To have frugality fatigue. (Cost of living.)

[KnopkaPixie]

Just that really. To do so well with finances for nearly a month then get an unexpected expense out of left field, pretending that lentil dahl is absolutely delicious, to have signed up to do surveys on YouGov and the rest and have made sod all, can't work any more hours, can't cut costs any more, can't claim anything off the state and to be kicking myself for not saving more when I had the chance. Just a moan really.

I never wanted to be that kind of miserable gît that resents every penny or knows, "The cost of everything but the value of nothing" But that's the way the value brand cookie is not crumbling right now.

Perhaps a bit woo but sometimes I wonder whether a real poverty mindset becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and perhaps a more speculate to accumulate mentality might do me better? Not any manifesting flapdoodle but just an idle thought.

If they are limiting meals or heating they are poor. Poverty now isn't to the extreme of the Victorians but it is still poverty.

Gp can refer you to a food bank. But it will involve telling someone in rl. But if you need to use food bank, use it.

I honestly think that the squeezed middle is the worst place to be financially. The rich are fine, the very poor get benefits. Those in between are shafted. The squeezed middle who don’t qualify for benefits but still have to pay crazy taxes and subsidise everyone else. We earn above average salaries, have 2 primary school aged children but still have hardly anything leftover each month bcoz the cost of everything has gone up - food, mortgage, water, gas and elec etc. At one point we could easily save monthly, now that is a dream. Every month some new expense, this month it is £700 for my car trouble. In a few months we have to re- mortgage and I am absolutely dreading it going up! It all depends on the budget. The cost of food here is really crazy. The number of ppl who are suffering food poverty is unbelievable in a first world country. When you look at the price of food and the cost of living in asian countries compared to the UK you realise that maybe we are actually worse off than the supposed third world countries!

1. You need money for that.
2. It is the same shit in most places at the moment.

Not sure if you have children, this is a link for a list of baby banks in the uk. Can search to see if any near you.A lot of them can help with essentials for older children too.

https://babybankalliance.org/baby-bank-map/

I don’t know if you have any community larders near to you? The one near to me, people can go and help themselves to what they need.
or social supermarket where you pay a small amount eg £2 and get to choose a basket of shopping?

@JMSA and @Lemanoir prescriptions cost just short of £10 to be filled so how going to the GP to write a script for something that costs less over the counter is a little baffling.

It could be Dahl with gold flakes simmered in the tears of baby unicorns - lovely the first few times but when you have eaten it all week and that is what you have to look forward to next week then it becomes repetitive.

OP I hear you. It is the lack of choice, lack of highlights in life and having no end in sight. It grinds you down.

If you go on ebay you can get for £3.99 I'll PM you x

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/355918279379?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=w2fc2yf9qkc&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=xss7AK7xSrq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Not really, I know a lot of ppl moving to Australia and Middle East. Australia is a bit more expensive in terms of paper work, Middle East less so if you get yourself a job before you go. Having lived in UK, Middle East - Dubai/ Bahrain, Singapore and India, I am tempted to go to India for better quality of life.

Limiting heating or meals does not mean you are poor. At all.

If I could I’d eat lovely organic food from Waitrose every day and have my heating on all evening. But I don’t — I limit it because I can’t afford to eat exactly how I want and have my house toasty warm all the time. It doesn’t mean I’m poor.

Sorry, but not being able to afford any treats and eating low-cost food is NOT poverty.

I hear you! I also have accidentally come across that YT channel. YANBU about any of it.

Benefits aren't that generous. It isn't something to be jealous of.

It’s poor form for posters to be saying she should make a better version of dhal or that in Asia it’s eaten most meals. And? Maybe thats not to OPs taste.

Whether she eats it 3 times a day or its an analogy, we can get the point shes making without picking holes in it.

Hope things pick up for you.

I am aware of what poverty is and have some experience of it. However you are poor if you have to ration food and heat. Why wouldn't it be classed as poor? Who rations it if you aren't struggling unless you are Scrooge?

Someone posted it above but the olio app is amazing if if is active in your area

I have managed to half my grocery bill through olio collections. The best stuff is collection after 9pm so to really benefit you need to be able to get out in the eve but even if you can't do that you can get best before items at any time. Family of 4 and our food bill is about £60 a week. Need to have a decent amount of freezer space

I haven't brought bread products in a very long time. I once got a whole chicken and a birthday cake.

Download the app and see if if is active in your area. If it isn't and you have time you can volunteer to be a food waste hero. You get to keep 10% of any collections you do plus anything which isn't collected by others.

With olio it is the unsold supermarket food at the end of the day which is collected by local food waste heroes, listed on the app and collected by the community. It is free to use or you can pay £30 a year to not have to watch an advert

I hear you OP. I'm very lucky because I have assets but I can't eat assets. I don't qualify for benefits because I have savings, but because I'm self-employed, those savings are for illness or old age. My income is very small at the moment (sometimes only a few hundred a month) and health and other considerations mean I can't work more hours. I'm also tired of dahl and curries that I make up from the contents of my fridge. Every time I save a few pounds and get back to zero, I get a big expense that I have to stick on my credit card.

I fully expect to be one of the people Labour hammer in the budget. Asset 'rich' and not a 'working person' apparently.

Are you always so fucking rude?

You may have already tried this OP but have you got the Olio app?

You can get free food (we have olio champions who collect fresh produce from the supermarkets and distribute it) I appreciate you may not have someone close by to collect from or be able to travel to collect tho.

We are also fortunate enough to have a community kitchen locally that does a similar thing, so people can go along and collect a bag of food, I know you don't qualify for state help but anyone can go to these. Anything similar near enough for you?

Try getting a house in Australia. If you think the rental market is bad here.

It depends on your perspective.

In global terms, when half the population of the world lives on less than $6 a day, the fact that we have houses, heating, food, a flushing toilet, education, healthcare, entertainment, communication devices and leisure time makes us very rich.

I know it’s no fun, but poverty it is not.

Trust me not jealous! But the way the government gives out free childcare hours for those on benefits but this was not available to those working full time jobs made no sense. I hear there are some changes there now but unfortunately I cannot avail as my children are now at primary school after having paid thousands in nursery fees!
The thing is ppl on benefits sometimes as get as much or even more than ppl in full time work. Sorry but I find that grossly unfair. No one on benefits should be better off than someone in full time employment.

It’s not rude in the slightest.

😹 I have no idea who this lady is but your renditions are hilarious so it doesn’t even matter.

I believe the reason for this was for the children's benefit as those with non working families generally speaking had awful prospects so needed to be in nursery more to give them a better chance in life

You’re comparing conditions of ‘global’ poverty with one of the richest and most development nations in the world. Expectations are different; whether you agree with it or not.

I KNOW THAT. I know it is also not comparable to the poverty of the past but how does your post help the OP? She needs food banks. I am pretty sure she is poor. I am not saying she is in poverty! Freezing in your house isn't going to be any better because others are worse off.