to universal credit had hit hard. i don t get paid, i think, until the end of the month. i think i have about a penny to my name. i ve never been this bad off in my life, to be honest. dean was confident, however, of being back at work injanuary once he d had his surgery. in this part of the west midlands, wages are lower than the british average, so changes to universal credit allowing people to keep more of their earnings do help, but many still struggle. kate runs a cleaning business but uses the pantry to make ends meet. for £4, she can choose about £20 worth of food, helping the mum of three get through the week. you just need to think about what we re buying, what we eat and how we manage ourspending, really. back in west bromwich this week, moments of christmas cheer and happiness. sa nta! santa, say hello. but unfortunately, dean is back.
we are in isolation until. till the day after boxing day, so we can t go anywhere, so we re going to enjoy it here. it s been a confusing build up to christmas. less organised this year than i was last year. kate mccarey s plans are up in the air, unsure if she ll see her grandchildren, due to fly over from america on thursday. if they come, how much we will be able to do? because we don t know what s going to happen immediately after christmas, and therefore, whether it s worth them taking the risk. it has been busy here today with shoppers and day trippers, but most people have said they ve taken a cautious approach to this christmas, not making any big plans in the first place, just in case they have to cancel. we are worried to go away in case something happens and we can t get back, and we can t be stuck away. normally there would be about 25 of us, all have like a big dinner and everything together.
how are your finances? pfft, what finances? his operation was postponed. it could be almost two years before it s rescheduled. i can t keep doing this, you know what i mean? this is ridiculous. it s great britain we should be able to live now. there are at least nine food banks in sandwell, and this week, like every week, they ll try to lift the spirits of every family they meet. do you like sweets? michael buchanan, bbc news, west bromwich. before we go tonight a thought for those many thousands of people whose christmas plans, for the second year running, have been disrupted or ruined by the ongoing public health crisis. our corespondent andrew plant has been talking to a range of people about their hopes for christmas and how they ve been adapting. sherie and kate s first christmas together in their new home. merry christmas. but any party plans have gone on hold after both tested positive for covid.
it s great britain, we should be able to live now. there are at least nine food banks in sandwell, and this week, like every week, have tried to lift the spirits of every family they meet. michael buchanan, bbc news, west bromwich. and finally, for the second year in a row hundreds of thousands of people have had their christmas plans turned upside down by covid. so how are people adapting their plans? 0ur correspondent, andrew plant, has been finding out, in bath. cherie and kate s first christmas together in their new home. merry christmas. but any party plans have gone on hold after both tested positive for covid. we are in isolation until. till the day after boxing day, so we can t go anywhere, so we re going to enjoy it here. it s been a confusing build up to christmas. less organised this year than i was last year. kate mccarey s plans are up in the air, unsure if she ll see her grandchildren, due to fly over from america on thursday. if they come, how much