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

This is so depressing :(

For me, eyeing up the cheapest, crappiest bits of "food" in the supermarket and making a judgement call to prioritise the barely-related-to-a-chicken nuggets because I know DS gets fruit at nursery.

Always feeling guilty/anxious about throwing things out in case you need them later (and so ending up living in a tip)

Considering asking the neighbours if they want to adopt the cat :(

Not even using the library, because you're afraid if you get a fine you won't be able to use it any more and you don't know how to explain that to your toddler.

Feeling grateful when a visit to a friend's house overlaps a mealtime, because it means you don't have to pay for the food for that meal.

Things aren't quite this bad at the minute thankfully, but it's so utterly relentless when you're in it. I hate it and I feel for anyone who's there at the moment.

BTW, supermarket clothes are cheaper, but charity shops tend to be within walking distance whereas supermarkets can require a car/bus journey.

When you are thinking about selling your beautiful free-standing oak mirror that you got for your 5th wedding anniversary, Because you are not going to manage until the end of the month.

Yep.

Will be spending the £20 my PIL gave me yesterday for my 13th wedding anniversary on food and tickets for my ds1's school concert next week

I will tell them I got some books from amazon.

When there's an awkward silence when you explain to your inlaws for the 50th time that no, we won't be going to the cup final because WE CAN'T AFFORD THE TICKETS.

Some people get it, others seem determined to believe its a lifestyle choice.

Telling your ds1 you arent going on holiday this year.

And then he says "dont worry mum we can save up and go next year!"

I know holidays are a luxury, but thats part of the depressing thing for me...the not being able to afford nice things occasionally, go on a few days UK holiday, go out for a meal etc....

My dh's aunt literally CANNOT understand why I need a job....when she married her PILs bought and furnished her and their ds a house. They have never paid a mortgage and have both been retired for years.

Sigh.

Telling her we need the money just makes her look confused....

I am horrified at some of these things. I don't want anyone to have to live like this, but most importantly I don't ever want to have to live like that.

I'll work evenings onto of full time, weekends, anything.

It's awful!

Ontop stupid iPhone.

:( sad for some of these.

When you are pleased the surgeon says no dairy so you can eat porridge made with water without feeling really cheap.

When you can't bring yourself to admit to friends you are being made homeless and that's why you're selling everything o. Facebook pages. You just keep saying you're having a clear out.

When you are secretly eyeing up the kids toys thinking 'it's been a few weeks since he even touched it....'

When you tell the kids it's opposite day and make them get into their pjs and grab the duvet so you can make it fun when they get cereal for dinner again and you can also turn the heating off because you're snuggled up.

You secretly cry because dd comes home in ripped tights for the third time in 2 weeks and you know it was her last pair. But you also know her skirt is too short for her to go bare legged.

It makes me so cross when people bang in and on about benefit people rolling in it. I don't smoke or drink and it's so tight. I don't know how people do smoke etc. my only 'treat' is my broadband. And I am justifying that by using it to sell stuff to cover that bill.

When most of the things on this thread are ingrained.

When your mum gives you her supermarket vouchers so you can get new work clothes.

When you realise that said supermarket work clothes are 5 years old, shapeless and baggy but you hope it won't notice if you keep your cardi on...

You go to bed at 5pm because it's cold but you cannot afford to put the heating on.

Lets turn this around...
Has anyone got any practical money saving tips? Please dont tell me about chickpeas etc (do people actualluly eat them through choice?)

I feel very fortunate reading this thread. Although i try to be very careful. I took my dad into icelands this weekend (my favourite shop!) and payed the £3ish for milk/sugar/bread and it made my heart sink how grateful he was. My husband then gave him £15 he had won on a scratchcard and my dad said 'he'd save it to buy my boys xmas presents'
We pleaded with him to spend it on himself to which he decided he'll use a bit each week to buy our eldest snacks as he cried last time we left as my son asked for crisps that he didnt have.

How did things get this bad? Hold your heads high ladies!

When you know the price of everything and notice when it's gone up.
When you get really excited that your birthday is coming up so you can ask for money to buy a new top as out of the 3 decent ones you own, 2 have got holes in (but you wear them anyway).
When you want to scream at your very lovely MIL down the phone when she goes on about SILs latest extravagant purchase because you think she's doing it 'to spur you on'

katespade i have been made redundant 3 times in 5 years, ive been unemployed since christmas, i have a degree and postgraduate degree. i have 22 years of work experience in my chosen field.

I cannot even get an interview. i must have a applied for hundreds of jobs since christmas and most dont even bother to respond with a no thank you letter. However now stamps have gone up, i'll be hand delivering those too.

I've just put nail polish on another ladder in my tights to stop in running.

Freegle/freecycle is fantastic for picking up bits - I picked up hundreds of plant pots last autumn; I've planted loads of pepper and chilli seeds I've been keeping from the few I've afforded over the winter, so this year we'll have home grown veg - tomato seeds from fresh and even tinned tomatoes grow, too! Growing veg also feeds the rabbits for free, too.

Blankets - lots and lots of blankets.

Justifying feeding the dogs less because they needed to slim down a bit

Hes unemployed after being made redundant. We lived with him for two years until 8 months ago when understandably my husband wanted us to set up home alone (was expecting ds2!) it was a lovely set-up though.
I do try to help him out as much as possible. Got hold of a second hand fridge for him (hes been without for a year!) and he was overmoon saying how it would save him money on buying milk every 2 days (hes been leaving milk in cold jugs of water but it goes off much quicker obviously) i didnt have the heart to mention the extra electric it would use

Nappies are crippling me. I feel terribly guilty that iam almost trying to force my just-turnt-two year old to be potty trained just to save on nappies.

And Gas! It seems to leak money

Money-saving tip - if washing a load of towels, don't put washingpowder in, just run at a higher temp, for a full wash. This also cleans out the old residue of powder in the machine.

Am even thinking about replacing the automatic machine with a twin-tub (do they even make them any more?) as i remember mum doing a full laundry-day wash with one load of powder. The whites go in first, then gradual fade to darks. Last in is the towels which don't really get 'dirty' but need a quick swill in soapy water. All on 1 load of powder and hot water!

(used to take all day tho)

I know its awful, I'm so sorry for you lardy Im a student ATM, but have been doing as much work experience as i can to get some experience, that lead to me getting a job and i turned it down for lots of reasons, but it makes me feel very grateful and realise how lucky i am really.

One thing that does annoy me, i will admit is some of my student people i know have very wealthy parents, that fact in itself fine, but when said people are bragging about how their dad bought them a house to live in. I say to them, you've never had a job in your life, you have no idea what the real world is like so STFU. My parents aren't really wealthy, but they give me what they can.

It's shit, times are shit but i want to work hard and make a success of myself so i never have to tell my DD its a game to pick out the cheapest things in the Supermarket.

Your 5 year old says he will go to jubilee party by himself so you can go to work and get more pennies

yes, the thing is, this situaton is temporary. so it is, so it is!

When growing your fringe out is not a style choice, but necessity because you can't afford hairdresser and are nowhere near competent enough to cut it yourself. Cue several months of looking like the Dulux dog...

You actually cry because new employers have changed pay day to the last thurs of every month, which is 31st this month, instead of getting paid the 28th every month. I now have 3 extra days of no money.

We start eating the food I used to eat as a student.. Beany rice anyone? Exactly what it sounds like, baked beans and rice.

When the websites that buy mobile phones/ digital camera/ipod won't give you any money for yours because it's sooooo old

ipswitchwitch my mobile phone handset is in the museum here, its the same model and everything.