1 week Ago By Aasma Day
Maria Fuccio describes daily life as “Groundhog Day” as it is an eternal battle of scrimping and saving and making every penny count.The 68-year-old, who has numerous disabilities including ME, hypermobility syndrome and severe migraines, is one of an estimated 3.8 million Waspi (Women Against State Pension Inequality) women affected by major changes to the state pension age.
Ms Fuccio gave The i Paper an insight into the harsh reality of her life and financial struggles as she relies on food banks to survive.if(window.adverts) { window.
adverts.addToArray({"pos": "inread-hb-ros-inews"}); }Describing herself as an “eccentric extrovert”, she lives with her three dogs Dinky, Onyx and Opal, and her two cats Lucky and Angel. If she did not have her animals, she said she would “go stir crazy” with isolation.
Sometimes, the only highlights of her day are visiting a food bank or if one of her pets “does something silly”.Ms Fuccio, who lives in Gosport, Hampshire, said she cannot afford to do anything even though she now gets her state pension and receives personal independence payment (PIP) for her health conditions as the cost of living is so expensive.“My life is literally hand-to-mouth,” she said.
“Without food banks, I don’t know how I would survive. They are a lifeline to me, but you never know what you will get from a food bank as it all depends on what supermarkets have which is going out-of-date.if(window.
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adverts) { window.adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l1"}); }“I am frugal with everything and only put my heating on for a few hours when I need it.
You cannot have any unexpected eventualities as you wouldn’t be able to deal with them.”Maria Fuccio said daily life as a Waspi woman is literally hand-to-mouthMs Fuccio, who has her own home and lives on her own, had to have surgery for a heart condition at the age of six. Throughout her life she has raised lots of money for various charities and worked as a social workers and in disability-related jobs.
She said she has a small private pension and this just pushes her over the threshold for pension credit. As a result, she does not qualify for winter fuel payment or other means-tested benefits.“Every which way I turn, I am penalised because I am just over the threshold,” she said.
“It is scary to think of next year with the energy cap having risen and things like council tax going up.“I already don’t have enough to maintain my standard of living which is already meagre.”Giving a glimpse into her daily life, Ms Fuccio revealed she has a yogurt for breakfast in the morning followed by a shower – which she keeps as brief as possible to save on energy costs.
“I then get dressed and always like to look presentable so I put some make up on as I think it is important for your self-esteem,” she said. “It is very easy to let yourself go.”if(window.
adverts) { window.adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_mobile_l2"}); }if(window.
adverts) { window.adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l2"}); }Maria Fuccio said she could not cope without her petsMaria’s dog DinkyOnce a week, Ms Fuccio visits one of two food banks.
To get to one, she relies on a lift from a friend, while the other is at the bottom of her road.“Today, I went to the food bank and got some onions, a swede, parsnips, sausages, some pasta, bread, courgettes and a packet of stir fry.“I will use all that to make a big stir fry and I will then eat that over the course of four days,” she said.
“That saves on electricity as I only have to cook it once and can then just heat it up as I need it.“I use the air fryer or all-in-one pans rather than using saucepans as it saves on energy. You can cook rice, pasta and vegetables and pasta sauces and curries together, so no heat is wasted.
”“Nothing ever goes to waste as my animals like human food too. So if I haven’t eaten all of my pasta, that is a treat for them.“I don’t drink tea or coffee and mostly drink water.
I try to eat as cheaply as I can.”The food that Maria received from the food bank. She said she could not survive without food banksMs Fuccio said her pets are her priority and she would sooner they were fed than herself.
She said she is constantly looking for ways to cut costs and always shops in the reduced aisles of supermarkets.if(window.adverts) { window.
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adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l3"}); }“When it’s your own home, you have to sort anything that needs doing out yourself,” she said. “I have no mortgage, but I have had to do equity release to have some work done.
“I also have to pay out a lot in insurances – for the home, my pets and appliances. If I didn’t do that, then if something went bust, I would have no money in the kitty to replace it.“Bills are so expensive and everything seems to be going up.
Then where I live, it costs me about £6.20 to get to town in a taxi. Because of my arthritis and me having good days and bad days with my ME, if I tried going by bus, I would have no energy to do anything by the time I got there.
“My neighbour across the road is very kind and offers to take me shopping once a week and I also have kind friends who give me lifts.”#color-context-related-article-3602665 {--inews-color-primary: #E33A11;--inews-color-secondary: #F7F3EF;--inews-color-tertiary: #E33A11;} Read Next square NEWS .inews__post__label__big-reads{background-color: #0a0a0a;color: #ffffff;}Big ReadAt 73, my week on the state pension from one meal a day to doing my own dentistryRead MoreMs Fuccio said she does not watch television, but keeps herself occupied by doing crafts such as painting glassware to keep her hands mobile.
She sometimes sells items at craft fairs but said it is difficult to earn money.“I did a craft fair last Saturday, but only about 25 people turned up. I only just made enough to cover the table cost.
In fact, I was out of pocket by the time you add up what I spent on materials and insurance.”Filling her days can be difficult as she cannot afford to do anything that costs money. She said one of the highlights of her week is going to the food bank as not only does she know she will have food in her fridge and cupboards, she gets to meet and chat to other people.
“I get to see people and have some socialisation,” she explained.if(window.adverts) { window.
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adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l4"}); }The stir fry Maria made using her food bank ingredients which she will eat over the next four days“I chat to people and listen to their life stories and with my knowledge of disabilities, I can signpost them to different things. I also love the chat and banter.
”Ms Fuccio said life is hard as a Waspi woman and she feels angered and frustrated by the injustice and the Government’s refusal to pay compensation.“Ladies of our age group were the cornerstone of this country after the war,” she said. “We were the ones who were told that we didn’t have to be stay-at-home women and that we could change history.
“But it seems that every time we tried to do anything, it’s been like a slap in the face. While working, our wages weren’t on a par with men, even if we were doing the same jobs. That affected our pensions.
“Then we had our pensions delayed by six years and were not adequately informed.“All my life has been hard graft and toil and it should be getting easier at my age, but instead, it is getting harder.“My days are a constant battle to survive financially and it is like solitary confinement because I can’t afford to do anything.
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addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l5"}); }“It is Groundhog Day every day as I am always saving and scrimping and trying to make things last.“The highlight of my day is when one of the animals does something silly or if I go to the food bank, which seems very sad.”Angela Madden, chair of Waspi, said: “The experiences of Maria are sadly those we don’t hear in isolation.
“Her story represents the lived reality of many 1950s-born women who were denied fair notice of pension age changes and the opportunity to plan their lives accordingly.“There are 3.6 million Waspi women across the UK, and whether it’s your mum, auntie, sister or neighbour, there is likely to be an affected woman in your life.
“As this campaign faces down the Government in the High Court, we hope to see as many people as possible rally behind us to show the Government that ignoring its own watchdog and refusing compensation is not just an affront to 1950s women, but communities across the country.”.
