It’s hard to know that I can’t take my daughter out like other families
Leanne Bolam has found coming to terms with being unable to treat her daughter Mila one of the hardest parts of life in the poverty trap.
The 34-year-old single mother relies on Universal Credit to cover all her costs and is left exhausted by trying to make ends meet.
She is studying a part-time college course for an HNC in community development but feels locked out of the jobs market because of her childcare commitments to eightyear-old Mila.
Her daughter’s age also means she is not yet entitled to the Scottish child payment as it is currently only paid to those with children under six.
Bolam, from Glasgow, endures constant worry of an extra expense such as a broken appliance, and uses a local pantry scheme to reduce the cost of her food shopping.
She said: “It’s the fear of if your washing machine breaks or you need a new tyre.
“I live month to month, I haven’t got any savings so if anything went wrong within my month I’ve not got anywhere else to go.
“If I had any extra it would go back into the economy anyway. I would maybe be able to take my daughter out for a meal so it would be a treat but it would still go back into the economy.
“It’s virtually impossible. I pay my bills and that’s it. I attend a local pantry as well for food which is a massive help, as the food shop is expensive for me and my daughter.
“It’s a struggle. It is a worry just getting through month to month. I feel as if I’m stuck in a rut. I don’t have any savings whatsoever.”
She added: “It affects people’s mental health as well. Even socially it really holds me and my daughter back because her friends and my friends go out, and it’s hard to think I can’t take my daughter out.
“Just to go to a play area it can be £40 by the time you’ve had something to eat. It’s just things that you should be able to do, not all the time, but for a treat. I think everybody is entitled to a treat now and again, but not being able to do it just holds you back so much.”