‘I’m not getting through the month’: five Britons on the cost of living crisis
Most of primary school teacher Kate Locke’s salary goes on her rent – and in the last month, that’s gone up by 10%. Combined with the rising costs of food and energy, Locke, 39, is increasingly worried about money. “By end of month I’m in my overdraft, I haven’t been able to save anything – there’s no stability,” Locke, who lives in Reading, says.
“Food costs have gone up over the last six months – but it’s in the last two months that I’ve been really worried about if I can afford things. Before this I never had much money but now I’m not getting through the month.”
Locke, who is a single parent with a teenage son, says her energy bills have risen steeply. “Since Christmas, my bills have gone up by £47 to around £110,” she says. “We use hot-water bottles in the evening to avoid putting on the heating. My son was off school with Covid recently and there was a real rise in bills – we shouldn’t have to worry about getting our children warm.”
She used to shop at Sainsbury’s, but lives by a Waitrose and would “nip across the road” for the odd item. “That’s not an option any more,” Locke says. She’s switched to Lidl. “Now I’m really thoughtful about what I spend my money on. I’m really feeling the pinch more than ever before.”
Julie, a retired teacher and novelist in Arbroath, is “scrutinising” her bills as she’s noticed a steep rise in costs. Her food shop has risen by a third compared with six months ago, and her energy bills have doubled in the same period. “I fully expect that any pension increase won’t cover price rises – and it’s time to start cutting back,” she says.
Julie, who gets a fortnightly shop delivered from Asda, has noticed price increases in items like cheese and coffee: “Good quality instant coffee has doubled,
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