Low income families how are you coping?

[Orangesandlemons77]

Just wondered how others are coping on low incomes with the cost of living rising.

We've joined a community food pantry which is every week, you pay £5 for a family and can choose from a selection of items. Have been twice now.

Have also been making use of money off online grocery shop vouchers I have found online (not this week though unfortunately).

I'm worried.

Both my children are autistic and will only eat certain foods. We cook cheap meals for us as parents, but give the children the foods they will eat, which are different. One of my two is a very restricted eater and will only accept certain branded products. This week the price of a pack of Petit Filous yoghurts had gone up to £1.60. My child eats 2 or 3 of these yoghurts a day, it's the only source of calcium being consumed.

We get DLA and previously I've managed to buy the food shopping without using the DLA, keeping it aside for things like taxis and sensory items. Now we need the DLA to buy the branded foods.

And because of the DLA we're significantly better off than lots of other families, so I don't know how everyone is going to cope.

I'm getting worried. I'm a single mother. We manage now but the way costs are spiralling scare me.
I'm debating cutting after school clubs when the kids go back we arent getting the previously promised guinea pigs as they are more mouths for me to feed, And I'm really trying to be careful with our food shop now and only doing a big one every 2 weeks with small top ups weekly. I've cut our electric usage right down and have decided I won't be showering in the winter if I can help it just baths as our fire place heats the water so it's free as ill be running the fire anyway. Already stopped using the tumble dryer and other such things. I'm lucky that my ex pays child support and I live in Scotland so get the Scottish child payment but that will be halfed soon when my eldest turns 6. Its all just a worry, I'm running out of things I can cut back on.