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 ...
Seems like an extremely British solution.
Growing up in the 50s I remember using baking soda and salt to brush my teeth. We bathed twice a week to save water and soap. I wore uniforms and at least some of the time I’m guessing my parents received help paying tuition at the parochial schools we attended. I remember one time my parents couldn’t give me the quarter I needed to attend Girl Scouts. We all ended up with advanced degrees. One of my brothers has passed away but my other brother and I are living well.
So many jokes here with the British and their teeth but i’ll pass given the circumstances....
This story is hard to believe.
Has “Liza” tried buying the cheapest toothpaste on the shelf? Has she monitored how much toothpaste her kids are using to prevent waste? Has she considered reducing brushing teeth to once a day?
There seem to be plenty of options other than cutting out toothpaste entirely.
We weren’t poor but my dad was NYPD in the 60’s & 70’s when they paid next to nothing and my parents were eventually divorced when i was 15...we always found a way to stretch a dollar as far as possible and to this day i do the same even though i am successful in my business and make a nice income...thankful for those lessons...
Decades ago the British decided on socialism, with a heaping helping of illegal immigration thrown in. Labour was okay with that. And so were the Tories.
And now the chickens have come home to roost.
I say that with no smugness. Instead, I weep for the many decent Brits who will suffer. Their grandparents won the Second World War. And now their own government treats them like disposable trash.
Its weird how socialism makes people poor, and more socialism makes them even poorer
Sounds like a boat load of BS
I remember baking soda for brushing teeth, also. And having our water turned off one time for non payment...school/play shoes, and Church shoes...and never eating out.
> Sounds like a boat load of BS <
Hard to say. I was a poor college kid, all on my own (and also a little bit dumb). The things I did to stay within my meager budget most people wouldn’t believe.
As an example, I made tomato soup from packets of ketchup.
But I’m not complaining in the least! My college degree got me a good work, and I made a nice salary all throughout my career.
For context the UK population is just a little over 69 million.
I pay slightly over a dollar for about six ounces of toothpaste.
Given the NHS problems with providing dental care, I cannot recommend skipping toothpaste or flossing.
I remember some nights for dinner we’d have macaroni and butter.
My sister recently told me that that was because we had no other food in the house to eat. I didn’t realize that.
I know my mom got a part time job to help make ends meet. She’s work evenings and weekends when my dad was home so we’d never be left alone. My parents would not do that to us. During the school year, she’d work days.
We had no money for extras. If I wanted something I had to earn money and buy it myself.
I guess we were poorer than I ever realized. But I learned a lot of valuable lessons in managing finances that serve me to this day. For one thing, I have a great ability to resist giving to every charity that calls with a bleeding heart story about *the hungry children* or police widows and orphans.
Cutting toothpaste might not be too terrible a thing. Consumer Reports concluded years ago that it doesn’t really do anything.
I pay $4.97 for 3, six ounce tubes of Colgate toothpaste at Walmart.
Toothpaste? I have been using straight baking soda for the last 55 years. still have my teeth!(except Wisdom teeth.)
But, Wait! Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 WAR ON POVERTY was supposed to have cured that!
Lol!!!!! Yeah, how much of a sacrifice was it, really???
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