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

When you seriousy hope none of the kids get sick cos you cant afford the 50 euro charge for the GP!
When you have 14 euro to last you until payday which is a week away.
When you make excuses not to visist frends and family who only live 2o mins away in the car cos you cant afford the petrol,
When you cant afford that root canal so you get the tooth pulled:(

Living without heating must be really hard! Especially with small kids :-(

When the last time you got on a bus, you ended up asking for a child ticket, despite being at least 5 years too old for one (goodness only knows how I still get away with it!). But in reality, you can't afford bus tickets any more, so you cycle everywhere (on a second hand bike donated by a family member), can't afford the repairs on it, but are seriously considering doing 175 miles on a bike to save the train fare. A car seems an unimaginable luxury. And then a family member asks why you don't get a taxi when you have to be somewhere so early that the sun's not come up and the buses haven't started running

When you have holes in your shoes, in winter, bigger than a 2p piece, and the only reason you get a new pair is because your mum takes pity on you.

When you go to the supermarket with a friend, and the friend looks seriously confused as to why you are so excited to find a well-stocked reduced section (not really a truly skint thing, more of a why-don't-you-understand thing) . . . friend in question also doesn't understand why I go to ethnic supermarkets and always buy value ranges.

When all of your possessions, with the exception of pots and pans, very, very easily fit into a room that is 5m x 3m . . . and the furniture belongs to the landlord, not you. At least in part because you've sold anything that will sell on eBay / Amazon - the other part being that capital purchases aren't really catered for in the budget.

When the only way you can contemplate "new" clothes is by buying the cheap ones, second hand, off of eBay, usually sniping at the last moment - invariably for 99p.

This thread does make me realise that I'm luckier than many though - at least I'm not at the stage of reusing teabags. I'm sorry I don't have anything to offer others though :(

Have you all seen www.moneysavingexpert.com though? It's been incredibly useful to me, it's run by a moderately well-known freelance journalist, and is totally free to use.

You know you are skint when you take a toilet roll from your university toilets to use at home because the change in your purse (no money left in the bank) won't buy both milk and toilet roll. I put one back when I could because I felt so bad about it. And finding £5 once felt like winning the lottery!

If anyone would be interested in evening or weekend Stewarding work, PM me. My employer is recruiting.

babyinarms you must be in Ireland. Bloody 50-euro-a-pop-doctors-and-another-forty-for-the-chemist

You can get free energy saving lightbulbs from your Local Authority if you are receiving benefits or registered disabled.

We have had some bad patches and are approaching another one now. Over the last few years I went through the winter with a coat that wouldn't do up (I was heavily pregnant couldn't afford a maternity coat), and wore crocs as I couldn't afford any other shoes,

Used to turn up early for playschool as it was warm in the waiting area, couldn't afford the heating at home.

Used to take ds1 to the sure start group every week as they provided lots of snacks and he could eat enough to count for break fast and dinner.

Used to go to lots of toddler groups and take home loo roll. Also remember crying in the cubicle once as I had to make a pad from loo roll as had my period and didn't have any towels (was desperately trying to think of other places I could nick more loo roll from). Have now solved this problem by making cloth pads from old pyjamas.

The nice thing about not having much/having to be careful with stuff is my kids really love things and are really appreciative when given stuff that other children may just toss aside.

This thread is humbling as I realise I have not had such a bad time of it, in comparison to so many others.
When you use your employer's work from home policy as much as possible to save on Tube fare.
When you perpetually look through cupboards looking for tins you may have missed
When you live on chickpeas, lentils and rice- it's not that bad!
When you scrounge on eBay for work clothes because your existing clothes are all tatty.
When you have one pair of decent jeans that also have a hole at the back but because it's near the crotch it doesn't show and so you carry on wearing them.
When you scrounge in all your drawers looking for moisturiser and cream and toiletries that you may have forgotten about.
When you watch online catchup because you can't afford to go to the cinema.
When Friday night becomes tv and a glass of wine night.
When you start avoiding repaying your credit card bill.
When you never buy any magazines any more. They are absolute wastes of money.
When you use old clothes for night wear and then downgrade tatty nightwear to dusting rags.
You go shopping with your friends because you can't avoid it and always come back after window shopping or buying that one essential that you really needed from the cheapest discount rack.
Having three bras of which one doesn't fit well anymore.
Using the duvet in the living room.

I've read/scrolled much of this thread and it's heartbreaking....

I have a question (serious - please no flaming!) I would love to help my very, very, very skint friend more and don't know what (more?) to suggest? This is what I am already doing:

a) I have her and her DC over for snacks then tea once a week. I always bake and then home cook so she can eat what I (ostensibly....) cook for the kids. I seriously try not to make a bid deal of it, but I'm fairly certain she isn't eating properly, and I hope this helps....
b) I give her first dibs on any clothes my DC have outgrown
c) She paints houses and when/if we need stuff doing I always ask her first and try and pay her her max charge
d) She waitresses at a restaurant and we've been and eaten there and requested her and given a large tip.

