1Pictograms are given for the annual financial outgoings of those families who completed their spending diaries over the whole year of the study. One family amended their diaries slightly and included their own categories of ‘food alone’ and ‘fuel alone’. Where spending diaries were not fully completed over the year, the families’ circumstances are provided after the charts shown below.

2All names have been changed to provide anonymity.

Mark and Ruth

3Children: four. Work (Ruth): office work (part-time). Work (Mark): unemployed. Home: social housing.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	594.60	30,919.45
Spend	605.37	31,479.19
Balance	-10.77	-559.74

Breakdown of spending

Colette

4Children: two. Work: teaching assistant (temporary). Home: privately rented.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	446.62	23,224.10
Spend	455.07	23,663.89
Balance	-8.46	-439.78

Breakdown of spending

Zoe

5Children: two (one at home). Work: student nurse (plus agency work). Home: privately rented.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	375.92	19,547.65
Spend	367.35	19,101.95
Balance	8.57	445.70

Breakdown of spending

Tammy and Malcolm

6Children: two. Work (Tammy): unemployed. Work (Malcolm): service sector (zero-hour contract). Home: privately rented.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	410.19	21,330.00
Spend	505.59	26,290.67
Balance	-95.40	-4,960.67

Breakdown of spending

Eileen

7Children: three (two at home). Work: cleaning (part-time; two jobs). Home: privately rented.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	542.98	28,234.73
Spend	490.71	25,516.78
Balance	52.27	2,7171.95

Breakdown of spending

Emma

8Children: four. Work: cleaning (self-employed). Home: owned with mortgage.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	343.72	17,873.39
Spend	403.32	20,972.45
Balance	-59.60	-3,099.05

Breakdown of spending

Amy

9Children: four. Work: voluntary sector (part-time; two jobs). Home: privately rented.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	533.54	27,744.00
Spend	490.00	25,528.53
Balance	42.61	2,215.47

Breakdown of spending

Karolina and Micha

10Children: one. Work (Karolina): retail sector (part-time). Work (Micha): factory work (full-time). Home: social housing.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	458.31	23,831.90
Spend	414.33	21,545.40
Balance	43.97	2,286.50

Breakdown of spending

Phoebe and Gavin

11Children: four. Work (Phoebe): unemployed. Work (Gavin): manufacturing sector (full-time). Home: social housing.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	796.10	36,716.95
Spend	810.40	42,141.05
Balance	-104.31	-5,424.10

Breakdown of spending

Joy

12Children: one. Work: receptionist (part-time). Home: privately rented.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	370.12	19,246.19
Spend	326.74	16,990.38
Balance	43.38	2,255.81

Breakdown of spending

Janet

13Children: two. Work: teaching assistant (part-time). Home: privately rented.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	456.44	23,734.63
Spend	594.47	30,912.51
Balance	-138.04	-7,177.88

Breakdown of spending

Fiona

14Children: two. Work: shop work (self-employed). Home: social housing.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	287.92	14,972.00
Spend	230.82	12,002.50
Balance	57.11	2,969.50

Breakdown of spending

Will and Sam

15Children: two. Work (Will): leisure sector (full-time). Work (Sam): unemployed. Home: privately rented.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	288.67	15,011.07
Spend	348.20	18,106.28
Balance	-59.52	-3,095.21

Breakdown of spending

Brenda and Colin

16Children: two (a third due). Work (Brenda): leisure sector (part-time). Work (Colin): unemployed. Home: social housing.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	361.43	18,794.61
Spend	460.34	23,937,76
Balance	-98.91	-5,143.16

Breakdown of spending

Liam and Grace

17Children: four. Work (Liam): chef (hourly-paid). Work (Grace): unemployed. Home: social housing.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	452.86	23,548.74
Spend	484.50	25,194.24
Balance	-31.64	-1,645.50

Breakdown of spending

Sian and Steve

18Children: three. Work (Sian): unemployed. Work (Steve): driver (self-employed). Home: privately rented.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	473.22	24,607.41
Spend	483.94	25,165.13
Balance	-10.73	-557.71

Breakdown of spending

Gaynor

19Children: one. Work: cleaner and retail sector (part-time; three jobs). Home: privately rented.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	403.46	20,979.92
Spend	395.07	20,543.89
Balance	8.39	436.03

Breakdown of spending

Liz

20Children: one. Work: office work (part-time). Home: privately rented.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	405.70	21,096.60
Spend	432.79	22,504.85
Balance	-27.08	-1,408.35

Breakdown of spending

Luke and Minnie

21Children: two. Work (Luke): social-care sector (full-time). Work (Minnie): retail sector (part-time). Home: owned with mortgage.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	487.25	25,337.01
Spend	461.64	24,005.46
Balance	25.61	1,331.55

Breakdown of spending

Chang and Jiao

22Children: two. Work (Chang): restaurant work (part-time). Work (Jiao): retail sector (part-time). Home: social housing.

	Weekly spending £s	Annual spending £s
Income	358.31	18,632.18
Spend	363.65	18,909.98
Balance	-5.34	-277.80

Breakdown of spending

Ali and Rabia

23Children: five. Work (Ali): catering sector (full-time). Work (Rabia): unemployed. Home: privately rented.

Jenny

24Children: one. Work: catering (part-time). Home: privately rented.

Amber

25Children: three. Work: voluntary sector. Home: privately rented.

Phil and Dot

26Children: one. Work (Phil): cleaning (full-time). Work (Dot): care worker and cleaner (part-time: two jobs). Home: social housing.

Karen and Steve

27Children: four. Work (Karen): unemployed. Work (Steve): civil service. Home: privately rented.

Carol and Ric

28Children: two. Work (Carol): unemployed. Work (Ric): Social care sector (hourly paid). Home: social housing.

Terri and Don

29Children: two. Work (Terri): unemployed. Work (Don): various (part-time). Home: privately rented.

Denise

30Children: three. Work: retail and bar-tending (part-time). Home: social housing.

Nick and Cath

31Children: three. Work (Nick): factory work (full-time). Work (Cath): unemployed. Home: social housing.

Carol

32Children: five. Work: cleaner (part-time). Home: privately rented.