How poor were you as a child?
 

I remember we were so poor, one Christmas I got a battery with a note attached saying.."toys not Included"
Year after my Dad bought me a tortious...watched it for 3 weeks before I realised it was a bit of rock! :dummy2:
So..how hard was it for Accywebbers?

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

We diddent have much money, but neither did any of the other kids,,,,we still had a great xmas ,but our stockings were made up of little toys and an orange and apple..you always got the latest annual,,ie beano or dandy,,and some spanish twirly things..and a selection box,,,,WOW we did well when i think about it..

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

Depends on how you define poor really. Wasn't as much onus on who got or had what then, nowadays it is all different with parents making sure their kids get everything that is going. Feel life was much richer when we were kids regardless of whether we had the latest gadgets. Believe me we never had them but we had plenty of love!!!

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

I know it's all relative, and we had a nice house, new cars, good holidays, a swimming pool, and a boat, but we were honestly never spoilt. If we wanted something we had to work for it, and save enough money until we could afford it.

At primary school it was the children whose parents that probably struggled more finacially, who always had the latest, and most expensive must haves.

Presents break, or you get bored with them. The best thing you can give a child is love, and that costs nothing.

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

Yes we were well loved,, my dad died when i had just gone 12,, but my mum made up for both parents,to me and my brother,,its a pity i diddent realise at the time,what hardship she must have gone through ,,none of todays handouts,,,I got a paper round for my luxury,s

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

tbh in this day and age i think this is what our children lack.... everything is handed to them on a plate and they think they are entitled to have what they want... if they were made to work for their luxuries they may have a better understanding of what money means and more respect for their and other peoples property.............

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

I was an only child til I was 10 and had lots of toys and the biggest bedroom in the house. However I only had this because I had my step dad with my mum then but he made me miserable. I was bullied at school too so I was generally very withdrawn and unhappy.

Much happier now with just my mum even if I don't have loads of luxuries.

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

Surely if you can see this you can reverse the trend?? Do you not think that today people try to give their children material things because their mates have them?? Can assure you plenty of my mates had far more material things than me and I don't feel one bit deprived(doubt my siblings do either). Just seems to me that to much emphasis is put on material possessions these days and parents are the ones bearing the brunt:(

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

Ive taught ty about money.. he has a money jar and he knows if he wants a new game he has to save for it........I'm thinking about trying to get him to do some jobs around the house for me aswell to earn somemore money.......

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

Good on you could do with a few more like minded people:) But besides that make Ty aware that just because his friends have something doesn't mean he can get it too!! And don't try and tell me you don't miss out rather than see him disappointed. Disappointment is part of life:)

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

I did have a paper round....and I gave my wages to my Dad..he said it was to buy food for the rabbit... strange thing is ours was the only rabbit I've known that ate a large doner kebab and drank a bottle of Jack Daniels every friday night! :confused: :D

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

I did post this in anything goes.. meant as a joke thread but "anything goes"

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

My mum does the same with my little sister, she gets 20p per job :p There is no way I would do jobs for my mum for 20p but my sister does it at 9yrs old without much complaint.

She has a strop every now and again about how her friends get loads of stuff, especially when it comes to xmas and birthdays. Funnily enough she never complains about holidays though even though she has several friends that go abroad quite often. I take her and my brother to the zoo every now and again though so they at least get days out. Last time I took them to blackpool zoo and we walked all the way from the zoo to the front because I didn't really want to waste money on a taxi :p brother got in his pram after half the walk but my sister only complained once, but that soon went away when she realised we had more money to spend on chips and rock!

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

Looking back, we didn't have much. Most of our clothes were hand me downs from our older cousins. I never really saw it as a problem when I was a child. My friend was an only child and had everything. I remember being jealous because she didn't have to share a bedroom with anyone while I was stuck sharing with my annoying sisters Grego and Sammy....:D

I remember seeing footage of the starving children in Ethiopia with their pot-bellies and skinny limbs and feeling really sorry for them. We never had much money but at least we were fed, clothed and had warm beds at night.

As teenagers, it was made quite clear to us that if we wanted new stuff, we worked for it. I worked 5 tea times a week in the chippy from being 14. Weekends saw us mucking out the stables in Rishton and grooming horses so that we could get some free rides and enter the horses in the shows. I also occasionally covered for my mate packing up stalls on Accy market. This was all in between going to school, doing homework, O levels and having a social life..... Phew!!!!! no wonder I'm knackered now..:D

Had a great time as a kid though.

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

My children do get a fair amount of stuff,
but they have to "work" for it, so to speak

My 9 yr old has chores to do in order to get £5-00 a week
If she wants to miss a chore then I take a pound off
If she doesn't want to do them at all then she gets no money at all
No phone top up, no new game

My 4 yr old lad also does "chores"
He has to make his bed every morning and dust,
in order to get £2-00 a week
This will get him a magazine a week
Same applies for him, if he doesn't want to do it then he is made
to understand that he will not be able to get a magazine
and the rest of the money goes in his money box



We had nowt as kids tho, probably weren't as bad off as some

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

Good for you. :mosher:

I do this too.

