Too poor to eat properly

Heartbreaking this should be happening in this wealthy country.
The waste of money spent on politicians getting subsidies meals and alcohol and the poor with no money.

www.persephonebooks.co.uk/round-about-a-pound-a-week.html

'Round About A Pound A Week' was written in the early 1900's.
It was found that at very low levels of income, people didn't have the motivation to make economical meals, even if it were possible. They wanted to eat bread and jam with tea.

Also because of low income, they had to buy small amounts of everything even though it works out dearer in the long run.

I read recently that food banks do 'cold' parcels for those who have no way to heat food or can't afford the fuel.

I was talking to an elderly gentleman the other day who was telling me about his enjoyable childhood. Telling remark I thought was “we didn’t know we were poor till somebody told us” ...

Probably his parents, particularly his mother, were well aware that they were poor.

My DD is teacher in a secondary school she has been teaching for over 16 years her subject is health and food technology what was known as home economic she tells me how much the children love it and some still go on to take GCSE and higher qualifications in it however due to the national curriculum it is consistently downgraded as a subject and given less time and priority on the timetable most pupils are lucky to be given the opportunity to access the subject one half term a year and most lessons last no longer than one hour not long enough to cook and prepare a lot of dishes where as I remember a whole day or half day been allocated to the subject

margs - "The grand architect of Universal Credit, Iain Duncan-Smith, once notoriously claimed he could very well live on £53.00p per week - what on earth was he trying to tell those who actually have to?
So, come one Duncy - you said that some years ago but have you not got around to doing it yet?"

Yes, anyone could live very well on £53.00 a week. For one week. It's when they're living on that amount every week of the year, and the kids needs new shoes, and school uniform, and the cooker breaks down, etc etc etc

When these politicians step up and actually live on these amounts for a year, THEN I will listen to them. But not when they only do it for one week.

The Secret Millionaires are usually shocked when they have to live on a normal wage, just for a week.

Isn't child benefit given so a child doesn't have to starve, if the amount received is actually spent on the child, that is !

I couldn't agree more with quizqueen's comments.
Straight to the point but there will be many who don't want to swallow such a bitter pill.
No-one ever got better by eating sweets.

I feel so ashamed that this country has fallen to such depths. There doesn’t seem to be any one with compassion and/or common sense in charge. Everyone in the government (all parties) is so preoccuoied with Brexit that they have forgotten that they are supposed to be governing the country. Everything seems to be based on greed these days and nobody seems inclined to sort it out and give proper help to people who are really struggling. It’s I’m alright, Jack all the way. Don’t get me started on sorting out the homeless problem!

Same for me Phoebles, can’t Believe what is happening, and the smug self righteousness of some of the posters is
downright disgusting.

paddyann
How did people manage to seek out and apply for jobs pre internet era, or at least, before every man and his dog had a laptop + smart phone?
They went to libraries when pcs became available but now, it's not good enough for 'the poorest in society' or those on very limited incomes to have a basic phone. The vast majority have iPhones which have vastly inflated monthly plans.
That means having home broadband and many have Sky/Netflix to 'keep the kids amused' while mum does... what?
Granted, there are exceptions but I challenge anyone to prove that the majority are poor and have none of the above. Many will be smokers, some routinely buy 6 packs along with the chicken nuggets and fizzy drinks. I recently sat having a coffee in a well known town not a million miles away from home and saw mums with buggies and toddlers, exiting Primark, loaded...and I mean 2 bags full. This was midweek and some had lads with them who were obviously not working.
They were certainly not going short if the clothes, make-up and nails were anything to go by.
Yes, you may well disagree and say they might be married but I doubt it. They may have jobs...I doubt it. You can see this any day of the week as the all seem to shop and congregate in the malls.
Taxpayers money or not?
Help should be there for those who want to help themselves, but not to live a lifestyle on taxpayers money.

I started this thread because I was incensed by the notion that in this affluent 21st century country there are many families who cannot afford to eat properly.

I wasn't being judgemental. I am only too aware how big a part luck plays in what life throws at you.

It seems to me that on the whole the views of most of us on this thread are in accord. We condemn the current situation whereby those who are disadvantaged either through poverty, mental and/or physical health, age, lack of support and/or education are suffering.

