I'm shocked this is allowed to be aired.

And this comes back to the psychology of debt. When everything is bloody dismal that's when some people go f*uck it lets have that nice tv

I havent had a new tv since I moved into my current house. You cant watch dark scenes on it because theres no definition and its becoming too small for my deteriorating eye sight. But my life is otherwise okay. So Im happy enough to make do and put some cash aside for a new one (and I actually HAVE money left over at the end of the month to do that) Im not surrounded by walls of black mould and instability and misery. If I was then I could see the appeal of at least having something nice TBH

A lot of brighthouse's target market are also just exhausted and worn down. From all sides: dodgy landlords, min wage zero hours shift work, mental & physical health issues..

..and so don't find it jolly fun to spend several weekends hunting down a bargain. Just want something sorted.

Assumes you have a spin dryer.
Yes, I did, even though I didn't have a washing machine and I wish I'd kept it.
I gave it away.

The saying goes "it takes money to make money" but I say it also takes money to save money

Assumes you at least have a line to hang the wet washing on, whether its spun or not.

Spot on! Making do in a HOUSE with a garden, and no washing machine, is a different kettle of fish to doing it in a 2 room flat with a family who are battling damp and mould as it is!

Once again, easier to be frugle if you are better off/in a bigger housr

So many "frugle" tips only apply to the comfortable middle classes.

You can't repair/fix things up in a studio flat that the whole family has to live in with babies breathing in paint/varnish fumes etc... people who boast about how they fixed up some broken/old stuff they rescued from the tip have SPACE to do that so aren't that badly off

"Oh I buy everything from boot sales". How lovely for you to
A. have a vehicle and fuel to go to them and
B. not work in the lower paid sectors which usually include weekend work

"These young people want everything new, I save things incase they come in useful for the future". How lovely for you to have the storage space to do so, but when people are moving every 6-18 months because of the instability of renting it does not make sense to be dragging around fabric scraps and old jam jars on every short notice move. Moving from furnished to unfinished to furnished means that young people these days do not have the same pieces of furniture forever, because they cant .

The people who can nip to the next town on the gamble of a possible bargain off gumtree, without having to thing twice about the petrol if it turns out to have been a wasted trip, are not brighthouse's target market!

Oh, just thought of a clothes horse.
Maybe most people have one of those.
To carry on from notanan's thoughts, there is often the issue of disposing of old white goods without a car.
Our council charges £35 to take away unwanted items.
Its a huge problem for me to dispose of bulky items.
I'm going to check whether brighthouse offer a disposal service.

Hand washing clothes..
In a bath - assumes you have one.
Assumes you have a spin dryer.
Assumes you at least have a line to hang the wet washing on, whether its spun or not.

There might not be the option of a local laundrette today as in the past but there are websites like Nextdoor, Freecycle and Preloved, to name but a few where goods can be obtained free or for exchange or for peanuts.

Yup. IF you have a car!

Go have a look on your local one. Find heavy essentials (fridge, washing machine, bed etc) which is not "collection only".

Even if it doesnt state it it will be if you message them.

I.e. if you don't have INSTANT access to a car, as in your own car so you can pick up immediately (no holding until you can find a friend to collect) You will not get anything off freecycle etc.

Once again, in order to benefit from bargains/freebies/better rates/better deals, you have to not be dirt poor in the first place.

Rachel, it was a horrible job but was provided with overalls and goggles because of the steam , a box to stand in and the furs were hanging ready for steaming so never had a flea near me, can’t remember how many weeks I did it but the pay was good. I felt humiliated, thought of it now after seeing there is a Brighthouse 20 Miles from where I live, but I know I would have chosen the fleas over money lenders or H.P. Coming from a coal mining family H.P. was equal to selling your soul ?.

I brought up the flea job because I think we shouldn’t judge those who use the likes of this Brighthouse, we don’t know if they are foolish or desperate.

There is a Brighthouse in almost every town around here in the North East . Their website confirmed 270 nationwide . They need quite a high level of poverty to thrive, so they are probably quite choosy where they set up.

That must be one of the nastiest jobs ever Anniebach. Ugh! I hope they were all successfully steamed and didn't infest your home. I hope you didn't have to do that job for long.

Just as well it was temporary.
A career in flea steaming doesn't sound very inspiring!

MissAdventure. I haven’t recovered from it ?, the pay was good, bought a cello and a flute for my daughters , it was only temp, worked in a convent boarding school in the day and in that fishing tackle place in the evenings. Needs must .

It must have been a horrible job Annie. Flea steamer; what a job description!
Yes though, paying 6 or so pounds a week, and having a washing machine delivered promptly, when its needed does seem a reasonable option compared to that.

I am now wondering if there had been such a place as Brighthouse in the 70’s would I have chosen their services in stead of taking that temp job steaming fleas off animal skins in the evenings

PS no pension either by the way!!!!

Things can soon spiral, which is difficult to understand if you've never been close to this kind of situation.

I had never heard of Brighthouse until reading this thread , I just googled it, I see three in South Wales Valleys, in towns where unemployment is high, I want to weep, one in Merthyr where unemployment is high, which at one time was surrounded by coal mines and there was Hoovers factory, the only unemployed I knew were miners with dust on the lungs of injuries from roof falls.

I'm 60 now and was in a situation recently where I had no job and no benefits and no money in the bank. My kind children gave me food. What upset me most was not able to buy birthday gifts for my grandchildren, not even little cheap gifts. There isn't a Brighthouse near me but I can understand desperate people being sucked into this sort of thing. There isn't a laundrette within 25 miles either.

Many are not.

I agree with Lemongrove. No one is forced to take on debts with large interest rates and the rates are made clear at the time of advertising. There might not be the option of a local laundrette today as in the past but there are websites like Nextdoor, Freecycle and Preloved, to name but a few where goods can be obtained free or for exchange or for peanuts.

It is not at all irrelevant to cite earlier practices either. My DH and I washed our clothes, sheets and towels in the bath and spin dried them with a drum spinner we bought for next to nothing until we married and were helped to a twin tub by in-laws.

A fridge might be essential but I have both received and given a fridge freezer away in Freecycle and see them offered every day.

A purchaser of credit is not a victim but a customer.

Let us all stop patronising the poor (of which I was most certainly one) and allow them sense, dignity and the ability to learn from mistakes. Many problems are questions of tiding over in a tight spot.

Oldest grandsons dad is semi professional, as was his dad, and his dad before him.

Been there, done that (or at least DS did).
It can often be a short career, best to have good qualifications to fall back on.

You never know who's watching at local football matches. Scouting goes on at all levels of the game. Who knows, one of your GS could end up being the next Gerrard, Eusabio, Pele, Ronaldo or Klinsman.