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

I was agreeing with you pullup, I knew what you meant.

I have started a thread in chat for anyone who has things to offer

Can you link this thread to the new one in chat? I am
IT illiterate.

I am nipping to your thread Giving. Just the ticket

not being able to afford the monthly insurance on the car, but not being able to afford the cancellation fee either, so just swim in arrears

Likewise with the phone/internet package - we really should cancel and save the money, but then it'd cost us shitloads (about £120) to cancel.

All these posts make me very sad

Just wanted to say, I mentioned yesterday about the local Facebook selling pages in my area - well we've made almost £40 in the last two days selling some old Xbox games that have been completed. It's really worth seeing if you have a local group - and if not set one up yourself! And the local Mumsnet and Netmums boards, check those out too.

Nobody should have to walk in shoes with holes in, in this day and age I think somewhere on MN there is a board for giving stuff away, if anyone has un-needed stuff that they could afford to post out to someone needy, please do. I will certainly be seeing what I have to offer.

You know when you are skint when you go to all the major supermarket for the deals and only buy things that are on sale-:)

Dickens will be turning in his grave, I will be off to the local foodbank and clothesbank tomorrow or friday, this has given me the motivation to get all the kids clothes out there where they can be useful, rather than mouldering in my wardrobe.

I remember a time when I had one bra, one pair of knickers, infact one of everything. I had to wash and dry them every night, and hope they would be ok in the morning.
Another time I lived for a whole year on rice and dahl.
I used to send my ds to his grandmother's house to eat evening meals occasionally, because I had no food.
This was in the days when as a single parent, income support was just £67 a week, there were no tax credits, and maintenance payments were considered income. Sometimes I would walk around the town centre early on Sat morning hoping to find some money dropped by a drunken reveller from the night before, I often found a whole tenner this way.

Fuck, crap, shit! I can't stop crying reading this thread. DH and I both work full time jobs above min wage above entry level above benefits threshold in London but i can't understand how its mid month and we can't afford the tube to work, surviving on rice, beans, porridge. I'd like a glass of wine to drink my sorrows away but that's too much of a luxury that I can't afford. DS is 9 months clothes too tight and stained. Washing machine stopped cleaning clothes months ago and I can't afford to get it fixed my hands are raw from handwashing. I don't have any coppers lying around or a forgotten stash anywhere. Dont have any friends left since I stopped returning calls because i can't afford to do anything depressing and lonely existence

Myheadmyworld please please go over to the "I have" thread in chat. Lots of baby clothes being offered and people happy to post them to you for free. If there are other things you need I'm sure you would have lots of offers of help.

Oh myhead I hear you, that sounds tough going. How old is your DS now? I am sure I have a few bits I could bung in the post for him, I am sure I have some in the cupboard. PM your address if you would like.

think for me the ironic and sad thing was its only after ending in a wheelchair do I now have a decent roof ove1r our heads( adapted housing ) and no holes in my shoes as obviously dont wear them out any more

And when someone asked me if id give it up to be able to walk again and dawned even if was an option ( it is not ) that I would not be able to afford it

I thought I was the only one who took loo roll from work! I have also hung around the canteen late in the evening and the lovely lady there gives me milk and leftovers for nothing.

Oh to clarify I'd give everything up for ds3 to be NT .

But I recognise lot of the stuff on here . The relief when checking with school about trips for y11 and finding out there's none planned do they can concentrate on exams and looking at his Blazor thinking maybe just maybe squeeze one more year out of it

mumblejumble income support is now a massive £71 a week and maintenance payments are incl as income so your benefit is reduced! (ex is not working a tax paid job so not getting anything from that and he has helped me out!!!! with £100 in the last 6 mths)

This thread does make me so sad just dont understand why some of us have to suffer so much when we shouldnt have to

I just want a job!!!!

Can't find the 'things to offer' thread - can someone link? I always have things that I can offer.

I get Carers Allowance .....which is deducted straight from Income Support. I had a well paid job before this and am getting nowhere near the income I had before. Working still pays more than benefits in many cases and not just in financial matters either.

Not sure how to link but it's here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/1474481-I-have-x-if-anyone-is-in-need
Hope that works

MYhead please follow Virgil's link, we're organising a clothes swap. I haven't put my boys stuff on yet, but I know I have some for ages 9 months and above. I'm going to get sorting this weekend but mark your place and see if anyone has anything that might help.

Here is a question. If you went through your bag/purse/under the sofa etc and then went to the bank and asked for every penny in your current account and savings account, how much would you have in total?

At my worse point I had £35.57 in my bank account and £2.71 in my purse. To last 17 days. Not a penny more. It really is very frightening to have no safety net at all.

Thats a good question SuperScrimper, i will have a look in my bank account now
Dont know if others will be quite so fourthcoming with their bank balances though

My bank balance is currently £4000.20. In the red. Long story of how it got so bad but there you go. 20p over the overdraft = £12 charge not to mention the £60 interest each month. Purse contains £7.86 pence for today and tomorrow. I have everything I need though as I spread weekly money as carefully as I can. No spare for paying back overdraft and definitely no safety net. Strangely I don't really worry about money though, when disaster strikes I always seem to find a way I wouldn't even class myself as poor. 'get by' would be the best term.

you are too scared to answer the door incase it's the bailiffs :(

This thread makes me ashamed that I complain about anything at all when I am so blessed to not be in the awful position some of you are.

I have boys clothes that my youngest has outgrown in 6-12 and some 12-18 months size if anyone needs them. I'm also have some women's clothes in size 10 that I was going to take to the charity shop. I'm in SW Herts. PM me if you're interested.