When it's freezing and you can't put the heating on and breakfast is porridge made with water...

[UndertheCedartree]

AIBU to wish so hard the uplift was never taken away? We were doing so well with that extra amount! But now that has gone and utilities have gone up we are left with little for food and heat.

Sorry, this is just a vent! Nothing anyone can do but I'm just feeling a bit upset this morning.

I'm sure it has been mentioned but if you do put the oven on, don't only cook one thing. Stick some spuds in to make jacket potatoes for a later meal , an apple crumble /cake, roast veg. Also, soups, bolognaise, chilli etc can be cooked in the oven too in a casserole /Dutch oven.

@UndertheCedartree, it's heartwarming to see so many replies from people with great advice and tips which I'm sure you'll put to good use. It's also heartbreaking to hear many people are also in this situation .
I work in a GP surgery and we have a social prescriber (I'm sure most surgeries have them, not one per surgery but they cover a few) The social prescriber can issue food bank vouchers, fuel vouchers and signpost to other help and support. We just make a referral and the social prescriber gets directly in contact with you.
Wishing you all the very best

On the hot water bottle front, as a child we used 'Ben Shaw's' pop bottles as hot water bottles.

Now I wouldn't recommend sending your children to bed with a glass bottle of scalding hot water, but you could use any glass jars / bottles to warm the bed before they get in.

Sorry I can't remember if you mentioned a mobile phone. I've been with the same company for years and they give 'loyalty' discounts, you have to ask but I now pay £3 a month for unlimited calls and texts and more data than I ever use.

SOmeone mentioned growing veg in the summer, you can start now if you have a window sill and a jam jar. If you get a bunch of spring onions held together by a rubber bans, cut the onions above the rubber band so you have a bunch of roots, use the rubber band to suspend in a jam jar and fill water up to the roots, the onions will grow back. I thought it would be crap but it does work.

@immersivereader

As of Wednesday, the £20 per week uplift - a temporary measure brought in to help people on lower incomes during the coronavirus pandemic - has officially been withdrawn. Almost 40% of UC claimants are in work.Oct. 6, 2021

^
I guess it's this. First page of Google. Bloody tories

The 40% IN WORK is a damning indictment of how poorly paid a lot of people are. Other tax payers are subsidising profit making, tax avoiding businesses!

Also. Can you get a payment holiday on your mortgage

@Charlieandlola

I have had to reduce my heating spend md bought electric blankets for £10 in dun elm over the summer . As soon as the kitchen cools down after cooking imho up to bed - it costs 4p an hour to run the blanket and saves me having to hear the house up in the evening. My electric and gas use have gone down a lot . I appreciate it takes an outlay so may not be of any use . You sound lovely op

Thank you, that is so kind. I will definitely look into electric blankets, thank you for the tip.

Haha!
Yes!
Have a Whippet on my shoulder as I type and she’s radiating heat.
She needs fuel though.
Animals are great bed warmers.

A friend used to refer to his whippet as the Barnsley Bedwarmer.

I dogsat for him once. He forgot to warn me that she'd join you under the duvet in the night. Really made me jump when I felt something snuggle under the covers with me!

You're doing great OP, although you shouldn't have to struggle like this.

@Courtier

Oh and check if you are entitled to a charitable grant towards heating.

Turn2Us have a page showing you how to look for them.

Right, I'll do that, thank you.

@HereComesTheSun12

Longer term, if you've got a garden, put it to good use growing food. Salad - lettuce etc is easy to grow and seeds can be bought cheaply. Garlic is also very easy and can be used to flavour food - we haven't bought garlic in 5 years. If you've got some space, things like pumpkins and courgettes are prolific and again very easy. Wikos and the DIY stores tend to sell off seeds very cheaply at this time of year. If you've allotments nearby, they often have a surplus table where people leave their excess veg.

Make Lunch is an initiative run by many churches to provide free meals in the school holidays. Have a google and see if there's one nearby. Our church also do regular food packages for all those who use the service.

Lots of great ideas, thank you

@Kitkat151

Not read all the thread OP but where I live if your children are on a CIN plan they ( and parent) qualify for a leisure pass....so free swimming...sports etc

And when you get free swimming, you get a free shower too, so it saves a bit on hot water!

@Waterlemon

Lidl do crates of fruit and veg for £1.50, they advertise as being available daily but they go very quickly I’ve only ever seen them early in the day. I normally shop at 8am on Fridays and there are loads to chose from. Most weeks there is a good selection Of crates available and The amount would easily do a family for aTleast a week. Or would Be good for soup making. If you speak to the staff, they will be able to let you know the best day and time to call in.

I use Lidl so I'll try and get there are school run today, thank you!

After school run I mean!

@oldandscunnered

When I think to when I was a child we had no central heating and a coal fire. Every room in the house was freezing and we all sat in the one room round the fire. The bathroom had one of those ceiling light things that heated up (my god what a fire hazard). There was ice on the inside of the windows in the morning. I suppose we took it for granted then but I certainly don't think it is acceptable for anyone to live like that any more. Was going to say try Farmfoods if you have a freezer - you can buy loads in there for your money.

