Poor, Hungry, Stuck - Advice Please?

FBaby

Don't you have one friend/family member who can drive you to the food bank? Ask a neighbour in desperation?

Why didn't you keep at least £10 after paying your bills to at least get you some bread, butter, jam and milk?

BAFE

Turn the living room into a bedroom for yourself and let the other bedroom out for a lodger. You can both share the kitchen and bathroom, it's what students do.

kingfisherblue

It seems that the OP is not willing to receive any advice, but I'll put in my tuppence worth anyway. There has already been a lot of good advice given, so I won't repeat that.


Instead, I'll concentrate on the caring. OP, you were a carer for both parents before their deaths. Have you included this on your CV, and stated anything that is related and transferable? Presumably you can be patient, have empathy, and understand the importance of giving medication correctly. Maybe you could consider care work. I know that it is different when caring for family, compared to strangers, but care work is widely advertised and may be a way forward for you. We have an aging population, and I am sure that there will be plenty of opportunities in a city. Agencies take on staff without any experience, so you should have no problem. Jobs are mainly minimum wage, but a few places pay higher rates.

If the OP won't take any advice, then I don't see any point in posting.

pmduk

OP, why don't you discuss CBT with your GP? You're seeing all our responses as nit-picking and negative, (which, actually they're not.) This is really just a reflection of your own current negative outlook on life.

Loz01

Get an online shop, Asda do delivery for £1 if you have it early or late in the day. Get the basics and offers and batch cook and freeze. Ask your docs for a food bank voucher and explain you cant get there, they may be able to offer an alternative.

GlasweJen

borkid wrote: »

No you can't, there is such a thing as gluten intolerance. If I eat gluten, even a very small amount I am in pain the next day and very fuzzy headed and some times unable to form words. If I eat a lot of gluten ie a piece of bread I will stuggle walking, I'll need to hold on to something and drag myself along. need help getting in and out of cars or up stairs.


At one point doctors thought I had RA and my GP fast tracked me to see a consultant because I was so bad. Early on many years ago the registrar I saw said I'd be lucky if I wasn't in a wheelchair within 12 months. More recently I saw an acupuncturist for the pain, still thinking I had arthritis and it was she who mentioned that a gluten free diet is beneficial for arthritis. Within 24 hours of not eating gluten the pain had gone.


Since I've stopped eating gluten have been the only time since my teens that I can remember not being in some sort of pain.


I agree the term allergy is being used too loosely and intolerance would be a better term to use .That doesn't mean one just has to put up with it by eating the foods which make you ill.

I'd agree with that but the OP is apparently starving and living with an income of £300 and outgoings of £400 with no means of helping themselves. They can cut out bread if it's not prescribed and eat their "allergens" if they're not anaphylactic. I can sympathise to an extent as I have oral allergy syndrome as well as anaphylaxis and I have eaten my OAS foods when hungry and nothing else on offer. I certainly would in the OPs circumstances rather than turn my nose up at a foodbank trying to help me.

Ineededaname

There's a lot of good comments in this thread already but what really strikes me is that there must be something going wrong with the job search, applications and interviews. A year+ is a long time to be unemployed.

A job is your only permanant way out of this mess. I think you need to have a serious chat with your advisor at the Jobcentre and ask for more support. If what you are doing isn't working, you need to change what you are doing. Most areas have organisations that will help you and will have far more time to spend with you than the jobcentre. Ask to be told of all volunteering or training opportunities. The jobcentre may be able to help with travel costs to help you do these things.

Comms69

Careful my original reply got removed...

borkid

@Glaswe Jen sorry I get a bit touchy about people seemingly down playing the effects of gluten intolerance. Actually I can live relatively cheaply where food is concerned. I can usually find a substitute for gluten containing foods. After all we don't need bread/ biscuits/ pastry to live. I suspect in the OP s case it's more a matter of lack of budgeting skills and lack of cooking skills that results in 'starvation'.

GlasweJen

borkid wrote: »

@Glaswe Jen sorry I get a bit touchy about people seemingly down playing the effects of gluten intolerance. Actually I can live relatively cheaply where food is concerned. I can usually find a substitute for gluten containing foods. After all we don't need bread/ biscuits/ pastry to live. I suspect in the OP s case it's more a matter of lack of budgeting skills and lack of cooking skills that results in 'starvation'.

My bugbear is people throwing around the word "allergy", anyone claiming that they're allergic to everything except meat, fish, cheese and eggs is at it. I'm sorry but they are, there's no way life hasn't bumped off anyone who is truly allergic to all fruits, veg, nuts, grains, pulses, rice etc.

My mum has coeliacs, the long term effects of someone accidentally giving her the wrong pasta are scary, as are the stomach effects but it doesn't stack up to what happens if I get the wrong pizza base or my sister gets the wrong cheese (anaphylactic to dairy).