// BBC BUSINESS NEWS — FINANZA
'It's definitely tight trying to budget on maternity leave'
Sara Ody was among the first customers at a new community food pantry in Sheffield
Almost 50,000 households in Sheffield are struggling to make ends meet and cannot pay their bills, according to a new cost of living report by the council.
Described as having a "negative budget", these people are unable to afford the necessary costs even after all benefit entitlements have been claimed and their outgoings have been reduced to the bare essentials.
In the same week the report was published, a new food pantry opened in the Woodseats area of the city, offering low priced food for anyone struggling with the cost of living.
Within the first hour 14 people called in, with 37-year-old Sara Ody among those through the door.
"There's always a thought process, 'can we afford this? do we have to sacrifice this to be able to afford food, childcare and clothes?' It's definitely tough," she said.
The Community Grocery pantry, run in partnership by The Message Trust and Ikon Church at Woodseats, offers membership for £1 per year, with food and household staples from just 50p.
Sara said her finances were especially tight now she is on maternity leave from work.
"There's four of us now, and I've got to the point in my maternity leave where there is not really any money coming in, so it's definitely tight trying to budget, especially in the run up to Christmas," she said.
"It's frustrating because I saved up so much money while I was working to be able to still have opportunities and do things while on maternity leave, but you have to budget all the time.