Scots are being forced to skip meals and turn their heating off as families bear the brunt of the cost of living crisis.
New research by Which? has revealed people across the country are having to make choices that could be harmful to their health due to financial pressures. Extensive research carried out by the consumer champion surveyed over 1,000 people in Scotland.
One 34-year-old woman was severely depressed due to rising bills as she worried she would have to choose between heating and eating. She said: “I'm severely depressed and worried all the time about being able to pay my bills and have enough money to feed and clothe my kids as well as electricity and gas to heat my home.
"It’s having a massive effect on my mental health, I feel anxious and stressed out all the time."
Another respondent was trying to reduce their bills by skipping hot meals. The 42-year-old said: “I’m heating the house to a maximum of 15 Degrees… Eating cold things like sandwiches etc. instead of using the cooker."
While a 55-year-old woman was being forced to skip meals and sit in the cold. She said: “We are having to skip meals, not have the heating on and not going out due to fuel costs."
And a 54-year-old man added: “I’m having sleepless nights worrying what else is rising in price”.
The new research found that one in ten consumers are skipping meals due to rising food costs - with parents hit particularly hard.
While one in five (22 per cent) of more than 250 parents are prioritising feeding other family members over eating themselves - compared to eight per cent of the population overall.
Almost nine in 10 consumers said they were worried about energy prices, while concern around food and housing costs have increased sharply compared to the previous year.
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “It’s hugely concerning that people in Scotland are losing sleep, skipping meals and sitting in the cold due to rising prices.
“As the cost of living crisis puts huge pressure on household finances, we are calling on businesses in essential sectors like food, energy and broadband providers to do more to help customers get a good deal and avoid unnecessary or unfair costs and charges during this crisis.”
Around 77 per cent of respondents said they had been putting the heating on less due to energy price rises - compared to 46 per cent last year.
While 15 per cent of Scottish consumers had been eating fewer cooked meals to save on energy costs.
Almost nine in 10 consumers said they were worried about energy prices, while concern around food and housing costs have increased sharply compared to the previous year.
If Scots tried to maintain the same spending habits as the previous year, they need to spend an additional £40 per week - or around £2,080 a year - on food, energy and fuel.
That would mean almost a third of their household expenditure would be spent on just these essential goods.
The research also discovered parents were being hit harder than others by the cost of living crisis, with 72 per cent saying they had to make adjustments to cover essential spending.
Only 37 per cent of working-age parents surveyed in Scotland say that they are living comfortably or doing alright - compared to 50 per cent of Scottish consumers overall.
The financial pressures are also causing widespread emotional harm, with many suffering from anxiety and insomnia.
Nearly half of those surveyed said concerns around the cost of living have left them feeling anxious and more than a fifth said they were struggling to sleep due to worries about the cost of living.
Which? has recently launched a campaign calling on essential businesses – energy firms, broadband providers and supermarkets – to do more to help consumers struggling to make ends meet.
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