MNHQ so what is allowed.

[ChristmasFuckers]

Whatand how can we discuss the donations??

Maybe we should make a thread which is full of advice about where to go and what to do if you suddenly find yourself clean out of cash? It could be stickied, even, and used to point desperate poster towards.

There were good suggestions last night that got a bit lost or ignored, like the reality of emergency payments, salvation army, food banks, ringing your energy company for emergency credit etc.

I don't know TeamDamon I might be an evil cowbag somehow in MNHQ's eyes.

See, immortalbeloved, I think that is a personal attack. You said 'Good point' and then you used my name.

Can you tell random Orwellian censorship really pisses me off?

I read the thread - most of the posters who offered the poster money seemed to feel they "knew" her in a virtual sense.

I am 41 years old I don't need rules from Mumsnet to tell me how to spend my own money.

There are posters on here I have never ever met - but I wouldn't hesitate to give some money to if they needed it, there are others I wouldn't.

As adults we can actually make that choice.

We could all be John the Trucker - and yes there are con merchants out there - but some faith in others is also acceptable.

I am not a child - I can make decisions for myself without Mumsnet needing to "protect me from myself".

To be fair (because I do try to be - please let it be noted ) the OP of a thread which does not now exist did make it very clear that presents were sorted due to an ebay spate.

Sigh. Another load of deletions. At least I read those though.

I think charitable donations are fine. But only through regulated sites such as justgiving, not via personal bank accounts.

But donations to help out individual posters should be strongly discouraged by Mumsnet. Obviously even MN can't police what might go on via PM's, but there should be a statement somewhere explaining what is and what isn't allowed wrt cash donations/gifts. If the MN community is made aware of this, a thread like last night's would have been stopped in its tracks, posters would have pointed out that donating cash is against the rules.

"We could all be John the Trucker - and yes there are con merchants out there - but some faith in others is also acceptable."

Now thats a personal attack against me John the Trucker I AM ONLY ONE PERSON no matter what the husband and child think on a day to day basis when they expect me to do 500 jobs.

I have no particular knowledge of the OP's situation but it's certainly the case that you can be fine one minute and practically penniless the next. Dh had a problem with his pay just a couple of months ago when the IR went mad and issued a tax code as if his job was a second job - they had to refund £800 to him but it took over a week. A few years ago he was in a well paid job one day and the next the company went bust and failed leaving everybody without notice, holiday pay or indeed salary. What the op posted a few months or days ago is history now

Hold on, Queen - you used the emoticon in your earlier post. That triggers a special alarm in the MN BatCave which automatically puts the Deletion Bots on evil cowbag red alert.

um, 9 days, not 2 weeks

some of which she would be at her mum's.

and there is, of course, the crisis loan option, which had not been applied for.

Surely that is the quote of the week?

TeamDamon: "I think it would be a bit hard for them to explain how quoting the poster in her own words is a personal attack on the poster!"

Benefit fraud. You can't just give cash to benefit claimants..... Nobody would know who was giving what or how much!!

Those happy to give cash.... Please think first.

Op openly put on thread benefits had been messed up.

Just wanted to make a quick point about the bank account/DWP thing.

It's fine for people on benefits to receive gifts.

Savings affect benefits, but in much higher amounts than Jj would have received, and as she would be spending it on food and electric it wouldn't remain there as savings. No need to even hide it from DWP.

Rises loan would have sorted it(today)

You can give cash to benefit claimants.

If they declare it.

You do have to be practically penniless to get a crisis loan - criteria very strict but then it has to be.

*crisis

Littlest light on the tree as long as Jj doesn't receive money or something paid for for her, on a regular basis, it isn't benefit fraud. Gifts are allowed.

This poor poster has just lost a baby - she is young - leave her be.

I don't want a Mumsnet rule that says no cash donations - I've donated genies fiver through the charity site.

But I can say hand on heart if some of the long standing posters In SP posted they were stuck I'd be there with help like a shot.

It was my post that practically handed you that Quote of the Week badge!

I lurked and readthe threads but didnt post.

Someone above mentioned MN royalty. I have alwas maintained, every time it comes up that there is no such thing. But now I am not so sure. I posted recently, I had some money for two months rent, there was a royal fuck up. The money was spent on something else. I was being evicted, I was dreading DP finding out we would have no home, we were facing the homeless shelter, our welfare officer wouldnt help out. One night I couldnt take any more and I snuck out and stood on the metal flat of a bridge in town for hours. I couldnt take any more.

Some people were kind and offered nice words. Some ripped me to shreds saying it was my fault (or at least what I percieved as shreds in my state) NO ONE said oh here is a pound, 2 pound etc to help. Because I am not well known. It was the same when I looked for sponsership for a big walk. No one replied to the thread or sponsored.

I guess in my ramblings what I am trying to say is that just because you think you know a username (and I am not disputing the OP story) doesnt mean that you should hand over the bank card. And stop shouting down those who post giving internet safety advice!

Littlest yes because it would have all gone into her paypal account and will presumably be withdrawn to her bank in larger lumps than that. Not that it even matters a gnats hair at all.

What if all your relatives paid you a tenner into the bank as giofts for xmas? Do you really think someone on benefits is not allowed their own gifts?

The only thing that wouldn't be allowed was if say, a friend or relative regular paid her gas bill or something like that. Then it's income and not a gift.