Dismal weekend!

[hairyfairy]

Last friday, when i went to get some money out of my bank account, I found it empty. I went to the jobcentre & used the phone there to call the DSS. They told me that my hardship payment won`t kick in until 9/12/13, meaning that what was in the gas & electric meter was all that I had for the weekend. The meters were already on emergency credit, & about to run out, & I had just 2 loaves of bread, some margarine, & marmite to eat until Monday. The gas ran out on friday, so no baths or showers all weekend, & the electric ran out on sunday morning, so no hot drinks until monday. It was my birthday on sunday, & I can`t remember a worse one! I switched off all the electric appliances to conserve it, so no tv, I just read when it was daylight, I listened to music on my Phone, which was fully charged. It was like victorian times. I just wonder how our ancestors stayed sane!

[Hidden]

Hi

I am so sad to read your post

I remember you posting about the pitense they were going to give you but never imagined they would leave you so long without , it is a disgrace I am lost for words to think that in this day & age people are been treated this way !

Happy Birthday for yesterday

Love

whywhy

xxx

[hairyfairy]

Thanks for the birthday greeting, & the book I was reading was Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, very appropriate under the circumstances, all about workhouses & poverty in victorian london. I can just see this government reopening the workhouses!

[mimii]

Hi there, that's terrible how do they expect ppl to survive on nothing , so sorry to hear that, on your birthday too , just thought is there a food bank near you might be worth checking for emergencies x

Mimii xx

[Hidden]

Happy birthday for yesterday, that is awful what they've done to you. I hope the payment has kicked in today. That is a good idea Mimii, do you have a food bank near you?

Take care xx

[Hidden]

hello,

Wow! that is typical DHSS leaving you with no payment till today.

Happy Birthday to you for yesterday, hope you have got your payment now and got yourself sorted and bought a nice cream cake for yourself.

gardener x

[hairyfairy]

I got my money on Monday, & celebrated with a big bar of chocolate. When I am having my normal benefits I do put aside what I can, & it has helped when I`m sanctioned in the past. Iv`e been looking at adverts in newsagents windows to see if anyone wants some cleaning work done. A couple of quid here & there would help.

[anxietyrr]

oh good luck hun!!! your bar if chocolate sounds lovely. please do check out any charities near you and also any places with free meetings. I am not religious but imagine churches might be somewhere? also there are libraries. I seriously can't imagine how you got through the weekend. you are strong and wonderful. happy birthday to you, you inspiration xxx

[hairyfairy]

As a matter of fact, I v`e just been to a local food bank in a local church, & they were really generous, Iv`e now got a cupboard full of tins & packets that would have cost me about £15 or £20 in the supermarket, so I`m okay for food until next week. They also said that one letter from the jobcentre will allow 6 visits to the place, so al I reall need to stress about now is keeping the meters fed.