to not understand why so many poor people...

[nybom]

...are being called "poor" if they can afford:

• cigarettes/drugs
• dogs
• large amounts of takeaways/ready meals
• ready cut fruit, brands, air freshners and other superfluous crap, kids drinks/other products specifically tailored to kids
• to go out drinking
• FF babies
• to leave lights on, have electrical appliances on standby, not to use energy light bulbs, to keep the water running, to put on half a load of washing, to leave heating on at night
• to maintain artificial nails, to have hair extensions
• buy loads of beauty products
• to leave their car engine on whilst going shopping/standing in a traffic jam
• to have themed children's birthday parties with loads of props
• and most of all: have CREDIT cards so they can overdraw

i'm talking of regular habits not just occasional behaviour...

several of my friends are on benefits, so the observations are firsthand and not just assumptions.

a friend of mine (single mum on benefits) got a party bus for her DSs last birthday party (besides loads of presents), this year he's getting a wii (and loads of other presents). WTF?

why don't these people simply save more?

i on the other hand spend less than 100 pounds on a family of four (whilst buying high quality, fresh, organic products) by buying 50% of my shopping reduced/offers, at local markets and a lot of things (like toiletries) from pound shops or discounters. we buy value toilet paper (amongst other things); and i go to the hairdresser twice a year, and only to the beautycian for special occasions such as weddings. the children don't get any toys or clothes from us, as there are enough family and friends who don't know what to buy for christmas/birthday parties. so the kids basically don't cost us anything. we have one credit card and we make sure NEVER to overdraw because of the high interest rates.

i simply don't get it...

Oh my god pai, your not one of the "poor people" are you?

Pai
do you buy precut fruit?

dont poor people get milk tokens - or is that so 1990's?

I think I could well be!
I'm not the funbus mum, although I'd like to be!!

I hope I'm wrong...

Pai, you peon! You must have felt compelled to namechange out of black burning shame. I know I practice saying, 'Yes, massa' every morning using the bottom of a saucepan as a mirror.

Pai, you peon! You must have felt compelled to namechange out of black burning shame. I know I practice saying, 'Yes, massa' every morning using the bottom of a saucepan as a mirror.

Healthy start vouchers now, they pay for formula and/or fresh fruit and veg depending on age i think.

so if she is your "friend" what do you as one of the said "poor people" think of your "friend " now?

Did you know she thought of you like this?

expat; I do the same, except I use the bottom of my grill pan. It is shiny with lard

TAMARTO..........not fruit........Not cut fruit!!!!!!

SHOCK HORROR

Oh, Pai, I save all the lard for the chip pan.

In the grill I just use spit. It's cheaper and so much healthier for the family.

you know you can... BF a baby

only 1% of mums can't physically BF, yet over 70% chose to bootlefeed sooner or later.

70-69=???

Oh, I probably could have, nybom. But I didn't. It was just to spite you, too.

I agree sheep, dp was raised in a ome where the budget was spent in the pub so he lived in Iceland deals or whatever the equivalent was in his say. I could probably feed him for £10 a week.

I think the main issue is the mis-interpretion of the word 'poor'.

It means something different to everyone.

Unfortunatley there is a large amount of people that do not realise/appreciate/understand the difference between 'Poor' and 'Irresponsible'.

These poeple jump on the 'We're poor' bandwagon, when actually they are just irresponsible in all area's of their lives & attitudes.
Their fault or not, what they interpret as 'poor' is actually more a case of 'I don't have everything that I want in life given to me on a plate'. Most 'Irresponsible' people could help themselves out of being 'poor' if only they could be arsed budget better.

Whereas genuinly 'poor' people will still take responsibility for themselves and whatever budget they have to try and help themselves not to be 'poor/poorer'.

I think that is what this thread is arguing about.

The OP's observation is actually of the 'Irresponsible' rather than the 'Poor'.

I could obviously be totally, totally wrong. Except loads of what she has said is really familiar, as is the writing style, and the ages fit too.

The person I know does often come across as very arrogant, but I would be really sad if this is what she thinks.

I don't know what the MN etiquette is in these situations, perhaps I should email my "friend" and casually ask if she ever posts!!

Yes nybom, that's what we just said, so if you can't BF or God forbid choose not to, you just just let the baby go hungry.

So basically poor people aren't allowed choice in anything.

Well, I must be one of the very few who could not feed a baby. I tried very hard with DD, perhaps if I had better support it might have made a difference but ...

Why am I even bothering to justify myself to you?

cooking from scratch is much cheaper - providing you actually plan your meals a pack of value onions can be used for several meals, - potatoes - my word the are the most amazing things, bulking out with beans and pulses makes meat go a lot further as well.

Oh Pai this is awkward for you.

thre are so many complex social reasons for women not breastfeeding, that are a lot to do with social conditioing, bad or wrong information and lack of support

it is not just about being rich/poor or physically able

fgs.

i cannot, cannot get to grips with people who live in black and white and do not see shades of grey

I feed my children fruit out of tins. Shock, horror! It's cheaper.

pai you poor thing how tricky this is