I either do my food shop or pay my bills. I decide the debt can wait a while longer, because hunger cannot
- This article is part of Heat or Eat: a series of diaries from the frontline of Britain’s cost of living emergency
I’d like to dedicate this column to Deborah James, who died last week of bowel cancer. It was her work as a campaigner and podcaster that made me realise that I, too, could have a voice – talking about people living in poverty. So here’s to you, Dame Deb, thanks for everything.
I’ve just received a gas bill. Nothing unusual about that, you may think. Except that last year I set up an account with British Gas to do my gas and electricity on a meter, which means I top it up online. When the quarterly bill used to come it was overwhelming for me – three months’ worth of bills and I’d think, “Where the hell am I going to get this money from?” Now, whenever I’ve got 20 quid or a tenner or a fiver, I put it in the meter and hope it will see me through to the next week. The company said I could pay the backlog I owed it through the meter, which is set at a slightly higher rate, so that every time I put money in, it’s paying off a bit of my debt.
As told to Simon Hattenstone. Liz is in her 40s and lives in the south-west of England. Her name has been changed
The Trussell Trust is an anti-poverty charity that campaigns to end the need for food banks. Show your support at: trusselltrust.org/guardian
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