You know you're truly skint when...

[ratflavouredjelly]

I've decided to humour myself and start this thread laughs hysterically. Anyone care to join me with their stories. Maybe we can out skint each other...

So, you know you're truly skint when:
Shopping in charity shops are no longer ironic.
The middle of the month arrives and you panic about feeding the family.
You can not afford the petrol to work.
You're growing your own veg but cannot stretch to compost to enrich the soil.
DS and DD's shoes are too tight (something you never thought you would allow to happen)
Your bra is too tight, buying a new one is out of the question, so you just 'get used' to the pain.
Yadda harumph harumph

WOOHOO! Good luck, Revolution! :)

If you get the job, when you're calculating childcare costs for tax credit purposes, make sure you sit down and properly calculate your average costs including school holidays. I didn't do this and now I really struggle in the holidays.

What is scary is Toxteth is top of the list, over 30 years since the riots there, what changes?

Don't get down, don't get jaded, get active, find a voice and join the resistance to this economic catastrophe that is happening. This government is making the lives of working people far worse through their austerity agenda. Shrinking the real economy, making people redundant, not paying either enough in benefits or simply putting more people onto benefits, having made them jobless they then bash them some more, through schemes like workfare, letting businesses off the hook by paying working tax credits, none of this is sustainable. It's lining the pockets of the wealthy at your expense.

Firsttimer- look, the weather's picked up! What about a "champagne" (cava) picnic?

Mini the minx Go go go!

I will have my fingers crossed for you revolution well done you for getting the interview! When is it? I will think of you and send good vibes your way.

Good luck Revolution, just make sure they pay you a decent wage

Badvoc, do you have a link to that report or will I find it on the BBC news 24 thingy.

Best of luck Revolution

re getting angry - all well and good but seeing as has been pointed out nothting has changed in the last 30 odd years, I doubt it ever will. plus it's very tiring keepign your heads above water, I know i wouldn't have much spare energy left to do anything else.

Daisy Yes exactly that, it is so bloody tiring being poor it leaves little energy for campaigning! I used to be extremely politically active, now I am too busy making ends meet.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18137739

I know it's hard work just putting one foot in front of the other. But as well as keeping our Kids fed and clothed we need to think about what sort of world we are going to send them out into.

Things changed 30 years ago for the worse, both Maggie and Regan attacked the unions and created huge levels of unemployment, surplus labour keeps labour costs down but we need to stand up to this avalanche of inequality if our children are going to have a better life than us.

Humbled and in tears, have PM-ed a couple of posters (hope they don't mind)and I'm off to the other thread to see what I can do.
Just wanted to say I'm happy to help too.
Hugs

When the car won't do more than 40 miles an hour up hill and braking results in a rumbling clanking noise from the back wheel and the bumpers are more gaffa tape than bumper, cant take it to garage as no money to pay for repairs it drinks petrol quicker than I can out it in and petrol light is permanently on as when I fillet up it only tops up to the empty mark again so I drive with clutch down half the time to try and conserve petrol. Can't get rid of car as have to drive kids to school/ playschool 4 miles away in next village. Doesn't help that the school is in a rich village full of 4x4s and people carriers. Can see people looking down there nose at my bashed up car. Thinking about it have just realised that people never take me up on offers to help with lifts and get other people to help, wondering if it's coz my car is so crap??
Phone is on silent as don't want to speak to bank who ring several times a day
Have about £3 until Saturday night when I get paid
Nothing in house is worth selling - iPad which was bought with bonus several years ago has huge crack across screen so can't sell it. Kids clothes are hand me downs so not worth anything to sell. Sons school shoes are wrecked and stuffing is coming out on the back. All my jeans are torn/ wrecked at the bottom, my shoes are ful of holes, my 18 month old hasn't had haircut as I never seem to have the £5 to take him,
Too embarrassed to invite people round as house is too tatty, really needs painting/ work doing,
Sold all the kids premium bonds they got as babies and still havnt paid them back,

I just don't know where life went wrong, dh earns what used to be (10 years ago even) a wage which could support a family, buy a 3 bed house, decent car and happy life but now even with me working part time as much as I can evenings, child benefit and £100 tax credits we are constantly juggling derict debits, cancelling payments , renogoitating payments, dodging phone calls etc.
We have no hope of getting on housing ladder either. Just wish we could win enough on lottery to buy a normal house, then we would be £625 a month better off, plus would be able to pay loan off and be better off more without constant hassle. But havnt been able to afford lottery ticket for weeks! Ds1 has no more dry like me pads left so have had to send him to school without one on as cant afford the petrol for the 20 mile drive to nearest shop that stocks them.

