Newport toddler group parents struggle as costs rise

Parents at a toddler group say they are being left with nothing in their pockets at the end of the month because of rising costs straining their family finances.

When water bills, energy prices and council tax all rose in April, the charity Citizens Advice said the finances of millions of people on the lowest incomes were “already stretched to breaking point”.

Danielle Thomas, a mother at the Musical Bugs group in Newport, Shropshire, said: “Sometimes we haven’t even got £20 left at the end of the month.”

Ben Stanley, another parent at the group, said: “You’ve got to be very smart when you shop nowadays I think – it’s all about pinching pennies and saving as much as you can.”

Ms Thomas said her family started to see money become tight about a week before the end of the month.

She said her rent and other bills had “gone up a dramatic amount” and even shopping off brand at budget supermarkets was not enough.

Planning a holiday or saving money was not possible and even taking days out as a family has involved putting money aside well in advance, Ms Thomas added.

“A lot of the time we’ve had to sacrifice going some places because something’s come up and we just don’t have any money left,” she said.

Another parents, Philippa Crumpton, said she had shopped around for a new broadband provider when costs went up and Mr Stanley said he had learned to cook in bulk to save money.

Beth Tudor said: “I’m not saving as much as I’d want to which is a bit frustrating, because there’s so many other costs with having kids.”

She added she was always finding “hidden costs” and struggling to afford even little things like having snacks for her children.