Team Weekend DMorris_Star HeatherL_Star MattPanterMedia awaywithmedia count the cost of the economic crisis. CostOfLivingCrisis
The cost of living crisis is changing the way we run our livesIn 2020 – I know, a different time, three prime ministers ago – shoppers didn’t have to worry about whether or not they’d be able to afford that month’s mortgage or rent if they wanted a blob of the red stuff into which to dunk their chips.
And then there’s energy bills. Don’t get us started on energy bills. Under the Energy Price Guarantee, the average annual gas and electricity bill for a direct debit customer with ‘typical’ levels of consumption is £2,500. This is 27% higher than the summer 2022 price cap and 96% higher than the winter 2021/22 price cap. Or, in old money, it’s twice as much.
But beyond the stats, beyond the facts and figures, lies a harsher truth. People are struggling. Issues surrounding mental health are on the rise as the pressure of being unable to pay bills bites hard. Parents forego meals so that their kids can eat. Such necessities as school uniforms are now deemed a luxury. Businesses struggle to make a living, those on medium-to-low incomes find themselves unable to pay their bills, the most vulnerable simply focus on survival.
This is true of any economic climate, but in the times in which we find ourselves, this truth is amplified. Had we known about what the general economic situation was going to turn into, would we still have decided to get pregnant? Absolutely.Some of the saddest stories I’ve recently heard are of excited would-be mums and dads who have genuinely had no choice but to hold off on bringing a new life into the world because the pennies are already stretched too far.
So at the moment, having spent a fortune refilling the tank, we are using the heating very sparingly and using convector heaters to warm up the rooms we are actually spending time in, rather than the whole house. Although with electricity bills continually rising, it’s a balancing act.We’ve also reigned in our food spending a bit, choosing to do a couple of cheaper weekly shops at Aldi each month to bring our overall bill down.
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