Hi, Millie. Thank you for the big question of the week. I think for myself and my son and for many others who are sadly on Social Security payments, I think if they didn't increase in line with inflation, I think it's just really a little bit of another nail in the coffin. I think we're already really struggling. My weekly shop is so high and I'm reducing our expectations on a regular basis. And although we will probably just have to manage, I think, with having to manage with a lot of things and we're having to get used to going without a lot of things, I think we're really good at that. People on low incomes.

I think that it would be desperately unfair and I think that it would compound an already difficult situation. I do, however, feel that at the moment there's a huge amount of anger towards people who are on Social Security payments. And I think that any increase could bring further anger and ire from people who are struggling themselves who aren't entitled to Social Security payments. It's really complex, isn't it? Because you can either get used to not having the increase and nobody gets mad with you, or you can have the increase and then you're considered a bit of a social pariah, difficult one. I think it would impact us directly.

Hi Uisce, thanks for the big Question of the week. I just want to answer it because I'm so fed up of seeing the portrayal of this cost of living crisis. It's not a cost of living crisis, it's a cost of greed crisis. It's by far not over. I've never had such expensive shopping, such expensive services, and just generally the amount that is coming in won't be enough to cover what's going out. And I'm frightened and I'm really sick of being frightened. So, no, absolutely not. It's really not over, but I feel like it's easier for the media that don't pay tax in the UK, that aren't based in the UK, largely as organisations that have offshore accounts. I'm really sad and angry that it's being portrayed that it is over, because it absolutely isn't. Certainly not for myself, my son and many friends and acquaintances. It's very much not over and it's very frightening because it's just not sustainable. Thank you.

The way I see it, the cost of living crisis is DEFINITELY NOT OVER, nor looks likely to be over in the coming months or years.

I believe the ongoing cost of living crisis is pushing up prices in every sector of the economy and the country as a whole is still suffering.

Around where we live petrol costs have crept back up again. (Were down to £1.35 p/l now back at £1.52). An average weekly food shop for 1 adult /1 child is coming in around double what we were paying back in early 2022. We've basically quit buying anything other than what meals we might like a few days at a time to avoid throwing away food that perishes easily. So no choice with fresh fruits or veg, dairy produce or fancy extras like dips desserts or pre prepared salad items. Even supermarket pizza is around £6 upwards. That's a pizza meant for 1 person by the way - at home.

We ate takeaway last week. I was shocked it came to £20 two meals. I had chicken cashew nut with fried rice, the sauce was watered down, the meal was full of large watery onion & green peppers with about 5 half cashew nuts in the entire serving?! Seems to me everywhere is feeling the pinch!?

I've had car insurance renewal up over £100 on last year's price which is an outrageous amount to have to pay. Thankfully I've shopped around to find cheaper but not easy to do.

Nothing is any cheaper. Quarterly water rates jumped up by £30 earlier this year!!!? Not just a few extra pound.

Obviously I've also seen an increase in energy bills over the last few months.

There's no increase in my payments to account for the extra costs. In fact it's been both in the news and social media that the government are looking to cut benefits for those with long term health conditions. I am livid with their measures. I jump through enough hoops to take their rigged tests already! If I could work I would. I loved my old job.

I have basically gone without so much of this last year just to afford to cover the day to day bills. I've been wearing old bikini tops as I haven't been able to afford new underwear as it's no longer fitting or falling apart. Does nothing for your self esteem at a medical appointment to not have clean well fitting underwear.

Once upon a time I could take my two youngest shopping and tell them, "no problem! We can afford the luxury products", at the supermarket!!! We didn't have to worry about the bank balance or the account having enough in it to cover meals out when I couldn't face shopping /cooking, or the cinema to cheer up up/end of the week treats, etc.

So in my view, no it hasn't gone away. The cost of living crisis is still very much alive and kicking and here to stay by the looks of things. 😤

Feeling really annoyed. Really struggling with my health this week.

Typically, disabled people receive additional money to help cover the extra costs they encounter due to poor health conditions.

Some of this extra money would normally go towards the cost of paying for home grocery shopping delivery.

Over the last 18 months I've noticed the cost of delivery charges increase dramatically. From free slots at less popular times to £7 or £8 during daytime hours.

Call me stubborn, but I begrudge paying these charges. Especially when the products come with an already over inflated price tag by comparison to what is available in store. Even branch to branch there are huge fluctuations in store prices, dependant on geographical location of the store, or whether its classed as a convenience store with longer opening hours. Even then the shelf life of many items tends to be very short, there's no point in picking fresh produce because it's anyone's guess what you might end up with. Items that are substituted, generally with dreadful alternatives.

I've seen our shopping order dwindle in size & content over the span of time we've been stuck with the cost of living crisis shackled to our ankles like a ball and chain.

All in all, I refuse to pay the additional costs these profiteering companies are charging us.

Why is nobody sticking up for the consumer against this blatant theft. It's criminal.

Why did the Conservatives fast track £millions of contracts for PPE to peers who created businesses that were only 3 weeks old in lockdowns, whilst low income families had to use foodbanks?

Michelle Mone infamously made profits from faulty PPE and disappeared.

Why were you accepting of some people including the elderly, disabled and children struggle to put food on the table yet hand out £millions to your friends. Is this not corruption?

I am still receiving legacy benefits.

A change in circumstances of moving to another area will mean I will cross over to Universal Credit.

