. For the first time in a long, long time we have saved a small amount for Christmas (normally we use our OD as we never seem to have spare at the end of the month)and the car broke down on Monday. We've had to use the money we ring fenced for Christmas to fix it...just fed up of scrambling at the edges it's absolutely exhausting.

@ofwarren
I always buy several boxes when they are sold off after Christmas and bung them in the freezer to get me through to the following christmas. I love them !

The stigma of second-hand furniture and clothes comes from those growing up in real poverty like myself. Because people with money bought new from places like Habitat and Laura Ashley, not second-hand. Only the aristocracy - who could have been Martians for all the contact we had with them - had passed down furniture, and very poor people had second-hand.

I don't see anyone where I live selling decent second-hand furniture though. I have spent ages looking and most of it is pretty tatty. We went to visit a friend though a year ago in a nice area and there was a charity shop with loads of obviously elderly people's furniture really cheap. But it is over 100 miles from us.

We had passed down furniture when I was a child, we were not in poverty but not well off. There was no stigma I was aware of then (eighties, early nineties), I don't know how anyone would have known who had second hand furniture.

X2boys it's good to hear that help is at hand .Good news about the free food for you guys.this govt seems to only care about the bankers and we'll paid people of whom are just a few lucky ones who never see real need .

@Athenen0ctua The stigma was amongst the very poor.

I have never seen an electric lunchbox!

I think they look great - especially if you're out for the day (I work in the community). Wow!

I am old enough to remember clothes from the jumble sale (yuk) and hand me downs from my older male cousins.

2nd hand now is so much more accessible - eBay/vinted etc. so much more choice on style, brand etc. nothing like 70s 2nd hand stuff.

Yes, I can understand how it would have been different to my experience. However, you say only the aristocracy had furniture passed down and the very poor had second hand. We were neither and had both passed down and second hand. I had no clue where my friends furniture came from, it wasn't something that we spoke about, so maybe it was much more common than you think.

My mum would never be seen dead in a charity shop when we were growing up but for some reason, when I'd left home, she started using them. Now she LOVES a bargain 😄

We rarely shopped in charity shops growing up, but many of my clothes had been passed around my DM's friends when I was a baby and toddler, and later from jumble sales. My DGM made us dresses as well. Maybe the eighties and early nineties were better for second hand than the seventies?

@antelopevalley
One of my grandmother's 'tips' was to go to charity shops in 'posh' towns, so for her this was Harrogate or Oxford.

I know my post upthread is long but someone mentioned if the fridge or washer broke, one of the links will buy items like that for people in need, which means a low income.

I don't remember charity shops in the seventies. What I remember was jumble sales/ They would have very cheap clothes.

The jumble sales where I lived were in the church hall and you would literally have to rummage through piles of used clothing that were just in a heap. Not folded or hung.
Adults clothes mixed with kids stuff etc.

@Athenen0ctua Perhaps it was more common.
My experience is living amongst very poor families with no furniture worth passing down.

Still exists in our semi-rural area, which I often joke is like moving back to the 70s. Got DD some fab outfits in the jumble sale though, she was delighted, and some great toys. Plenty of Pokémon/minecraft stuff.

It's impossible to see the end when every week something unexpectedly crops up requiring cash.

I'm so sorry 😓It sucks. We recently paid 3 grand to fix the car, so I know exactly how you feel.

Also seems to be flooding her facebook page with posts about buying £80 trainers or such like. Rather disappointing.

If you have a disabled child (including young adults) I'd recommend having a look at the Family Fund as they offer grants: www.familyfund.org.uk

I know last time i went abroad was in 2008 when my ds1 was a toddler ,hes nearly 16 ,its not just the prices of the holidays ,but as a family of four non of us have current passports ,which is just another expense .

This isn't me at the moment, but it has been and I remember it very well. I'm really sorry things are so shit for you all right now.

I am currently wondering whether to buy Christmas crackers this year.

In my case its having a child that has caused us to be so much worse off. My childcare costs are more than my mortgage. I dont know what to do. Every month is a struggle trying to scrabble the money together to pay for the childminder. I went down to 4 days and had to go back when he was 6 months old which broke my heart - we'd just run out of money. I cant go back up to 5 days as it really will mean I come out with nothing at all, not even £20 a week to tie us over

The cost of food, the cost of energy bills, all rising, Im in tears every month and try stretching my last few pounds like never before. I have credit card debt that is mounting - because we cant make ends meet anymore. It really is depressing. My only light is that in 18 months when my LO is 3 I will get some help towards the childcare. Its so hard (and i know i know, some people on MN will say its my own fault for having a child I guess)