I'm right fed up of hearing about recession this, recession that. Things can be depressing enough without constantly being reminded how skint everyone is. Don't get me wrong, I've had many months when it's gotten to the last week and I wonder how I'm going to afford to put fuel into my car to get to work.
I know that it is quite a shit time in the world when you don't have enough cash to pay your bills and buy food or treats for your family.
Then I read about Dimitris Gasparinatos from Patras, west of Athens. Things have gotten so bad for them lately that the 42 year old has put in an official request for 4 of his kids to be taken into care.
He said to the Guardian that they didn't want to break up the family but felt it would be easier for them if they were sent to an institution for a couple of years.
Afterwards Dimitris' wife visited the town hall and asked for her children to be saved....
This would be a sad and tragic story but apparently it's not just a one off and it's becoming more and more common.
Being a mother, the story that got me was a toddler being left at a nursery with a note which said 'I will not return to get Anna. I don't have any money, I can't bring her up. Sorry. Her mother'.
As for the Dimitris and his family? They had money given to them by the wife of a rich family from Athens, this meant he could move into a better house.
All very good for 1 family but that leaves thousands of others in the same situation and a burning fear that it may happen here too.
For the mean time I realise that I'm not as bad off as I thought.
