Arg, power cut frustrations and stresses.

For most people their budget can allow for some food waste but for us at the bottom of the food chain one power cut can leave us without food for weeks.

And I did my grocery shop yesterday! 😭

The power cut started in the night, so I woke up this morning to texts from neighbours asking if my electricity was working. It wasn't. Went on the power grids website, the powers been out 4.5 hours before I woke up. Meaning most of my fridge is no longer safe to eat. According to Food Safety regulations on the govs food standards website, food in my fridge is safe up to four hours into a power cut, and in a standard freezer up to 24hrs, smaller time for smaller freezers. My freezer is basically a drawer, it's tiny at the top of my fridge, can hold about two bags of meat and two bags of veggies, and its already dripping water with the door firmly closed, so not looking good freezer wise for me either.

All that food I just brought yesterday, that was meant to last two weeks. I know it's not any one persons specific fault but it just feels so unfair. There's no help available for situations like this, not in my area anyway. And can't take out a UC advance I til last one is paid off. So I'll just have to go with what I have in the cupboards, toast, some pot noodles and baked beans I have for "incase of emergencies" but it's only one week's worth. Most of my food is on fresh produce like cheese, pies, quiches, pastas, yogurts and milk, etc. I've got an electric oven so i cant even cook up the meat n veg quickly to then refreeze when cooled and electrics are back on. There's nothing I can do to save the food. Just sat waiting for the electrics to come back on hoping the freezer doesn't fully defrost by then. I could just cry.

My neighbour has a new born, so she's having to go to her in-laws so she can make and warm milk for her baby. Another neighbour is elderly and has the same food issues as me. And no electric also means no heating cos all our boilers are the newish combi gas and electric ones, so don't work with no electricity either. So it's cold, no heating or hot water, and I'm watching my fridge freezers slowly growing puddle wanting to cry. What a great start to the weekend.

And according to my neighbours it's only the council properties in our area affected, which makes no sense (it's true, I can see lights are working at some properties that are clearly private owned) but surely it's the same electric grid for everyone, why are some houses in this largely council estate working but most aren't? A lot of my neighbours feel it's deliberate, targeted at council homes for some unknown reason. It's a natural fear to have when we are hit doubly hard by something that's a small inconvenience to most people. I can't see any benefit to the power grid in doing that, but I can understand why people are feeling so paranoid these days, when the gov is repeatedly spewing anti-poor rhetoric these days, if often feels like the world is actively against us or even out to get us.

Mostly I'm just so sad, all that food waste and it's the important food items. The meat and veggies and diary. Means it'll be two weeks of even poorer diet than usual, which will probably mean I'll have a fibromyalgia flare up from the poor diet, which will have a knock on effect into the winter.

Think a lot of people don't understand about chronic illnesses and disabilities is that recovering from one event can take months, especially when that event is timed at the start of winter. I normally start buying extra food items to squirrel away for winter, in case of emergencies, but I've not been able to do that this year cos the cost of food is already so high. And no food bank in my area than I can access.

To most folk, a power cut is a mild irritation but once resolved it's no biggie. But when you live payday to payday one bad day, one small inconvenience becomes an emergency level event and You're left with few options. Could either borrow and be stuck paying that off, or go without and your stuck with the consequences of that (the latter is the option I'll have to take, I can't afford to borrow cos then I'd have no money for groceries for the next few months anyway cos of paying the borrowing back). Not like the power grid will send vouchers to replace food lost cos of their error.

It's such a small thing but feels massive.

And it reminds you how vulnerable, unsafe and unvalued you are.

Autumn/winter is a worrying time already. Heating bills, new winter shoes/boots, coats, hat scarves gloves that are constantly lost and needing replaced as well as filling, warming meals for the kids. These are things we need to worry about already. And that's before we even mention the "C" word and all the added expense that goes along with that.

So this announcement actually does fill me with dread. With the exception of my working tax/child tax, I receive no other financial assistance. My wage scrapes above the threshold for any sort of free school meals or uniform assistance or housing/council tax assistance so the double edged sword is that it won't really have much of an impact on me in regards to that but what I'm worried about is how it will impact the marginal assistance I receive. And how that will affect the very no margin for error, precariously tight budget I have. I don't know what to expect. And that's what scares me.

Will I have enough for

* Warm clothes for the kids (they have taken a stretch since last year)

* gas and electric bills I still haven't turned my heating on yet. We're just walking around with layers on

*Christmas. Although it's very small every year and I don't go overboard I'm not sure if charity shop gifts are going to be enough this year as the kids are getting older. Trying to think of a creative ways to make Christmas less rubbish.

I have been saving Tesco points for Xmas which will be a big help. However that's going towards food. * what will 2025 bring. Pretty much more of the same misery. I'm sure last year I said this is the year of me and getting out of poverty. Maybe 2025 is the year.

Also mental health in the darker colder days. I'm hoping to try and go out for daily walks instead of moping around indoors but it's hard.

There are also things over the winter months that would like to take my children to panto, Christmas Market ,ice-skating, to see a good Santa etc etc but again I'm looking at a bank balance of £4. As saving is practically impossible.

I’ve had to cut one of jobs work hours down due to working 63 hours taking its toll on my body. I am now worried as my income will be down. I have to keep my home warm has I am hyper sensitive to cold and I can’t function properly unless I feel warm. I am looking for some online work I can do to bring in an additional income I can do round my other jobs. I don’t receive any benefits so my income is what I earn from working.

Hi there, about this winter I’m worried clothes and heating. It's going to be very cold this winter.

super worried in my case they increase the price for the heating and hot water is another extra expenses I don't know how we can pay and buy the essentials for the family

Thinking of the extra pressures faced in the winter months more electricity and gas usage. Things like Halloween and Christmas sooo commercialised and the peer pressure at such young ages to have things like phones, electric scooters, top of the range clothes and shoes. Cost of shopping it’s like you get nothing for your money and before u know it more shopping is needed. I know of families struggling because they have changed from tax credits to UC and the earning threshold is different so because they are not earning enough they are getting less in UC or nothing at all. Tax credits was 16 hours uc is 24 is what I’m told so people are really struggling which then affects the mental health as the persons job wage isnt enough to live on so they have the worry of how will they feed their child. Awful that there are people out there trying to do the right thing and work but getting penalised for it!

Good nourishing free meals for children at school;

Easy access for mental health services;

Good education provision for children with special needs;

Affordable school uniform.

My main concern is energy costs. For the last 2 years I have been self-disconnecting to save money for any other unexpected family emergencies.

The whole year was stressful due to financial uncertainty already now winter add up extra stress as energy cost

My son needs warm flat due to his health concerns and GP knows how we are struggling she even said energy bill will be higher but your son needs it.

School holidays around the corner. Life is a struggle

We are asking for a simple life when govt living a life of luxury.

As someone from migrant background I have noticed that children from migrant background especially Asylum seekers and those with No recourse to public funds are often ignored or not taken into consideration. Child poverty does not look at your immigration status and spare your children from poverty. When we are talking about supporting financially those in marginalised groups this group of people should be taken into consideration.

We went to a baby class together this morning, it was nice for us both to get out the house together