Sorry didn't mean to go on so long, just suppose don't say any of this to anyone as too embarrassed so it feels very good to get it all out! Better than therapy (cheaper too!)

jojane try ebaying the ipad, we just sold my daughter's old ipod which was knackered - got £45 and sold it 'for parts' (unfortunately it was her ipod and therefore she got the money, but hey ho!)

jojane Hope things do improve for your family

We are ok generally, certainly much better than a lot of peopl just this month has been rubbish.
Think that the area you live in makes a big difference to how you see things as well, if I lived in a council estate we would be quite well off compared to most people there, but where I live it is full of quaint country villages and people with big incomes etc so I feel very poor in comparison.
We can manage IF nothing out of the ordinary happens - if nothing breaks, if kids don't grow out of clothes and shoes, if petrol stops increasing in cost, if no school trips, if no mots etc.biggest worry is car really as dh has small rusty banger he uses to get to work(hour away so not feasible to share a car) and mine is barely holding on and can't cope without it as no public transport to village where school and playschool over and too dangerous and far to walk (take about 1.5 hours especially with 3 children 5 and under). Just scared that when it does go wont be able to afford to be fixed/ buy another banger. My boss is selling his wife's car for £900 as she doesn't like it, was toying with the idea of begging him to sell it to me and take out £25 a week from my wages but think he wants lump sum so he can buy her another!

Only other thing about iPad is use it for Internet, - banking, ordering shopping (cheaper than going to get it as use £10 off codes and rotate email addresses!), sons homework etc. we could do without it but the. Would be paying £5 a month of Internet we can't use and I feel in this day and age Internet is almost a necessity for normal life.

jojane what size school shoes does your son need? I have quite a few pairs here that ds1 has grown out of, was keeping them for ds2 but his feet are a totally different width so they are no good. They are worn in but not worn out if that makes sense! Happy to post them to you if it would help?

(I have been where you are so this is me paying it forward- people helped me and I want to help someone else.)

stubborn that is a great idea - we are in scotland tho - but maybe..

Hi

This thread is really moving. I've been that poor in the past, but now have a good job and am OK.

I have some lovely clothes for boys up for grabs.
2 pairs of crocs size 2 (adult size)
2 summer weight checked cotton shirts
John Lewis lightweight waterproof jacket
Various pairs of trousers - joggers, cords etc.

All suitable for boys aged 8/9.

Makes no odds to me if you keep them for your DC or sell them on Ebay and keep the money but please don't ask for stuff if you're doing OK financially, as there are people on this thread who really are struggling and I'd like to help them first.

Never used PM on MN before, but try to PM me, or if that doesn't work, say here that you're interested and I'll sort out how to get in touch with you.

looking under the sofa cushions for coins
cashing in shrapnel at the coinstar machine to buy food in Asda
Phoning work sick as no money for petrol
Home dying hair - no manicures, pedicures, waxings etc
Charity shops and supermarkets for clothes
knowing my way round Aldi and Iceland blindfold

Evacuation warden. Thank you that is very nice of you, he is size 11 I think (school shoes are a 10 but they were brought in sep and getting too small small and other shoes he has are 11 and fit ok)

I have a couple of pairs of baby boys shoes in sizes 4.5 and 5 that are too small for my 18 month old which I would happily pass on (but wouldn't be able to post til next week after I get paid)

Jojane I think I have a pair at home, will check tonight. If you PM me with your address I can send them on. let me know if there any other bits and pieces you need, might as well give the postie something to do ;)

Brand new for a girl - (says US 13-14) H&M 164cm apple green cropped summer trousers, matching floral blouse/top and vest top (white with blue and green flowers), also Gap matching short sleeved t shirt. Will try and take pic and put on profile, but bit rubbish. Really nice, would be lovely for birthday gift - or eBay if you need to, but please, as racing says, in the spirit of the thread, please do leave for someone who truly needs them.

Have just had a rummage through the clothes my DD has grown out of and have a small bundle of age 6-7 girls clothes if it'll help anyone out - 2 short and 1 long sleeved T-shirt, a pair of jeggings, couple of swimming cozzies and dressing gown.

PM me if you're interested and I'll get them in the post to you Friday (as someone else said - will have to wait until after payday!)

Have got lots of stuff to sort out so will post again if I find anything else someone could use.