A struggling mum whose one meal a day often depends on finding a yellow-stickered budget item from her supermarket says she is no longer living - just existing.
Sarah Stanton, who survived on Universal Credit, says she is already frightened to turn the heating on and resorts to using candles to keep warm.
Receiving just £260 every fortnight while supporting a child, the parent is getting by eating just once a day as it is all she can afford.
Sarah, like hundreds of thousands across the UK, is anxiously waiting for the Autumn Statement on November 17 to see whether their payments are going to change.
New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is still to committed to raising benefits in line with inflation.
Sarah's situation could become even worse and as the cost of living crisis threatens to put the family at risk, she says she is fearing winter as her energy bills soar , the ManchesterEvening News reports.
“I can’t look forward to the future,” the mum says. “It’s not living – it's existing.”
“It’s massively impacting my mental health. You just want to go to sleep so you don’t have to think about it and you’re not cold.
“It’s just terrible, I haven’t had my gas and electric on because I’ve accumulated £71 in debt. I’ve been charged for not using the meter. I’ve got one 16-year-old, but how are families with small children going to cope?
“It’s alright telling people to put more layers on, but everything stinks of damp. I’ve been staying with my friend who lives in assisted living because he has all his heating provided.
“I’m having to rely on friends and it’s a case of you help them so they help you. I’m running my friend’s errands so I can stay at his."
Sarah is among millions of Brits struggling to keep up with her energy bills.
As temperatures fall, she says she can’t turn her heating on due to accumulating debt on her prepaid meter.
"I put candles on instead of a heater," she said.
"Surely they can’t just let it go up and up. Why are they being so selfish?"
Tens of millions of Brits face “eye-watering” tax rises and spending cuts to fill a black hole of up to £50billion left by Liz Truss crashing the economy.
The Autumn Statement - which doesn’t have the status of a Budget, but is similar - will be announced on November 17 by new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
However, William Whyatt, from Westhoughton, is positive new prime minister Rishi Sunak will “sort it out”. The 92-year-old said: "He comes from a family who are well-versed in money.
“I was 92 on October 1, I’ve been about a long while so I know about prime ministers. It’s going to get better.
"Not immediately, but we’re just going to have to wait and see. I believe Rishi is an experienced person with money and that’s what we need.”
