I have not been able to go food shopping because I haven’t had the money and getting my ESA fortnightly by the time it goes back in my bank. I’m usually £150 overdrawn so most of my next payment gets eaten up by the vicious cycle that I’m stuck in unfortunately

Yesterday I was having an ASD burnout and could not get to the supermarket so I went to the local fish and chip shop which I haven’t been to in a long long time and I was absolutely shocked to see that a piece of cod now cost £10.20. I just think how the hell are people getting away with charging this much why is the government not addressing the cost of food? We should all be able to buy food if the government addressed these big greedy companies that are profiting from our circumstances

we could afford to buy food, I have had to go without meals the last two nights. I’ve eaten a bowl of cereal and fed my kids some scraps out of the cupboard. I really thought when I went to Parliament in June with the Trussell Trust and spoke to MPs that they would take this on board and realise the seriousness of the current situation that we are all facing but no we are now in November and I attended another meeting at Parliament explaining that 1.4 million food parcels have been given out in the last six months they just don’t get it or you hear well we need to get these sick people back to work and I said to them how do you get a sick person back to work when they’re too sick to go to work and then you could see their brain cogs wiring away! It’s absolutely shocking that we’ve got these people running our country. I thought conservatives were bad but labour just really don’t get it at all.

My partner is a local authority worker and will be getting back pay as part of the pay award for the pay dispute for the last financial year. But not a single organisation, the union, the CAB, his payroll department or even scope have been able to advise on exactly how it will affect our universal credit. We're also being reviewed which is terrifying. I feel like I have no financial security, no financial privacy, and there's no definitive answers. Just before Christmas too.

Wow it's freezing 🥶 . I put the crisis voucher split between my gas and electric 6 days ago. Today I'm back in my emergency. This is a very scary time for me. My son is In and out of hospital in winter with bronchiolitis and pneumonia and he's just started with a cough. I have severe chronic asthma and I have spent the last 12 months working hard in the gym to try and strengthen my chest but ive caught his cold and cough and now I'm worried it'll develop into a chest infection. My house has started with the damp and black mould again that we had last winter that I clean daily. My son has major sensory issues and won't get dressed for nursery in the morning if his clothes are even slightly cold so I'm having to sleep with them to enable me to get him to nursery. The absolute urgency to ensure he attends nursery 3 mornings a week is so serious because there he will be warm. We have blankets and coats and dressing gowns and my mum has bought my youngest an electric blanket for his bed but without gas and electric there's nothing I can do.

I'm well into an overdraft I cannot afford and was so grateful this week for the changing realities love to shop voucher. I went to Iceland and bought things for the kids for the freezer.

I'm back to eating toast for most meals so the kids can eat warm food.

Things are only going to get worse. This is 2024 and I just don't understand how the government can think they are achieving great things when British families are freezing and starving?

This week we found out that my child's EHCP was declined at plan stage so we now need to go to mediation. We need help with this, no charities seem to have capacity currently so we need to pay for a SEND advocate.

The corrupt UK Government

Misinformation from main stream media causing unnecessary protesting from farmers.

Money for weapons but none to feed thr poor.

Tax avoiding millionaire celebs pretending they care representative charities.

A very disappointing morning, as it looks like the energy price cap will be increased by 1% in January 2025. Those like myself that are living on a very limited budget are going to find it even harder to stay warm in the coldest months once again. My daughter and I both suffer with conditions that mean we need to keep warm so as not to complicate our conditions but once again this will not be possible during the winter months. This is devasting for me due to my own health conditions and also as a single parent father knowing that once again I will be unable to provide a warm safe home for my daughter at a time she has no other option.

Dreading the snow the news says is coming. Woke up this morning to a freezing house, only heat from the radiators being when standing right next to them. It's such an old concrete building (I couldn't afford more than basic underlay for the lino on these six in thick concrete floors), but apparently not old or energy inefficient enough to qualify for the £150 support, and even with foil behind the radiators it takes putting the thermostat at 30 to get the rooms to 20 in the winter. I've got blankets but the more we use them the more laundry needs doing. Just can't win. Turn the heating on, keep it off, either way the costs build up in different ways. No heating means more damp and more laundry, heating means higher bills. All works out roughly the same when you think about it. Taken to using baby wipes for quick TP&S washes to save on heating water as only got an electric shower and it's pricey. Luckily most of my neighbours all also run their washing machines during the night now so I don't need to worry so much about noise complaints. It's all very frustrating. I'm dreading how much worse it'll get better summer is back around.

So I've managed to work the full 20 hours a week due to my son getting back to a happy little chap, and now council tax have sent me a letter saying owe them 183 from April as they've back dated it my circumstances haven't changed and I was in front by nearly 100.00 which they'd already taken off too. You work your hours and then the government finds a way to take it something away from you.

The colds come in harsh, and loads of talk of snow incoming. This month my gas n electric shot up by £20 even though my usage hasn't changed any, I'm dreading next months bill. When it comes to groceries I'm mostly buying bread, milk, cheese slices (cos Asda two packs of ten slices, so 20 sarnies worth, for £4, it works out cheaper than a block that needs cutting when I can't always cut due to my disabilities), some frozen veggies, squash cos plain tap water makes me gip and some yogurts (yogurts are great for a sweet treat that's healthy and always available on the cheap, cos always at least three brands on special at any given time). Got some humbugs this week's grocery shop, little treat. With the odd cheap/special offer extra like quiche or sausage rolls. I got a lovely treat of lamb shish kebab this week on special offer. And of course fruit for little ones. It's tricky cos I don't want to over spend on the groceries and risk not having enough for gas n electric next month, especially as they news is full of warnings of snow. I wish winter wouldn't hit, just stay with summer, winter is so expensive even during normal times and these are certainly not normal times.

MY RESPONSE TO THE BUDGET

It’s incredibly frustrating and disheartening to see such critical work go unacknowledged, especially when so many organisations like Changing Realities, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and others have invested so much in creating viable solutions to address poverty and food insecurity. The struggles that low-income families face today are incredibly challenging, and policies that only target specific groups or are too focused on short-term fixes can easily overlook many people who are in urgent need.

The proposal to reduce Universal Credit debt repayments is a step in one direction, but it barely scratches the surface. Many families are still struggling with basic necessities even without debt on their Universal Credit accounts. There seems to be a gap in understanding that poverty is a multi-faceted issue, impacting essentials from food and rent to hygiene and dignity. Policies aimed at poverty reduction need to consider all aspects of a person’s life and put measures in place that can help lift people out of poverty rather than just making incremental, temporary adjustments.

It’s incredibly frustrating when government responses don’t match the scale or urgency of these problems, and it’s valid to feel disappointed when it feels like all the advocacy and research is dismissed. Supporting families with the essentials they need to live and thrive should be a priority for any government, regardless of its political affiliation. Hopefully, continued advocacy will keep pushing these issues to the forefront!

Trying to find footing after a long time off work its never an easy step especially when you are a single parent and have no support raising kids all on your own. It's scary trying to step out to find alive while finding a balance with the kids. But it is a very necessary and unavoidable step.

Feeling a lot of anxiety, I help hope that labour would strike hot to help the most vulnerable members of society! Sadly it seems that again those promises for a better future under labour were all talk to collect your vote! They don’t care, it’s easy to penalise people for being on the poverty line.