Hi…

I want to start by saying that I’m managing, that I’m not broken, but, that I know I can’t keep things going as the situation stands, without significant impacts.

That’s what I want to speak about, the impact of poverty on my physical and mental health. How, if I track my life from 2019 to now, I can see just how messed up things have become.

It wouldn’t matter how much money I had right now in a way, the damage is done.

Poverty, slowly but steadily, removes your true voice. It takes away the strength to fight, to believe that we are worthy.

Over time, our friends have stopped asking us to attend events, stopped inviting us to places because we cannot afford to join them. Our circle has reduced so much and as a single parent to a child with additional needs, that has slowly destroyed my sense of self worth and my ability to get out and try to enjoy life.

My body ‘feels’ broken. I am experiencing a very difficult menopause and despite multiple attempts to garner healthcare support, I am unable to due to a family history of cancer. I’ve given up asking. So I just suffer and I don’t use that word lightly.

I can’t properly care for myself any longer, and that is so very sad to me. I gave up smoking and drinking alcohol, I tried to eat healthily but it’s so expensive now.

I recently had a minor accident and really hurt my foot. I absorbed the pain and carried on because there is only me to take care of things. I found out from my doctor when I could finally get in, that I have a suspected hairline fracture on my foot. I’ve just carried on, because although rationally I know I need to rest, realistically, I can’t. I can’t afford to get help to do jobs in my home and I have no one to help with my son.

I absorb the pain and I think well this is all you can do, but it makes me so so sad that I even matter so little to myself now.

I am not the person I was in September 2019. When I finally had help with my son, I had a part time job, I had possibilities and a bit of hope. I was building back up after difficult times and honestly thought we can do this, things will get better, they haven’t.

Recently, my stepfather died and the devastating effects of that have hit me hard. I come from a fractured family and have no support at all from them. They hid his death and I found out by accident. I cannot tell you how that felt and as I add that to the mountain of suffocating beliefs that I don’t deserve better, I know that getting out of this dark place has become something I just cannot see.

Whilst I keep telling myself you aren’t broken, the reality is a very different story…

I’m trying hard to keep the faith and I support others through voluntary work and a listening ear, so it isn’t over, yet.

I wanted so much more for my son, how sad that so much greed and apathy to the lives of people on low incomes has rendered any dreams that I had, void.

I do think that we have survived a lot, and maybe we can get through. But the crisis in the actual ‘cost’ of living this way is far from over for so many of us.

Not even started to become over – how on earth are people saying that it is? If anything, for me, it's getting harder. I am trying to find a new place to live because my landlord is selling and like half of my town we're struggling. I don't earn or know anyone who earns 35x the rent!

Food is still massively over priced and still not able to buy a decent amount, just barely scraping by. Energy may have gone down but is still going to be extremely hard after the snow starts to come and its causing anxiety and panic, clothes are still so expensive that school uniform is still being brought due to how expensive it is and the fact we don't have enough to get it because we have no help.

Bills are still rising and debts still are outstanding for everyone I know! It's nowhere near over, if anything, it's got a small bit worse because not enough help has been given in the first place, and if the media is saying it's over then there's no way we will be ok. Inflation may be dropping but interest rates are still constantly going up and up, yet benefits are going down or being made harder to acquire when in need. We're all still skipping meals and going without so how is it over? The media should be ashamed and the government need to help not slip it under the rug.

The way I see it, the cost of living crisis is DEFINITELY NOT OVER, nor looks likely to be over in the coming months or years.

I believe the ongoing cost of living crisis is pushing up prices in every sector of the economy and the country as a whole is still suffering.

Around where we live petrol costs have crept back up again. (Were down to £1.35 p/l now back at £1.52). An average weekly food shop for 1 adult /1 child is coming in around double what we were paying back in early 2022. We've basically quit buying anything other than what meals we might like a few days at a time to avoid throwing away food that perishes easily. So no choice with fresh fruits or veg, dairy produce or fancy extras like dips desserts or pre prepared salad items. Even supermarket pizza is around £6 upwards. That's a pizza meant for 1 person by the way - at home.

We ate takeaway last week. I was shocked it came to £20 two meals. I had chicken cashew nut with fried rice, the sauce was watered down, the meal was full of large watery onion & green peppers with about 5 half cashew nuts in the entire serving?! Seems to me everywhere is feeling the pinch!?

I've had car insurance renewal up over £100 on last year's price which is an outrageous amount to have to pay. Thankfully I've shopped around to find cheaper but not easy to do.

Nothing is any cheaper. Quarterly water rates jumped up by £30 earlier this year!!!? Not just a few extra pound.

Obviously I've also seen an increase in energy bills over the last few months.

There's no increase in my payments to account for the extra costs. In fact it's been both in the news and social media that the government are looking to cut benefits for those with long term health conditions. I am livid with their measures. I jump through enough hoops to take their rigged tests already! If I could work I would. I loved my old job.

