Too poor to buy sanitary towels

SCOOP 64

God , im learning alot that i never knew on how much grief women have to go through every month on this thread, but they never seem to complain.

trixychic

trixychic wrote: »

I came from one of these families. As a teen I would use plenty of tissue in my knickers till I got to school and visted the bathroom after every class.

We also never had shampoo or bodywash, often using aqueious cream to clean ourselves and our toothbrushes were never changed... just chucked in the wash and put back.

Funnily enough we always had money for dog food (for the 2 dogs and 2 cats we had) and mums fags and cans....

Anyways I suppose the point is that that level of poverty is very real in Ireland and has been for a while.

I'm really sorry life was so hard and unfair for you, I really am. I hope it's good now.

trixychic

Candie wrote: »

I'm really sorry life was so hard and unfair for you, I really am. I hope it's good now.

Its great now. Very little contact with mother now and living your average persons life. Yay.

Yes as a woman our monthly curse is... well a curse.

steddyeddy

trixychic wrote: »

I came from one of these families. As a teen I would use plenty of tissue in my knickers till I got to school and visted the bathroom after every class.

We also never had shampoo or bodywash, often using aqueious cream to clean ourselves and our toothbrushes were never changed... just chucked in the wash and put back.

Funnily enough we always had money for dog food (for the 2 dogs and 2 cats we had) and mums fags and cans....

Anyways I suppose the point is that that level of poverty is very real in Ireland and has been for a while.

You're great to come through that. Hope things are easier now.

hungry hypno toad

steddyeddy wrote: »

Poverty is a huge problem in the UK. I always say you can measure a society by how they treat their worst off and the UK isn't on a good path. The Tory government is basically staffed by people who never had to worry about money. They won't feel the effects of the cuts they make on the poorest in society and it doesn't look like they care.

People like that subscribe to the myth that the poorest in society are the author of their own misfortune and the Eton lot are there through hard work. Things won't change until they're voted out and unfortunately Labour aren't a great opposition at the moment. Basic sanitary items should be made more affordable or given out free in schools.

I'd love to know what those on welfare spend on necessities such as smokes and alcohol.

LordSutch

JupiterKid wrote: »

Too poor to buy sanitary towels.

Thoughts? And would it happen here?

What did people use before sanitary towels were invented?
There must be a cheaper option from the past.

steddyeddy

hungry hypno toad wrote: »

I'd love to know what those on welfare spend on necessities such as smokes and alcohol.

I'm sure you would. It might satisfy some welfare bashing fetish. Welfare cuts corelate positively with an increase in food banks.

RDM_83 again

hungry hypno toad wrote: »

I'd love to know what those on welfare spend on necessities such as smokes and alcohol.

I don't know, lived for a few months in a deprived Borough and you could see real poverty and it didn't seem to be way the it generally is in Ireland where its "deprivation" (e.g poor spending choices being major factor) its not the same as Ireland.

wakka12

I looked it up there and on my supermarket.co.uk you can buy 15 sanitary towels for 1.50 pound. And tesco generic versions are half that price, at 70p for the same amount of towels, (12-15)
I refuse to believe that anybody in the uk is poor enough to not be able to spend 2 or so pound every month on sanitary towels

and if there are people seriously this poor in the UK then how do we not have mass starvations occurring and people dropping dead from hunger if money is that scarce

LordSutch

LordSutch wrote: »

What did people use before sanitary towels were invented?
There must be a cheaper option from the past.

Rags. Same as is used in much of the developing world now. One issue with rags is that absorbency levels are low and not everyone has the means to secure them in place. Girls can't exactly change rags in school and carry the soiled ones home. Remember that little girls as young as 9 menstruate.

Sanitizing rags would involve boiling or the use of chemical sanitizers that defy the savings of using rags, and/or sunning dry, which causes other hygiene issues. If the rags - which are likely to lead to staining - aren't sanitized, it leaves the child open to bacterial infection and health issues, which can even result in death in some parts of the world.

