Due to the rising cost of living, people across Leeds have been going to extreme lengths to cope.
Millions of people are being forced to make tough decisions as prices of food, fuel and energy rises.
The energy price cap, a government-enforced measure to put a limit on the amount that energy suppliers can charge customers, went up by £693 at the start of April.
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It has left millions of people facing spiralling bills as they struggle to cope with the cost of living crisis.
LeedsLive has spoken to people across the city to see how they have been affected by the crisis
Below is a round-up of some of the most drastic measures people are taking to stay warm, feed their families, or pay the bills amid the soaring cost of living.
Cancer stricken pensioner only eats one meal a day
A pensioner diagnosed with a chronic form of leukaemia is so concerned about the rising cost of living that she often sits at home in her hat, scarf and gloves.
Maggie Stead only eats one meal a day and says her state pension is barely enough to cover her rising bills, so she takes extraordinary measures to keep costs down.
Not only does she wear winter clothes inside, but the 67-year-old from Headingley is trying to train herself to withstand cold temperatures so she can avoid putting the heating on.
Maggie says; "In every room, I always have a blanket handy.
"I normally don't turn the heating on until about 6pm or 7pm - and only for an hour. I have central heating, but I never put it above 15 degrees - even when it's zero degrees outside.
"But if I’m a bit chilly, I put a blanket over me. I just wrap up well. Hats, if I have to. Scarves, gloves. The whole caboodle."
Woman eats two meals a week as benefits slashed
A woman lives on just £143 a month as the cost of living crisis continues and bills begin to soar due to deductions on her benefits.
River Olivia Rose has been claiming Universal Credit for the past 18 months and is supposed to receive an allowance of £324.84 a month but has never received the full amount. Instead, the 41-year-old gets between £90 and £260, the total fluctuates each month.
River, who is a charity volunteer, said she borrows money from friends and family who are already struggling themselves in order to get by.
Benefits were deducted earlier this year for millions of people across the country to pay back debts as part of a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) policy.
Pensioner boils enough water for one cuppa
Jack Mortimer, who lives alone in a flat in Leeds, is now living in fear of his energy bills. The 98-year-old only boils enough water for one cuppa and switches off the hot water system every other night to keep costs down.
Jack, who was part of the greatest generation during World War II, has the main light switched off and manages with his single bulb reading lamp only.
He said: “I don’t know how they can justify the increase. It doesn’t seem to be right but whatever Ofgem can do about it I don’t know.
“I have always been economical with electricity. I only boil the amount of water you need for a cup of tea. Every other night I turn off the hot water system.”
Mum can’t afford to buy workwear
A mother of one can't afford to buy workwear for a new job or even afford to shop in Tesco due to the rising cost of living.
People across the city travel from miles around to the big Tesco in Seacroft but Jodie Davies, who lives in the area, has had to avoid the supermarket as she can’t afford to shop there.
The teaching assistant who has a three-year-old daughter Willow spoke to a reporter as she was visiting the Seacroft Jobcentre to apply for money to buy work wear.
Jodie wanted £150 for the clothing but had to leave with £75. “It will be helpful, it’s better than nothing,” she shrugged.
You can read the full story here.
Struggling dad living in the dark to keep on top of bills
A man has resorted to keeping his lights turned off and living in the dark. Tracey Hope tries to avoid his home as much as possible in a bid to keep the energy bills down, spending much of his days on walks around local parks.
For the 61-year-old, hot water and heating is also out of the question – if he needs it, he’ll switch the kettle on.
Tracey has been living on sandwiches as food bills rise, only buying the cheapest products.
You can read the full story here.
Couple line up at Leeds cafe to keep warm
Pensioners are queueing at a café in Leeds in a bid to escape the cold weather exposing the harsh reality of the rising energy costs.
Staff at Denicos Italian Café, in Crossgates shopping centre, say elderly people line up at the venue “every single morning” with some arriving even before they open at 8.30am.
Some of the regular pensioners are Elizabeth Kumiskey, 73 and her husband, Peter, who sat in their favourite “warm spot” in the middle of the cafe away from the tables nearer to the entrance.
Putting a brave face on their predicament, he continued: “We’ve got a couple of electric fans now so it’s a bit better and we put the snake draft excluder down. We don’t have enough hot water for a bath.
“We save money by buying food here. It’s cheaper than buying groceries and putting the oven on and it’s nice.”
Clutching her mug of coffee to keep warm while warning a wooly bobble hat Elizabeth added: “I keep warm when Peter holds my hand.”
You can read the full story here.
Mum dressing baby in 'more and more clothes' to keep warm
A mum has resorted to dressing her one-year-old daughter in more and more layers to keep warm.
Greta Bubneliene, said their energy bills have almost doubled and she’s had to keep heating at a minimum as the family's wages and Universal Credit struggle to stretch far enough to cover the bills.
The Seacroft mum works part-time as a manager for an Italian restaurant and her husband works as a delivery driver. The family are watching their bills get higher and higher as the cost of living crisis bites, leaving them struggling to lead 'a normal life'.
You can read the full story here.
Woman living on beans on toast
A woman has been left relying on a food bank in Chapeltown since losing her job at the start of the pandemic.
Times have been so tough for Kelly Blakeley since she lost her job. The former retail worker dotes on her cat Tigger, a tabby who she rescued from the streets, to the point where she'll put his needs first.
The 41-year-old, who receives Jobseeker’s Allowance, spoke to LeedsLive at St Giles Trust Pantry, which she's been using since August 2021. She said: “No matter what money I’ve got left over after paying the bills, no matter whether I could afford to buy food for myself, my cat came first and I always came second. So I could live on beans and toast for a fortnight so I could feed my cat. I’ve lived on beans on toast and eggs on toast.”
Couple use sleeping bags to keep warm
A couple from Beeston, one of the most deprived parts of Leeds, have to sleep in sleeping bags to keep themselves warm.
Beeston resident Jane Rhodes, 54, works as a cleaner in The Grand Theatre and lives with her partner, who is also a cleaner.
Jane said she spends between £30 to £40 a week topping up her energy bills at the Post Office, she expects it might go up another £20 each week in the months to come.
Jane said: “It does make me worry a bit. We’ve got sleeping bags and we sit in those to keep ourselves warm so we don’t have the heating on as much. We have it in the living room. We’ve only got a gas fire and we can’t have that on much.
“We haven’t got any radiators - we haven’t got any in our bedrooms – but we can manage. Sometimes we bring our sleeping bags into the bedrooms as well.”
You can read more stories from people in Beeston here.
Are you struggling with the cost of living? If you would like to share your story, email: mellissa.dzinzi@reachplc.com
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