Women skip meals and make tea without boiling the kettle.Because they worry about rising energy costs
Sonia Lawrence talks about winter fears: She tries to cut costs.
Living alone in Wandsworth, London, her 62-year-old broke down in tears,worried about her cost of living.
She eats properly only when she visits her center on weekdays.
But otherwise she skips meals and sticks to basic foods such as bread, reports MyLondon
Sonia says: , eat here. I'm scared, I want to make sure I have a roof over my head, so I prioritize paying the rent.
Image:
mylondon.news)She skips meals on weekdays due to rising costs cuts costs by buying tried and basic foods.
"I only buy bread. I can buy black bread. Cheers," she said.
"But I can't afford cheese. I have more cheese. I just buy milk and have a hot drink." Turn on the hot tap and brew your coffee instead of boiling.
I am a mother of 3 children, all of whom have left home but have retired due to health reasons and are living on fixed benefits.
Her house runs on electricity, so she is worried about the rising cost of energy.
She said: "I don't know what to do. My room is all electric. It's really scary.
"My house is all electric. No. Gas.
"Summer is so hot, I'm fine. What should I do when winter comes?"
Sonia has already made changes in her daily life. and does not reduce costs.
(Image:
Getty Images)Rising prices for cooking essentials and energy are making it difficult for Sonia to skip meals and eat properly. No means it's affecting her health.
She said: "Sometimes I don't eat properly, so I get sick. I won't eat anything tonight. If I turn on the rice cooker, it's all electric.
"What if the electricity works. See, all the money I spent, as soon as I boil the kettle, I can see it working.
She said : "Maybe I'll have to go somewhere with electricity and just sit there because what am I going to do, I don't have money, I'm just trying to buy The milk is up. Everything. Budgeting, budgeting, budgeting, budgeting.'
Sonia has the support of the staff at Age UK Wandsworth, but how much she I never want to admit that I am struggling.
Image:
Getty Images)She said through tears.
``I can't cook anything. I don't have it. But I just don't tell anyone that I'm suffering.I have a scared and smiling face, but deep inside I'm in pain. I'm afraid to tell anyone.It's hard, really hard.Buy laundry soap and you'll get more money.
"Everything went well.Sometimes my refrigerator is so bare. I can't afford it, so I'd rather not eat it."
She has recently faced further stress after being targeted with "scam" emails asking for money she didn't have.
She initially ignored a letter in May claiming to be in debt to Vodafone, but then received another letter.
Sonia said, "I was a little scared because I know I didn't owe you anything. I was panicking and worrying about sleepless nights.
"Throughout the night [it [123]
"At some point, I didn't even want to open the door. Workers would come in, like bailiffs out of spy pits." I didn't open the door because I thought I could see it, and that alone made me very scared.
"I was thinking of paying them, but I didn't want them to pay me." I was afraid they would come to my door and try to take out my things, as I hadn't borrowed them."
When she received another letter, she I showed it to the Age UK staff. They were able to help her contact Vodafone who clarified that she owed no money.
On her live chat with her service she was 'relieved' when she contacted Vodafone.
Her bogus request for money exacerbated Sonia's financial insecurities, causing her to fall ill with her worries.
She said: "I was so scared I couldn't eat. I was going to get more of this letter, so I got very sick. Please come to the door."
} Sonia said she didn't send money to people claiming to be Vodafone, but "just didn't have the money to send."
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