I don't think rags should be considered an option in 2017. It's hard enough for small children to come to terms with bleeding and pain every few weeks, without expecting them to cope with bloody, unhygenic rags too.

trixychic

wakka12 wrote: »

I looked it up there and on my supermarket.co.uk you can buy 15 sanitary towels for 1.50 pound. And Im sure tesco would have even cheaper non brand versions.
I refuse to believe that anybody in the uk is poor enough to not be able to spend 2 or so pound every fortnight on sanitary towels

There are ppl who cant afford food or a roof over their heads. Is it really hard to believe they can't afford st's??

Also one of the points was that of teenage girls who xant go to school because of it. It's not up to them to buy them. Their parents may have "more important things" to purchase.

endacl

Candie wrote: »

While I definitely do take your point, the lack of razor blades isn't keeping boys out of school, leaving them exposed to infection, or the cause of up to 70% of reproductive disease in the developing world. It's not quite like with like.

You're dead right. I hope my post was read as firmly tongue in cheek.

hungry hypno toad

steddyeddy wrote: »

I'm sure you would. It might satisfy some welfare bashing fetish. Welfare cuts corelate positively with an increase in food banks.

What is the effect on sales of smokes and alcohol from the same welfare cuts?

hungry hypno toad

trixychic wrote: »

Its great now. Very little contact with mother now and living your average persons life. Yay.

Yes as a woman our monthly curse is... well a curse.

Glad to hear, she should be ashamed of herself.

steddyeddy

wakka12 wrote: »

I looked it up there and on my supermarket.co.uk you can buy 15 sanitary towels for 1.50 pound. And tesco generic versions are half that price, at 70p for the same amount of towels, (12-15)
I refuse to believe that anybody in the uk is poor enough to not be able to spend 2 or so pound every month on sanitary towels

and if there are people seriously this poor in the UK then how do we not have mass starvations occurring and people dropping dead from hunger if money is that scarce

I think the poorest in the UK are poorer than the poorest in Ireland TBH. People don't starve because food banks exist.

flutered

Hunky Monster wrote: »

Or the arguement could be made that our system is FAR FAR too generous.

yet in the last goverment we had a goverment minister using the opening of a food bank as a photo op

trixychic

hungry hypno toad wrote: »

Glad to hear, she should be ashamed of herself.

She should but doesn't. I'm the eldest of 3 girls and one boy. We're all.clear of her now thank God. But she still thinks she did her best... she's an alcoholic now. We just steer clear as much as possible.

...And Justice

Gee bullets, surely people can afford Gee bullets?

Shenshen

LordSutch wrote: »

What did people use before sanitary towels were invented?
There must be a cheaper option from the past.

They usually used wads of cotton fabric, sometimes stuffed with cotton wool. Those would be washed and re-used.

Cheaper, yes. Hygienic, no.

alan1963

JupiterKid wrote: »

I agree that real poverty might be worse in the UK than in Ireland because of the endless cuts to benefits being made by the Conservatives, and I think it will get a lot worse when the full impact of Brexit is felt. Not good times to be struggling in the UK.

Will there be people out protesting on the streets because of this inequality?

Honestly I dont agree, I live in the UK and I dont think there is any "real" poverty here.
I once had a job fitting kitchens in council houses and the unemployed there all smoked,drank cans in the daytime,had big screen TVs and full Sky TV packages etc that in my opinion is not "real" poverty.

alan1963

alan1963 wrote: »

Honestly I dont agree, I live in the UK and I dont think there is any "real" poverty here.
I once had a job fitting kitchens in council houses and the unemployed there all smoked,drank cans in the daytime,had big screen TVs and full Sky TV packages etc that in my opinion is not "real" poverty.

The poorest fifth of the UK population are the poorest in Western Europe. Scotland has the largest percentage of destitute people in the UK.

Poor public housing is a large factor in that statistic.

