Cost of living has forced Launceston woman Wendy* use Coke bottles as hot water bottles

It was the first time she'd ever considered using the card, which she only normally uses for no-interest purchases, and she's had the card for 30 years.

"Fancy having to put groceries on a credit card, but I realised I didn't really have another option...but it didn't sit well with me at all," said Wendy, who lives on a carer's pension.

With cost of living spiralling and basic amenities such as fuel and energy costs, Wendy has found herself in need of help from services from St Vincent de Paul, who has offered her an energy rebate, to help with bill shock from winter power prices.

"I'm on a carer's pension and it was a case of rego, insurance and everything all just landed all at once. With the price of groceries going up and power going up, I needed help."

Wendy has also sought help about once per year, typically in winter, for food parcels, to help her save a bit when bills are due.

She said without services like Vinnies she would have struggled to stay on top of her bills, which is degrading her mental health.

In order to keep costs down, Wendy has had to become savvy with how she spends her money, and has learned some tricks to help keep costs down.

"I use soft drink bottles with hot water in them as hot water bottles. I sit with one under my feet, because I have polished floorboards," he said.

Soft drink bottles, which are round and more dense, seem to hold the heat for much longer and Wendy reuses them each night to avoid putting on her heating to lower her bills.

She also turns off her hot water cylinder at the mains each night to save on heating costs and cooks her food in bulk batches during off-peak hours and freezes the rest.

IN OTHER NEWS:

However, she hasn't let the stress get her down, but has used the things she's learned to help others.

Despite having a stretched budget, Wendy chooses to spend her money on fuel and energy to fill up her take on a hot water bottles and gives them to a homeless person in Launceston, northern Tasmania.

Wendy says this person was someone she had seen frequently on the streets and had struck up a friendship with.

Every night she fills up bottles, with hot and fresh water, and drives her car down to this person's camp.

"Being in a tent in Tasmania in winter is so wrong. Nobody, should have to do that," she said.

One ill-fated holiday, Wendy says she and her family got caught in inclement weather at the Great Lakes and it was an experience that she will never forget.

"We got caught up in a tent at the Lakes and it snowed and the only thing we had with us was Coke bottles. So all the Coke got tipped out and we filled it with hot water," she said.

"We wouldn't have survived the night, otherwise."

Wendy said hot water in a soft drink bottle will last six hours.

"They are not very comfortable to sleep with, but who cares."

Wendy said her mental health had taken a hit because she was constantly worrying about what to spend her money on. She has school-aged children and she says she has to strategically plan how to get by each week, with the cost of petrol and groceries going up. She also has regular medication, which is exacerbated by the lack of bulk billing.

"I have become sort of a hermit apart from going out to appointments. I don't go anywhere, but I am the sort of person that needs to recharge," she said.

"I need to, you know, walk on the beach or go for a bush walk. That's how I recharge.My favourite places are out of town in the bush and I can't justify doing it so with the cost of petrol at the moment."

St Vincent de Paul community projects officer Sam Grace said in the past Vinnies would see a demographic profile of the types of people seeking their support.

However, she said as cost of living placed pressure on nearly everyone, that demographic had disappeared - it was just people.

"There's no typical cohort anymore. We see families, young families, people who may have just retired and their income's come down a little bit, people on job-seeker or the disability pension," she said.

"The demand across the board for all types of assistance really has grown."

Ms Grace said there was no judgement from Vinnies about those needing help, but she understood that it could take courage for some people to ask.

"Please ask for help. Assistance is open to anyone and we'll certainly work through it and find ways to get through your situation and different things," she said.

Often, those who do take the plunge and ask for help enjoy a sense of relief afterwards. Vinnies is teaming up with the Salvation Army and City Mission for a walk to raise awareness of homelessness on August 4. The walk will begin at the City Park Rotunda at 10.30am and finsh at Royal Park. The City Mission Snag Chat Van, the Salvation Army Street Beat Van and the Vinnies Van will be in attendance.

*Name changed for privacy reasons