Brenda McElhatton pushes her trolley along the supermarket isle and stops in front of a fridge.
The branded butter she always buys her husband has gone up in price again. But housebound and living with dementia, it’s one of the few luxuries he gets to enjoy these days. Brenda reaches for a pack and gently places it among her items.
It’s a sorry state of affairs known by most across the country right now. Brenda, from Farnworth, is one of many currently struggling with the cost of food and essentials.
Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.
Scraping by on her pension, she’s even considered coming out of retirement and finding herself a job just to make ends meet.
“It’s hard,” the 68-year-old told the Manchester Evening News. “Will [prices] eventually go down? No. Not for a long while.
“Pensioners don’t get the extra cost of living payments. I still have the same bills to pay as everyone else. I still have to keep the house running.
“If my husband wants something, I get him it, because that’s all the pleasure he’s got. It makes you wonder why you worked for 50 years.”
Brenda isn’t the only one struggling. The number of people on Universal Credit in Bolton has reached an all-time high, according to new figures.
Stats from the Department for Work and Pensions show 34,753 people were using the benefit in the borough as of March, the most claimants ever recorded in the area.
Universal Credit is a benefit available to those out of work, disabled or below a threshold of earnings and savings. Those claiming Universal Credit rose across England during the pandemic and has remained high ever since.
While pensioners and the unemployed struggle, skilled workers face a difficult balancing act. Mental health nurse Charlotte Douglas has made cut-backs to be able to afford necessities.
Though she can no longer afford holidays abroad, she still makes sure her daughter, Elliah, four, can attend afterschool activities including swimming, gymnastics and dance.
“It’s a bit of a struggle, really,” she 32-year-old, who lives in Bolton, said. “I’m working part-time now because of the cost of childcare.
“I’m renting and the cost of rent is probably way above what a mortgage would be. I’m having to be really careful because I try and balance my daughter’s life with activities. I’ve just been and bought paint and stuff [for her].
“But with the cost of living, it’s just sky high. It’s difficult but you just have to carry on because it’s not going to change things, it’s just going to get worse.
“I’m trying to be proactive and look at different ways of managing finances. I come into contact with people who can’t manage day-to-day life.”
Another parent, mum-of-two Robyn Rimmer, who lives in the Bradshaw area of Bolton, has had to change where she shops for food in a bid to keep costs down.
“It’s a nightmare,” the 32-year-old said. “Everything has gone up.
“To be fair, I’m pretty lucky. My family help me out. We’ve started going to Lidl, [other supermarkets] are ridiculous.
“It’s hard work. I don’t know how people are surviving. In some places, they’re putting security tags on milk. It’s crazy.”
Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.
