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

FireWyrm

elaine241 wrote: »

with the acts of kindness, often from people I never knew or met, has meant that I appreciate and value what I have today.

Kindness....I've never quite figured out who did this, but I once came home to a box of food and 6 pints of milk on the front door step. No-one ever owned up and it wasnt like I had a whole lot of family at the time (just me and Dad) but somehow, this box appeared from nowhere and to this day, I have no idea who was responsible.

We had a warehousing estate directly opposite us so I went knocking on doors looking for work. One of the warehouses was run as a cosmetics depot and the foreman was a gruff old (to me) fella of about 40. I asked him for work and he gave me a job. A few days later, we were sitting in the smoking room on break and he started to question me about my life, so I naively told him a bit of it. A bit later, one of the secretaries from upstairs came down looking for me and wanting documents like my national insurance number. I wasnt quite 16 and I had lied about being older so I was worried that I would lose pay for that week when they fired me. Nick (the foreman) told me not to worry about it and you know what, they never asked for documents again and I never provided them. I never did find out how they were doing it, but I got paid just the same. I worked there for a few months and eventually moved up in the world getting a night shift on a sausage factory, but it was just that sort of simple acts of kindness that kept me going.

Magpie23

I love this thread!!

It's made me smile for all of the right reasons!

We've been tackling our debt now for 2yrs, so I'm gonna go away and check our cupboards for any skeletons that I can share with you all .

Speak soon,
Magpie23
-x-

no_choice_now

Some of the confessions and stories I've been reading that so many people have been brave enough to share have done nothing short of move me to tears.

The stories of people going hungry to make sure their children and pets are fed has really affected me. Whilst I don't have any of my own, it has made me remember how my mother used to struggle to feed us and it's not until now has the penny dropped that she most likely sometimes went hungry to do it. I've given up food money to ensure my cats are always well fed, they always came before I did.

There are also things I'd forgotten about that I've remembered, including once when I was a child my mothers friend turned up with a large box of things "she didn't have any room for" which now sounds totally stupid as an excuse but I can understand why she said it. We lived very well that week I remember! I wish now I could thank her for this.

Just wow, there are so many stories I wish I had time to reply to them all. Like I said in the OP, these situations force people to do things to survive that they wouldn't normally consider doing. Despite a cretin passing judgment on people, who's posts fortunately the mods have since removed, I know that there's not one single person here can be called bad for doing them.

I'm so delighted that so many people have managed to turn their lives around. I'm not at all surprised that people who have been with nothing have turned in to food (and loo roll!) hoarders!

And a special message to the people who have been brave enough to post to say that they're currently in a grim financial situation but are still spending, please consider the desperation it may lead to if you don't have a rethink. Hunger, it isn't nice. Most of us also know the system can and will let you down when you need it the most.

Sending you my most positive wishes,
x

quantic

Have never been in a situation where I needed to do any of these things, have (so far) been in the position of always being able to work more if skint (both me and OH where working 2 jobs at one point),9-5 then 6-10 - both of us. This thread is somewhat eye opening, just want to say that I have a lot of respect for you guys struggling through those bad times and making it through the other end.

toothfairybuttkicker

forgot to say yesterday but i'm a toilet roll 'borrower' too.

I also want to say that i have great respect for all those peeps that put food in their kids belly's by any means necessary xx

rdchick

This is a wonderful thread.

Anyone who passes judgement has clearly never ever known what real poverty is - the sort of person to say they were starving because they hadn't eaten for an hour.

Personally, I haven't been in this situation, luckily! However there have been times when I had to have a biscuit or 2 for lunch or a small chocolate bar for tea... letting my ex eat the last microwave meal which I bought with one of my wages from the 3 jobs I had whilst in my final year at uni. I completely understand what people say about letting someone/something they love eat when you go without. Me and my BF (the amazing one) joke when we feed our kitten Whiskas and we have to magically make a meal with the last few things in the cupboard before payday... that cat eats better than we do sometimes!!!

I think those that have been in dire straights shouldn't be ashamed, it should be society that should be ashamed. We live in a 'first world' country where food is plenty, no one should ever go without a meal in their stomach or a roof over their head.

