To have cried in asda

[Littlemissdan]

Is it just me that the whole cost of living thing is getting too much for? I actually had a (very small and no one watching!) cry in asda when I saw some reduced bakery goods because I didn’t know if I could afford them alongside my entire smartprice shop. £30 I had for a 2 week shop including nappies, and it just broke me that I actually had to wonder if I could afford a 55p treat for my kids. I can’t believe we’re living like this, 3 years ago we were comfortable and now I’m relying on the free school meals half term vouchers.
Not really looking for advice or budgeting advice here, just a bit of solidarity really :(

@Daffodils22

Seems a lot of items have gone up 25p/50p that over a grocery shop makes for a bloody big increase.

Yes and the media don't seem to be talking about it. Everything I buy has increased in price.

I was in Morrisons yesterday and walked out because I was so disgusted by their price hikes.
For example, the dog biscuits below. Tesco £1.60. Morrisons £2.15

Morrisons have always been cheaper than Tesco in the past, for most things.

Sorry it's so bad OP. You've said you and DH are skipping meals. No food bank will turn you away in that circumstance. Please find one near to you or where you work. Many food banks can also give you nappies and toiletries.

For anyone on UC with young DC
www.healthystart.nhs.uk/how-to-apply/

It’s awful OP, so sorry that you’re in this position.

Please check local churches, we have one in our village which twice weekly has large amounts food available all of which has been donated by local supermarkets. It’s free to anyone, you don’t need a referral.

It’s all horribly unfair, when you look at prices in the supermarket it’s not even like things have increased by 1p or 2p. It’s 10p on one thing, 20p on another.

I appreciate this will be of limited help to you OP as you're out at work, but for anyone struggling to afford nappies who has some time on their hands, you might want to look into elimination communication. I was late starting but on the days I'm careful I can limit nappy usage to one or two a day. Awful that people are being forced into it for cost reasons, but it can help. Also it reduces wipe usage if they go on a potty and you can just use a few reusable wipes instead.

@Londoncallingme

Get an electric bike for work?

Have you seen the price of electric bikes?

Tesco do a clubcard extra thing for 7.99 a month and you get 10% off 2 big shops a month on top of the clubcard prices

Maybe you get very political OP- i feel so bad for you. start posting on Facebook etc , I’m fed up of people struggling but still voting Tory /supporting Brexit and enabling this shit. Im not a hard left winger, I’m not pro laziness, I’m not pro those who are 100% able but can’t be arsed to do much— I am however fully aware that the UK has gone totally100% to shit for people without equity/high earnings/savings or who struggle with commitments with young children, disability etc - please bear in mind these people are raiding the public purse to boost the pockets of Tory supporters /themselves in the same way as private company corporations pay directors huge dividends to directors before mysteriously going into liquidation/admin- see Rishi Sunaks wife for details. I’m an extremely centrist voter and current gvt are making mugs of Many by playing to their xenophobic/hatred of ‘the left’ - you are all scrounges etc. The cost involved just purely in Brexit— they could have paid everyone’s fuel bills for next few years- it’s outrageous !!

And I’m sorry to be political— but they have relied on so many women simply not being so

@GrandTheftWalrus

Send an email now and phone them 1st thing tomorrow and say you want to cancel due to price increase.

@SmellyOldOwls yeah she's my 2nd as well. Last night she had a jar for dinner as I just didn't have enough food there to make a meal for her.

I've got frozen veg and frozen mash etc so I make that for her. I try to buy the 3 bags of chicken breasts for 10 from farmfoods but even those bags are getting smaller. I made me and dh a curry in the slow cooker and I put a full bag of chicken in it and it was basically 1 portion each. Whereas before when I done that it was at least 2 and leftovers.

@Littlemissdan

Is it just me that the whole cost of living thing is getting too much for? I actually had a (very small and no one watching!) cry in asda when I saw some reduced bakery goods because I didn’t know if I could afford them alongside my entire smartprice shop. £30 I had for a 2 week shop including nappies, and it just broke me that I actually had to wonder if I could afford a 55p treat for my kids. I can’t believe we’re living like this, 3 years ago we were comfortable and now I’m relying on the free school meals half term vouchers. Not really looking for advice or budgeting advice here, just a bit of solidarity really :(

I understand your perspectives and frustrations to a degree, op, it soon adds up. All the best and positivity

Those healthy start vouchers would be a life saver but dh earns too much. I think it's 600 you are allowed to earn but his earnings are 1000.

This is no use if you don't live in Scotland, but just in case you do, please make sure you are claiming the Scottish Child Payment for children under 6 (rises later in the year to include children under 16) , this is £20 per week per child and also that you have claimed/are planning to claim Best Start grants:-

www.mygov.scot/browse/benefits

@Littlemissdan
I am so, so sorry that you are in this position, it is heartbreaking.

A couple of months ago when Jack Monroe hit the headlines when she worked out what the REAL rate of food inflation is, I was appalled at how the hikes hit the lower priced items rather than the Waitrose/ M&S items.

