Things you've done when things got desperate!

angelflower_2

what a brilliant and sad and uplifting thread.

I empathise and recognise so many things said so far.

Have done the rolled up toilet paper thing

i used to walk 2 miles a day to change my baby in the local safeway because i could only afford one nappy a day (which was her night one).

Regularly ran out of power. One flat i was in, was lucky enough to have a gas fire in the lounge and would heat up hot dogs from a tin in a pan on the top then toast bread at the front. My daughter was two at the time (she is now 12) and she still remember this.....

Would have to have baby sleep in with me as it was so cold.

Regularly stole money from family members (deeply ashamed as it became a horrible debilitating habit which lasted years and years)

Have phoned in sick for jobs when i couldnt afford the bus fares/petrol

tried to brag invites for meals when i couldnt afford to shop (still doing this on occassion - especially at christmas)

driven without headlamps on the car/insurance/valid tax/

lived without carpets etc


But, one of the saddest things for me is something my friend is going through at the moment which is killing me. Hadnt spoken in a while and went to her house for coffee. they bought a new house a few years ago in need of full refurb and they got to work immediatly pulling down walls etc so house is a bomb site - like completely. They have run out of money and are struggling just to make mortgage payments and pay off debts. She called me today to say that she was driving to work and saw a skip nearby was filled with wood from a property rip out and she loaded it all in the van to burn - the reason...... she had run out of doors! They have just burned all their internal doors.... Still, they seem really happy and united as a family, just accepting that they have to go through this. I wish i could help. Am going to buy her a kettle tomorrow as they dont even have one, they have to use a pan and cooker to make a coffee.

Princess_Jane

Walking two miles to the town centre to claim JSA (before I went back to uni and got fab new job), because I couldn't afford the bus fare, and finding a flea on me because I couldn't afford proper flea meds from the vets for my kitty.

Walking back to my flat with no central heating and having ANOTHER bowl of soup from the big pot I kept going all week, occasionally adding lentils to make it more interesting.

Going to sleep in a hat and gloves because it was so cold.

Hanging sheets at the windows because I couldn't afford curtains.

Making friends with the lads next door for free heat, and use of their toilet when mine froze up in the cold.

AAAH the joys of moving away from home at 17.

But I also had some really good skint times - making my own funky outfits to go clubbing and writing reviews to blag guestlist.

Homemade vodka jelly.

Spending afternoons on massive charity shop hunts.

AND might I add my flat was always immaculate, as my lovely Grandma always says, you might not have much but you keep it CLEAN.

Hate it when I go on jobs to filthy houses.

Never any excuse.

FunBrum

Remembering back some years when I was married and my 'lovely' husband would spend all of his wages on himself, even though we had three little babies to feed. I found an old building society book with just a £1.50 balance....enough to buy something for an evening meal whoopee! I walked the kids to the building society only to discover if I wanted to withdraw the full amount I'd have to go to the branch where I opened the account. I could have cried 'cos that was 6 miles away and a bus ride. With no money tor faires I had to ask the lady for just the 50p as £1 had to remain to keep the account open. She knew by that time that I was so desperate for the money and gave me a sweet smile. I was so choaked and ashamed at my situation that I couldn't speak and cried all the way to the shops to buy a tin of beans and a loaf of bread for the kids tea. That was the turning point and shortly afterwards I left him and have never looked back. That was seventeen years ago, and although I'm struggling now on a pitiful wage working for Social Services, I'm in control of my money and even though I quite often live on 6p noodles, I can pay my bills and don't have to answer to any one.

Done the rolled up toilet paper...in fact, doing it right now! Or is that too much info?!

Always 'borrow' toilet paper, sugar, tea and coffee from work. Makes up for the lack of wages!

I send for every freebie on the internet. Didn't buy shampoo for 6 months once!

Put extra clothing on instead of the central heating.

I do most of the stuff mentioned here, so thanks again for everyones input, all a great inspiration and I now know I'm not the only one struggling.

