Advice and support to help manage the cost of living
As the increasing cost of living continues to make things incredibly difficult for many of us, our Moneywise team is here to support you. We can offer useful advice, suggestions, and help put you in touch with other local support organisations.
Help with food
If you or your family are going without food or struggling to afford to eat, please get in touch with our Moneywise team. We work with local foodbanks who can provide emergency food parcels, and some are able to issue food vouchers to those who need them.
Throughout the community there are also community fridges that stock fresh fruit and vegetables - something that isn’t always available from a local foodbank.
Olio is an app, available on iphones and Android, which advertises food being given away free, or at low cost, that you can collect from community volunteers. You can find out more information about Olio on its website http://olioex.com.
Support with electricity and gas costs
As many of us are struggling with the cost of electricity and gas, it’s worth remembering that if you use a microwave or air fryer, it can halve the cost of cooking compared with a conventional oven. You can find lots of recipe ideas online including the BBC website.
Using a one pot slow cooker can also save on energy costs if you’re cooking things like soups, stews, or curries.
Many of the utility companies have created support funds specifically designed to help people who are finding it difficult to pay energy bills. If you are struggling with the cost of your gas or electricity, try contacting your utility company to find out what support they may be able to offer you.
Talk to us if you are worried about your rent
If you’re finding it difficult to manage your money or pay rent please contact us. Our Moneywise team can help you look at your budget, see if there are other benefits you might be entitled to, or if there are other ways to reduce your expenditure.
If you have arrears on your rent account, please keep in touch with your income officer. No one will be evicted from their home as a result of financial hardship, as long as you continue to talk to us and accept the support offered to find an affordable payment arrangement.
Raven customers cook up a recipe for success
And the winner is…
Thank you to everyone who entered our competition to win a slow cooker. We received some really delicious recipe ideas, and we’ll be sharing some of these with you on our Facebook and Twitter pages over the next few weeks.
Our winning entry, which was drawn at random, was sent in by Katrina from Horley. Thank you for sharing your recipe Katrina, and congratulations on winning a slow cooker, a cooking on a budget recipe book and a £25 grocery voucher. And for those who’d like to try it for themselves, here is Katrina’s prize-winning recipe – happy cooking everyone!
One-pot chicken curry
Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tbsp oil or butter
- 2 white potatoes
- 500g chicken pieces (thighs, wings or drumsticks)
- Tin chopped tomatoes
- Tin coconut milk
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- Chicken stock cube
Method:
- Chop potatoes into cubes
- Dice onion and fry with oil and curry powder
- Once onions are soft, add chicken pieces and brown each side
- Add chopped tomatoes and coconut milk, then stir
- Bring to boil and then turn heat down to simmer
- Make and add chicken stock liquid
- Add chopped potatoes
- Bring to the boil and then turn heat down to simmer
- Stir occasionally
- Cook until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through
- Season to your taste