What's it like growing up poor/on benefits/underprivileged?

We have plenty of threads on TSR asking what's it like to have rich parents or to come from a privileged background.

Now am sure there are plenty on here who aren't from such backgrounds,

We all sometimes do wonder what's it like growing up underprivileged and minus the huge arsenal of wealth our parents provide us with. Am pretty sure it isn't really as bleak as many make it sound. What does it really feel like?

Does it feel anything for example when in school people talk about what their parents do for a living and you have to say they are on benefits or living on the dole?

Admittedly my exposure to people who are from such backgrounds is limited at best and tbh the only people I know on benefits are those I speak to on TSR.

Please share your experience.

* Only those who are from under-privileged backgrounds from OECD countries only please.

For a large part of my life, I grew up on a council estate in deepest darkest South West England. Think crappy housing, but among rolling green hills We're much better off now - my mother's a single parent, and she earns £20K, which is more than what many of my friends' household incomes amounts to - and we're off the council estate, but it's very likely that she'll lose her job in the next year or so due to cut-backs and such. We're lucky in that if that happens, we have a large family who will be able to take us on, but there are very few jobs around in such a rural part of the country, and moving elsewhere is expensive. We could be on some benefits I believe, but for whatever reason my mother doesn't want to claim any.

Not strictly true.
For some cases you have to put a deposit down for lot of halls / accommodation, and sometimes the first payments can be before you get any student loan, grant or bursary.
Then you have the fact that some circumstances mean you get less than what other families on the same income get (I got £1000 a year less just because I am from Wales) and such.

If you wouldn't say you're poor, why are you commenting on a thread about what it's like to be poor?

I agree with you completely.



You making fun of me or you with me? Hard to tell!

So, do you have evidence to back up this "fact"? Are you referring to all middle class youth, or just a substantial few?

Your family are on £45,000 a year! Don't try telling me that YOU'RE underprivileged!

All university run accommodation will allow you to defer the deposit if you explain the situation to them that you have to wait for your loan.

No offense to your Mum but I don't understand this. Is it pride? there's no room for pride when you've got a family to take care of. Plus, she's working, paying her taxes into the system, she's entitled to get what she deserves out of it.

My parents arent on the dole, but are in poorly paid jobs; Dad is a labourer in a factory and Mum works part time in a call centre.

How do I feel? Without being facetious, I feel fine. My family loves me, we have never gone hungry (Ive gone without lunch on occasion for there being no food in the fridge, but I'd prefer it were me than my younger sisters, and theres always been dinner at the end of the day).

I guess its the little things that are different. Its not the lack of designer clothes or christmas presents that bothers me, its the occasions where ive had a mock exam the next day and had been kept up by kids smashing up and setting light to an abandoned car (council estate...).

But, I feel happier knowing everything I do will be for myself, and that Im making my family proud. Theres no inheritance coming and no money to help at uni, but Im getting bursaries so hopefully ill be ok. And although I try to avoid overt-pride when I can, I do like that Im the only kid from my entire estate going to uni.

Sorry if that was a bit of a stream of consciousness on being less than privileged but I hope its of some interest to you!

Not everyone is academic.