A mum-of-three said she has eaten just one meal a day for the past two months so that her sons don't go hungry.
Single mum Claire Pulfrey revealed that the cost of living crisis has left her on the edge after she saw her energy bills more than double from €12 at the beginning of the year to almost €30 today.
The 38-year-old from Grimsby in England said she is in favour of all children from poorer families having free school meals.
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She says: "It would mean parents won't have to worry about finding money to pay for school meals or packed lunches, and might have some left over to pay the bills or buy more food for home.
"I know what it feels like to be on the edge and not know if you'll have enough money to make it through the week. Anything that could help put a little back in our pocket would be a huge help."
As her weekly shop has risen in price, Claire - who is a member of the Mirror's Cost of Living Panel - says she has been skipping breakfast and lunch every day, with her only meal being in the evening with sons Dan, 17, Theo, nine and seven-year-old Samuel.
Claire, a former teaching assistant at a special school, says: "I started to miss breakfast after my money dropped in January. But then my energy bills started to go up, so by April, I'd decided to stop having lunch too.
"I could cope if it was just the price of food that was going up. But my gas and electric went up so much, that was what knocked me. So now I have one meal a day, and that's fine as long as my children don't go hungry."
Claire says her body has "got used" to eating only at tea time. "It's mind over matter. I try to get on with things to help me forget.
"At first, I was getting really sluggish and tired, but now I think my body's got used to it.
"If I've got a bit extra in, I might treat myself to a bit of a sandwich, but it's rare. I used to have a sandwich, some yoghurt, a piece of fruit or a packet of crisps, but now I try to hold on until I make food for everyone at night."
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