A SINGLE mum has been left fuming after a single bag of shopping cost her £37 in Lidl – insisting she bought "nothing posh".
Raging Natalie Sutherland, 33, only picked up the ingredients for a sandwich and a few extras at the budget supermarket.
But she was horrified when the single bag of shopping stung her for almost £40 and sent her into a tailspin over the cost of living crisis.
In a TikTok rant, Natalie (@nataliedoesreallife) said: “What the hell is going on in this world?
“I’ve just been into Lidl. I really fancied making a chicken club sandwich. One bag of shopping – £37.
“For some chicken, lettuce, tomato, bacon, a couple of slices of cheese, a pack of eggs and salt and pepper grinders. Nothing posh. And a bag of crisps.”
Single mum-of-two Natalie, from Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, works full time as an information management analyst. Her kids are aged 12 and five.
And despite picking up what most folk would see as a good salary she is struggling to make ends meet.
She told the Scottish Sun Online: “I’m paying out over £2,000 a month in outgoings.
“My rent is £1000 a month which I don’t get any help with. My gas and electric bill is closing in at £500 a month nearly now.
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“Then there’s petrol, shopping and TV. All the rest of it. How are we supposed to survive on this? Surely to god this country can’t get any worse. What am I supposed to do?"
The bumper bill for her lunch was the final straw for Natalie as she’s been forced to make huge cuts to stay afloat.
Natalie added: “ I am stretched as far as I can go now. We don’t live lavish lives and the basics are now getting harder to afford.
“We don’t get treats really anymore – no takeaways. I can’t really take the kids anywhere so I’ve had to become more imaginative with entertaining them.”
And other parents have flooded her comments with their own experiences.
One said: "I thought the same thing. £80 and hardly anything to shop for it and that was Lidl. I didn't even have five days worth of dinner."
Meanwhile, another wrote: "I went to Tesco last week as I needed a couple of bits. 12 items cost me £23, I almost had a heart attack."
As the cost of food and energy spirals, Natalie admits she sometimes has to make some hard choices.
She added: “I’ve had to really plan out meals which is difficult when working full time and doing all the mum things. But it’s an absolute must to save money.
“I’m behind on paying my gas and it’s either choose to eat or heat really.”
The hard-working mum realises she’s still relatively well off compared to others who are struggling. But she is terrified about what the future holds.
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Natalie said: “I know that there are families worse off than me right now. It’s an absolute disgrace.
“There is no real benefit to working 40 hours a week anymore when we are just surviving and not living.”
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