A mum who says she is living off £4 a week is surviving on pancakes and may have to have her German shepherd put down. Julie Harper, 52, used to work for M&S but was made redundant during the pandemic.
Ms Harper, who lives in Worcester, used to receive £155 of Universal Credit payments but she no longer gets a carer's allowance after her daughter left home. After her two other children moved out in September, she also now has to pay £116.18 bedroom tax.
That leaves her with just £16 a month, the Daily Star reports. It means she can only buy basics, like milk, eggs, flour, bread and butter. She eats mostly pancakes and says there are days when she does not feel human.
"I feel forgotten," she said. "It’s embarrassing, I’ve had to put shopping back at the till because I don’t have the amount to spend. You go home and don’t feel human."
She said she can go three weeks at a time without having a proper meal and some days does not eat at all. She also has pets to feed and is regularly using food banks.
Ms Harper added: "When you look at them and they’ve only had a piece of toast a day it doesn’t make you feel like a good person."
Vets have now offered to put down her German shepherd if she cannot afford veterinary costs, she said.
Julie previously told Worcester News: "My kids have moved on and left home but I have lived in my house for 22 years, I do not think I should be punished just because my children have left home. I simply cannot afford my bills on just £16 a month of Universal credit, I am at the end of my tether."
