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.

The independent had an article I read today titled "unemployed to be given weight loss jab to help them back into work says government" and then the article mentions that there's to be a trial of a drug, normally used to treat diabetes, to be trialed on 3000 obese uk citizens with obesity related health conditions over five years, the aim of the study is to see if the drug supports people's energy levels, reduces dependency on the NHS, etc.

Where does unemployment come into this? There is nothing in the study itself that says it's aimed at the unemployed but that it's aimed at the obese with obesity related health conditions. The title makes you think the gov is gonna start including weight loss jabs in UC applications or something. Other than some unrelated mentions, no where in the article does it explain how the drug trial mentioned relates to unemployment beyond a vague mention, a clearly added opinion rather than anything factually based in the trials information, that it could help obese people back into work. But unless the trial is focussed on unemployed obese folk, their employment status is irrelevant to the study.

It's little microagressions like these, articles that mention the unemployed in a context that makes us seem lazy or unhealthy, but that isn't actually relevant to the context of the article, that are part of why the world feels so aggressive and harsh to those of us out of work. Especially when, for the vast majority of us, it's lack of jobs, especially jobs that accommodate for disabilities, that are the issue not lack of willingness to work.

I recently had someone say about me, when I was looking for a disabled toilet, that "being obese isn't a disability" and articles like the one mentioned above are part of this myth that is protrayed about the unemployed, especially the disabled unemployed, that were just fat n lazy. Alot of the times we have limited access to healthy diets due to low income, which can lead to weight gain. And alot of medication for disabilities come with weight gain, water retention and other weight related side effects. And those with disabilities and on low incomes aren't able to access safe exercise opportunities, either cos travel costs, gym memberships, or lack of disability support (including other factors) are an issue.

If the gov really wants to reduce obesity, best thing they can do is provide a living income to the unemployed, so we can afford healthy foods, subsidise exercise opportunities and legislate the food manufacturers to stop making the unhealthiest foods the cheapest. Heck we've got an MP down south lobbying for freddos to be 5p again, I'd much prefer he lobby for fruit to be 5p again not sweets.

So I went to my usual supermarket (asda) and noticed that they had taken the 2 for £8 meat offer off everything that was once on there so now I got way way less shopping and will now have to look online for the things I refused to buy. No more 2 for £5 either. I feel stuck as my wage doesn't cover the cost as I work part time due to being a single parent. Labour needs to do something or we are all going to end up being in debt which I'm trying to avoid. Not sure what to do or where to turn. Things are getting so much harder and the struggle will come more apparent.

I can't help but get sucked in to the online Facebook comments about how the new school fining system works. I joined a group for single parents to save money, pay less for holidays. I have read the full 2024 framework (improving school attendance) and it seems that different councils are putting their own spin on the legislation, probably to scare parents from taking their children on holiday term time. I add comments everyday, trying to help people to understand the facts but the more I do this, and the more I read about the inconsistencies and individual circumstances, the more I'm getting annoyed with this government for allowing families to be fined, or even sent to jail for giving their child the only affordable holiday they're going to get. Targeting those who cannot afford term time holidays is downright scandalous. I'm reading that many children have above 98% attendance and of course, a fine occurs. I mean, take your child on holiday once a year every year for 3 years and you're in prison! Ludicrous right? So, let's not give them a holiday. Let's not reward all of their hard work and let's not give them those opportunities that other families who can afford to enjoy 10 x the price in school holidays!!!!!!

These standing charges are mental. I do everything I can to reduce my bills, but I was still charged £80 for this last months gas n electric. Which isn't a lot for middle class families with middle class incomes, but on a low income it's mental. I remember before lockdown I'd only need £10 for gas and £20 for electric in the summer months, £20/£25 in winter. And I'm checking my bills, checking my house, seeing what the options are. And I realised my usage for last month was £36, that was my actual usage, the other half was for standing charges. Standing charges are more than the price I actually spend on energy. It's mental. How can they get away with scamming people like that?

