Valerie Michalski, 69, found her £895 rent wiped out of much of her monthly income – and had to seek help to afford her bills.
The mother-of-three and grandmother-of-six told The i Paper that renting in later life puts huge financial pressure on older people.
Valerie, who rents on the Isle of Wight, said: “The frustrating thing is that, on paper, it looks like I am well off and get quite a good income.
“I get a full state pension, which is about £965 a month and I also get a small occupational pension, which is from the Co-op and is £256 a month.
“However, that puts me over the threshold for pension credit. But that doesn’t take all my outgoings into consideration.”
To cut costs, she survived on £1 frozen supermarket meals because she knew they would be cheap and filling and she never put the heating on.
Valerie spent most of her life working in retail in supermarkets before working as a full-time community support worker and end-of-life carer before she retired.
She lives with her dog in a two-bedroom mid-terraced house which she rents for £875 a month.
“I have been renting this place for about a year. Before that, I was renting a house with a friend. Unfortunately, she moved out to live near her daughter and I could not afford to live there on my own.
“I kept trying to find somewhere else to live, but there was nothing available. I am on the waiting list for social housing, but they have no stock.”
Valerie found that after she had paid the rent, along with council tax, which was £160, even with the single person discount, there was not a lot left to live on.
As a result, she found herself scrimping on food and heating to try and make her money go further.
“I lived on £1 meals from Iceland,” she said. “I also relied on a local community pantry where £5 bought roughly £15 worth of food.
“I couldn’t afford to put the heating on as my house is all-electric and it was simply too expensive.
“I spent winter wrapped in blankets, drinking cups of instant soup to keep warm. I bought myself a gas heater, used it in the room downstairs and kept my bedroom door open so it would send some heat there. I sometimes slept downstairs so I didn’t have to walk through cold rooms at night.”
As well as being unable to eat as healthily as she would like, Valerie found her financial plight took its toll on her mental health.
“I felt constantly on edge doing sums in my head from morning to night. What could I afford this week and what would have to wait? Sometimes, I sat at the kitchen table at night checking my bank balance again and again, worrying about how I would get through the next week.”
Valerie had checked online and realised she was not eligible for pension credit because her income was too high. However, when she received a leaflet through her door from the charity Independent Age, she decided to call the number anyway and see if she was eligible for any support.
“The lady I spoke to was amazing,” she said. “I said… I am really struggling.”
To her joy, Valerie was able to get help. She now receives just over £300 a month in housing benefit and her council tax is now reduced to £60.
“It has made a huge difference to my life,” she said. “I still budget carefully, but I’m not living on my credit card anymore – in fact I have cut it up!
“I buy fresh vegetables and cook proper meals. I batch cook and freeze portions. I also bought myself a liquidiser from a charity shop and make myself a lot of fresh soups.
“I can now travel to the mainland to see family and enjoy things that matter to me, such as going to the local theatre and being part of the choir.”
Valerie believes there will be many older people who are suffering financially and are unaware that they could be entitled to support.
“If that leaflet hadn’t come through my door, I don’t know where I’d be today. I did not realise what I was entitled to.”
Valerie did not realise she was entitled to housing benefit and a council tax reduction (Photo: Independent Age)Independent Age, which offers free information and advice for older people, says too many older people in financial hardship are missing out on the money they are entitled to.
Research which the organisation commissioned from Public First revealed that increasing take-up of pensioner entitlements could help 2.5 million older people in financial hardship.
Joanna Elson, chief executive at Independent Age, said: “Valerie’s story is sadly not uncommon.
“Too many of the older people who get in touch with us are not receiving the financial support they are entitled to.
“These entitlements can be life-changing, meaning they can afford to eat properly or wash in warm water. Our research has shown that receiving this money could lift a large proportion of older people out of poverty, and deliver significant savings to the NHS and social care.”
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