Cost of living - have you noticed any difference yet?

[Newhere31]

Just wondering how people have been affected so far.
Have your energy bills risen massively? Cost of food?
I have noticed a rise but it hasn't made much of a difference for us but see stories in the news of people not being able to eat ect.
Is it really that bad?
Live a fairly sheltered life in a small village, would just be interested to know what it's like for people in larger towns and cities..
For reference I live in a 2 bed terraced and my energy bill has only increased from £65 to around £80 p/m , food shop has gone up from £60 to £80 a week for 2 adults and 1 infant.

Yes everything has gone up. Petrol & diesel massively. Electricity DD has gone up by £35 a month. Supermarket, restaurant & pub prices all up.Council tax is up etc etc. do you not have a car?

Petrol definitely, used about 20 pounds a week and now it's 40 a week.

Food yes, some item's are creeping up incrementally, fuel, hasn't changed yet.

DH put our 150 straight onto heating.

Electric and oil bill have doubled and our petrol costs are loads higher too. Food hasn't been so bad as we're fortunate enough to be able to have lots of luxuries so I've leaned back into belt tightening ways of buying core food for making good home cooked meals and my Costa have stayed neutral on that. Who knows for how long!

Diesel has been our biggest increase so far. Currently looking into electric cars but they are so expensive.

No increase in gas so far but we have LPG. Electric is fixed until September so that’s going to be a massive shock!

Yes food has escalated…have now abandoned Sainsbury’s and am converted to LiDl

2 adults and a 10yo living in a 2 bed terrace in a city - monthly DD for gas & electricity has more than doubled, petrol prices are up, council tax has gone up by £10 a month, average Aldi weekly shop is costing £25 more than it did last year, bus tickets are more expensive and some routes have been cut or reduced.

This is a joke right?

Yes. Petrol is the main one for me I'm spending a fucking fortune on it. My utilities bill went up the same month my mortgage went down so I didn't notice that as much as I otherwise would have.

My food bill has gone up a bit too.

Thanks everyone, was just curious as feel a little naive to it all. @BundtCake no it isn't a joke, but thanks for your comment. It's good to discuss these things and see how other people are affected to get a better understanding of what's happening around you..
@Tania64 I do have a car, I'm currently on maternity leave so use the car a lot less now, so fuel hasn't changed but due back to work next month so that will definitely increase.

Fuel, food and nursery gone up over £100 a month altogether.

Just look at the percentage increase in your energy and food. Your shop has increased by 33%. Do you think people's incomes are increasing at this rate? You're just very lucky not to notice the impact as you're comfortable.

Fortunate enough to not have noticed it yet but I am going to sit down and work out a budget for July to keep an eye on it ready for winter. Our Elec/Gas DDs haven't gone up yet but no doubt they will.

It might not seem much to you, but people that were already on the breadline, your extra £100 a month could be where it tips them right over into choosing where to put the money.

Petrol, the cost frightens me half to death. I’m at the point of thinking of quitting my job (no option but to drive) or changing it, as it’s costing me nearly a weeks wages every month in petrol and parking and that’s just to/from work with no going to hobbies/family/outings.

Nursery up by around £100 a month (on a £650/700 a month bill). Food shop, diesel, eating out, getting the dog groomed, a visit to soft play... everything seems to be up. Individually it's small enough to absorb but when you add them together it's a struggle.

Our fixed gas & electricity tariff is coming to an end and the cheapest I can find is to go on my supplier’s standard tariff, which will be £2,000 a year. We paid £1,200 last year. That’s a massive increase.

Petrol round here is now £1.60 a litre - seems like yesterday it was £1.30. I remember when it went over £1! (Ok, so that was a while ago).

Council tax has gone up (can’t remember exactly by how much).

Train fares have gone up.

Food is horrifically more expensive.

@Doyoumind I'm not a total idiot, I know income isn't increasing, I'm currently on SMP which hasn't increased in line with inflation either. I know I'm comfortable and fortunate to not have noticed. Hence the post to see how others are affected.

Food and Fuel, mostly.
Little changes that haven't had an impact but I have noticed are things like DD nursery fees increasing 30p per hour.
It's not been TOO bad so far, but I can't say I'm not worried for the next increase. I think we will definitely feel the pinch then. X

@SecretVictoria My partner has recently done the same thing, he was able to transfer location so now as a 10 mile round trip rather than 60, he's saved a hell of a lot on fuel, and time! Hopefully something works out for you

I’ve noticed petrol the most. I spend £60 a week getting to work. Gas and electric up from £70 to £160 a month. I get a Tesco delivery which is £3 more expensive a week ( get the £40 minimum a week). I take home £1,800 a month.
DP ( different house) buys all the treats though - wine, trips out etc so don’t feel hard up yet.
I’m quitting my job next month. That’s scary as I’ve got nothing lined up to replace it yet.

Council tax rose by £150 this year and that's as a single person.
Haven't had the rebate yet.

I barely drive as am working from home but at £1.65 a litre I have stopped going out if it's more than 15 miles away and will also involve spending money when I get there.

My gas and elec should have dropped from £65 to £40 per month 6 mths ago when a DC moved out, instead I am using £85 a month although I am being beyond frugal. I have the gas hot water on for just 30mins a day, boil one cup of water a day and cook on alternate days using a halogen oven. Everything turned off when not using it. 3 laundry loads a fortnight. The supplier want me to pay £125 a month Direct Debit. Doesn't matter how careful I am because they put the standing charges up! Before, I paid £65/mth and never had to skimp on anything.

Food is up about 10%.
Rent /service charges went up by £15 a month but my mortgage is thankfully fixed.

Trying to be extra careful and save now because it will be a lot worse next winter :-(

@WeDoNotTalktoPennilynLott I don't know anyone in that position, I imagine it must be an awful struggle for some, that's why I posted as I'd like to understand how it really has impacted some famillies. I didn't mean to offend anyone.

I've really noticed food price rises, I'm always shocked at the checkout.

Different people are going to have different experiences. People who need to budget down to the last pound or who were just getting by with a little to spare this time last year are going to have noticed even relatively small increases. We haven’t, because we don’t really keep track of what we spend as don’t need to. Have clocked prices in pubs and restaurants have increased quite a lot - although that started as places began opening up after the lockdowns and needed to make up for lost revenue so has not been a sudden thing.