Who else noticed it rained all day? Maybe because I was constantly on the go from GP to hospital. It's as if the rain for today was on me all through.

Hmmm this weather is just making people kids. Had two GP appointments today for my kids and still ended up at the A&E. It's very troubling to see kids so sick and helpless. O Lord help us.

Seen speculation about dropping the 35 hours per week job search requirement... wish I believed there were government politicians with the practicality and common sense to take that on... all it does is sap the energy of those who are seeking employment, waste the time of those who are not, and burden businesses. I don't have a problem with living in poverty, so much as I have a problem with being deliberately trapped in it, by politicians with power and wealth.

Feeling frustrated today, that wait times and red tape are preventing my son from accessing Autism and Adhd assessments and diagnosis.

While we wait he's In year 8 mainstream and after 2 1/2 weeks into the term he's already been isolated 3 times and now is suspended. The school are doing all they can to support his difficult behaviour but it's just not enough. I wish I was listened to before he went to high-school and I wish they had placed him in a specialist provision but he just didn't fit the criteria they said.

Kids with SEN are just being set up to fail because there just isn't the funding available to adhere to the EHCPs they are being given.

The extra fuel to attend all the meetings at his school 23 miles away is crippling me too. My own mental health is suffering and after my Inital appointment with a local talking therapies group they decided I needed a more specialised provision for neurodiverse people and that means more waiting.

Some days it would be nice to just get everyone in the car and take them for a McDonald's or bowling or something where we can just put our struggles aside for an hour and be present and happy In the moment together but it's not financially viable.

And as the weather gets colder it's going to get harder.

I'm sure tomorrow will seem more positive but today I'm just frustrated

After receiving a migration notice saying I was being moved from legacy benefits to Universal Credit, I did as much research as possible, it seemed that there were things in place to ensure I would not be worse off apart from the initial assessment period which has been a real struggle for myself and my daughter. I have now received a notification of my payments. Despite being unable to work due to ill health and spending the last eight or so years bringing up my daughter on nothing but a single persons legacy benefits and child benefit, I will now be around £300 a month worse off before taking into account that the child benefit for my daughter has now also stopped. How can this be acceptable to push people further into destitution, that are unable to work through no fault of their own in a society where the poorest are already struggling to survive. I feel worthless not only as a human being but also as a parent to my daughter, left feeling outcast and forgotten by a government that would insist that we are all equally treated.

"long term sick" is something I'm seeing a lot of in media, especially since labour took over, "getting the long term sick back into work". Cos they don't want to admit they're picking on the vulnerable and disabled. Better to say long term sick than admit they're targeting the disabled.

And focusing on encouraging us back to work, the problem isn't with us, it's with employers not willing to make the accommodations needed to get into work, it's that for many work makes us more sick, especially those of us with chronic disabilities like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, just getting out of bed and moving around my ground floor flat is exhausting, let alone finding a way to get to a workplace, navigate the workplace, finding the energy for dealing with people who don't understand what it's like to have a hidden disability and then get fired for being off sick too often, like it's something we wake up and consciously choose to live with. "Oh I know what'll be fun, how's about living in never ending pain and dizzying fatigue each and every day, that'll be a hoot" FFS. No wonder suicide rates are on the continual rise, gov would probably wish us dead then at least they wouldn't have to pay to keep us alive anymore. And so much of these chronic illnesses are made worse by long NHS wait times and GPs pig headedness to rush through appointments and not listen to patients, so by the time we do finally get help it's not enough and we're left medically playing catch up with disabilities many GPs don't have training on.

Stop punishment of the disabled for being disabled, for some of us we wouldn't be so unwell if it weren't for the lack of medical and financial support needed to help us physically function better.

Reading a lot about millionaires and billionaires and offshore bank accounts to avoid paying tax

What do they need so much money for?

Inequality can't be denied anymore.