Cost of living: 'We sold nearly everything just to pay bills'

Leah Callaghan worries about the cost of keeping her home warm this Christmas

In the midst of freezing conditions, a family have sold nearly all of their household items just to pay utility bills.

Over the Christmas period, Leah Callaghan, from Shropshire, fears she and her partner will not be able to keep their home warm while their toddler is off nursery.

They have resorted to selling some of their two-year-old daughter's toys.

It has had a drastic impact on their mental health, she said.

A poll by the charity Action for Children found more than a quarter of working parents worry they will not be able to afford Christmas presents.

Using free apps, Facebook Marketplace and Vinted, the family have also sold much-loved clothes, shoes, handbags and kitchen appliances to try to cope with rising costs.

'It feels degrading'

The 39-year-old HR consultant said: "I worry what will happen when we run out of things to sell.

"We still have a couple of things left to sell but once they go, we won't have that extra bit of income that helps keep us going."

In a desperate bid to lower gas and electricity bills, the family now only cook meals using an air-fryer and microwave and use candles for light.

Ms Callaghan added: "We only put the heating on at night for the little one so she can have her bath.

"We don't flush the toilet every time now, as I nearly had a heart attack when the water bill came last time."

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While her partner Stewart Hart, 40, works full-time as a gas surveyor for a housing association, the couple do not qualify for universal credit. They do receive a monthly child benefit payment of £87.

Ms Callaghan said: "Our [dual fuel] bill was £65 when we first moved in two years ago. Now it's £180 a month and we all know it's going to get worse. The council tax was £120 for a while and now it's gone up to £160."

Christmas is a huge concern for the family and Ms Callaghan added: "We will try our best to have a proper Christmas dinner, but perhaps we will have to buy a small chicken rather than a turkey.

"I sometimes lie awake at night just going through my banking app wondering how we are going to live off what we have with bill after bill coming in.

"It feels degrading and leaves you feeling, like, 'what's the point?' I feel so bad because I would love Nolah to have so much more and for us to do so much more together."

"My anxiety has got much worse with all our financial worries and the doctor has now doubled the size of my daily dose of anti-depressants.

"Stewart too is now on anti-depressants. It's just had such a massive impact on our mental health."

The Action For Children charity has launched its annual Secret Santa campaign to help to help the country's most vulnerable children.

The charity says it can offer advice and emergency relief to families struggling with the cost of living crisis.

• For information and support about any issues raised in this story, help is available via the BBC Action Line.

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