Sometimes I wonder if we will ever make it off Universal Credit. Every time I feel like we’re getting somewhere, everything gets more expensive. It’s like the gap between the average wage and where we are is just insurmountable.

Things are hard again. Κids eating out. Having to buy food every week is just getting so expensive now.

Ok, so the storm hit Belfast and some of my tiles have blown off on my roof. I am definitely staying in, and all the schools in the whole of Ireland are closed. I had to buy some essentials at Spar - boy, that place has got dear, but needs must, as I couldn’t get to the big stores in time. Staying in today with the heating on and afraid the electric might go off.

I am feeling as though my reality is so fragile, I am stood still and unable to do anything to change it. I firefight day to day, it is exhausting and ultimately unsustainable. I know my health has been so hugely impacted by poverty, that my son's health too has suffered - so much so that he is now referred for further tests and treatment because his platelets are low and concerning. There is an idea that this might be due to a lack of appropriate diet, and I feel so responsible for that.

When you can't afford to eat well, you lower your expectations, you reach out for help and you are told so many different things but, in the end, it is left up to you as a parent with zero expertise in nutrition to deal with what is going on. You disconnect as trauma layers trauma and food falls down the list of importance because you just don't know how to afford the best diet on a dreadful budget. Everything fresh is so so expensive.

You try hard to keep thinking of ways to feed yourself and in my case, my child, but in our situation, my son has huge sensory challenges with food, and that makes ensuring he is fed properly and drinking properly, an impossibility at times. The emotional and mental toll is catastrophic and yet again, another layer of failure to provide.

I want to be able to help him, but I can't eat properly myself anymore. I have gone from being a pretty healthy eater (him too) to thinking: Just get him to eat something. I can't help feeling that this is how some eating disorders develop, and I really don't have the energy to address this in a meaningful way.

Who will help us with our children's diets if they can't stand certain things? Who will help us to find the energy to cope and to make sure we ourselves eat right, so we can support our kids?

I recently lost half a stone in weight in one week during a deeply difficult time with my son. I wish it had been intentional and that I felt better, but I don't. I feel desperate, afraid, and I wake daily with the knowledge that what I am able to manage now, is significantly less than what I could manage in the past. I feel that mine and my son's lives have been shortened by poverty, and I can't even raise the energy to be angry anymore.

We need help, we need focussed support to stop this decline in health due to our low-budget lifestyle. I never asked for or wanted this, my beautiful son never asked for or wanted this. When will it end..?

Hiya, it was so very nice day. I felt very happy for the New Year. I received my gift card. Oh so nice seeing it I know. It will help me with a lot of things I'm so grateful. Thank you so much.

I actually feel better since walking into 2025 with everything it's still going to be a little hard till April when our wages goes up by pennies.

As the year has started, heart is racing wondering what will be. Hopefully for the best even in the vacuum.

It is a very cold day today. You're just in indoors watching some movies.

Well the dreaded Christmas has crept up on us! It seems to come faster each year. I’m having the daily fight with myself about what the kids will be able to tell their friends after the holiday because if I prioritise gifts we won’t be able to eat so while all their friends are chatting about

ALL the amazing top of the line electronics/clothes/games and outings they have had over the Christmas Holidays I wonder what my kids think and feel and it breaks me. NOBODY CHOOSES TO LIVE IN POVERTY!

As Christmas fast approaches, all I want is for my kids to have a lovely Christmas and be happy. My youngest was excited as he went on a school trip to the panto. This is something I couldn’t afford on my income, so I’m grateful he got to go. Our tree will go up next week. But for now I’m budgeting every penny and allocating money for certain things. I have just got my youngest his advent calendar which was reduced slightly…. I couldn’t afford it before the 1st however he gets to eat 5 chocolates today from it to catch up.

It’s sad as he comes home telling me his friends have choc advents and their trees up and they’re elf on the shelf have done this and that. He is so patient.

My friend and I have all agreed that money is tight so we won’t be buying each other presents. We will instead look around our house see if there’s something we no longer use and pass it on. For me some books I have read that I bought in charity shops. Friend with kids we will catch up over the school holidays and go to parks for play dates.

I recently got some vouchers from Tesco as I have been saving my points all year. This will come in handy for Christmas foods for the children and myself.

Gift wise for my children. My 9 year old has asked for a few things so I’ll need to wait until my universal credits come through to see what I can afford. My older child has asked for money to go shopping for clothes in the new year. I hope I can manage. I’m also sitting on a huge electricity bill that’s still to be paid along with childcare cost etc

still attending my local food banks and try and freeze as much as possible. Food banks and olio app have hugely helped me.

It won’t be a lavish Xmas by any stretch but as long as I’m with my boys I’ll be happy.

Somehow I’ll make it work ! But just now I’m not feeling very festive.

Things a bit difficult at the moment. I'm a full time unpaid carer who receives Carers Allowance but recently gone back to work for a couple of days and finding it hard juggling everything

Well I'm fed up doing big food shop monthly and every week it's costing way too much on top that pay taxis to school and my son struggles toileting and he's 10 and goes through pants and pull ups like no tomoz x