Jack Monroe is great to follow for excellent economical meal advice. She, herself, was once in your situation and so really understands the awfulness of it.

Maybe have a look at the Trussell Trust. They will show you where your nearest food bank is.
(Coincidentally, DH and I actually did a sponsored walk to raise funds for them today!)
www.trusselltrust.org/

Also, our town has a community fridge provided by the local Mosque where you can go, no questions asked. I wonder if there is anywhere like that local to you.

[quote rachelohrachel]This is no use if you don't live in Scotland, but just in case you do, please make sure you are claiming the Scottish Child Payment for children under 6 (rises later in the year to include children under 16) , this is £20 per week per child and also that you have claimed/are planning to claim Best Start grants:-

www.mygov.scot/browse/benefits[/quote]
I applied for that on 29th Jan and I'm still waiting to hear back. I also applied for the school age payment for my dd who started p1 in August.

Near us one of the community centres has a community food centre - for £5 you get two shopping bags of basics, bread, milk, yoghurts, marg/butter and some veg and fruit as well

Olio is good but you have to be quick so set for alerts. Don't forget some of the things you can freeze or process. My lady had 50 punnets of strawberries las autumn so I asked her if I could take 20 and made Jam which I then shared with others I know are hand to mouthing at the moment.

Could you stretch to a couple of packets of seeds? Might be a fun project for the kids to save loo rolls for planting (just use normal earth as long as its not too clay like) and you could plant up tomatoes and lettuce to start with or beans or peas - I know it doesn't make many for bigger families but supr fresh , might enthuse the kids, good easter project.

Another thing to look out for is community fridges - again sometimes there is a small charge but its not usually anything enar supermarkets. I would also definitely go end of day shopping for yellow ticket items, chat up the staff and see if there are regular times they do it etc.

Any chance you can ring forward potty training??? That could really help. I might also approach health visitors regarding nappies see if they know of any hygeine banks that could help

I would definitely look at the possibility of alternatives for commuting or if ther is the possibility of a day working from home take it if you can. Make sure you are taking lunches and drinks to work as well as that is a big cash burner if you are not careful.

We are all feeling the squeeze on all fronts. Some people are better off but they have also been spending all their money so need to reign it in and wont find it easy.

@GrandTheftWalrus, have you called to chase up these applications? SSS are usually a lot quicker than that.

[quote rachelohrachel]@GrandTheftWalrus, have you called to chase up these applications? SSS are usually a lot quicker than that.[/quote]
I got a text on 9th March saying they are having more applications than normal. So I assume I still have to wait another couple of weeks at least

This was what I got

I can’t believe we live in one of the richest countries and we’ve had to rely on food banks to feed our families. This isn’t right.

@PinkAndViolet

I was shocked when I walked round Sainsburys earlier. £2.58 for a 6 packet of walkers crisps and £4.50 for a small box of breaded chicken. How the hell are people meant to cope? I'm sorry OP, it's so difficult I know. X

No one needs crisps....walkers or any other brand

@AHungryCaterpillar

I think this is the last time they are doing the vouchers just to warn you, I know it’s the last time our council are. So won’t be able to rely on them soon 😕

That is such a shame. Are they doing anything else? People need it more than ever.

@Londoncallingme

Get an electric bike for work?

Is that you, Boris?

This thread is awful in terms of its not nice to see how people are struggling, but lovely in the suggestions people are sharing of things some people could claim they may not know about etc. I hope this carries on because you have no idea who spots what on here and is helped by it, even if they don't post.

My work have just started a increase your hours by 6% trial, which I've signed up to because I'm a single person running a house and I can't afford not to. I've also been working 10 hours a week overtime for the past few months. This week I only managed 9 and next week at this point there isn't any, and I'm panicking. The managers joke that I must be rolling in money. I'm struggling to make ends meet, I'm not working extra for fun.

That said, I AM making ends meet, at this point. I've had to cut out treats like Crisps and biscuits and I really think twice about putting the heating on but I'm managing at the moment, just. So I've just transferred a few quid to our foodbank as this thread has reminded me to do that, and tomorrow I'll take some books I've read to the little free library we have. I know that you can't eat or warm your house with a book, but people struggling still deserve to read if they want to

I'm really sorry, OP. I really recommend getting in the swing of the food apps - we get tons of good quality bread to freeze this way, which saves loads.
I'm sorry to suggest something that sounds like it's from the 19th century but because you said you were planning to skip meals my Mum always made soup from all the bits of veg that maybe you'd throw away - potato peelings, tops of onions, celery leaves, carrot peelings, broccoli stalks etc. She'd keep some in the freezer then when she'd got a lot simmer it with stuff in to flavour it - cheese rind, bacon rinds, whatever she'd saved. Take out the rinds, then puree and refreeze it in plastic tubs so there'd always be something to eat when money was tight. Honestly, it was always delicious. Please don't not eat!