Who here knows what it's like to go without?

[OneTimeSBX]

i did free/reduced lunch too. only back then, the regular lunch tickets were a different color than the cheaper ones. never did figure out why that was, because everyone knew by the color what type of lunch you got...

when my fiance got laid off last year 2 weeks after i had, that was the first thing i did: find out about reduced lunch for my daughter. it was 40 cents, dropped from $1.75. EVERY BIT COUNTS. we got jobs soon after, but when you end up in a situation like that? you cant panic. you cut coupons (which i hated as a child but ADORE now!), you buy off brand things...i swear we didnt have 2 ply toilet paper for the longest lol! but we survived, and didnt know the difference until we became adults.

[OOhsoflyDELTA#9]

Wow...reading some of these posts brings back some memories...we got evicted and had to move around a couple of times when I was young...I can remember the breakfast at night thing too...my stepdad was a loser so I know he hustled people out of money and never wanted to work a "real" job..I've always been obsessed with clothes and I can remember wanting more then I had...luckily my mom did manage to keep me in private school until 8th grade so I wore uniforms....I lived with my grandma from the time when I was around 11 yrs old and we have had utilities shut off, the rent late as all get out and I've seen the worry on my grandma's face when it was time to pay bills...I can say that thank God we always had food but things were rough and I got my first job at 13 by changing the age on a copy of my birth certificate and I've been working every since...I bought my own clothes from that point forward and helped my grandma out...I will tell anyone that I've been grown since I was 13....I had to do for myself and looking back I don't really have any regrets because my experiences have made me a "go-getter"....I just try to make sure that my daughter never has to worry about "adult" issues...I shield her from those stresses as best I can...