Uncharted Thoughts.

I have never been below the bread line, I’ve been lucky enough to grow up in a working class house, with food and with enough money to take a trip away every year. We were never able to spend lavishly, I was often not able to buy ‘things’… you know, comic books, games and other items that are not essential to the home. However, I never felt I went without. It was clear I wasn’t one of the rich kids, but neither was I poor.

When I hit my twenties, I was able to work, save and travel as I lived at home with my parents. I earnt minimum wage, or just above, worked hard for 40-60 hour weeks and paid a minimal amount of rent. I usually saved about £800 a month, and was still able to go out and have fun (when I wasn’t working).

I am days away from being 30, and I have never been so poor. Of course I am no longer living at home, I have moved to a new city and rent a flat with my partner. I work a part time job, while studying my masters. A decision I have made to try and raise my income and acquire a job that doesn’t entail me breaking my back and slaving away for the bare minimum.

To put it plainly, I have decided to make this decision five years too late. While the price of food and everyday essentials have been increasing dramatically over the last 20 years. I decided to go to uni, and work a part time job just as the worlds economy has hit an all time low. The tariff war is in full swing, tensions with the Ukraine have hit an all time high, the housing crisis seems never ending, energy bills and rent are astronomical. The price of cheese, butter, milk and other essential items are rising and rising. Nights out are a thing of the past, or for the rich.

I have possibly chosen the worst time to complete my masters. Yet, I will continue to trudge forward slowly (while complaining).

We, meaning my partner and I. Have managed to hit an all time economic pit. Each payday we receive our ‘pay’, we put rent, energy bills and council tax to one side, and look at the pennies that remain, and try and ration our way to the end of the month.

I imagine there is a lot of my readers rolling their eyes, thinking ‘this is the life of most people, dumbass. You are privileged to have only just felt this pressure’, and you are right. I am not attempting to promote any sort of sympathy here, nether am I attempting to be a tourist in poverty. I have been very lucky throughout my life. I was able to stay at home and work, I was working in jobs that allowed me to do extra hours and I was sheltered to some extent to the reality of poverty.

Yet, I have never had to ration condoms, coffee and eggs just to survive. I have had to stop my gym membership, cancel all other outgoing payments (which were little anyway).

Rationing memberships is one thing. But condoms, that a step over the edge for me. I’m sure my partner would be more upset about the coffee rationing… but we each have our vices.

I am one for silver linings, although I often start out rather aggressively negative. One thing I will say is that this is a eye opener to the reality of people across the UK. Each year thousands of more people are falling below the breadline, slipping quietly into poverty. I feel that hardship isn’t always a bad thing, of course it is at the time. Not being able to… express my deeply found love for my partner after a day of poor pay at a dead-end job is difficult. But I feel more connected to her than ever.

I feel like we are making memories, memories we can one day laugh at, tall tales we can talk about when we are grey and old. Our hardship is only strengthening. Of course there are times when we argue and have differences, but we have never been so strong.