SIPPING a cup of tea while nibbling on half a piece of toast with a single slice of banana, Stef Hammond wonders how she will manage to get her family through another day.
Wrapped in three jumpers, a beanie, and gloves, the 45-year-old mother knows that this modest breakfast will likely be all she can afford until dinner.
Stef Hammond is a single and living off Universal Credit[/caption]
She also works 16 hour shifts as a carer[/caption]
The mum-of-five is in debt due to sky rocketing energy bills[/caption]
Living in a four-bedroom council house in Grantham with her three daughters, aged 20, 16, and 15, and her nine-year-old son, while her eldest son, 23, has moved out, Stef isn’t a “super scrooge” or “money miser.”
She’s simply one of the 6.27 million people in Britain on Universal Credit, trapped in the painful “eat or heat” dilemma.
This week, it was announced that energy bills will rise for millions of households this spring.
The energy regulator Ofgem confirmed the new price cap, set to take effect on April 1, 2025.
For those not on a fixed deal, the average dual-fuel bill will rise from £1,738 to £1,849 per year, an increase of £111, or £9.25 a month.
“I was in floods when I heard this. I choose between heating and eating daily now,” the mum-of-five tells Fabulous in this exclusive interview.
“I’ve been going without all winter just to make sure the kids have their meals, uniforms, clothes, and their needs paid for.
“I can’t remember the last time I had three meals a day. As a mum, I make that sacrifice. This price hike is a body blow for me, I’m often left in tears worrying.”
She continues: “I’m already relying on food banks and the Bread and Butter Thing charity to ensure there’s food in the cupboard. This latest hike is crippling for single mums like me.
“I don’t know what I will do. It’s leaving me forever poor, in forever debt.”
The Bread and Butter Thing is a community scheme that provides affordable food to families who are struggling.
It offers a low-cost weekly shop filled with essentials – fresh produce, fridge items, and cupboard staples.
“I go once a week and pay the big family fee of £17.50. I come home with six full shopping bags of fruit, vegetables, meat, and food I’d never be able to afford otherwise, ” Stef explains.
“I even get a free cuppa and biscuit. It’s warm at the hub, and I don’t feel so alone.
We’re all worried sick
“Everyone is talking about how to cope with the gas and electric price hikes.
“We’re all worried sick. Without food banks and the Bread and Butter Thing, I wouldn’t be able to turn the heating on. I refuse to let my children suffer.”
Stef survives on £1,400 a month in Universal Credit, which includes £450 in housing benefit.
“I work one 16-hour shift a week as a carer. It’s an overnight shift, starting at 3 p.m. and finishing at 9 a.m.,” she says.
Every day, my reality is choosing between eating or heating. This price hike feels like a tax on the poor.
Stef Hammond, 45
“It’s the only work I can get that fits around my children’s school schedules.
“I’ve always worked, surviving on full-and part-time jobs in cleaning, housekeeping, and carer shifts.
“I’m not complaining. I live from hand to mouth, with nothing left over at the end of the month.
“My reality is that my Universal Credit and 16 hours a week of work don’t cover food, bills, or travel.
How do I calculate my energy bill?
BELOW we reveal how you can calculate your own energy bill.
To calculate how much you pay for your energy bill, you must find out your unit rate for gas and electricity and the standing charge for each fuel type.
The unit rate will usually be shown on your bill in p/kWh.The standing charge is a daily charge that is paid 365 days of the year – irrespective of whether or not you use any gas or electricity.
You will then need to note down your own annual energy usage from a previous bill.
Once you have these details, you can work out your gas and electricity costs separately.
Multiply your usage in kWh by the unit rate cost in p/kWh for the corresponding fuel type – this will give you your usage costs.
You’ll then need to multiply each standing charge by 365 and add this figure to the totals for your usage – this will then give you your annual costs.
Divide this figure by 12, and you’ll be able to determine how much you should expect to pay each month from April 1.
“Every day, my reality is choosing between eating or heating. This price hike feels like a tax on the poor. I won’t survive it.
“It’s going to put me in ‘forever debt,’ and that’s why I’m speaking up.”
With four children at home, Stef spends £130 a week, or £520 a month, on top-up gas and electricity, which she says “eats credit.”
She explains: “It means I can’t properly budget. I can’t let the kids go cold, but if the electric meter runs out, anything in the fridge or freezer will spoil.”
She thanks The Bread and Butter Thing for helping her out with her food supply[/caption]
Her council house rent is £450 a month, and despite only buying discounted yellow-label and own-brand groceries, she spends £450 a month on food.
She budgets £100 for her children’s uniforms and clothing needs.
“I’m behind on my internet bill and repaying debt. The current bill is £145 a month,” she adds.
Since the pandemic and the rising cost of living, Stef is now £6,000 in debt, owing money on rent, council tax, and water bills, and has had to seek a Debt Relief Order.
Pretending to have eaten
That leaves her with £1,545 in outgoings each month. “Between my Universal Credit payments and my 16-hour shift, I have no spare cash.
“I never buy new clothes for myself. I spend a tenner a month to top up my phone, and that’s it.
“My kids are my world, and they come first. It means I pretend I’ve eaten or just have a cuppa so they can be fed.”
Stef says: “I never buy new clothes for myself. I love charity shops, but even items that cost 50 pence are sometimes out of my budget.
We don’t have savings to fall back on, and this energy hike is soul-destroying
Stef Hammond, 45
“It feels like the 1920s during the Great Depression, but this is the reality of being a single mum of five in Britain in 2025. Nothing has changed in a century. That’s terrifying.”
Stef, who cooks everything from scratch to save every penny, says she can’t afford a car and has to walk everywhere, often unable to afford the bus.
“I only buy yellow-label items at the supermarket – the cheapest options and own-brand products,” she says.
“I know when Morrisons and Aldi put out their discounted products.
“A chocolate biscuit is a treat, but even then, it has to be the own-brand version.
Stef doesn’t have any savings to fall back on[/caption]
She is limited to ingredients but tries to cook all her meals from scratch[/caption]
“I’m not moaning. I’m just trying to share the story of what mums like me are going through up and down the country.
“Price hikes hit us the hardest. We don’t have savings to fall back on, and this energy hike is soul-destroying.
“I wish some of the Ofgem officials would come and live with me for a week, live on my budget, and see what the price hikes mean to real people living in poverty.”
Stef is desperate for help as she is buried in debt.
“My kids will never go without. I’ve asked for debt advice, and advisors are scratching their heads. I will survive on my cuppas and leftover toast.
“It’s what a mum does for her kids. I am begging the government now to tell me how to make ends meet.”
4 ways to keep your energy bills low
Laura Court-Jones, Small Business Editor at Bionic shared her tips.
1. Turn your heating down by one degree
You probably won’t even notice this tiny temperature difference, but what you will notice is a saving on your energy bills as a result. Just taking your thermostat down a notch is a quick way to start saving fast. This one small action only takes seconds to carry out and could potentially slash your heating bills by £171.70.
2. Switch appliances and lights off
It sounds simple, but fully turning off appliances and lights that are not in use can reduce your energy bills, especially in winter. Turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use, can save you up to £20 a year on your energy bills
3. Install a smart meter
Smart meters are a great way to keep control over your energy use, largely because they allow you to see where and when your gas and electricity is being used.
4. Consider switching energy supplier
No matter how happy you are with your current energy supplier, they may not be providing you with the best deals, especially if you’ve let a fixed-rate contract expire without arranging a new one. If you haven’t browsed any alternative tariffs lately, then you may not be aware that there are better options out there.
