The worst/naughtiest thing you've done to survive whilst at rock bottom

tiff

toadyfrog wrote: »

I don't think things were as bad for us when i was a kid, or maybe my parents were good at sheilding us from it. But our sunday family trip out was a walk to the local council tip for a good rummage. Just thinking about it now my OH will cross the road if he sees a skip because he knows I'll have to have a look in it.

I am also going to show this thread to my son so he will think next time he looks in the cupboard and moans there is nothing to eat.

I'm going to show this to my 13 year old. He always moans that we have nothing in the cupboards, we do but he's moaning because we have no fizzy drinks/biscuits/chocolate etc.

LianeB

Shamefully I recently sold my treasured Liverpool FC v Man Utd 96 FA Cup final stub + programme, my Liverpool FC v AC Milan 05 Champs League stub + prog and my Liverpool FC v AC Milan 07 stub + prog just so I could pay my bills.
I have also jumped on the train when I know I'm not going to get caught, used a disabled blue badge to park for free and go 'shopping in costco' just to eat the free samples!!!:rotfl::rotfl:
Soooo sorry mum!!!

missladyannie

hi everyone, wow what a great thread, i've really enjoyed reading it, whilst i havent been in as bad a situation as others on here things have been tight. I confess I have taken toilet roll and washing up liquid and kitchen cleaner from the kitchen at a previous job. Back in the days of cheques I used to pay for my petrol & food a few days before payday when I knew my account was empty and my card would be declined. The worst situation I can remember is paying for petrol with 10ps and 20ps from my change jar, and one day not having enough money in my purse to use the toilet on Clapham Junction station :-( Keep smiling everyone xx

Dave101t

ive never hit rock bottom but everytime i go to the petrol station i take a few extra plastic gloves, they are great round the house...

FireWyrm

Queen_Latifah wrote: »

At other times, we would leave empty-handed as some store staff had had the clever idea of spraying the bins with bleach.

Some people are just bloody sick! Why would they do something like that? Do they think people are rooting around in bins because they like eating food that's been thrown away! Some people disgust me, and by far the worst I've ever encountered are those from the 'posh' side of town who never had a hard day in their lives. I've encountered unexpected kindness over the years, but on the flip side, there have also been occassions of mindless cruelty. Once, when I was very young and my mother was still around, I would steal food from the canteen/school kitchen because I was always hungry and there was never enough to eat. One day, a teacher caught me. She didnt even ask why, she just paraded me in front of the class and told them I was stealing. Her cruelty cost me years of bullying and a reputation I never quite managed to ditch even in secondary school.

Magpie23

Wow! These stories are really humbling! Thanx for sharing everyone.

I went to check out my 'skeletons' but nothing compares really.

Although, I do think that toilet roll in the handbag on every occasion is genetically built in. I know my mother always did it (and still does) and my own children do it too now.

-x-

scottishminnie

When I was growing up my parents had very little money and my mother often went without food so my dad and I, and later my sister could eat. She always claimed to be on a diet but I now know she wasn't.
We lived on a farm and mum spent many hours sorting through stock feed potatoes and turnips, getting them ready for sale and keeping aside the scabby, blighted ones for ourselves. We stayed near a reservoir and in return for letting them cross his land to get to it some fisherman (poachers) used to bring us the odd fish which mum would gut.
I remember once mum burning bits of old carpet and wallpaper which had been in the loft because coal was too expensive.


When I was first married we were skint (but nothing in comparison to my parents) and I desparately didn't want my husband to know because I felt I'd failed miserably.

We had a tea kitty at work which was paid by standing order so I couldn't avoid paying but I used to steal 2 tea bags from the office each day and take them home. They were used for our evening cup and then I dried them out and reused them the next morning for hubby's flask tea.

I used to ask for bones for the dog at the butchers and then boil them up for soup stock. By the time I gave the bones to my mum's dog there wasn't a thing on them.

I've taken gifts back to shops (mostly M&S) to get the cash to use on food and utility bills.

The one I'm most ashamed of though was when I was asked to organise a 21st birthday present for someone at work. I was asked to buy gold hoop earrings with the money. My grandparents had given me a pair for my birthday the year before so I checked the price in the jewellers and handed mine over and kept the cash to buy groceries. I had a momentery panic when someone asked for the receipt then someone else said that it didn't matter as earrings couldn't be exchanged anyway. My grandmother once asked why I never wore the earrings and I lied and said I'd lost them - I felt a complete cow.

I'm in a fortunate position now but I never take it for granted and nobody should forget that unfortunately there is always someone who is in a desparate situation and has to take drastic action just to survive.

vixx77_2

I've just finished reading this thread and I don't usually comment but had to on this occasion as I find it truely disgusting that the british government allow its people to get to the stage where they are going to these extremes just to feed themselves. I have the upmost respect for everyone that has posted their 'confessions', some have been really heart wrenching and some have been really funny. I have been fortunate that I have never had to do any of those things, although i'm loving the amount of you that have aquired toliet rolls - that though has never entered my head!! Yes i've been what i would call 'skint' but am humbled to realise that my idea of skint and some of your ideas are truely different and has certainly made me realise just how lucky I am. And its great to see that a lot of you have come out of it the other end much better.




Quote: At other times, we would leave empty-handed as some store staff had had the clever idea of spraying the bins with bleach.

I totally agree that this is ridiculous as there is nothing wrong with the day old food thats thrown out and argued this whilst working at one of the major supermarkets for many years as there are plenty of hungry and homeless people desperate for it. However, the reason for the bleach is because they are worried about being sued if the food people take out of the bins makes them ill. Can't imagine many going to the customer service desk saying 'that sandwich/cake/meat i took out of your bin made me ill what ya gonna do about it' but thats these big fat cats for you, couldn't care less about the 'little' folk as long as thir pockets are lined!

Thanks to yo all for making this an interesting read, might make me think twice when wasting money i really can't afford to waste in future

Brodiebobs

as others have said i feel really humbled by this thread, we've had some lean times but never to these extents.

When i used to work in a nursery we had a little boy who's mum was having money problems after husband leaving, she once came to pick him up while the kids were having their afternoon snack, that day cheese and crackers. There were a few left on a plate, some probably been pre-licked, and while we were getting them cleaned up i saw her tip them into her hand bag. I didnt really know what to do, didnt want to embarass her so ignored it, but a few days later she asked to 'borrow' a nappy from us as she had none at home, i gave her a pack and made her promise to sneak it out in her bag, she then broke down in tears and coudnt stop thanking me

Vince_Venison

This thread has really moved me, and also reminded me of things I had almost forgotten. The worst thing I ever did when I had absolutely no money (and I mean none - nothing in the house that could be considered a foodstuff and no money coming in for over a week) was to go out with male friends just because they would buy me a meal. I know - not something to be proud of, but it was that or go hungry. My life is very different now, but I still stick to three rules - 1. help other people when you can - a lot of people helped me when I was poor and I will never forget that. 2. don't pick up money in the street if you don't need it - leave it for someone who needs it more than you do and 3. don't pretend to be poor if you aren't. I have been poor and I know the difference between having to go into overdraft for 2 days before payday, and having to eat old sandwiches fished out of a colleagues bin at work at the end of the day beacuse that was the only thing I would eat all day. I am not a better person these days, just a richer one, but it seems to me a lot of people think that rich people are better than poor ones because they aren't driven by poverty to do things that aren't quite "respectable"