I’ve Started Skipping Meals

Today we are giving over Gef to you our readers.

Throughout the day, 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 tomorrow 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 submission is from a person who has started skipping meals to ensure their kids eat.

My family is considered to be in the ‘comfortable’ wage bracket. Yes me and my husband both earn a decent wage, nothing earth shattering, but it does us. We have one child in school and one in nursery. Before the increase in food, motor fuel, gas and electricity we just about got by every month. 

I have no savings, my husband has a small amount, and in our joint savings account we have less than £1,000.  We have to dip in to our joint savings every month to ensure we can feed our kids. We only have one car, but we’re having to consider selling this due to the impact the cost of fuel is having on our expenses. Now with the gas and electricity prices increasing, we’re having to plan ahead and start stocking up on tinned food for the winter, so that we know we can feed our children at all times. 

I have started skipping meals every now and then so as not to use the food we already have in the house, and let the children eat it instead. 

We don’t know how we’ll afford heating and food this winter as well as nursery and fuel costs, yet if you look at our wages on paper we look like we’ll cope with it no problem at all.