Yes! My single mum would get up really early in the winter to sort the fire out so I could run down and get dressed in front of it. An electric heater over the bath!! Our boiler packed up about three weeks ago and we went back to a fire and the immersion, until we could get a replacement. I feel ridiculously priviliged that we can finally afford one without too much stress. A few years ago, god knows what we would have done. It disgusts me what this country has come to.

@Whatabambam

Do you rent OP? If so and you have a shortfall between your rent and your housing element of UC, you can apply to your local council for some extra financial help called Discretionary Housing Payments. You can also apply for help towards your Council Tax from the same scheme (usually done at the same time).

You should also contact your water supplier and apply for the social tariff which is a special tariff for households on the low incomes. Your monthly bill could drop to as little as £5 per month. If you have water arrears, you can apply to their Restart scheme. These programmes are excellent.

Your local council will have recently received central funding from the government for households in financial distress. Go online and apply. It's there to be used.

If you are making payments to non priority creditors....stop...get money advice from a reputable not for profit organisation such as the CAB and consider your debt options with a professional debt adviser.

I've had personal experiences very much like yours and it becomes a full time preoccupation. It's horrific and unless you have experienced it, noone can truly understand how crippling it is. I now work for a debt advice service as I feel so passionate about inequality. It sucks. Sending hugs

Thank you for all the information. A reduction in water rates would be amazing. I will look into the other things too. I'm sorry you have struggled but great to hear you are doing better! I'm sure you are helping so many people in your work and they will be incredibly grateful. I am getting help with my debts by a Christian organisation.

@NotMyCat

Definitely agree with olio I have a guy who is homeless that comes to collect food. I never see him but I leave a flask out for him and run a charger outside. He collects the food and charges his phone and leaves the empty flask If you do use too good to go, I find morrisons give the most veg/fruit heavy stuff, and greggs are generous

Oh that is so kind of you. I'm sure he is incredibly grateful. I have downloaded Olio.

@Bunnyfuller

Prolific is a survey platform, not a marketing thing, genuine academic research from all over the world. I’ve earned £100ish on it from Sept, and it doesn’t take long. Quite interesting too!

I'll have a look, thanks.

I was in a position where I had very little. We had moved into a house in February and it was so cold. We moved with very little.

Our local council had/has a warehouse of donated items offered for free or for pennies if you were on certain benefits.

I picked up some hideous curtains, but they were thick lined heavy velvet. I hung them behind my existing curtains and the difference in temperature was markable. That was the warmest room in the house after that.

It might be your local authority runs a similar scheme.

I second the tip about adding powdered milk into porridge. It lasts for ages.

Another thing that's possible on low income is putting uncooked rice into large socks, tying them and heating in the microwave. It's cheaper than putting the kettle on for hot water bottles and it's very cheap to set up. Small rice socks in coat pockets keep children warm on the way to school.

Sorry you are going through this, it's miserable. Just remember your relationship with your children is what they remember later.

The Lidl fruit and veg boxes are often frustratingly the far side of the checkouts. Just a tip if you go in looking. I'd ask what time of day they make them up so you get first pick...

I didnt know about these fruit and veg boxes.

Hi OP, haven’t managed to read the 15 pages of replies unfortunately but I saw that you said you don’t have curtains, only blinds. This will be making a massive difference to how warm your house is, thick curtains tucked up onto window ledges really do make the world of difference. I would scour any local charity shops to see if they have any, and in the meantime if you have any blankets, towels and an old curtain pole you could try a make shift curtain with that.

I’m so sorry you’re in this predicament sending you many well wishes and hugs.

Also late afternoon and early evenings are good time to get yellow sticker reductions on food. I bought a bag of apples for 20p, loaf 30p, pack of scones 40p and cheese for 50p. I split them all into smaller portions and froze them for later.

I was going to suggest a microwave heatpack when I posted earlier, but didn't because they cost upwards of £5 to start with.
I love them - a couple of minutes in the microwave and they stay warm for a few hours.

Found this - you can make your own with rice.
hoosierhomemade.com/homemade-heat-packs/

[quote ThinWomansBrain]I was going to suggest a microwave heatpack when I posted earlier, but didn't because they cost upwards of £5 to start with.
I love them - a couple of minutes in the microwave and they stay warm for a few hours.

Found this - you can make your own with rice.
hoosierhomemade.com/homemade-heat-packs/[/quote]
Uncooked rice into socks. Tie tightly and microwave. It's almost free and very cheap.

www.freecycle.org/find-towns

Try freecycle for curtains as people often give them away for free or for a small cost. Type in your town and the item you're looking for and it will list them nearest to you.

good thinking @beautifullymad - I was trying to think of what to use as the "bag" if no sewing machine