£33 per month for food!

PasturesNew

There are now local foodbanks ... usually associated with churches, but don't let that put you off as you don't have to sing 3 verses of Glory Hallelujah to get a bag of beans.

Google for foodbanks in your town/village/area and see what turns up. They'd hand out a bag of groceries.

They aren't everywhere, but the closer you are to a town/city, the more chance you'll have of discovering a whole new world of this kind of stuff going on.

Barneysmom

Have a look at the Approved foods site too.

http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/static/Best_Before_Dates

sweetilemon

Your post might be better on the food and groceries section its full of tips to cut food shopping

PasturesNew

Volunteer for things in your local area where you know you'll be fed ... bit of a long shot, but if you look around there might be things going on that you can help out with, knowing you'll be offered a sandwich and cup of tea on the day and possibly a doggy bag to take home.

PasturesNew

£1/day for food without effort, for me would be:
Beans on toast with scrambled eggs for breakfast: 22p
Cheese on toast for lunch: 20p
Jacket spud and beans for tea: 20p

Then I'd make potato soup, cheap veggie soup.

Packs of 10p noodles maketh a meal.

2 egg spanish omelette containing slices of potato, onion, bit of cheese: 40p
Served with 5-10p of beans

viktory

ready_to_jump wrote: »

Helpful responses would be appreciated given the named of this forum..............................

Then look to your own responses before you comment on other people's.

dickydonkin

ready_to_jump wrote: »

Do you realy think that after two years of being unemployed I have not exhausted every avenue?
Do you think that I have not completed all the training I can get to upgrade my skills, NEBOSH DIPLOMA for eg, do you think I have not applied for jobs 3k, + and counting (globally) do you not think I have reduced my outgoings to the absolute minimum, the next reduction is to cancel my home insurance and tv licence..............

Helpful responses would be appreciated given the named of this forum..............................

With your NEBOSH Diploma (I am assuming you have completed it), why don't you become or at least consider becoming self employed as a H&S Consultant?

When I was made redundant, it was something I considered, but decided it wasn't for me for various reasons.

Many organisations are/have outsourcing/outsourced their health and safety services to cut costs (pure folly) hence my redundancy, which has left opportunities for independant consultants.

But just remember - jobs won't come to you!

ceridwen

ready_to_jump wrote: »

You'r right MJ, if i sell I not only lose my home, I will lose benefits, council tax, and will need to rent, which, needs an income, the next option is a tent/static caravan and become trailer trash......hence the need to try and survive this on £33 per month for food, I would rather go without a meal than lose my home.....

In which case its entirely understandable that you are making sure you continue to pay the mortgage regardless - as my reading of the situation is that people with mortgages become literally homeless after 2 years of unemployment (unless they are in a position to take in a lodger and serve them "breakfast" every day on the one hand OR they have children and therefore can call on the Council to make sure they are given some sort of accommodation).

So - if someone is both childless/cant take in a lodger for one reason or another (eg not got the room to do so)/cant downsize to get rid of the mortgage then they are stuffed quite simply....

In that position - personally I'd grit my teeth very hard and get forced into taking in a lodger against my will and serving them continental breakfast every day until I got a job. But if I werent able to get a lodger - then yikes (since I'm childless):eek:

So - I certainly sympathise with the situation you are in.

EDIT: How much equity do you have in your house? and how saleable is it? Am I guessing that you are still some way from retirement age - or would you be able to move to a cheaper part of the country with that equity and just think "Blow it - I've bought a mortgage-free home and I know there arent any jobs here to be had in this part of the country - but, so what, I'm not far from retirement age anyway - and at least I safely have a home still"? Are you old enough for that to be an option?

Basically - there are much cheaper homes to be had in parts of the country where there arent any jobs to be had (errr...for obvious reasons....) but if it comes to a choice between "keep a home" or "have some chance of a job" then the priority has to be to "keep a home" I would say imo.

On the other hand - if you are still some way from retirement - but are 35 or over (to allow for the age discrimination in help towards rented costs that those under 35 will be experiencing soon until someone sues the Government on this and wins) - then would it be possible to swop your mortgaged home for a part-owned/part rented home? There are a few places available with a sort of part-owned/part-rented basis and it may be that the Government would have to pay sufficient money in housing benefit to cover the rental part of your monthly costs and you had been able to get enough equity from your house to cover not having a mortgage on the part that you "owned"?

In my area, for instance, I could buy a shared ownership place for say £50,000-£60,000. This would buy me a quarter of the place and I would rent the other three-quarters. There are also a few places where I could buy 50% of the ownership and would rent (have to be given housing benefit for) the other 50%? I'm not sure whether these shared ownership places are only available to first-time buyers - or whether an existing home-owner who is in danger of becoming homeless would be allowed a chance to buy one of them??

Hammyman

ready_to_jump wrote: »

House on the market for two years, but it's not for free, and, as I'm claiming JSA I cannot sub let a room without it affecting my claim......

So you'd rather starve just to continue to claim JSA even though you'd be £35 a week better off? Wow, that's a screwed up way to look at things.

getmore4less

PasturesNew wrote: »

£1/day for food without effort, for me would be:
Beans on toast with scrambled eggs for breakfast: 22p
Cheese on toast for lunch: 20p
Jacket spud and beans for tea: 20p

Then I'd make potato soup, cheap veggie soup.

Packs of 10p noodles maketh a meal.

2 egg spanish omelette containing slices of potato, onion, bit of cheese: 40p
Served with 5-10p of beans

Cheap nasty eggs are 10p each decent ones start at 20p realy good ones
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1361272/Eggs-cost-30p-each.html

potato say 10p each

Cheap cheese is around £5 kg standard slice is 25gr so 12.5p on that 2p slice of bread

Tin of beans around 30p on offer might get 3 portions

I think the 22p breakfast looks a bit low
Cheese on toast low for two slices