A 20-year-old is sharing his daily battles amid the cost of living crisis as he struggles to pay his energy bills and feed himself. Ashley Goudou, from Mancroft, Bristol, lives alone in a one-bedroom flat along with his four dogs and four rescue cats. He works 10-hour shifts seven days a week on £6.81 an hour, and cannot afford a pedal bike to get to work.
The factory worker walks an hour in the dark to get to his night stint and lives off Pot Noodles, as that's the cheapest meal he can make. Ashley told the Mirror : "I shower at the gym because I can't afford the gas to wash at home. I always worry at the end of the month if I have enough money to feed the dogs - but I'd rather feed them than myself."
Ashley, who used to be in care and moved out at the age of 16, earns nearly £2,000 a month and says the cost of bills and food has tripled in the last year.
He spends more than £1,000 on rent, gas, water and WiFi each month, then pays for his pets' food and care, leaving him very little to spend on himself.
"I never know at the end of the month if I've got enough to look after myself and the dogs. That really worries me," he said.
"I have lots of debts and my WiFi and gas has been cut off. I can't pay for it all.
"When I'm low on food, I worry about when I'm going to get more and I pray to God."
The 20-year-old relies on kind donations from Bristol Animal Rescue Centre to keep his beloved eight pets fed and vaccinated.
He visits Ambition Lawrence Weston community centre every Wednesday for free vet check-ups and to pick up dog beds, cat litter and bags of food.
"Without their donations and food, it wouldn't be possible. But I don't want to take too much because some people are worse off than me," Ashley said.
"If the centre wasn't here, I'd have to work two jobs. I would choose to do that and put the pets first.
"Now the price of electric and gas has gone through the roof, I'm struggling. Even pet food has tripled in price.
"I used to spend just under £1,000 on my pets a month and now it's about £3,000. I only earn £2,000.
"I used to feed them four times a day, now I feed them twice and buy supermarket-own brands.
"Handing them into a rescue isn't an option for me, I wouldn't have the heart. I'd rather not feed myself.
"I know I can look after them and I don't know if someone else can give them as much care."
In lockdown, Ashley took in 12 rescue cats when a friend could no-longer care for them, and four stayed with him, Tinkerbell, Messy, Red and Ruby.
They joined his four dogs, five-year-old Frenchies Blue and Willow, seven-year-old bulldog Dolche and two-year-old bulldog Bruno.
The lifelong animal lover aspires to become a vet one day and says his pets are a lifeline for his mental health and wellbeing.
"I suffer with bad mental health. Earlier in the year, I separated from my partner and I felt suicidal. The dogs kept me going and gave me purpose," he said.
"The Government don't see the effects the cost of living has on people.
"I used to eat two healthy meals a day and now I'm just eating Pot Noodles because it's all I can really afford.
"I walk to the gym to shower because I can't afford gas at home to have a bath. It's ridiculous."
Are you struggling amid the cost of living crisis? We pay for stories. Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