Those that have said about the riots and how we shouldn't complain. Those people that rioted do not know the first thing about poverty. They weren't trying to feed their starving children, or clothe them or keep them warm in a bed. That was pure greed and an excuse to steal. They stole big screen TVs, iPhones and brand named clothes. They will sell these stolen goods for drugs, booze and video games...

Well done for 'coming clean' and never feel ashamed when you are in need xxx

Triker

I liberated the toilet roll, the 'free nappies' in changing rooms, the food from skips....walked for miles looking for dropped money on the floor. Used to go in all the phone boxes when they used to take 10p, 2p, 5p etc for phone calls to see if any change was there.

Ripped and tipped up numerous settees looking for money down the back, queued for free tins of EU meat and butter from the 'mountains, taken childrens clothes from recycling bins to clothe my youngest, spent their birthday money on electric and food (paid it back though). Done the I've lost my purse in the shop and got bread and milk on tick, again always paid them back.

Also 'forgot' my purse at the petrol station and would agree to pay next trip...I used to live in a very rural location so we all knew each other. Always paid.

Also received stolen milk via the doorsteps early morning.
Had stew made from roadkill , taken leave from work because I couldn't afford the petrol near the end of the month, fished potato peelings from the bin and deep fried them to feed a starving friend...I had nothing else in and she was desperate for food.

This is from many years ago but I hated the poverty of the hand to mouth existance that we endured.

Once my neighbour gave me a half gnawed chicken as her dog had been at it, she gave it for my cat....the cat didn't get a look in.:o

The story that sticks with me is fairly recent though, I was working the in court system a couple of years ago...a young lad of about 13/14 was brought in for stealing and criminal damage. He was upset and frightened and at first the magistrates were quite harsh in their questioning.
However as his story unfolded the police had found that he had stolen food from the local shop, some tins of beans, spagetti, stuff like that. When the police arrived at his address he had a fire burning in hs garden from fenceposts he had ripped out of some local fencing (criminal damage).
What the police found was that the lad had stolen the tins of food because his Mum had abandoned the family, he was the oldest, he has 3 younger siblings. He stole the food to feed them and he had made the fire in the garden to keep them warm and to try and cook the tins of food, the electric had run out days ago.....that was only a few years ago in 'modern britain'.

He was given an unconditional discharge and the court staff and police had a whip round to make sure he had a bit of money on him and the relevent support agancies were notified.

nancmat

Really lovely thread, had some tough times but not as bad as some mentioned. Have had times where we have been so skint we haven't been able to eat and one get nappies for the baby. With money given to us to buy premiumn bonds we bought baby milk, nappies, food etc and still have an IOU to pay back once we have some spare cash.

We have sold some of our childs toys at a car boot and a load of CD's left by father in-law to make a bit of cash.

The_Ubiquitous_Mrs_Smith

I'm in tears and humbled.

We've had a 'tight' few months but this post has hit home how easy it is to get into trouble. I keep saying I need to get my spending in order whilst at the same time clicking the 'confirm payment' button. This stops now.

My 9 month old daughter is asleep on my lap. I can't even begin to imagine what people must have gone through when they realised they couldn't feed their children. There are so many things that can go wrong that you can't control, why be silly about those you can?

Thank you for sharing your stories. Sometimes when you hear about people struggling it's sort of abstract and stealing toilet rolls is amusing but this post has made me realise the reality. I'm pleased so many of you have or are in the process of moving on and wish yuou the best of luck. By bravely sharing what you had to do to survive you've made sure this family will do their best to never face those decisions in a way that overdraft fees never could.

Thank you.:grouphug:

miggy

I know when you're up to your eyebrows in debt and the situation went past dire 10 miles ago that people can be forced to do things to survive they otherwise wouldn't normally consider doing.

When people do these things to survive it doesn't make them bad people and anybody who knew the full situation would surely understand.

I'd like to nominate this as post of the month, as it:

1. shows something of how bad things can get,
2. makes people like me realise we are actually very well off and maybe should be keeping more of an eye out for my 'neighbours',
3. could help someone who's in dire straits right now to know they are not alone.

Would love this to get into Government hands - there are holes in the system that need to be plugged.

I can't remember where to go to nominate! Help please someone!