An elderly woman has shared her frustrations after being left with no money to buy enough food and pay for heating.
77-year-old Yvonne Bailey said it has been three weeks since she had a conversation with another human as she has nothing left from her pension credit after paying her bills.
Speaking to Metro, the pensioner said that a trip to the cinema or a meal out is out of the question for her. “I have no choice but to avoid socializing. I hate it.”
“What quality of life is it?” Yvonne, who is a widow, asked. “Sometimes I sit here and cry.”
The elderly woman also shared how she heated her home twice for only 30 minutes in the evening and she was shocked that it cost her £10 ($11.84).
“I’m just wrapping up warm and wearing layers. I get so cold, I end up going to bed, which I have two duvets on,” she expressed.
The 77-year-old is in constant pain from fibromyalgia and arthritis so she used to keep the heating on a low level.
But now, she could no longer afford it so she relies on hot soup and drinks and wears a thick jacket inside to stay warm.
“When I think about it, it makes me sick,” Yvonne shared. “I get cold, my body seizes up and I end up in even more pain than I am in already.”
She can only have coffee for breakfast and she turns the lights off at night to reduce expenses. Bakes and roasts are not an option for her so she cooks her meals in an air fryer.
Yvonne has also given up beef and she’s now worried that the price of fish and chicken might increase.
“It takes me back to my childhood when I was always hungry, I was so thin, because we were four kids and there was never enough food,” she recalled. “We were used to that then – it was post war. But it’s now the 21st century, and here we are.”
She also said that she has a constant worry of how she will be able to pay for everything.
“I’ve worked since the day I left school at 16. As you get older, you should be able to expect warmth and comfort,” Yvonne expressed.
“I couldn’t wait to retire; I thought it would be a pleasant time. Instead, it’s been a nightmare.”
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