Posted on 09/02/2024 4:59:22 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Mum of two Liza* explains the reality of hygiene poverty – but you can help Boots and charity The Hygiene Bank support struggling families
Roughly 4.2 million adults in the UK are living in hygiene poverty, struggling to afford everyday essentials such as toothbrushes and toothpaste.
The rising cost of living has meant that, for many families, basic items have had to be sacrificed as they stretch their budgets to pay bills and buy food.
These are among the findings of a new report by grassroots charity The Hygiene Bank*.
For mum of two Liza**, having to let her children go without toothpaste made her feel like a failure.
“I felt I was letting them down, not being able to provide them with something as simple as toothpaste,” she says, “but the cost of everything kept going up and up, and even though I was working, my wages never seemed to be enough.
“I found myself having to budget for every single thing I bought, and I would look at my shopping list to see whether there was anything I thought we could do without.”
Boots is donating thousands of toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste to families in need ( Image: Shutterstock) Liza, 34, who works in adult social care, began struggling financially at the end of last year when her circumstances changed and she found herself bringing up her two daughters, aged five and 10, alone.
“I’ve always tried my best to give the children a healthy diet, so even when money was tight I made sure they had fresh fruit and vegetables, and I used to batch cook meals to keep the costs down,” she explains.
“But when all the prices were rising, I’d get to the till and wonder how I was going to make what I’d bought
(Excerpt) Read more at mirror.co.uk ...
“brother and I are living well.”
Well done!
Salt and Baking Soda….
Consumer Reports
Q. Which Toothpaste Should You Use?
A. Any toothpaste that has fluoride should do the trick. That’s the most important ingredient because it prevents cavities and helps you avoid tooth decay by strengthening the enamel. Fluoride is so important that the ADA doesn’t provide its Seal of Acceptance to fluoride-free toothpastes.
$1.25 for one 6 ounce tube of Colgate at Dollar Tree. AIM and Close Up priced similarly.
Baking soda
Brushing your teeth - always “from red to white” i.e. from your gums toward your teeth - is plenty good enough already. You do not *need* chemical helpers.
My friend’s dentist advises brushing without toothpaste. Brushing well, the correct way, is fine. (Floss, of course.)
I suppose referencing the Four Yorkshiremen sketch is in poor taste on this thread. Ah well here it is anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OPHlKN2yzw
“Any toothpaste that has fluoride should do the trick.”
I have used fluoride-free toothpaste for many years. Dentist tells me every six months, “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
Non Sequitur
When Mrs Chandler and I were first married we had some tight weeks. We bought chicken livers, gizzards, and hearts from the butcher across the street and fried them with onions, and with bacon when we had a couple extra bucks. Popcorn with ice tea was another meal.
I taught SCUBA diving and brought home fish, lobster, and oysters when I could.
Feast or famine.
hygiene care or smart phone...
Beans and rice are still cheap. I grew up poor, that was the menu.
“As an example, I made tomato soup from packets of ketchup.”
________________________________
A Depression Era version of tomato soup.
I recall having fruit for treats - candy was a treat to the point we knew not to take more than one piece.
Soda only when we were very ill for getting medicene down.
Never knew how tight the budget was as one of five kids while my dad was in the Air Force.
I can recall asking the checker at the supermarket to move stuff off the roller when realizing I didn’t have enough funds.
Food for children came first. Nothing else was considered until I knew their meals were going to be good and no treats during those times.
I can recall my dad telling us to use salt for brushing out teeth. It brought back memories.
Those who see the bigger picture really do try.....
>> This story is hard to believe.
I hate to be cynical, but hard times bring out the scammers to prey on well-meaning people, sadly.
Somebody years ago offered an idea to a toothpaste company on how to increase profits by 15%. He increased the diameter of the tube opening by 15%.
Given that a month’s supply of Aquafresh is $1.50, this seems dubious.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aquafresh-Toothpaste-Triple-Protection-Fresh/dp/B0D1YLG83Q
You certainly don’t need much toothpaste to do an efficient job. The advertisements from toothpaste manufacturers show the toothbrush to be completely covered in the stuff, but a dab the size of a sunflower seed is sufficient.
I’ve run into folks like this a number of times. It’s funny how they can’t scrape together 3 bucks for a year’s supply of store-brand fluoridated toothpaste, but somehow there is money in the budget for vapes, tattoos, multicolored hair dye, and weed.
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