She is wonderful and I admire and love her more than I can say. She cobbles together life with a mixture of 3 jobs, her DH is a lazy, useless twat who 'is in a band' (read: earns nothing). I would LOVE to help her out more! I would give here money, take her shopping, pay for her hair cut.... BUT I risk embarrassing her, making her feel bad.... If any of you have any suggestions on what I can do to help her more, I would be so grateful..... Again, seriously. And really, really please don't flame me....

When u send off a sure start maternity form for the £500 grant even though you know you don't qualify anymore as you have more than one child, but send it anyway just in case.

When u argue with your partner at a bootsale over an item for our unborn baby costing £2 because you really can't afford that either, but would never be able to afford it new too. You buy it but it causes so much arguing you wish you didn't.

The things you do buy at bootsales are essentials.

When your fridge light turns it self off constantly this last week, and the freezer isn't working aswel as it should. And I'm desperately pretending it's not broke whilst mopping up the wet patches each morning.

Loads more, but don't want to out myself.

BoysWillGrow what baby things do you need? Maybe some of us can help?

Boyswillgrow, I have a babygym/playmat thing and a couple of small sheets for moses basket if they would be of any use?

BoysWillGrow,

I'm clearing out some baby stuff. Have PMed you.

Searching for money on the pavements.
Accepting when a stranger offers to buy you a loaf of bread you've realised you can't afford.

oh my gosh, CHAS in bradford, take old furniture and electrical goods. Very good service if anyone is in the area, they deliver over most of Airedale valley for £1o and sell reconditioned fridges, cookers. They do a deal of cooker, fridge , something to sleep on , something to sleep on and a wardrobe is you have just got somewhere to live. We have had cookers and fridges from them and they have taken our old fridge freezer ( moved to miniscule kitchen)

Know what you mean about NCT sales round though, what about 99p charity shop in Otley

Upsydaisy - we havethe same sort of thing here in south surrey - its called Furnistore (in redhill) and they take old furniture,electrical, crockery etc and sell it reconditioned. When i moved into my house i bought 2 sofas and some kitchen bits - a year later they took one sofa back to resell. I think they will give/sell v cheaply to a good cause - they are a charity!

aw, chocolate. You sound like an amazing friend. :)

How about offering childcare at a regular time each week so she can pick up some more hours at work?

Green New Look dress, cyberman costume, girl's H&M stuff gone, but some other bits still there and will put more on later.

If anyone local to me - NE Scotland - lots of books available, fiction, non fiction, and young girl stuff (pre teen I think it would be) - would need to collect as so many of them.

And still have an Ikea extending toddler bed in great condition if anyone can pick that up.

Also, if local, I have a really lovely girl's single duvet cover and pillowcase, bright pink with applique fairies - would need to collect as there is a matching mirror, picture frame and wall clock, so it's all quite heavy. Very pretty and in perfect condition - someone mentioned promising to do their daughter's room up, and it would look great for that.

Over the years I must have given thousands of pounds worth of stuff to charity shops. I hope to god some of it ended up with people who really needed it.

ChocolateIsAFoodGroup - if you wanted to give your friend a gift of cash, you could pop it into a card with a note saying 'Someone thinks you deserve a treat' and not put a name, then pop it through her door? I've done that in the past when I had a friend who I knew was struggling but I didn't want to offend her by giving her the money outright.

Another time I phoned a friend and very excitedly told her I'd won £100 on a scratchcard and was taking us both out for a pampering session as treat. We had out hair and nails done and I think she felt less embarrassed about accepting it as it was a 'windfall' IYSWIM.

I have two pairs of smart black shoes in size 5, suitable for work. Both pairs only worn once! (I work from home so I don't need to look smart any more)

1. pair kitten heels
2. round toe dolly style with a button at the side Happy to send with Free Post if they are any good for someone. PM me.

Government are persuing nuclear enegrgy. On the news this morning: This will add between £ 100-200 a year on to energy bills, some people are already in fuel poverty without this.

Jojane- I had a look last night and have got a pair of size 11 boys school shoes of you still want them.

newyear still have 16-18 work things if you want them.

Boys 18-24 up to 5-6 too, lots of shoes up to size 9 ish.
Happy to post.

bosh yes me to, I stupidly managed to loose £20 on the school run last month was my last £20, however took comfort in the thought hopefully whomever picked it up needed it more than I did, as i'd just been food shopping/topped up the gas/elec. 47

twirl - that's terrible that they'd do that! I dear say sadly a lot of the shops do that though?

I know i'm skint when I have to raid the penny/change pot for milk money as i've already raided DS's little wallet with the intention of paying it back.
also feel bad that DS knows that rent week = we have no money, and that the 'big coins with the silver in the middle' (£2) pay the bills. not something a 6 year old should worry/know about, however i'm so sad reading some of your comments.

Here's a tip:

If you've got kids at school have a good rummage through lost property. The school secretary told me to help myself to anything without a name on it as most of the lost jumpers/PE kits etc don't get claimed!