SINGLE mum Symone McKitty-Smith kept her dressing gown on to keep warm and trawled the shops for bargains – but still felt she was trapped in debt after her energy bills spiralled out of control.
But now, thanks to The Sun on Sunday’s Squeeze Team, she is feeling positive about her future.
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Our energy expert Tashema Jackson visited Symone’s home in Manchester this week, and our team analysed her bills.
Within hours they managed to save her nearly £300 — and thanks to their expertise she is on track to save more than £1,000 within the year.
As Britain feels the pinch, with energy expenses, taxes and living costs all set to soar, our Squeeze Team is riding to the rescue.
Last night tearful nursery nurse Symone, 30, said: “I can’t thank you all enough. This latest energy bill terrified me. The debt has been crippling.”
Heating was the biggest issue for Symone, a single mum to daughters Nevaeh, eight, and two-year-old Amara.
She was on a manageable Utilita prepay meter until an “energy expert” from a company called Money Expert called round last September.
Symone said: “They told me they could save me money. I was thrilled. I waited for details of how I paid on the prepayment meter but they never arrived.”
Instead she received a quarterly British Gas bill for £296 for electricity and £273.79 for gas.
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Symone said: “With the pre-payment meter I knew where it was at, I could keep tabs on it, I could manage it.”
She earns £9 an hour and takes home on average £750 a month.
She owes £900 in council tax arrears, has a monthly childcare bill of up to £500 and her council house rent is £420.68 a month.
She received £700 a month in Universal Credit but now has cash taken out at source to pay off £500 in housing arrears which she built up during lockdown.
She also has a £500 family loan from a credit union which she pays back at £50 a month.
She spends on average £220 a month on food, £40 on clothes, £50 on her phone and £11 on WiFi.
She has ditched lessons for helping Nevaeh’s dyslexia, the girls’ £3-a-go swimming lessons, plus house and life insurance.
Symone said: “We don’t have expensive TV subscriptions, I get my news on the Sun app and we use a Fire stick to watch TV.”
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Another big pressure is food. She shops for yellow labels and shops around for bargains.
She said: “Nevaeh is really fussy so I have to send her to school with a packed lunch, which is expensive.
“Amarah is autistic so that is very difficult. She will only eat beige food. I have to buy milk to fill her up.”
Here is how our Squeeze Team experts suggested Symone could save a small fortune . . .
ENERGY (£400 a year saving)
TASHEMA, a consumer champ at energyhelpline.com, said: “Symone should never have changed energy providers.
“The whole of the country was told not to swap at that time last year — there were no better deals.”
Tashema and her team contacted British Gas, which said: “We’re pleased we’ve been able to get her meter readings and update the bill.
“As a gesture of goodwill Ms McKitty-Smith has accepted our offer to pay 50 per cent of her bill, and we’ll agree a repayment plan with her for the remainder.
“We’ve also agreed to install a smart meter to make it easier for her to see what she is spending.”
Money Expert did not respond to our request for comment.
Bill Bullen, founder and CEO of Utilita Energy, the UK’s only supplier set up to help households use less energy, said: “This is really frustrating.
“Symone was moved from a pay-as-you-go tariff that was affordable and easy to manage to a standard variable tariff as a ‘pay on receipt of quarterly bill’ customer, which is the most expensive.”
Tashema also helped Symone save energy within the house.
She said: “The sofa and washing left out to dry, both on the radiators and on airers in front of them, were trapping heat.
“By putting the washing on the airing units to dry in the bath, the lounge warmed up.
“And when the radiators were doing their job I turned the thermostat down by one degree. This will save Symone £100 a year alone.”
FOOD (£350-plus a year saving)
SYMONE spends £14.20 a week on packed lunches. The Squeeze Team’s Martyn James directed her to the Wythenshawe Foodbank, where £3 would buy her seven bundles of products that include fruit, bread, tins and dried goods.
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MOBILE PHONE (up to £40 a month saving)
CONSUMER king Scott Dixon says Symone should switch to a SIM-only deal when her current contract finishes.
He said: “Two months before her deal ends she needs to shop around and switch.
“Currently on O2 you can pay just £8 a month for 10GB of data with unlimited calls and texts.
“You also get free hot drinks, savoury products and, potentially, complementary cinema tickets too.”
UNIVERSAL CREDIT & DEBT MANAGEMENT (£60 a year saving)
SCOTT recommends applying for a hardship fund — cash grants of up to £60 are available in Manchester.
He said: “Ask your local authority what you are entitled to. These grants do not need to be repaid.”
