A SINGLE mum-of-two who says she has been admitted to hospital twice after eating one meal a day to save money is now considering begging.
Kelly Thomson, 43, only eats dinner to ensure her children have three meals a day as she can’t afford anything more.
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She has just £40 a week to feed her family of three and says the 10.1 per cent inflation rate will cripple them.
And while Kelly’s universal credit covers her £1,300 monthly rent and a few other costs, she said she has just £160 a month left for everything else.
She says rising food prices have made it near impossible for her to feed herself as well as her son Alfie Peek, 14, and daughter Louise Brown, 11.
The 43-year-old has lost two stone because she only eats once a day, and was forced to take her daughter’s birthday gift to Cash Converters to get money for food.
She claims she has been admitted to hospital twice with malnutrition, and says she even needed blood transfusions to replenish her depleted iron levels because she can’t afford fresh food.
This comes as new Office for National Statistics data released on yesterday revealed the UK inflation rate is the highest it’s been since 1982, at 10.1 per cent.
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Kelly, from Slough, Berkshire, said: “I hate waking up every morning and thinking ‘oh my God, not again’.
“The cost of living is crazy now and I don’t know what I’m going to do. We have nothing. I honestly feel I’m going to have to resort to begging.
“It’s worse now than ever before. I feel sick over seeing the new inflation rate.
“Everything is more expensive every time I go in the shop and I can’t bear to look at the gas meter.
“I do think about stealing but I can’t bear the thought of what would happen to my kids if I got arrested.
“I just cry every day because it’s getting worse and I feel so trapped, like I’m suffocating and there’s nothing I can do.
“It feels like everything is spiralling out of control – we need someone to step in and help the people that need it.”
Kelly says she has been struggling to get by since getting long Covid in December 2020, when she was signed off from her job as a cleaner.
She said during winter, she and the kids used to go without power and use candles to light their home because she couldn’t afford to pay the bills.
They all cuddled up in bed together at night to keep warm – with the family relying on neighbours to heat up food.
In desperation, Kelly said she took the family TV and her daughter’s smart TV she was given for her birthday to Cash Converters to buy some food.
All the money goes on food, topped up with food bank supplies, but it still leaves Kelly living on one meal a day so her children don’t starve.
She gives the kids breakfast, and they get lunch in school, but she says sharing an evening meal with them is the only time she can feed herself each day.
Kelly has lost two stone since January 2021, and says her size 12 clothes look three sizes too big for her.
She said: “I’m lucky if I get a meal a day. I just get up each morning and get on with it because I have to, I do it for my kids.
“I’m so worried and I cry every day. I’m so frightened I’m going to lose my mind, and I used to be such a happy person.
“I’m worried for my health, I’m faint with hunger all the time. I’ve fought and fought and I just don’t know what to do anymore.
“In June, my children watched me collapse. I’ve never been so scared in my life and the impact on their mental health must be awful.”
She encourages the government to step in to help those most in need – before they have any more “deaths on their hands”.
Kelly said: “It’s terrible. The truth is, it’s like everyone’s suffering while the people at the top are having a party.
“They need to fix up.”
If you’re struggling, there is help out there for you and your family.
What to do if you’re struggling with bills
If you’re struggling, there is help out there for you and your family.
Check what help is available to you – use a benefits calculator to work out what you are entitled to.
See whether your child qualifies for free school meals or if you could get a grant of up to £200 to help with the cost of school uniform.
You might also be entitled to child maintenance payments.
You should also consider contacting Citizens Advice, National Debtiline or StepChange for free advice.
You can find their contact numbers below:
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