People are flooding to social media in support of a mum-of-three after she tearfully revealed a stranger helped pay for her food shop.
Despite millions of Brits set to receive a helping hand from the government amid the cost of living crisis, many are still massively struggling to make ends meet.
Families have been left to choose between food and electricity and one mum revealed she only eats one meal a day to make sure her kids don't starve.
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However, from these despairing and deeply worrying times, uplifting stories can arise, such as a stranger helping one mum pay her food shop bill. Prepare to reach for your tissues:
A mum-of-three - who goes by the TikTok name @boowitchy - uses her platform to raise awareness of autistic family life and petitions to reform the SEND system.
In a video uploaded the platform yesterday (26 September), Boo broke down in tears as she recalled what happened when she went food shopping for her family to discover she didn't have enough money at the till to pay for the £41.65 shop.
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The mum says: "I've literally gone home to cry. I was doing a food shop today. And this is all we've got, for a family of four for the week.
"And I got to the till and I didn't have enough [...] and there were people staring at me.
"And I was trying to decide what we need more than something else."
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Thankfully for Boo, someone came forward and offered to pay the extra money she couldn't cover.
However, they then asked if they could have 'a word outside' with the mum.
"I thought she was going to shout at me or call me names. I thought she was going to be really awful to me, but she weren't," Boo continues.
The mum-of-three reveals the kind stranger took her to the side and gave her some money 'to see [her] through the week' before giving her 'a big hug' and explaining she'd been in a similar position once too.
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She goes on: "She reminded that just because I'm struggling at the moment, doesn't mean I'm a bad mum.
"And that there is people out there who have gone through the same thing and can relate. There are so many people out there who have gone through what I've gone through today."
People are flooding to the post in support of Boo and in praise of the kind stranger who not only helped the mum out financially but gave her some much-needed emotional reassurance too.
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One TikTok user said: "That was one of god's angels just pay it forward when you get a chance xx."
"You are NOT a bad mum, things are so hard right now, the struggle is real, you're not the only one so don't ever think u are less than, chin up, big hugs," another wrote.
A third added: "I know this too week, I have to make £20 stretch for me and my son every week. I go without so he doesn’t, you’re a great mum doing her best x."
And a final resolved: "That lady was there for a reason, I guarantee your chance will come along to be that Lady."
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this story, you can find more information about where to get help from Turn2Us via their website.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone
Topics: Money, Parenting, Shopping, Social media, TikTok, UK News, Food and Drink
Poppy Bilderbeck