Award-winning consumer expert Martyn James says Symone should also ask for a reassessment of her Universal Credit payments, which are based on her current financial situation which has changed due to her financial difficulties.
And Jonathan Chesterman at debt charity StepChange said: “She could apply for 60 days’ breathing space under the Government’s Debt Respite Scheme or she might be eligible for a debt relief order to wipe the debt slate clean.”
LAUNDRY (£125 a year saving)
SYMONE puts two or three loads of washing on a day at 40 degrees.
Tashema recommends turning it down to 30C to cut costs by 40 per cent, saving up to 9p per cycle.
Symone wears a uniform for work, so she is entitled to tax relief for washing and cleaning.
Scott explains: “The standard flat-rate expense allowance for washing and maintaining your work clothes is £60 a year, so you can claim £12 a year back as a 20 per cent taxpayer.
“You can backdate it for up to four years beyond your current tax year, meaning you can claim up to five years’ worth, adding up to £60.”
CHILDREN (£600-plus a year saving)
THE Squeeze Team has secured a five-day crash course for both girls, worth £85, at Manchester’s Little Angels swim school.
The school’s Linda Cooper said: “Swimming is a life-saving skill. I don’t want to see this family miss out because of cost.”
Katie Nelson, of the Dyslexia Centre North West, has offered Symone a free dyslexia assessment for Nevaeh, worth £295, and a year’s free access to small group tuition at dyslexia-academy.co.uk, usually costing £20 a month.
Q&A
Tashema Jackson and Holly Mackay answer Alex’s concerns about paying the household bills
Q) WE are really worried about the price of petrol.
My husband drives a van for a living and we have noticed how much more he’s spending on petrol.
What can we do? Should he get a loan out and switch to an electric van?
LOUISE SHIELDS, 37, Norwich
OUR expert Martyn James says: “I’m always a little wary of spending money to save money, so in the first instance I’d look at the ways you can become more fuel- efficient to save some cash.
“Start by cutting out the things that mean you use more petrol, like aggressive driving, accelerating quickly, using the air con and hitting the brakes – all of which cut into your fuel efficiency.
“The same goes for leaving the engine idling.
“Turn off the engine when you can – but only when it’s safe to do so. You can also save a lot by lightening the load.
“Overfilling the tank can make your van heavier, which costs you more in fuel efficiency.
“But the simplest thing to do is clear out your vehicle of anything that might be adding to the load, which will make it run more efficiently.
“If you use the same petrol station regularly, ask if they have a loyalty scheme too.
“It’s actually quite pricey at the moment to buy new and used vehicles due to supply problems so I’d wait it out for a little bit until prices stabilise.
“You can get finance for business vehicles but if you have a business manager with your bank, see what they have to offer first then compare the deals out there.
“However, if you go electric you might be able to get a ‘plug-in grant’ which could cover 35 per cent of the purchase price of the vehicle, up to a maximum of £5,000.
“Details are at www.gov.uk/plug-in-car-van-grants.”
Q) I HAVE just become a grandmother for the first time and want to put some money away each week for my grandson when he turns 18.
What is the best way forward for this? Should I speak to my bank or try a building society?
VAL GREEN, 55, Preston, Lancs
HOLLY Mackay, from Boring Money, a comparison website for savings and investments, says: “Eighteen years is a long time.
“The stock market can make people feel nervous but for this long – and with inflation beating up cash – it is a sensible move.
“Junior ISAs let you save into an account for children. A parent needs to set this up but then you can pay into it.
“Fidelity is a big global brand which supports Junior ISAs with regular savings from £25 a month.
“Have a look at their Easy Invest option.
“Large UK firm Hargreaves Lansdown also has a good Junior ISA and helpful content pages on investing for grandchildren.
“Don’t assume the stock market is the Wild West.
“You can get a simple bundle of shares in the world’s biggest companies such as Google, Visa, Coca-Cola and HSBC – all managed and bundled up into one simple account for your grandson.
“It would be an amazing gift for him.”
Q) I’VE been self-employed for the past ten years and don’t have a pension.
I’m 44. Is it too late to open one now? And how much will I have to pay each month? I earn around £22,000 a year.
DARREN MATTHEWS, 44, Wembley
AWARD-winning tax expert Mitch Young, from Fusion Consulting Group, says: “It is not too late, Darren – you can definitely still join a pension scheme.
“Each one has different products and the payment terms are different, depending on your needs.
“So you need to see a pension/financial adviser who can recommend the best products to you.”
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