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

Verity you can sell your Euro's on Ebay, hope that helps. People will buy coins, you will get a bit less than they're worth but if you can't exchange them they're worth nothing at the moment IYSWIM.

Verity, I would be happy to exchange them - DS1 is going on a day trip to France and they would be quite useful. I'll give you whatever you think is fair.

This thread has really touched me. We're doing ok at the mo and not in the situation many others are, although you never know what is around the corner. I'm going to blitz the cupboards for things to pass on.

If anyone is in the Cardiff area, the Natwest cashpoint in UHW now dispenses £5 notes, if that's helpful to anyone. There's also a Cardiff Foodbank.

Coinstar accept euro and dollar coins an exchange them

verity - 17 euros are worth £13.26. I'll buy them for £15 if you like? PM me if you're interested (I can paypal you if you use it?)

Got an LK Bennett size 14 light pink boucle work/ formal jacket. Buttons are rose shaped so maybe more for formal than work. PM me if you would like me to post it to you.

Asda are doing that £5 off shopping again.
Evil

Hi, just having a bit of a clear out, found some opened packets pull ups, they're pink ones size L , there's about 20 left in that pack, and about 10 pampers easy up pants just unisex ones in size 5 if anyone needs them let me know, I can post tomorrow, pay day!!

I have another v.cheap meal plan for anyone who is interested. It is a summery one and will feed a family of 4-5 for under £40 for the week with a bit of careful shopping and using some value brands.

breakfasts - cereal and milk or toast and banana

lunches - potato pancakes (mine love these with tomato ketchup), hummus, carrot and raisin sandwiches, yoghurt and cucumber dip with toasted pittas, spicy potato wraps, sandwiches with leftover frittata, cheese and ham sandwiches.

Dinners - curried yoghurt pasta, nutty potato cakes with spinach, mandarin and cranberry salad, spicy chick peas with rice, tuna-cheese wedges, frittata with spinach mandarin and cranberry salad, herby rice salad with chick peas, ham and egg pasta

Shopping list -
8 pints milk
18 eggs
400gms cooked ham
5kgs potatoes
1kg carrots
bag value onions
1 lemon
2kgs bananas
1 pepper
bag spinach (not baby)
value pack tomatoes
cucumber
bunch parsley
bunch mint
fresh chilli (you could use chilli flakes instead if you have them)
250gm bag of natural peanuts
3 tins value chopped tomatoes
2 tins value mandarins
bag dried cranberries
bag value raisins
2 tins value tuna
200gms cheese
2 x value pasta
value long grain rice
4 x value loaves
1 pack tortilla wraps
tub olive spread
1kg dried chick peas
box 48 value wheat bisks or other cereal
bag value SR flour
2 x 500gm tubs value natural yoghurt
4 pack value yoghurts for baking

I have assumed that you might have some spices and oil in the house already, mainly because I usually do, but if not, you would have to add some cumin, curry powder, some rosemary, salt and pepper

Snacks would be hm yoghurt loaf, raisins and there should be some carrots and bananas left over from mealtimes.

This one is a little less basic than the last one I put up and is full of things that we eat regularly in here. If anyone wants recipes, just ask.

Stressed, where is your basic cheap meal plan? I'd find it difficult to get most of that down DD1 :(

Don't know if anyone having a tough time needs bedlinen but I have a lot in good condition although used. Polycotton duvet covers and sheets.will post to anyone who wAnts them pm me.

Sheets if possible, Klingy! Single and double. DD's only have one sheet each and the one for the double is clean but horribly stained as DP put it in with blacks :(. I have to wash in the morning or else we have no sheets for the evenings.

I can't PM as I'm on my phone :(

Stressed will copy your list, your ideas for meals are mouth watering!

revolution, there are a couple of very basic £30 meal plans earlier in this thread. One is an absolutely rock bottom one for my family of 7, the other is for 4-5 people again.

i'll find them and pm them to you, but your DD probably won't like them either. In this house, it's pretty much eat what your given or go hungry, I'm afraid. Anyone who won't eat a meal gets a peanut butter sandwich and a bit of fruit, nothing else. They all learned quickly enough not to be too fussy because they would rather not be hungry. In saying that, we have been skint for a long, long time and my kids have grown up with eating pretty basic meals.

Revolution one plan is on page 30 of this thread and the other on page 34. I can give you recipes if you like.

I have a load of tots bots nappies and motherease wraps I can send. They were freecycled to me so would like to pass them on in the same spirit as they were given. They are well used but plenty of life left in them. Pm me

DD1 is a fussy eater but we don't pander to her regularly, especially as the rest of us eat what we're given. I'll check them out, thank you!

Revolution, sorry, I didn't mean that you pander to DD, just that sometimes you have to be a bit harsh, especially when things are tight. If DD is old enough, could you explain to her about money and making do? I usually work on the principal that everyone should get at least one meal a week that they really like so that no-one feels too hard done by.

THe only one this fails is DS4 who HATES everything, apparently. He is one of the ones with AS, though, and food is a bit of an issue. THe other 2 AS boys improved as they got older and realised that it's better not to be hungry. Left to their own devices, though, they would eat nothing but chicken nuggets, spaghetti and toast.

it is a minefield trying to get kids to eat. I know someone who makes 4 separate meals every night and then complains constantly about having no money for shopping. She can't believe that I only make one meal, but money is not as tight for her as it is for me by a long chalk, so each to their own.

stressed - i rememebr asking a poster once how she got her dc to eat lentils and suchlike - and got the answer 'I cook it and put it in front of them, they eat it'.

So simple really but having at least 1 of the dc say 'Awwwww! Not xx again!' is a daily occurance.

Actually they are getting better as they get older, and at least i don't make 4 different meals each time.

If anyone is preggers in Kent I have maternity wear in size 8-10. If anyone needs it please PM me. Times are tough but MN is a community and somehow we will pull together!

That happens in here as well, Captain, especially with DS4 who NEVER gets anything he likes and HATES everything and DH who only likes really, really hot curry. But I am harsh an unfeeling.

At least it's all good food - mine are getting leftovermince-stuffed-peppers tonight, but i know one won;t eat the pepper it all.

Reminds me of an article i read ages ago, written by a granddad. The gdaughter stayed with them, but didn't eat lunch, (homemade quiche or something, with salad) wanted MacD instead., Didn't eat dinner (pork, with mash and swede or something like) and wanted KFC and 'milk'shake, or chicken nuggets etc. Wanted crisps, ice creams and haribos all day.

The dad picked the dd up and apologised, saying 'she's a fussy eater!' - as in, would rather eat crap than homemade, healthy, real food.

Oh aye, some of mine would eat junk all day long if they could, but they can't because I can't afford it, mwahahaha!

I think that a lot of it comes from seeing their friends eat burgers/nuggets/crispy pancakes for every meal. Mine feel hard done by and odd, but then their friends like to come here because they think everything I make is delicious - you can't win with children.

If any of you who are having a tough time are near to Epsom I can offer some boy's clothes, bras, toys, old clothes I've sorted out, a cup of tea and just general helping out. We are mot loaded by any stretch of the imagination but we're afloat and having a clear out. I don't want to insult anyone but I like to help others. PM me.