The Last Day
I woke up later today than normal, still had my early morning cup of tea in bed.
Breakfast
Today I had milk in my porridge for the first time in three weeks. Eric probably won't agree, but its the way porridge should be eaten.
Porridge=9p.
Milk and sugar = 2p.
Total = 11p.
Lunch
 |
| potato scones
|
Cup of tea
Potatoes = 13p
Flour = 3p.
Total =16p.
Dinner
 |
| meatless chilli and a cup of tea |
Kidney bean chilli
Rice
Cup of tea
Kidney beans= 14p.
Mixed onions = approx. 4p.
Spices approx. 11p.
Passata = 15p.
1/2 stock cubes = 2p.
Rice = 6p.
Total = 52p.
Tea and milk = 5p.
Total =5p.
Daily Total = 84p.
As today was the last day I decided to use up as much of my fresh food as I could. I have a total of 17p remaining plus the items below.
Totals for the three weeks
Week 1 = £6.91
Week 2 = £7 05
Week 3= £ 6.87
Total expenditure for 21 Days = £ 20.83
+
 |
| Items remaining |
Amongst the remaining items I have one unopened box of tea bags, why the hell did I buy it? Good question and I don't know the answer! I also have found a few bits of mixed peppers which were meant to go in my chilli last night - I forgot- call it 'a senior moment' (they seem to be getting more and more frequent).
This has taken me three days to write, and I am having difficulty concentrating, at present my mind is taken up with worrying about Yoda, my old cat, who doesn't seem to be very well. I have a million thoughts, about the past few weeks going through my head, but they seem to vanish when I come to type them up.
Two days ago I came to the end of my self imposed life of poverty with a great deal of relief. My strategy for coping whenever I became despondent was to remind myself that it was only for three weeks, and everytime I did so, I also realised there was a big difference between me and someone who was actually in that situation. For many of these people the end is a forlorn hope. In the three weeks I was able to provide myself with food without worrying about what would happen if I encountered somethin unexpected. People do manage, but life is very precarious, and choices range from stark to very few. A sudden emergency like an illness, and, yes, many clients of the Food Banks are low paid workers, so illness means they don't even get their meagre wages; or needing a second hand pair of shoes from a charity shop means a choice between soaking feet or a full stomach. Every day at mealtimes I found myself debating whether I should have this or that or how much, and if I ate to fill myself at the beginning of the week would there be enough food to last till the end?
Two days ago I came to the end of my self imposed life of poverty with a great deal of relief. My strategy for coping whenever I became despondent was to remind myself that it was only for three weeks, and everytime I did so, I also realised there was a big difference between me and someone who was actually in that situation. For many of these people the end is a forlorn hope. In the three weeks I was able to provide myself with food without worrying about what would happen if I encountered somethin unexpected. People do manage, but life is very precarious, and choices range from stark to very few. A sudden emergency like an illness, and, yes, many clients of the Food Banks are low paid workers, so illness means they don't even get their meagre wages; or needing a second hand pair of shoes from a charity shop means a choice between soaking feet or a full stomach. Every day at mealtimes I found myself debating whether I should have this or that or how much, and if I ate to fill myself at the beginning of the week would there be enough food to last till the end?
Since I had decided largely to go for cereals and starchy foods I managed to keep hunger at bay, and although my clothes feel slightly looser I don't think I have lost much weight. I also aimed for a balanced and healthy diet, but I discovered that was out of my price range. My diet was too restricted to give me my daily nutritional requirements. As I wouldn't describe my life as a hive of activity I think ate enough food for the energy expended. But that would not do for someone who was doing a physically demanding job paid, or unpaid.
Isolation was another effect of my straitened circumstances as I couldn't go out to lunch or meet friends, as that all cost money I didn't have. Eric too suffered because I couldn't go out for a meal, or even share a takeaway with him.
Poverty does exist, and in places like Blackpool there seems to be no way out of it, unless fracking takes off here. While the current cuts to benefits aren't the cause of this poverty, they certainly haven't helped. This is not something I ever thought to admit, but I agree with Ian Duncan Smith, that the way out of poverty is not through benefits, but jobs. But what he doesn't say is how people are supposed to work when there are no jobs. While there are many people who have abused the system, the majority of benefits claimants in Blackpool are there because of redundancy or low wages, and are desperately seeking employment in a very stagnant market. So I would argue that if any politician (of any party) is keen on ending poverty, it's job creation and the minimum wage that they should be looking at.
In the current climate Food Banks do a good job to provide a lifeline to people whose lives are in crisis, but the fact that they exist at all in Britain in the Twenty first century is nothing short of a disgrace
On a more cynical note M.P's are always bleating about what the taxpayer can't afford, but has anyone ever heard a politician mention capping or freezing an M.P's. salary? The only job creation that I have heard of this year was for a £25k a year barista for the House of Commons.
Poverty does exist, and in places like Blackpool there seems to be no way out of it, unless fracking takes off here. While the current cuts to benefits aren't the cause of this poverty, they certainly haven't helped. This is not something I ever thought to admit, but I agree with Ian Duncan Smith, that the way out of poverty is not through benefits, but jobs. But what he doesn't say is how people are supposed to work when there are no jobs. While there are many people who have abused the system, the majority of benefits claimants in Blackpool are there because of redundancy or low wages, and are desperately seeking employment in a very stagnant market. So I would argue that if any politician (of any party) is keen on ending poverty, it's job creation and the minimum wage that they should be looking at.
In the current climate Food Banks do a good job to provide a lifeline to people whose lives are in crisis, but the fact that they exist at all in Britain in the Twenty first century is nothing short of a disgrace
On a more cynical note M.P's are always bleating about what the taxpayer can't afford, but has anyone ever heard a politician mention capping or freezing an M.P's. salary? The only job creation that I have heard of this year was for a £25k a year barista for the House of Commons.
In contrast here is an unashamedly proud tweet from David Cameron showing the menu for the G8 Summit pic.twitter.com/GAWDxvEDkI
All paid for by the taxpayer!
http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/donate/donate_b.asp?charityid=7146
There are more details on the subject, if anyone is interested at
http://www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-projects
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