‘Money is a constant worry and it’s infecting everything’: one family’s experience of the soaring UK cost of living

theguardian.com:

“M oney is just a constant worry and I feel like it’s infecting everything,” says Jess Daly of the impact rising living costs are having on her family. “Costs are increasing from all sides and there seems to be a relentless expectation that we are going to be able to absorb them without extra help.”

With the cost of living crisis now into its second year Jess, who lives with her husband, Jon, and two-year-old daughter Robin in Norwich, says that as well as food and energy bills they have fresh worries. Their childcare costs are going up and Jess could lose her job as a library administrator.

It is a lot to cope with. Official figures published on Wednesday showed the UK inflation rate as measured by the consumer prices index had made a surprise rise to 10.4% in February after three months of falls, driven by increases in the cost of women’s clothes, restaurant meals and fresh food amid the salad crisis. The cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by around 18% in the year to February, the highest rate in 45 years.

With their finances coming under growing pressure the Dalys, who first spoke to the Guardian about their soaring bills at the end of 2021, think twice before putting anything in their trolley. Jess describes the “attitude shift” that kicks in at the end of the month. “Rather than thinking ‘what would we like to eat this week?’ it’s thinking ‘well, what’s left in the budget this week?’” he says.

They head to Morrisons or Asda for their weekly shop and don’t eat most meat, which is one saving. They like fish but it is not on the menu much these days because of the cost. The increases in the cost of eggs, whole milk and low-fat milk – up 32.5%, 34.4% and 42.2% respectively – are hard to miss and when Jess scans