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Things you've done when things got desperate!
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This reminds me of when my boyfriend and I were having a cheap (actually a free) holiday about 20 years ago. We borrowed some tents and rucksacks and hiked all over Dartmoor, just setting up camp where we fancied. We ate mainly porridge and drank water.
It was a great holiday but I have never been so hungry! We lost tons of weight. As we were toiling up hills with our giant rucksacks, cars would zoom pass us and then stop at tea shop/ hotels. We used to look very enviously at their food as we had NO MONEY!
We ended up one day in a place where we couldn't camp as there was nowhere suitable. It was getting dark, miles from anywhere, we had missed the last bus (only 2 a day) and we had no money to pay the fare anyway. A policeman ended up giving us a lift! I don't know what we would have done otherwise!
What a great holiday we had though! I still remember it as if it was yesterday and it is over 20 years ago!Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally
Debt in July 2017 = £58,766 😱 DEBT FREE 31 OCTOBER 2017 :T 🎉
EMERGENCY FUND 1 = £50/£5,000. EMERGENCY FUND 2 = £10/£5,000.
CHRISTMAS SAVINGS = £0/£500. SEF = £1,400/£12,000 PREMIUM BONDS ME = £350. PREMIUM BONDS DH = £300.
HOLIDAY MONEY = £0 TIME LEFT TO PAY OFF MORTGAGE = 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS0 -
The boyfriend in question is now my hubby, and we still have some laughs about this and other things we got up to in our misspent youth together!
So yes we have debts now, but I think we are still better offFinally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally
Debt in July 2017 = £58,766 😱 DEBT FREE 31 OCTOBER 2017 :T 🎉
EMERGENCY FUND 1 = £50/£5,000. EMERGENCY FUND 2 = £10/£5,000.
CHRISTMAS SAVINGS = £0/£500. SEF = £1,400/£12,000 PREMIUM BONDS ME = £350. PREMIUM BONDS DH = £300.
HOLIDAY MONEY = £0 TIME LEFT TO PAY OFF MORTGAGE = 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS0 -
Ah, student days! I remember:
- using an old Grattan catalogue to save on loo paper (God knows why, it was shinier than Izal). The lingerie section was off limits though, as that was for reading.
- making a roll up from old cigarette ends. I only tried that once! Ech.
- going to a police station to appear in a line up (for £10) only to be told I was too short
- checking phone boxes for coins
- cadging cigarettes off strangers in pubs. I had a method for this. I would say I was really sorry but I'd run out of fags and wondered if I could buy one off them. Started fumbling with tuppeny bits and pennies on the table. Invariably the person would say 'oh for God's sake just have one!'. It helped if they were women 'of a certain age' for some reason.'Never keep up with Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It's cheaper.' Quentin Crisp0 -
When mum had me she couldn't afford the luxury of breast pad, so used to cut off the corner of carrier bags and put them in her bra to catch the milk!!!0
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I once went to the supermarket fresh meat counter, had a bag of pigs liver at £1.28 and a bag of best steak £6.24 switched labels on the baked bean isle and went to self service checkout as normal! My other half was well impressed we had steak for £1.28. (he still doesn't know to this day what i did)
I also filled my travel cup up with milk from work when it was nearing payday, everyday fo a week.Proud to be dealing with my debts through cccs
#3 MAD ebay challange aim £500 so far £390.17 :j0 -
just bumping this fab thread up
Chloe 13 years old and Amelia-Rose born 4/4/07
Gorgeous Harry born 18/04/10 5 weeks early after a nine minute labour!
MFW currently paying £200 extra a month.0 -
Another bump.
LBM - 03/12/2012 :j0 -
I got married in 1970 and 11 months later had my first baby. Then went on the pill, only problem was it wasn't available as NHS prescription. Had to pay Dr for a private prescription, mine charged £5 for a prescription for a year. You took it to the pharmacy every month and got the months supply. Only problem was £5 was a weeks housekeeping for me so that was a major project to save for.
Sorry if this is too much detail, the pill cost 55p for the month and I needed to get my supply on a Wednesday, the day before payday. Some months I had 55p left, some months I didn't! I saved Co-op stamps, a book was worth 50p so if I had a full book I would go to the co-op pharmacy and the pill only cost me 5p. God I had forgotten how broke I was. Sometimes I would want to visit my mom, hard to be 17 and pregnant and not know anyone where you are living. Some weeks I couldn't afford the bus fare. I think it was 2p.
Just remember how wonderful it was when I found the Brook Advisory, free prescription and free pills. The wonderful relief of it.Sell £1500
2831.00/£15000 -
Crikey, how times have changed. I certainly have no plans for children right now and would feel a bit stuck without the pill!
Its amazing what people live through though and its often only when we look back that we realise how tough things could have been especially if we had viewed them in that light.
Having grown up in poverty i feel its taught me so much and i can turn my hand to a fair few trades that i feel what i learnt through those tough times will help me out in this recession.:j Live on £4500, £2531/£4500:T 101 in 1001 (52/101):j:beer::j
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It was always such a worry, I couldn't afford another baby, it would have been such a disaster. It was harder for moms to work then as well. Really hard to get nursery places and less opportunity to get evening jobs, supermarkets shut at 6 pm in those days. I did things like crocheting dolls clothes for a local shop, probably earning a few pennies for hours of work. Funnily enough my ex always had enough money for beer!
It makes me smile to think how I remember the exact price of things, my rent was £4.50 a week and I had £5.50 for everything else, gas electric insurance clothes food. It was hard for a 17 year old who had been quite spoilt at home.Sell £1500
2831.00/£15000
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