By the way... don't know where the name Mark came from as last time I looked I was female! As a newbie, I'm sure you'll forgive my lack of computer knowledge.

sanchyna

A lot of these posts sound very, very familiar.....

When I was 20, I ran away from a very abusive relationship with literally nothing but the clothes on my back and a 25 year old VW bug. For the first 4 weeks I slept in the car and got water to wash myself and stuff from the public bathrooms in a nearby train station. Fortunately the woman cleaning that public bathroom was very nice and let me stay there and even use her kettle to heat up water for coffee and instant mash.

After that I got a small flat, but it was heated with coal and I never had enough money for that, so I used to go around and if anybody had a skip outside, or there was a building site, I used to steal everything that was made out of wood and fit in my bug, brought it home and burned it.

I also went around on days when charities collected old clothes and stuff and snatched some of the bags, went through it and saw if there was anything usable in there. If it wasn't, it would go into the oven...cotton burns nicely and can heat up the place!

Like some of the others here I used to go to the market about closing time and ask people for leftovers 'for my rabbits, my dog, my cats....none of which I had at the time...*lol*), and I would usually come home with bags of veggies and fruit which would get me through the week. Sometimes there would be a load or even some meat thrown in.

I think the worst thing I did was screwing my landlord...I had two rather large, black pet rats, and when I couldn't pay the rent, I called the landlord and said that there were rats in my flat. Then I brought the rats to a friend, but left some 'pellets' in strategic places. The exterminator came and I couldn't go into my flat for three days, so the landlord had to pay for a hotel, and he said I wouldn't have to pay rent for the month because of all the trouble....sad or what??

San

taplady

I love reading this thread, it is very moving and makes me feel guilty for moaning about having no money. I do have cupboards full of food and a warm house so I dont know whatI'm moaning about. There's some wonderful stories but I'm sure they were dreadful at the time.

esthomizzy

what a fabulous thread

I used to nick toilet roll from somewhere I worked about 10 years ago. They had one broken dispenser in one of the cubicles so I always went to that one. I often walked to save the bus fare and I lived on toast and value beans for weeks at a time sometimes. Most recently I have been known to go round to my OH's house quite late when he'd have already been to the supermarket rather than go earlier and go with him (because he buys more expensive things than I do). Some friends stayed recently and they left all sorts of strange things in my cupboards that I would never buy (soya milk and quorn mince amongst other things). I've been eating my way through them and I actually found those two things quite tasty to my surprise (well the quorn mince was when I'd mixed it with a little real bolognaise).

esthomizzy

monicainplymouth wrote: »

many years of collecting out of date food behind sainsbury's and picking up over-ripe fruit and veg outside fruit and veg wholesalers has produced two extremely healthy strapping teenage boys, you would'nt believe what variety of interesting dishes you could produce from 3 suitcase sized boxes of sweet peppers!!

do they still leave the out of date stuff out the back or is that gone now with new special health and safety guidelines? If they do that's where I'm off to. I'm always scoffing out of date food. I don't care if it's in my cupboard or out the back of sainsburys (well within reason if it's fresh stuff that's been in the baking sun then I'd be less keen obviously).

Luckystepho

esthomizzy wrote: »

what a fabulous thread

Some friends stayed recently and they left all sorts of strange things in my cupboards that I would never buy (soya milk and quorn mince amongst other things). I've been eating my way through them and I actually found those two things quite tasty to my surprise (well the quorn mince was when I'd mixed it with a little real bolognaise).

My Dad and step mum live abroad and come to stay with me each year to visit family etc. Although they're ok for money they love rooting through the reduced stuff in the supermarkets and so often leave all kinds of stuff in my cupboards when they go back home.

... tinned gooseberries anyone??

immoral_angeluk

The people at the reduced section at tesco know me by name and ask how my girls are :rotfl:

*they don't really.. but they may as well do!*

churchrat

for years we could only afford to buy near-end-of -date food that had been down priced. my kids grew up thinking that REDUCED was a staple food stuff:D . I love this thread, helps me to remember how much we really have when I am moaning that we have so little:T