debtors going without food.

wageslave

sjaypink wrote: »

It is hard being so skint. I was hugely in debt a few years back- well, 5 or 6..? Anyway, I often went without food, heating, electric etc because I paid the 'scary bailiff letters' before I sorted the essentials. I was a bit young and stupid I guess....

Think it depends how much you know of the system.

When I escaped my DH the brat and I spent a year in what I can only describe as abject bliddy poverty.

Within weeks of moving in my landlord put the rent up to almost 80 percent of my wages and threatened to evict me and the brat if I applied for housing benefit. Said he would only take cash.

I believed him. I didn't know any better.

My family had virtually disowned me for starting divorce proceedings (first divorcee in our good catholic family ever) and pride wouldn't allow me to go cap in hand.

I had no idea I was entitled to WTC and my ex flatly refused to pay child support.

I went without meals on a regular basis so my daughter could eat.

It was the longest, hardest year of my life.

sjaypink

I haven't put the heating on yet this year. My eldest has moaned a couple times, but only because she wants to wander round the (laminate & tiled floored) house barefoot with just a short t-shirt and 'jeggings' :rolleyes::cool: on.

I feel a bit mean, but no-one else has mentioned being cold so its not going on til December- Xmas treat lol!

ETA I spend very little on food but won't buy cheap meat- we go without & do veggie approx 3 nights a week. Doesn't bother me I'm not that keen on meat anyway. Always buy free range eggs too- won't skimp on stuff like that.... stupid really though- its all dead animals or ovums -or whatever they're called!- at the end of the day... (hope no ones tucking into a late night snack -sorry!)

lostinrates

sjaypink wrote: »

. Always buy free range eggs too- won't skimp on stuff like that.... stupid really though- its all dead animals or ovums -or whatever they're called!- at the end of the day... (hope no ones tucking into a late night snack -sorry!)

But it is live chickens laying them!;)

PasturesNew

I've not had my heat on yet. I have a fan heater, so I've vacuumed it out ready (they get dusty sitting on a laminate floor from March to November, then they smell of burning dust, then the fire alarm goes off).

I was brought up in a house where we had one fire in the living room, none in the bedrooms; a 1940s house with single glazing. Ice used to form on the insides of the panes up to about half way up the glass. That was nippy. Bathroom dash in the morning was painful too. Then you were out on the streets walking to school or catching the bus - oh the luxury of getting near the bus heater. Then at school they had dodgy old radiators that didn't throw much out but you could keep your coat on on cold days. I went to one place where we had to physically stop the lesson half way through and go outside to run round the building twice before we continued the 2nd half of the lesson.

The trouble I have with food, so I rarely bother, is the quantity you buy it in. If I buy a whole cauliflower it'll cost about 70-80p but then I have to eat cauli every day for 5 days. Also buy a lump of broccoli and that's a week of cauli/broccoli. The alternative is to buy the small packs of mixed veg (cauli/broccoli/carrots) which last for 2 meals so you don't get fed up with it. So I do a bit of bothering, then I just think "oh what the hell" and go back on the packs of noodles or just steaming spuds (like jacket potatoes but steamed) topped with cheese.

For eggs I like to support the little local man when I can get there before he shuts. Nice big round farm eggs, 6 for £1.

wageslave

I do buy value toilet rolls. I honestly cant see the point in buying expensive stuff to flush it down the bliddy lavatory.

DD once bought Andrex with her pocket money. I think she was hoping to shame me into changing my ways.

Like that was ever going to work:)

SingleSue

sjaypink wrote: »

I haven't put the heating on yet this year. My eldest has moaned a couple times, but only because she wants to wander round the (laminate & tiled floored) house barefoot with just a short t-shirt and 'jeggings' :rolleyes::cool: on.

I feel a bit mean, but no-one else has mentioned being cold so its not going on til December- Xmas treat lol!

ETA I spend very little on food but won't buy cheap meat- we go without & do veggie approx 3 nights a week. Doesn't bother me I'm not that keen on meat anyway. Always buy free range eggs too- won't skimp on stuff like that.... stupid really though- its all dead animals or ovums -or whatever they're called!- at the end of the day... (hope no ones tucking into a late night snack -sorry!)

I've had to relent and put the heating on as youngest has just come out of hospital and needs some decent warmth in the house..and also so I know whether the blue lips are caused by lack of heat or lack of oxygen!

Saying that, when the heating is put on, it is not put on all the time (2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening)...we do the layering thing and also have quilts on the sofas to snuggle under to keep the cost down.

I DO buy value chickens, value everything really, otherwise we wouldn't be able to afford to eat or have the variation in our diet. I don't need to buy that much veg though this year....my glorious and massive veg patch was pretty bountiful.

carolt

wageslave wrote: »

When I escaped my DH the brat and I spent a year in what I can only describe as abject bliddy poverty.

Within weeks of moving in my landlord put the rent up to almost 80 percent of my wages and threatened to evict me and the brat if I applied for housing benefit. Said he would only take cash.

I believed him. I didn't know any better.

My family had virtually disowned me for starting divorce proceedings (first divorcee in our good catholic family ever) and pride wouldn't allow me to go cap in hand.

I had no idea I was entitled to WTC and my ex flatly refused to pay child support.

I went without meals on a regular basis so my daughter could eat.

It was the longest, hardest year of my life.

That is dreadful. I feel sympathetic anger towards so many people mentioned in that post.

Bloody landlord.

Karma's coming to get him...and it won't be pretty.

Really2

Pobby wrote: »

This shocking and I believe the average house hold wastes about 20% of their food.

Well depends if the wife cooks one out of five days.:)

wageslave

carolt wrote: »

That is dreadful. I feel sympathetic anger towards so many people mentioned in that post.

Bloody landlord.

Karma's coming to get him...and it won't be pretty.

It was an ex council house he had bought at a massive discount, then he went to live in a very nice villa and rented the LA place out.

That year has left me with some very strong views on private landlords, the right-to-buy scheme and people who take advantage of women on their own in general.

PasturesNew

wageslave wrote: »

It was an ex council house he had bought at a massive discount, then he went to live in a very nice villa and rented the LA place out.

That year has left me with some very strong views on private landlords, the right-to-buy scheme and people who take advantage of women on their own in general.

The thing is, in years gone past, we just got on with our lives, unaware of what's right and wrong. We just accepted things.

Now we have places like this where we can post questions and get all the leads, links and advice we need in about 2 hours flat.

Genius,

I love the Internet, wish it had been round when I was young.