I can barely afford Christmas presents for my kids – I go without food and we can’t even heat our home
A STRUGGLING mum is agonising over how she'll afford Christmas this year after already cutting back on essentials like food and heating.
Faye Garland, 29, from Wolverhampton, is desperate to make the festive holiday good for her kids but is struggling to make ends meet as it is.
With rising energy costs and food prices skyrocketing, Faye has been making some tough choices to keep providing for her family.
After quitting her job because she couldn't afford childcare, the mum-of-two is trying her best but even supermarkets like Aldi seem out of reach.
She told : "I have to go without (eating) sometimes, that's just the way it is.
"Even when my kids want something, I can't afford it. I used to be able to give them everything they wanted."
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With an asthmatic son, it's vital to make sure he's living in a warm home, but the family has to resort to other measures rather than relying on heating.
She says: "I have had to use the heating because it's an old house but I've noticed a difference. It went up to £10 a day.
"I'm limiting how much I spent on certain things. We'll have to wear extra clothing."
As Christmas approaches, she's nervous about how she's going to afford presents for the kids.
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Faye said: "I'm dreading it.
"I can't afford as much as I used to. I'll have to cut back. They'll get nowhere near as much as usual."
The doting mum is one of many people who are struggling to cover the cost of essentials, and the prospect of Christmas may be adding extra stress to household budgets.
Millions are entitled to a one-off Christmas bonus this year to help them with rising costs.
The bonus is an extra £10 landing in the bank accounts of those who are eligible.
Households on Universal Credit could get free cash help this Christmas that won't need to be paid back.
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Benefit calculators can help you check what you could be entitled to.
There are several benefit checker tools you can use - here's our guide.
