Shoes can be bought at shoezone for as low as £10, I get ones at £14 that are very comfy.
Parents with children skipping meals, cup a soups are about £2 or sometimes a little cheaper, you can get eggs at a £1 (white eggs) & bread at 50p -£1 that is egg on toast much better than cup a soups.
Cheaper to go for vegetarian meals and go back to basics so that mother can eat too. Weekly shop can include bag of potatoes, brocolli, onions, leeks, carrots, pasta, Rice (pasta and rice might only need replenished every few weeks), garlic, stock cubes veggy (again every few weeks and you can freeze it), tomatoes, bread, cucumber, milk, cereal one or two tins of chopped tomatoes. Any thing else on top of that is a bonus, so you can add a few things like veggy fingers etc.
Pasta, cook the pasta drain, put in chopped garlic clove or half if that is all you have, a little brocolli, some chopped onion, put in some of the tin of tomatoes so it coats the pasta, for 2 people you would need only a third to a half a tin a half a tin might stretch to 4. put it all in and if your using an electric hob turn the hob off after the pasta has cooked, put in all the other ingredients and put the pan on the hob, it will still cook as the hob is hot enough after cooking the pasta, saves you money.
the stock of the brocolli can be chopped up into little bits and put into a pot, along with any other veg such as finely chopped up potato, leeks, carrots for example any tomatoes, good for using up soft tomatoes. put in water and stock cube and you have a filling soup serve with a slice of bread.
You can buy a tin of ratatouille a tin will serve 2/3. Put rice into boil, take off hob put to side and cover the top of the pot, turn hob off put another pot on the hob with chopped up onion/garlic and any other left over veg and put the tin of rataouille in with it when it is cooked then serve with the rice. yummy
Stir fry : fry up left over veg and serve with rice - yum - if you have any left over chopped tomatoes put that in with it.
i think the problem is that people can be too fussy and not think of easy cooking with the basics. Look up receipes from the Great Depression and you will find some really simple ideas there too.
If you are still struggling: try for some food at the local food bank, if you have a little money then make sure to buy veg. as that is important. veg can be prepared and frozen if need be. Use up all veg and then go onto other things like tinned food/frozen after every mouthfull of veg has been used up.
Look also for instant couscous on sale at 60 p for example, the one with that famous chef you only need to boil a kettle for that and it makes two portions great with a couple of baked potatoes
Food is very important.
Dont go on holiday, when ur contract on mobile phone ends get a pay as you go phone mine costs £5 a month to top up! and the handset cost £14.
Dont drink, smoke, go minamilstic, do you have more that two TVs? sell one to make some money.
These are tought times, a lot of us in the same boat, but there are ways to keep going. and do not be afraid to go to the food bank you need to stay healthy for your kids.
Glasses! is there a way for her to get the best that she can afford? can they not just put in her lens to your existing frames? a lot of people are struggling, but beware of people who might poor mouth too, they have enough but are frugal.
Cut down subscriptions also do you need internet at home, can you use your works at lunch time? can you use a local library that would save you money when your contract ends.