Claire* started claiming Universal Credit in 2019 after she suffered a breakdown and was no longer able to work.
Like approximately six million other people on Universal Credit, she has been receiving an extra £20 a week in benefit money during the pandemic.
This financial boost amounts to around £80 each month, or £1,040 per year in the pockets of struggling families.
But the uplift to Universal Credit will end in October - and Claire, who lives alone, worries this could push her below the poverty line.
She says she already can’t afford healthy foods and instead "eats rubbish" to survive.
Claire now fears she’ll be forced to choose between heating her home this winter and eating anything at all once the uplift ends.
The 63-year-old doesn’t have a car, so has to rely on shops that are in walking distance and can’t get to her nearest food bank.
But she says she is thankful for her neighbours who have in the past provided her with care packages of food and even clothing.
Speaking to The Mirror, Claire said: "Do I not pay my bills, or do I not eat? What do I give up?
Are you worried about the cut to Universal Credit? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
"Last month, I ran out of teabags and I didn’t have a cup of coffee for six days. I was timing when I could have a cup of tea and reusing teabags. I didn’t have any bread.
"Being cold in the winter, that will hit me again. I’ll worry about putting the heating on, as something has to give.
"Do I sink back into thinking I have nothing to live for? When you get your hope taken away from you, you just think what is the point.
"You give up before you started and you feel kicked in the stomach."
Claire says she sometimes only has £10 to feed herself, meaning she has to be good at "problem solving" and working out what foods to buy that will last.
But she worries that the cut will mean "something else has to give" and she'll be forced to go without other essentials.
She continued: "I am about to run out of toiletries as it is. One time I didn’t have any washing up liquid so I used some shampoo.
"I’m living in survival mode. I’m lucky because I’ve got a brain, and I know how to make things last.
"But I think I’m going to be wracked with worry."
Claire isn't alone in worrying about how the cut to Universal Credit will affect her.
The Mirror spoke to single mum, 35-year-old Rebecca, who said the drop in income could push her to use food banks again.
And single mum Gemma, also aged 35, says she may be forced to use her credit card just to get to work - speaking fears she may enter a debt cycle once again.
The government has so far resisted calls to extend the Universal Credit uplift, saying it was designed to only be a temporary measure.
But charities such as the Trussell Trust estimate that nearly a quarter of a million parent fear they won't be able to put dinner on the table for their children.
We've also reported on worrying research from Save the Children that shows how almost half of Universal Credit claimants - equivalent to around three million people - don’t think they can live on £20 less each week.
The exact date the Universal Credit cut will come into force is October 6 - but when you'll actually notice the difference depends on your payment date.
This is because Universal Credit is paid monthly, and the date of the change depends on how your case falls around a cut-off date in a month’s time.
Each month your benefits are calculated during an “assessment period”, which spans from five and a bit weeks to one week before you’re actually paid.
A government spokesperson said: “As announced by the Chancellor at the Budget, the uplift to Universal Credit was always temporary.
“It was designed to help claimants through the economic shock and financial disruption of the toughest stages of the pandemic, and it has done so.
“Universal Credit will continue to provide vital support for those both in and out of work and it’s right that the Government should focus on our Plan for Jobs, supporting people back into work and supporting those already employed to progress and earn more.”
* Name has been changed for the purpose of this article
