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Christine Haycock, 42, shed a few tears as her oldest daughter Emily made the decision to save pocket money in order to give the mother of three a new sweater.

In an interview at her home in an industrial area outside of Liverpool, northwest England, Haycock told Xinhua, “That really got to me, a nine-year-old girl knowing the plight we are in.”

As Christmas approaches, Haycock finds it difficult to make ends meet. Haycock visited a food bank for the first time a few weeks ago to obtain some basic supplies for feeding her family.

She remarked, “I was disappointed to think that I had reached the point where I required a food bank, thinking that this is what I have to do to get us through Christmas.

Haycock was not the only person experiencing a rising cost of living dilemma. More than 320,000 people in the United Kingdom (UK) entered the Trussell Trust food banks, a prominent organization battling hunger, for the first time between April and September, and 1.3 million emergency food parcels were distributed around the nation.

Haycock blocked chilly drafts from entering by placing old blankets against windows and doors.

“Never before have things been this awful, and the chilly weather is making everything worse. Christmas is something I’m looking forward to for the kids but not so much for myself “She spoke.

Inflation in the UK has been running high this entire year in 2022, setting successive new records, primarily due to rising energy prices.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), households spent 88.9 percent more on average in October for electricity, gas, and other fuels than they did a year earlier.

Particularly in October, domestic gas prices were significantly higher than they had been the previous year.

According to Haycock, “I am checking my bank balance every day to make sure I don’t go over,” and “My monthly energy cost had risen from 120 pounds (145 dollars) a month to 222 pounds, which has made life this year more of a hardship.”

Additionally, rising food costs significantly influenced inflation. According to the ONS, prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 16.5% in the year that ended in November, continuing a 16-month streak of increases in this category’s annual inflation rate.

According to Keith Baker, a research fellow in fuel poverty and energy policy at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, some households in the UK are forced to choose between keeping warm and buying food during this frigid holiday season.

According to Baker, who has worked with organizations attempting to assist those struggling with the simultaneous problems of a cost-of-living crisis and high energy costs, “we’ve now reached a stage where charities are trying to get out warm clothing to people.”

British customers are now more frugal when buying gifts for Christmas as a result of the cost of living crisis.

According to an ONS survey, almost 60% of adults planned to spend less on Christmas this year than they did the year before.

This Christmas, according to the ONS, people are buying fewer and less expensive presents, less expensive food and drink, and fewer meals out.

“The only factor is money. I am frustrated because I simply can’t buy everything the kids want for Christmas “said Haycock, a supporter of the government program known as universal credit that assists low-income families.

“I only need enough money to get by in 2023. There doesn’t appear to be anything to wish for “said Haycock.

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