Surely the answer is that we need to take responsibility for developing more support within our communities.....help each other, especially the less fortunate.

Or do we just pay lip service on this forum and ignore it?

Posting receipes on Facebook easy soups and advising of shops showing good deals, nothing with lots of ingredients,
But simply healthy wholesome food, saying swap to porridge for breakfast. I know this is widely available information but it may start to encourage someone.
Making sure our MPs and Councillors are doing their upmost to change the curriculum for all children, so that the old DOmestic Science is revived.
Most of all tell the government, enough is enough, this austerity must stop, and keep on saying it.

I'm not religious at all, however, I did go to church on a weekly basis for 11 years throughout my childhood.
I'm minded by this thread, to remember the parable of the sower.
Broadly speaking, some will spend whatever they have about without tempering their wants over their needs. Some will carefully look after the little that they have been alloted and others will be spend unwisely knowing that more will be forthcoming, not earned by their own hand but from others who saved and multiplied their small amount by using it judiciously. Not exactly an analogy but you get the gist.

Lioness did I say the whole of Bootle and Litherland were sink estates? I think if you read my post you will find that I said there were sink estates there....Bootle is where Jamie Bulger was kidnapped and beaten to death. Yes, of course there are ‘nice parts’ but there are also those areas I defy you to walk alone at night. Same as when I worked in Kirby.

I do wish people would read posts properly ???

GG your right wing ‘as they sow, so shall they reap’ and ‘they’ve made their bed so they must lie on it’ view is straight out of Dickens.

Yes, we get your gist.

I remember GG posting on Christmas day Christmas wishes and goodwill to all, seems her goodwill is selective.

This probably already exists on these boards but I would love to know what inexpensive and nutritious meals our retired contributors make regularly to make their pensions stretch.

My offering Christmas greetings, does not mean that I agree with laziness or profligacy. I doubt many people would jump at the chance to help someone without food, male or female with a 50" tv, Netflix subscription, iphone and no job, if they themselves were scrupulously dedicated to cutting their own coat according to the cloth they had.
I'm all for giving people a helping hand up the ladder but not if they have no motivation to help themselves.
Peer to peer lending was one avenue in which I've bridged the gap for some families who have been in uncomfortable situations.
There are many who are in a parlous state financially through no fault of their own and I agree, help is needed in those cases.
Not so, people who have a house full of gadgets and no idea where their priorities should lie.

I make a big pot of vegetable soup (I'm vegetarian) , omelettes filled with spinach, peppers, mushrooms, peas or cheese etc. Mac n cheese. Pasta with various fillings or sauce. Roasted veg with couscous. Fish with lemon charred cauliflower and baked potato. Yogurt and a piece of fruit for pudding.
Home-made quiche. Lasagne. I have modest tastes in food regardless of retired income.

lemon charred cauliflower
That sounds nice - do you have a recipe or just bake a cauliflower with lemon juice squeeze on it?

Today has seen a change to how UC is to be administered and rolled out. Hopefully this will help those who depend on this complicated benefit. Food banks are used by people from all walks of life, workers, single parents,pensioners, homeless and not all are mis managing their finances, they are caught out with low wages, high travel costs and all the other costs that even those who do not use Foodbanks complain about. One thing I feel the government has wrongly guven way on is child benefit for more than two children. I would have enjoyed more children but knew I could not afford them, not only the day to day costs but the housing and car just to mention two so I took steps to ensure I limited ny family to my means.that

It's an idea from the internet. Millions...ok, thousands of great ideas and recipes. I have a griddle pan but have ysed an ordinary cast iron pan to char quartered cauli in a knob of butter after cutting out the hard stalk. Half a lemon (sliced or quartered) thrown in after a couple of minutes. I sometimes add a few chilli flakes.
I buy the fish on Fridays as Waitrose have 1/3 off.

Oops, thumb not working properly. Yes I limited my family to what I could afford. Albeit there are those who no fault of their own land up without financial support and food banks help them out. In my area, people using food banks have to be referred by eg social worker, community nurse. It is not an open door to all and sundry and there can be limits on the number of times help is given. If there is no food to cook doesnt't matter if they are good at making meals or not, the essential ingredients are needed in the first place.

I have a gas hob and electric fan oven but when it's just me (which is most of the time) I use my Samsung Combi oven/micro/grill which is more economical.