What does being skint mean to you?

JAMIEDODGER

being skint to me meant the salvation army bringing round presents for my kids on christmas eve when my ex husband did a bunk with the christmas money to get drunk. being skint to me meant £20 per week to clothe feed me and 3 kids. being skint meant not having any new clothes for 3 years so i could scrape the money together to clothe my kids. i never went out in 4 years.

i will never ever go there again. so the debts that i have incurred are being paid back as quickly as possible, yes things are tight but we go without most things to pay this money back. and we didnt buy anything frivolous.

kenshaz

lush_walrus wrote:

Im probably not going to be hugely welcome saying this, but skint is definately a state of mind. I save money every month and always have done and always leave more money than I need in my bank account. But, if on a certain month I end up spending it all, I consider myself to be skint. Even though infact Im not as I have transfered x amount to other accounts to save.

To someone else, I without a doubt am never skint, but to me sometimes I am. By the same token someone else who considers their credit limit on x number of credit cards to be part of their potential budget and would never think of themselves as skint until they are up to all of their credit cards limits.

Its all about how you feel in my opinion.[/QUOTES
Sometimes its circumstances that make you skint or the partner who drank all the money that was meant for kids Christmas presents,or redundancy,loss of health,loss of a partner,loss of income,or the greed of the finance company that charge interest rates that are not justified and prey on the vunerable.No one knows what life will deal,this site makes you ready and able

shariatlanta

Pretty much agree with what a lot of other people said, I have £48.00 to last until payday 23rd and I've still got another weeks shopping to do. It's my grandaughters birthday Wednesday and I can't afford a present till payday, still she's lovely and does understand.

[Deleted User]

Being skint was 25 years ago. Mortgage rate 15%. 3 small children. One wage. Taking cash out every month and putting it into envelopes. The only food was broad beans and tomatoes from the garden. Hard? yes very. Survived? yes. A learning curve? yes. Result? started saving later, just a little at a time. Savings like Topsy, grew and grew. Never, ever been skint again. Frugal living at times later when threats of redundancy a couple of times. Living frugally when we were scared because we wanted to build up the safety net a bit more.

Frugal living and skint were two different things. Frugal was choice. Skint was no choice

TurnaroundSue

When my OH and I first started living together some 21 years ago we were in debt and really skint!! We had £65 per month to live off which had to take into account a ferry crossing to work each day costing £7 per week!! £11 per week went on food and we had no spare cash - couldn't get credit as OH had a cc which he was paying off at £50 pm (cashed in his life insurance to pay half of this in a lump sum!). We rode our bikes everywhere (couldn't afford a car), had to make home brew so we could enjoy a drink (nearly turning us blind!!) and had to sit on the sofa with our quilt over us and hat and gloves - all you could see was our eyes!! Couldn't afford to put heating on.

Had a knackered old telly that you used to have to thump to make it work and had to get up to change one of FOUR channels. We live together for a year, before getting married and by the time we left that flat we had £1000 in the bank, no debt and a really satisfying experience of getting to where we got through shear hard work and toil.

I look back on those times with great affection as as this was a time when I say that we were SKINT it was one of the happiest and most fulfilling times. :j

mentaljessie

To me being skint is when it was me living with my Grandad on benefits about 10 years ago (estranged from Mum), Sunday nights were the worst we had no money. So on occassions we would sit there with our coats because there was no money for the gas meter, and on a couple of times by candle light sometimes due to no money for electric meter, and read The News of The World which my Grandad would be given by a neighbour. He would also be rather short tempered due to no money for fags! Now when I feel hard done by or think I'm poor I think back and I don't need a new pair of jeans, I would like a new pair of jeans that's the difference.

sparklewing

I'd class myself as skint just now. Get £270 a month sick pay and my mortgage is £262, never mind my council tax, bills, food.(mortgage insurance wouldn't pay out cos it's stress related). Now looking for a job again(can't go back to old one due to health reasons) even though my doctor doesn't think I should be working.

I have to beg my dad for money for bills every month(been off since august) and I would be in serious trouble if it wasn't for him. I'm so lucky and grateful to have him.

Haven't been on a night out since last June, have had my hair cut once in last 2 years and that was a xmas present from my mum. Sometimes can't afford to get my prescriptions because I can't face asking my dad for more money. Ended up having to get an operation to get a tooth removed because I couldn't afford to see a dentist about a hole in my tooth and got an abcess. I only put on my heating if I can actually see my breath, my windows leak when it rains and my toilet leaks when it is flushed.

Have to go to interviews in a suit that is 4 sizes too big cos I lost weight but can't afford new clothes(safety pins are an essential tool).

I'm not depressed about my situation though obviously I'd rather it wasn't happening. At the end of the day there are millions of people out there worse off than me and I know I have my dad(bless him) and once I get a new job I'll be sorted cos although I have debts(4000 all interest free) and a massive list of things I really need to buy(like new windows before mine fall out , oh and new clothes that don't fall off) my life is pretty blessed compared to some.
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dinkylou

I have to say that I like the word 'skint'.

As you have said, it means different things to different people and you can use it as an excuse when you feel like you cant afford (or dont want) to do things.

I find it useful for when friends try to drag me out for expensive meals etc.

lou_lou_skinty_poos

i was feeling pretty skint and sorry for myself till i read this thread ave got ruffly £40 till pay day which is the 31st but am off this week can get to work next week for free its just the days before pay day work is 6 n the morning so al need taxi money :eek: but all said am going the dentist today thankfully a nhs dentist so gotta pay for that too but when ave read this thread its made me realise what SKINT really can be. i hope al your situations improve for the better and wish me luck with the dentist :rolleyes:

Kevicho

Skint for me is a good thing as it forces me to stay at home, rather than getting smashed on a work night

It also means i dont buy things i dont really need, im not at all materialistic now, all i need possesion wise is my PC.

Skint means im a lot more determined to get myself out of this mess, and makes me more focused to succeed.

Skint doesnt have to be a bad situation, reverse it to be a good sitaution.

In fairness that is easy for me to say as i have no dependants, no major bills and my debts are dropping pretty quickly, but i still have to put the effort in.