I have basically gone without so much of this last year just to afford to cover the day to day bills. I've been wearing old bikini tops as I haven't been able to afford new underwear as it's no longer fitting or falling apart. Does nothing for your self esteem at a medical appointment to not have clean well fitting underwear.

Once upon a time I could take my two youngest shopping and tell them, "no problem! We can afford the luxury products", at the supermarket!!! We didn't have to worry about the bank balance or the account having enough in it to cover meals out when I couldn't face shopping /cooking, or the cinema to cheer up up/end of the week treats, etc.

So in my view, no it hasn't gone away. The cost of living crisis is still very much alive and kicking and here to stay by the looks of things. 😤

Wondering if I should try and go back to university ... for a third try at getting a degree ... this seems like a possibly good time (seeing as how I appear to be unemployable!!) ... but ... I'm just so time poor!! I can hardly even get to swim more than twice a week, even though I love to, and it's good for me ... so I don't know how to make space to study, when I'm always feeling guilty about how much I can't do for the kids, and when we really can't afford to lose any of my side hustles!

Can another Bank holiday weekend get any more depressing. There is only so much you can do with a 17 year old that does not require money, even activities that are free? Require money for travel, etc. So for us, it's been another quiet weekend at home. I just want this to end so we can live some sort of normal meaningful life.

What a week. I had my American family over and it did nothing but rain after the heat wave a few weeks ago. It was so nice to see them all but I had to watch my money which was embarrassing and I felt bad I couldn’t treat them. I did however do free stuff with them like go to an Art gallery and walk around the Titanic. I also took them on a walking tour of the murals on both sides of the community and they loved it and they didn’t have to pay for a tour as I knew so much about the murals as I grew up in the Belfast troubles. It’s the little things in life and I’m glad they had a fun day which didn’t cost any money but was precious as we all spent time together.

Single parent life, no child maintenance payments for 3 years. Child maintenance are just a nightmare to deal with wish there was somewhere that would deal with them or make it easier. No one there seem to want to do their job, I wouldn’t mind but it wasn’t even me who set up the case it was the supposed paying parent who doesn’t pay

My son is due to go on a 5 day residential next week. His dad whom i am separated from has paid for it all and everything needed for the trip as I simply cannot afford anything additional at this time. With this I have been shamed and ridiculed that I can't provide these things for my children. It's heart breaking that as his mum I simply cannot help right now.

On top of this we have the cost of new high school uniform which is supposed to be affordable but with everything needing to be logos it's definitely not affordable. I have no clue what I'm going to do with 3 kids.

Then there are end of year discos, sports days, non uniform days, the expectation of thank you cards and gifts for teachers. Its enough to make you ill with worry.

I have no clue how I'm going to get through this next month other than not eating what we normally do and walking as many places as I can to cut costs on fuel and bills

Is anyone else worrying about the 7 week holidays that start for the kids at the end of the month?

At least currently they get a hot meal at school and most days breakfast at breakfast club

But I'm dreading the holidays when all their friends are going away on nice holidays or days out and I can't provide any of that.

I looked at camping but even that requires payment and with no tent it would be difficult especially on my own with 3 kids.

I'm worried I'll not have enough food , no treats and then there's the fuel and electricity.

These are times we will never get back with our babies, times to make precious memories but how can we do that when I barely know if I can feed them

It’s a case of you just have to make it work somehow.

My child is in year one and I pay for her milk which at times I couldn’t afford so she misses it a few days at a time.

She’s not had many trips that have needed money but when a trip has come up I’ve paid for it right away and adjusted another bill to get around it.

I find the cost of clothing and footwear expensive and I’m dreading the point when she gets to secondary school as it will cost me hundreds more!

School uniform is affordable for primary school age. What I find is the awkwardness on what they need to wear, especially a p.e kit.

I’m hoping to save some uniform away for my youngest daughter as she is a twin. So when they start school I feel like I’m going to have to save a lot of money to cover everything they need.

I used to get excited about end of year and the summer holidays which meant lots of time together, trips, fun and laughs.

If I am going to be very honest I now find this time of the year really stressful and this impacts my mental health.

I feel embarrassed receiving trip letters/costs, feel awful having say to my son we cant afford. Sometimes I try to make sure he can go and do without something that I was going to buy.

The summer holidays are mostly spent indoors due to having little money to plan days out or activities .

The added stress of watching my children staying in bed or on PS games is not good at all. I would love to be able to afford short breaks or day trips in the UK. but the cost of holidays in UK is alarmingly expensive.

So July and August can get pretty depressing for me.

I tend to just stick to doing stuff that my local community centre's are running because often the activities that they run are part funded by the Government.

We never travel anywhere outside of the country during the holidays because sadly I just can't afford it.