I've spent most of this week hidden under a duvet or shut in a bedroom. The budget won't fit our needs this month. Despite having managed to get the money for the heating oil which I now owe to someone else instead the ADHD tax seems never ending. The shoes I bought at the end of April for Child 3 are already dead, Child 2 is walking around with a school blazer that's way too small and we can only find 1 of his 4 PE socks. My husband also now needs new shoes as he had to wade through a river in them to find Child 2. 🙄 Talking of Child 2 he has now broken the surround of his laptop screen from picking it up by the screen despite being told a million times not to. There's no way to pay for it to be fixed. You ever tried telling a highly Autistic child that he can't use his laptop!!! Needless to say late at night with a roll of brown tape I taped the surround back on. This is just a temporary measure to calm him down. Today I get the job of removing the brown tape carefully and replacing it with Electrical tape so that he can try to use it. I'm still not 100% sure that it won't catch fire but I am 100% sure Child 2 will when I tell him I can't afford to fix it any other way. The shame is a normal feeling. Mainly reserved for when someone's school shoes break and I have to gorilla glue them back together and cover up the scuff marks with permanent black marker. So far we are going through a £40 pair as dictated by the College every 3 months. My heart dies when the shoes die early as I can't budget for that. Husband got his new phone, not a posh one but a £20 Nokia brick. The kids think it's hilarious but it's all we could afford at the moment. It does the job though. In this house we have to put what we need on a waiting list and I have to triage it all and decide what is top of the priority list and you can almost guarantee something more urgent will pop up the second I click on the purchase button. 5 days until I get my CB! The banks already -£11 in one account and -£14 in another and I won't even mention how full the credit card is. I'm definitely avoiding doing next months budget as I don't think I can do miracles

We are definitely doing more small shops and eating the same cheap food over and over again. Our budget per person is 33p a meal. Yeah not possible. Most of my food shops have gone on a credit card over the last few months. I buy in bulk on benefit day and fill the freezer with mainly protein. Fruit is a treat. 1 tub of grapes, 1 tub of strawberries to be shared between 6 of us over a week. I am dreading the summer holidays when there will be no FREE school meals and a full up credit card. Sometimes I wish they'd bring back rationing as I dream it would be done fairly and make sure we are all getting the nutrients and food we need but in reality I know the government would just try to take more food away or give us penalties like a week with no rations. It almost feels like we are going back in time to the era of Victorian Poverty. I overheard a mum at the school talking about how she worked in a supermarket and they had people steeling tins of food from the Food Bank donation box. It's quick to judge and say they are villains but I wonder why steal tins of food when you could steal something worth a lot more? I wonder if Charles Dickens would write a dark epic about our current social poverty!

The cost of food has always been higher living in a rural small town in Scotland with only 1 small supermarket.

However the prices are now more higher.

It's affecting my mental health .

Anxiety at the checkout as the total is read out.

We are eating more unhealthy cards which last longer in use by dates than fruit and vegetables.

My health is deteriorating and my weight is increasing.

I received my book and omg it is amazing. I've read through most of it and can't wait to sit down later and read it all, I am so happy to be a part of this

What I’m noticing with the increasing food prices is that every week I go to the supermarket, the same items have gone up again—maybe 30p or 40p. When you add all of those increases together, they really add up at the till. The prices keep rising month after month, and if this continues, we are going to reach a point where ordinary people simply cannot afford to buy any food. We will literally be forced to choose between paying our rent, paying our bills, or feeding our families.

I don’t understand why this is not being treated as a national emergency. It is making people anxious, scared, and hopeless. Children are going without food. I’m going without food. I have never seen my cupboards and fridge so empty for such a long period of time, with so little in them. That is incredibly sad.

My children should be able to go to the kitchen and say, “Mum, I really fancy a snack. Can I make something?” and I should be able to say, “Of course you can, darling.” Instead, they are greeted by a white, empty fridge that screams poverty every time they open the door.

As a mum, that makes you feel guilty. It makes you feel ashamed. You feel like you are failing your children, even though you are doing everything you can. Your hands are tied, and your voice feels silenced. You try to speak out, but it feels as though no one is listening. No one cares. It feels as though it is not the government’s problem, even though families across the country are facing exactly the same struggle.

I am genuinely scared because every possible sacrifice has already been made, the budget has been stretched beyond breaking point, and there is simply nothing left to cut back on to cover the basic food our family needs. That is the reality so many families are facing. We are not talking about luxuries; we are talking about basic food, and the fear becomes overwhelming when you do not know how you will feed your children next week, next month, and beyond.

No parent should have to watch their children go without food. No child should grow up thinking that an empty fridge is normal. Yet for so many families, that is becoming their reality. We are not asking for luxury or excess. We are asking for the dignity of being able to feed our children, stock a fridge, and live without the constant fear of running out of food before the end of the week

I had the pleasure of receiving the lovely zine art book that was produced by myself and several other participants. I wasn’t expecting the book to arrive in the post. I had completely forgotten about it so it was an absolutely wonderful surprise. I love how the book comes to life by scanning the QR codes and hearing all of us speaking or live experiences. Really proud of the work that we’ve done.

One thing I have noticed is that food has got very expensive in the last few years. My son eats meat and I have noticed the prices going dramatically up, especially if you want nice quality. I am glad I am a vegetarian, as my share of food is relatively small in comparison to my son’s. I don’t mind I always joke about how glad I am that I’m vegetarian as it is so economical. Eating out in normal places is very expensive, this is not something we do as a rule. But on the odd occasion when we eat out, and it is just me and my son, I just get my son a main meal and do not get anything for myself. I am great believer in taking packed lunches when we are on a day out, as it saves so much money so you do not have to eat out.

Hi Nik,

Thank you for asking such an important BQ.

It has become very noticeable for me that I am filling up less shopping bags, my shopping lasts only a few days. I end up making frequent visits to the shops.

We just celebrated Eid, I could only afford a basic meal, the cost was shocking. Whereas before I could make a mini feast at a relatively low cost, this time I made a three course meal and now have to struggle for the month of June.

There's no fun and joy left in shopping, cooking or eating, there's pressure and worry on my mind to make things last and enough for everyone.

Thank you

I received a copy of the zine on Friday and it made my day! I was proud and read parts of it aloud in the house for my children to listen to. This has been an amazing piece of work and project! thank you for the opportunities to get involved and share safely.

Hi Gosia

Thank you for your BQ.

The summer weather and sunshine is helping me with my mental health, hope the sun stays for a while.

What makes my MH worse is the war and its consequences worldwide. The cost of living, fuel prices, etc. I rely upon my car for work, it's becoming increasingly worrying if I can't afford to use my car. Public transport is not reliable or cost effective for me.

thank you

I am doing all I can to give my children the best childhood/memories I can afford. This isn't necessarily about material things but about giving them the right foundation for them to build their lives on. It is not easy but I'll keep doing my best!

It's been a huge impact. For instance, I can't shop unnecessarily except if it's a very needed item. Also, I do not take it to heart when I go to the shops and I see price 'increase'. This is because initially, I would feel like my heart skipped a beat.....so, I decided to 'help' my health by not overthinking whatever can lead to high blood pressure.

In addition, I specifically go to shops where items are a little bit cheaper, I don't patronize big brands when there are less popular brands that are good and more affordable for me.