I am Afraid of What Winter Will Bring

This morning, as with yesterday we are giving over Gef to you, our readers.

We will be running a series of articles which reflect the challenges people on our island are already facing ahead of a a rise in fuel bills and others costs heading into the winter months.

We are doing this because today sees CoMin meet before all Tynwald members gather for a behind closed doors discussion on what to do to help people on our island.

We hope members read these articles, they are after all the experiences of their constituents and our fellow islanders. You can also email your MHKs and all members of Tynwald with your feelings, thoughts and concerns. All their email addresses and some of their phone numbers can be found here.

This was submitted by a person on the island and the views expressed are their own.

I am afraid of what the winter will bring. I can’t afford my grocery bill.

The chicken fillets I used to get have jumped from £2.50 a pack to £3.20. The milk that was £1.85 is now £2.20 for the same volume from the same manufacturer.

My partner and I are living on porridge made with boiling water with dried fruit from the bakery section, bags of frozen fruit and veg, and rice.

Our version of “meat” is beef or chicken flavoured gravy. We make everything in the microwave or with boiled water from the kettle to keep the utility costs down. We’re already struggling with the gas bill.

All it’s used for right now is two people taking showers. We’re in a one bedroom flat with an open plan kitchen/living room. I don’t think we’re going to be able to afford to have the heating when it gets colder.

I’m dreading just dealing with the added cost of heating the water for the showers as winter comes,the price goes up and it takes more energy to warm the same amount of water to the same temperature.

We don’t eat out. We don’t get takeaway or go to the pub. We don’t drive and we live in central Douglas so we don’t need to take the bus.

We don’t go anywhere at the weekends. We don’t have kids. We cut our own hair.

I don’t wear make up or paint my nails, and when the last of my favourite perfume finally runs out, I won’t be buying another bottle. My phone as a pay as you go brick.

I haven’t bought any new clothes in the last four years. My shoes have holes in them. I’m not buying a new pair because I’m going to need that money to survive.

I stopped paying into my pension. My pay rise for the last three years has been a single increase of 1.6%.

Manx Gas will have raised their prices as of September 1.

They plead poverty while wasting money on vanity projects like a rebrand that they think will allow them to shed their negative reputation, a customer survey app that spams people who contact them via email or text, sponsoring a customer care award that lets them attend a fancy dinner every year, buying a new billing system without training their staff on it, and a revolving door or middle and upper management.

I’m frantically interviewing to find a better paying job but at this rate, even jumping for a 10% uptick will barely allow us to make ends meet.

We’re in privately rented accommodation. We don’t make enough to buy, and we make too much to quality for social housing.

It’s the same situation with the existing and proposed winter fuel payments. I don’t know what else we can cut back on. All the luxuries are gone. All the treats are gone. We’re using the cheapest version of the necessities we can find.

We’re only going with the basics, and we’re still struggling. The cost of living isn’t worth the price we’re paying for it and I don’t think we can keep paying it much longer.