Single-handedly raising three children on a net weekly wage of just $450 is an uphill battle for Dawn.

But in wealthy Bermuda, she is far from alone in struggling to make ends meet on low wages in a country where a box of cereal is $7.

Asked about the election campaign, she said: "Parties need to do more and they need to listen to the people more.

"The unity is gone — everything is gone. They need to bring back the old fashioned ways."

For Dawn (not her real name) grocery shopping is a finely-tuned operation with only the best value items selected — that means trays of chicken and burgers while fruit and vegetables are less likely to be selected.

"I would like to get more fruit and veg but it is so expensive."

Thankfully charity worker Fern Wade brings $50 food bags to her Middle Town home. "What Fern Wade does is a good help for me."

Dawn's family of four are squeezed into a two-bed home in Middletown with the front room converted into another bedroom.

She earns $600 gross in a catering job but health insurance and other deductions take out a quarter of that and her rent is nearly $1,000 a month.

It was a huge relief when her four-year-old son was able to go to a Government pre-school. It was a saving of $135 a week on nursery fees.

"Now I take home $200 something a week, rather than $100 something."

But the 38-year-old still has to fork out $30 a week for the van to collect her son so she can make the 8 a.m. start time at work.

Her daughter, who works part-time, chips in $50 a week while the father of her young boy gives her $65 but it's still not much to live on — not when cereal is $7. She reckons her grocery bill can hit $150 a week — more when she needs to buy cleaning goods.

It means entertainment has to be cheap. "We go to the playground, play football in Bernard Park — family things," she said.

She would love to spend more on structured activities for her son. "But everything costs money — football, karate.

"I can't have any luxuries. CableVision and WOW are too expensive. By the time I have bought my groceries that's my pay cheque gone," she said.

At least she has no debt hanging over her — the threat of jail after bills mounted led to a family member paying off the credit.

Clothes shopping is timed for when discounts are in play. "I go to Pirate's Port — they are always having a sale."

She doesn't dream of being rich — just living comfortably and while her situation might seem hopeless she is far from downbeat after investigating the chance of a better paying nursery helper job which could double her wages.

She hopes the Department of Labour and Training can help her with the fees.

"I have to go to night class as I don't want to conflict with the day job," she said. "I have got to go back to school. It is the only solution. Rent is not going down, food prices are getting higher."

Of the policies unveiled by the political parties so far she likes the PLP promise to limit rent to just one quarter of the family income as it would be a big weight off her mind.

"You would know you would have your rent every month."

But whether she casts a vote is still up in the air. If she does it will probably be for the UBP whom she normally backs.

"We haven't really given the PLP a chance yet to show what they can do. But the UBP, I think, have done good."