Credit should function as a safety net. But when relied on for basic bills, that net functions more like a trap.
Last year, it trapped my family. A missing universal credit childcare reimbursement of £1,500 sent me from survival into a debt spiral. The next month, I found myself legging it from a corporate conference to a food bank. I cleared my balance, but ran into debt with the nursery. Later I was signed off work due to stress and anxiety, and this year, I reduced my hours. – not to step back from work, but because I literally need more time to manage poverty.
These struggles motivated me to join the Cost of Living Action campaign, while also ironically limiting the time I can realistically give.