I give my children £1 a week for making their beds every day and dusting / tidying their bedrooms on Saturdays.

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

From the outside it probably looked like I had everything - we lived in a big house (although the people next door had a swimming pool which they wouldn't let us swim in), and we got new gadgets - we were one of the first families I knew to get a video recorder (the remote was attached to it by a wire, none of this infra red malarky), and I had some great holidays, plus was often taken to rock concerts by my parents.

But in truth, my friend was far more spoilt than I was - she was given more spending money plus more extras whereas i was given spending money and any treats I wanted I had to buy out of my spending money. I got a clothes allowance which I had to manage myself whereas she got bought whatever she wanted.

Not saying either of us had a bad life because we didn't but just because I looked priviliedged my parents still tried to teach me how to handle money.

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

:D You were hoping for a rival to the Monty Python sketch?

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

never really had a pot to pee in, used to try n stay awake to mug father christmas, but always fell asleep.:rolleyes:

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

'Ole in t'ground? Luxury! We lived in a paper bag in a septic tank.......... ;)

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

We didn´t have much. I remember looking forward to ´walking day´ at the Church because it meant a new frock. I don´t know how my mum managed it but she always bought us new stuff. I reckon that I only had about three dresses and a couple of cardy´s with darns.

Christmas wasn´t too good. I only dreamed of a bike of my own but never got one. My brother did and I still resent him for it!

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

There was a war on for goodness sake!
if you had money there was nowt to buy

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

war was over when junetta n i were kids.:D:D:D:D:D

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

A war? Just a little before my time I think.

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

Rationing lasted til '53 on some things

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

Yes, Margaret, you are right and I still have a ration card signed by my mother. It was around 1960 when I asked for my bike.

Miserable father said that he didn´t want a child of his riding a bike on those busy roads. Until my brother asked for one that is! There was only one car in Holland Street then and that belonged to my Dad and Mr. Alderson down the road had a motorbike and sidecar. Three cars an hour along Blackburn Road.

I suppose it´s relative.

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

We were very poor.......all our shoes came from jumble sales, clothes too.
We had a gas meter that ate shillings like it was going out of fashion....and many times it ran out and there was nothing to feed it with.
My dad was ill for years after the war...he was blown up after the D-Day landings, and couldn't work........there was no real help. I reckon if it hadn't been for the free school dinners, and lovely Mrs Almond,(she owned a nearby bread shop and gave us the left-overs at the end of the day) we would have starved to death.
My mum had three jobs......she used to go to the market late on a Saturday and scrounge vegetables and fruit for us.
Having said that, there were many other families like us, so it didn't seem anything special. My childhood was what formed my character and determination, so I should be thankful.

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

Selection boxes rule:alright: ... and as well, I got a new penny and a sugar pig .... times were tough after the war, with all the factories closing down and the rationing ... I remember that on Suday morning, my breakfast consisted of the tops off the eggs my parents had ... and doing spuds in the fire ... but most other people were in the same boat, what seems like poverty now was the norm in those days. After my parents were divorced, I went to live with my grandad and things were better as he owned a couple of shops in Hapton. I remember that my first allowance was a half crown a week, and I had to work like stink around the house to get it: doing the dishes, hauling in the coal, doing the shopping etc.

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

I dont think it really matters with me, with his Trust Fund Harry's far richer than me:eek: he should be buying me presents!! lol

Seriously though. My Mum & Dad didnt struggle as such and we always had great holidays, days out, and great presents for Xmas & birthdays. But we were never spoilt we didnt get what we wanted when we wanted it at just normal times of the year, it was only on special occasions that we got treats. We were always taught the value of money. Hence now why I'm so good with my money and I will always teach Harry the same when he's old enough, I have to admit though at the moment he is spoilt a lot of the time.

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

I'm not having that Willow!... we were so poor that I had to walk t'pit in bare feet everyday for work...took me 2hrs to get there..then work an 20hrs shift n walk home..then back again..only food I got was to suck a dried pea!

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

You were the lucky one.:D

Re: How poor were you as a child?
 

Lucky? We couldn't afford luck in our 'ouse, not that we 'ad an 'ouse. We thought we were lucky if our dad thrashed us within an inch of our lives instead of 'alf an inch. Lucky was not 'avin' to lick t'road for t'salt to go wi' us meat, not that we 'ad meat.

Oh, I give up. :D

We weren't rich but we had a car (Jowett Javelin) and a TV by 1952 (the year before the coronation - it was enormous but the screen was only 9") and we had central heating by 1957 (designed, installed and maintained by my dad). We regularly had chicken for Sunday lunch, in the days when it was considered a luxury, because we kept our own hens (I couldn't eat them - they all had names), and we had an indoor lavvie when an awful lot didn't.

Luxury!! :p