The Ugly Truth of the Day Before Payday

It is said that Britain is the fifth largest economy in the world. What is not said is that most of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few. Most of us ordinary people are just trying to get by. Here is my story, unpleasant but real. 

It's been a rough couple of weeks walking the breadline but tomorrow is payday meaning some temporary reprieve will be granted soon. This blog will cover the grim realities of life for millions in the same position. 

Before we get into that, I'd like to briefly mention the Cabinet reshuffle which took place today. In a nutshell the puppet master that is Dominic Cummings has sacked everyone, replacing them with himself. But he did allow the PM to keep his job. 😉🤣

The Breadline

It's been over a day since I last ate and I'm literally counting down the hours 'til I get paid and can get some food. You don't get this ravenous simply by skipping meals for one day, this is a result of continued and prolonged food insecurity. 

Let me back up a little and explain.

Over the last two weeks I've gone from living on one meal a day for a week, to going without for four days, then collecting three days worth of food aid. 

The food parcel ran out yesterday, 48 hours before pay day so that's two more days of going without. 

Many of us in this position have very limited means and rarely have a safety net to fall back on such as savings or overdrafts. 

If the food insecurity wasn't enough, there's also fuel poverty to contend with. It's February and winter in the northern hemisphere. Here in Britain it's cold and wet. We've already had one storm (Ciara) and the Met Office has warned of another on its way (Dennis). 

While there are millions like me who are having to choose between heating and eating during the winter months, my heart really goes out to the those on the streets. People die at this time of year when the temperature drops at night. This should not be happening in such a wealthy country. 

When you live on the breadline budgeting is a large part of your life. Everyone is different and how you treat money when you've not got much will greatly affect your life. Personally food takes priority over heating but you pay the price in weather like this 😢 it's verging on freezing up here in Yorkshire, I've not had gas for over a week now and it's been bloody cold. 

So that's the truth of it. Before I finish, there's one other thing I'd like to talk about, employment barriers. I recently applied for a minimum wage job and the first stage of recruitment involves downloading an app and taking s psychometric test. 

That's fine. The next bit, not so much. 

The email stated you will need a phone manufactured in the last four years in order for the app to work. If you do not have one it suggests asking a family or friend if you can borrow theirs. 

I don't think employers realise this is a potential barrier to employment for some. Not all of us can afford the newer phones. Some of us don't have support networks we can turn to. Just a thought. 

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You can find me on Twitter @NorthernLefty