The only good thing about being very poor in the UK is that your access to good healthcare is better than average.

trixychic

alan1963 wrote: »

Honestly I dont agree, I live in the UK and I dont think there is any "real" poverty here.
I once had a job fitting kitchens in council houses and the unemployed there all smoked,drank cans in the daytime,had big screen TVs and full Sky TV packages etc that in my opinion is not "real" poverty.

I can agree with you there but while those adults are making their decisions, it's their kids that will suffer.

Ursus Horribilis

wakka12 wrote: »

I looked it up there and on my supermarket.co.uk you can buy 15 sanitary towels for 1.50 pound. And tesco generic versions are half that price, at 70p for the same amount of towels, (12-15)
I refuse to believe that anybody in the uk is poor enough to not be able to spend 2 or so pound every month on sanitary towels

I'm no brand snob but when it comes to sanitary towels, those cheap generic ones are less than useless on heavy days. We're getting into TMI territory here but on the 2nd/3rd day of mine, I bleed like nothing on earth. I have to change the towels every couple of hours and go through quite a few of them over the few days. I've tried some of those cheaper own-brand ones and they're not as good as the expensive ones. And because it's blood, trying to avoid embarrassing leaks is the name of the game.

Back on topic, I'd be curious to know more about these people who are too poor. I wonder are some of them from ethnic backgrounds where women's role is for reproduction and they're grudgingly sending their girls to school?

Clazbeag

It's always worth asking local homeless shelters if it's something they accept. Homeless women can find even generic own brands too expensive and can be reliant on napkins and loo roll etc.

mariaalice

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

I'm no brand snob but when it comes to sanitary towels, those cheap generic ones are less than useless on heavy days. We're getting into TMI territory here but on the 2nd/3rd day of mine, I bleed like nothing on earth. I have to change the towels every couple of hours and go through quite a few of them over the few days. I've tried some of those cheaper own-brand ones and they're not as good as the expensive ones. And because it's blood, trying to avoid embarrassing leaks is the name of the game.

Back on topic, I'd be curious to know more about these people who are too poor. I wonder are some of them from ethnic backgrounds where women's role is for reproduction and they're grudgingly sending their girls to school?

There people who do very well on little income, there was a well know blog were a woman managed to feed herself and her toddle for £1 a day or something like that. The difference is they tend to be educated and articulate and have ended up on benefits because of circumstance and its not going to be long term, they thend not to be dysfunctional themselves or come from dysfunctional families.

steddyeddy

alan1963 wrote: »

Honestly I dont agree, I live in the UK and I dont think there is any "real" poverty here.
I once had a job fitting kitchens in council houses and the unemployed there all smoked,drank cans in the daytime,had big screen TVs and full Sky TV packages etc that in my opinion is not "real" poverty.

That's not poverty Alan but there is real poverty in the UK.

Lisha

Clazbeag wrote: »

It's always worth asking local homeless shelters if it's something they accept. Homeless women can find even generic own brands too expensive and can be reliant on napkins and loo roll etc.

As far as I know they do. I'd include a good few packs in the box of toiletries I give at Christmas. Usually a local ICA group does a collection before Christmas. Kind of a shoe box fir the homeless type appeal.

steddyeddy

I think dole in the UK is 60 pounds a week. How can there not be poverty.

mariaalice

I wrote on my blog back in July 2012, in a post titled Hunger Hurts, that poverty isn't just having no heating, unplugging your fridge, or unscrewing the light bulbs. Poverty is that sinking, choking feeling when your two-year-old finishes his one Weetabix, mashed with a little water, and says: "Can I have some more please, Mummy? Some bread and jam please?" And you break down in tears, because you don't know how you'll carry the TV and the guitar to the pawn shop, and how to tell him that there is no bread and jam

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jul/20/10-pound-food-shop-blog

I am quoting from the woman blog

hungry hypno toad

steddyeddy wrote: »

I think dole in the UK is 60 pounds a week. How can there not be poverty.

Impeccable logic.