Treats are rare for a mother and her three children living on £123 a week

Yvonne Bracken (23) certainly wouldn't consider either herself or her three children to be living in poverty, but feeding, clothing, educating, entertaining and possibly giving them the odd treat, on £123.10 a week is not easy. A single mother, she, Nathan (5), Kayleigh-Shannon (3) and Lauren (1) live in a local authority house in Killinarden, Tallaght, Co Dublin.

"Every Thursday, as soon as I get the allowance, I go to the Square [local shopping centre] to get the shopping. You have to, otherwise you'd spend it in the local shop, and a long-pan is 89p there. It's only 49p in Dunnes.

"I'd spend about £70 a week in Dunnes - £8 on nappies, £8 on baby food. Then I'd get bread, cereals, fresh vegetables and a lot of fruit. They [the children] don't eat that much meat, a bit of chicken. Yes, I'd be checking the prices, adding it up as I put it in the trolley. I have to because if I go over at the till I'd be short for something else."

Household bills, she estimates, come to about £25 a week and she waits until the end of each month, when she picks up the £45 children's allowance, before buying clothes or shoes. "I do sometimes run short and then I have to go down to my mother to borrow a few bob.

"If I didn't have my family near I wouldn't cope. I don't know how mothers totally on their own do it."

Though her children are clearly happy, confident, bright-eyed and doted upon, Yvonne feels they do miss out. "I was thinking about getting her Irish dancing classes," she says stroking Kayleigh-Shannon's hair, "but the dresses would be too dear so it was out.

"And they miss things like going to the cinema. I think it was two years ago the last time I brought Nathan to see a film. And treats, like taking them to McDonalds. I only very rarely do that. Also having to wait to get them clothes. Kayleigh could really do with some new shoes."

Asked about holidays, she smiles with bemusement. "If I could bring them anywhere, I'd love to take them to Disneyland. But I can't see that ever happening. Not when money is constantly on my mind."

On whether things have got any easier over the past few years, she says they have not. "I've seen no benefit. In fact, it's probably gotten harder. "When you think that when Nathan was born I was getting £82.90 a week and now, with two more, I'm getting £123.10. And it's five years later. No, it was definitely easier making the money last five years ago."