The weather in Northern Ireland has been so harsh. It’s hard to keep up with gas and electric during all these storms, in the month of January and on a very low income. There are government payments coming soon but wouldn’t it be better to have these in January when it’s much needed instead of a few months away? Also - we must ask the question / why do we need these payments or as I like to call them payoffs? It’s like silent money. Clearly it suggests we don’t have enough money to live on otherwise why would be getting these hand outs. It’s just simply ridiculous.

Being on a low income certainly affects relationships with family members. There are simply things I cannot do as a single mother on a low income. My brother is an engineer and my sister a [removed for anonymity] - I can never amount to them as they have secure jobs that are well paid. When it comes to Christmas and birthdays their gifts are quite extravagant and I simply can’t compete. I then start placing unnecessary pressure on myself to keep up with their generous gifts but I simply can’t.

The cold winter and having to put the heating on is worrying me. Income has not increased but the cost of everything has continued to go up and up. Nothing is the same, living life means making cuts all the time. The thought of not being able to afford things as I did before is so depressing.

I was the one who always had family around to my house, entertaining, cooking & lots of garden parties. Over the last 3 years this has reduced significantly as I cannot afford to entertain.

I feel isolated and don't always have the money to travel to see my family. This has impacted on our relationship especially when it comes to children.

I also find that I cant attend some family functions/occasions due to not having enough money for an outfit, travel and buying gifts.

So the national insurance rates we pay have changed this month, can save people on a high income £400 per year or more, low paid people well I saw a extra £10 however as my wage has gone up my universal credit goes down 55p per pound so the £10 is actually £4.50 per month so £54 per year, any extra is obviously more than welcome however I fully see this as a benefit for the rich it’s not a help to those of us that are poor, with food prices as they are it’s 1 milk and one loaf of bread a month …….

I think it doesn’t but I suppose it really does depend.

For me it doesn’t make a difference. As the people around me are either on PIP or pension.

They comfortably get through life and at times moan about it that they can’t afford everything! and it does frustrate me as I can be down to nothing whilst they still have hundreds. Other than that for me it’s never really mentioned.

This is a really interesting question. My mum, my parents volunteer at a food bank local to where they live and I've recently told them that I am now using food banks. Um, so I've been using a program locally to me and I've been using them since I think November and they're just in total denial that this is my life and that I'm at such a point where I can't sacrifice money from anywhere else in my budget that now the food budget has to go and that in order to survive this is what I have to do. And I just. Yeah I think it's just shocked me that it's just so dismissed that this is my life. Yet they're experiencing food banks at the other end and it's making them feel good thinking that they're doing something to help but yet their own daughter isn't worthy of their help. Yeah so I just feel even more unimportant, insignificant and just this lost member of society that isn't valued it.

Unwell

Ran a temperature last night and coughing.

Sounds wheezy and crackly from my windpipe which feels tight. Not in pain but my voice is squeaky.

Been sleeping on and off. No appetite. Neck and head hurts, my lymph nodes are swollen under my left arm and under ears. No energy and no support to clean up and fetch medicines. Where did it come from? As I don't have much contact with anyone.

As a single parent on a low income, this is a subject that is quite massive in my family. The majority of my family are in couples where both work and live in an affluent area. So when it comes to school trips, school dinners, et cetera, I have to find the cost, obviously. But whereas it comes easy because they've got two wages coming in, but there's a lack of understanding because if I say to them, I'm struggling to afford the school trip this week, they're like, surely you've got 25 pound? Like, who's not got 25 pound? I'm like, well, I've got one wage. I'm paying all the bills. You've got two people with two wages. And they're like, well, no, because we have two lots of things going out. We may have two wages, but we still pay for two cars and stuff. And I'm like, yeah, but you have one rent, one gas and electric bill. Those bills aren't doubled. They're like, well, no, we have more expenses. Two people. There is a massive lack of understanding. Yeah, okay, you pay for two cars and you pay a bit more for your food, for the extra person, but you have two incomes. People just don't understand that as one person, you're paying out a lot more than a couple with two incomes. And until you live it, you don't understand it. And it causes me so much stress. Like you get asked, do you want to go out for a meal? No, I can't. I can't afford it. And then it's like they look at you like you're bad with your money when you're really not. It's just the way that things work when you're on a low income, being a single person hard.

Well working absolutely quiet for a warehouse I'm scared of being made redundant as the hours are perfect while my son is at school.

Growing up my mother was a single parent back in the early 1970's when there was a lot of shame around it.

The rest of our family were very well off and we were the poorest. This impacted on never feeling good enough and not having the fancy cars and houses they had. When going round to visit I would hear comments about me and my mother that were not very nice. Such as comments on our size, what we were wearing etc. They did not help my mother just criticized us. Even now, this still impacts me and I often will feel not good enough or dressed well enough etc when going places.

Bringing it back to the present day (2024) I have to limit the time I can go and see my grandson and my middle daughter has they live 2 hours drive away which costs a lot in petrol. I am hoping to move closer to them in a few years time so I don't miss out on my Grandson's life.

My son left home last year and often will ask me to pay his bills and food has he is struggling. He also has a drug addiction which puts great pressure on me has he has asked for money for drugs and stole off me before.

I often feel like I am the family member holding everything together and this can be exhausting. I work 2 jobs myself and do a lot of charity work but it never seems to be enough.

Yes is impact a lot because all the time stress, worried is make super difficult make the relationships in harmony or good environment.