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

well 5mad...if this is the case i am going to be truly peeved off...because i was sent bills for £200 -£213 a month...the difference was in the phone calls, on average £50 a month...and i think it a £10 reconnection charge as they always cut me off the week before i was paid...is this price including hd?

the £53 is the price yes for the skyk world package which includes hd it says, you would pay extra for line rental etc but not enough to get you up to £200!! have a look at their website :)

Marking me place...we're a bit tight at the moment but I am not going back to my work at school in September, so we'll be much more so.

5mad have just had a look..from what i remember from the packages i have just used their builder and it comes to £109 ...it wasnt the world package ....i remember lifestyle/sports/movies/movies hd/documentary/sky anytime/ broadband and phone... i think the biggest expense was the hd...am desperately trying to find old sky bill but cant find it when i need it....we even had mutv and we were like wtf???

Will be going to the post office tomorrow so if anyone wants the rather lovely and completely new bra and knicker set (still has tags on), 34D and size 12, let me know (pic on profile)!

the other thing that causes me hollow laughter is the idea that we should all be saving - how? just how????

well unless you called lots of mobiles from your home phone? thats expensive, or somone was paying for dodgy porn pay per view i have no idea how it ended up being £200 a month, i would be going through those old bills VERY carefully, you never know you may be entitled to claim something back :)

no 5mad it wasnt on mobiles on porn as i used to scrutinise it as i couldnt believe it was that high...i am deffo going to as i have been well ripped right off...i wouldnt mind but had to pawn some jewellery to pay the bill over one xmas...thx for that i am going to go rooting for them...:)

well good luck, i did think it was a bit odd to pay £200 a month i have never known anyone pay that much they must have made a mistake with the billing somewhere!

This thread has been incredibly humbling for me, I am embarased to admit that I genuinely had no idea people lived like this in the UK in this day and age. Am obviously blinkered and blind. Off to see what I can find in my cupboards and to contact a few charities. Sorry I have no useful baby stuff as am 16 weeks pregnant with my first but I really think this a powerful thread and hope mumsnet will do something useful with it. It has certainly opened my eyes.

Here's my effort towards supporting people in crisis. I've got special meal plans on there, information about how to decimate grocery costs, and how to try to have a bit of a life at the same time.

AusterityHousekeeping

The 'crisis diet' and 'ten things you should have in your kitchen cupboard' have been two of the moment popular posts recently

farfallarocks, I completely agree with you. This thread is so humbling for me, I just had no ideas about how though lives are for people who don't have money.

I have a lot of baby girls clothes (a lot of them unisex) from newborn to 6 months. If any one who need some baby clothes please PM me, the clothes are in good condition. I would rather give them to someone who needs them directly than taking them to a charity shop.

Thanks for the link boffinmum, looks like there'll be some useful tips for me there :)

For those that are kindly offering any goods, here is where they should be posted : www.mumsnet.com/Talk/for_free/1474481-I-have-x-if-anyone-is-in-need

:)

Pathetic contribution here, but if you suffer from hayfever, you can get a free sample of a hayfever remedy online and it'll get sent to you. Suitable for kids / preggers / breastfeeding women. Normal price £9.99

To request a sample of Prevalin? allergy Tweet us @hayfeverfree or get in contact via our Facebook page Hayfever Free. For more information about the Prevalin? allergy range visit www.prevalin.com

When you've had to turn down two rare invites out for self and DW at the weekend because it's the end of the month and we haven't even got enough to buy a large round of drinks ;-(

Poisoning yourself with leftover chicken.

this thread is so sad, but i remember once expressing horror at my parents who never bought dusters or washing up cloths, always recycled and my dad said i must be made of money to be able to buy stuff like that.

when small- and i am not that old!
sitting in a dark house with candles as electricity has been turned off and no one has 50p for the meter
never owning more than 1 coat, one skirt etc etc
never going to a hairdressers ever
walking everywhere or you dont go
being "off sick" from school on school trip days as no money to go
microscopic amount of butter on bread that was sliced thinner than thin
bath about 1 inch deep, and cold. never had a bubble bath til i left home and even now i feel the decadence of a deep bath.
never going to parties when small as could not afford present, not having parties as could not afford them, not being able to afford to have friends.
mum made ALL my clothes except school uniform.

adult, one terrible lean time for a a few months, but i got out of debt pdq.
no milk or coffee/ tea, just water from the tap
no going out exept to library
no tv
no phone/ mobile
no newspapers
no wifi
only eat veg as cheap, cabbage soup every day, in flask for lunch as well.
no bread really, fridge EMPTY except for bits of veg. nothing in cupboards.
sold everything, books, most of clothes
walked everywhere, even for "fun" at weekends.

thing is, my mum said it was like that during the war, and we don;t know we are born. there was no benefits system then, which was a terrible thing.

You go apeshit at OH who went and got seconds of the pasta for tea tonight - that was for tea tomorrow and I'll need to somehow stretch it between the two of us now and I told him don't eat it! he's in denial at how bad things are just now.

Free sample of Colgate Pro Relief toothpaste sent to you- check their website. Accessed it through the Vouchers app so can't paste a link.

Really pathetic contribution here:
If you can get your hands on one of those foaming soap dispensers (I've found them in recycling bins); you can get an 11p bottle of "value" baby shampoo, half fill the dispenser bottle with it and then top up with water. Give it a good shake and you get a surprisingly long-lasting liquid soap. And because it's foamy it feels remarkable luxurious .

You can get two or three refills out of an 11p bottle. Asda, Tesco and Morrisons all do a similarly priced baby shampoo.

Rubygates, I use the value bubble bath, bigger bottle and same price for refilling soap dispensers, even watered down it's perfectly fine. I don't want to spend more money than I have to on things like that, rather spend the bit we have on something nice to eat for a treat :)
Same with stuff like bleach, it's all the same and does the same job, I have 50/50 water and thin 29p bleach as my kitchen spray and it's fine.

When youre utterly amazed that some people cant/ dont sew buttons back on, replace zips, darn socks, turn-worn-thru-at-the-knee jeans into shorts etc

And when you hand sew DD two quilt covers and pillow cases because the fabric is half the price of one ready made set

when you say lets have a picnic which is jam sandwiches because its all you have, or eggy bread cos you can add more milk than egg to stretch it out.
When you dont leave the house for over 2 weeks because your children dont have jackets that fit and its too cold to go without.

When you keep your oldest off school because their school uniform has lunch on it and you dont have enough money to put the washing machine on.
When you have cereal as a "treat" because there is nothing else
When you put a bit of jam on weetabix because you have no milk
when you dont give the socks or vests back to the nursery because the ones your children have are too small so you give them the ones that no longer fit.

I could go on but its too depressing

I have a pair of adult size six hiking boots, unworn. PM me if anyone can use them.

I have reusable nappies - very little used 6mths +. Please pm if anyone wants. Many of these threads remind me of when I was growing up. We're broke but surviving just - at work I love it when someone as a birthday - they bring cake - lunch sorted, beats the - oh I'll just have a cup of tea.