I used an online benefit calculator which resulted in a drop of £332 per month of income if I made the change, however if I waited until the DWP make the change over to UC, then the amount of income would not change.

I am angry and confused why this is. There wouldn't be any more income coming into the household.

It is affecting my mental health. Anxiety of dropping income as struggling as it is as alone parent.

It prompted me to decide not to make the move. I feel trapped and controlled by the Government of choices I want to make that would improve our quality of life.

I'm sick & tired of this country. All we have known since 2010, when the tory party took over governing our country, is austerity, deprivation & now extreme poverty. When are things going to get better? Isn't 13 years of this far too long? What's on the horizon, is looking worse still.

You need to believe in your Prime Minister, what we currently have is not the workings of democracy. There's no foundation of truth in what the government says.

When you've trashed your own bedroom you shouldn't get all the credit for putting it right.

The government is bullying it's people. They need to remember they work for us, it's not the other way around, but staggeringly, it feels like that's a truer statement.

Yes because the pressure not to lose the only income for support my family have is make me more angry, desperate, anxious. In my case I am unpaid carer for my mother I don't know how I can deal with the situation, it puts me in a lot stress and make our lives super difficult

I’m enraged by the Spring Budget. It feels like an attack on mothers.

In principle I support universal free childcare (as long as it is correctly funded and does not compromise quality which I’m deeply suspicious of here) but the problem with the lobbying power of Pregnant Than Screwed is that it’s not particularly intersectional. Whilst great news for mothers who WANT to return to work sooner, who enjoy their jobs and have careers that offer fulfilling progression, that is still only two fifths of mothers surveyed. That’s not even 50%. It’s a minority. And it has opened the doors for the government to target mothers on benefits. Currently the main carer (which is so often mothers) isn’t required to look for work/take work until their child turns 3 years old. I was strongly encouraged to start looking when my child turned two (because of the 2 year old offer) but it wasn’t a requirement. Once the free childcare from 9 months kicks in, mothers on benefits will be REQUIRED to send their baby into childcare and look for/take work from 9 months after giving birth. Often in jobs they don’t love and have no career progression. That CHOICE will be taken away from them. The right to be a stay-at-home mother whilst children are young will become a PRIVILEGE of the better off.

I am a feminist. But I am a feminist for policies that support ALL people who identify as women, and do not trade improvements for one group of women (and this primarily improves life for white, middle class women) at the detriment of another.

In short the cost of living crisis has caused me to feel very bitter about life & living in the UK.

It goes without saying, we as residents here, subscribe to a system of paying taxes. It's not my fault I had this accident & am not able to work as a consequence. It could happen to anyone. We are only ever a pay day away from claiming benefits.

I think the Tories have written off anyone who's not what they deem "economically active". Yuck!!! What a vile phrase!! As 'if' we only contribute to society when in a job!!!??? What a lot of rot that is! So very wrong to believe it!

Obviously stress increases the amount of pain I experience. Which in turn affects what I can or can't do. So getting wound up over things that I can't control is a waste of my time & energy.

Although at times it's very tricky to stay focused on the positives with a government that in truth wants to see an end to benefit systems in the belief that communities or people will find support in other ways.

Give some of these politicians their own way & we'll become a mini USA. Horrible idea.

This week's strike action made me realise just how much anger and frustration there is out there about the pay and conditions across many sectors of our economy and society.

Reading and watching how some Union reps summarised the strike action also helped me understand why workers felt forced to go on strike, which appears as if it is because they have just reached boiling point, and has been further exacerbated because of the cost of living crisis.

Seeing newspaper headlines highlighting the huge profits being made by energy companies whilst we are all still in this cost of living crisis has further inflamed the situation, and justified the reasons underpinning the strike action.

Mixed feelings of this strike action.

Yes as the wealthy tax avoiders get richer, they are not increasing pay for many workers.

However, I have been a low income family, as a single parent for 10 years. Long before Covid and cost of living crisis, I've worked 3 jobs per week at one point and also worked 60-80hrs per week in a job with overtime. After paying full private rent, council tax, bills and travel to work, I was £5 better off than working 16hrs per week and receiving housing/ council tax benefit. Yet nobody was interested.

I have worked in education as a classroom assistant and social work as a support worker. I have sat in school staffrooms where, teachers brag about their new top of range car and booking foreign holidays. I've heard stories of their social lives/ out for meals and attending weddings... I've heard about how much the hat and designer shoes cost. I sat quietly and embarrassed as I didn't own a car. I didn't have a social life, rarely went to a café and not been out for a meal in years. I made up excuses of being unwell to invitations to weddings and parties as I couldn't afford to buy a dress/hat/shoes/gift and drinks. The invites soon stopped.

I've heard so many conversations in social care, social workers and NHS nurses bragging about booking holidays abroad to Disney, about going to the theatre, weekends away with the girls. Lunches out... many complaining how terrible the food was at restaurants. I know some parents from school gates and children's dance classes who are nurses. They show their social lives on social media.

One nurse bought 2 ponies in lockdowns for her teen daughter. Another bought push bikes for the family, a teacher bought a Daschund puppy. One teacher went skiing up the Cairngorms with her family. Weekends away in log cabins and hot tubs seem to be popular. They have husbands. They have parents who provide free childcare. I do not have that support. These people who have mortgaged homes in an affluent area, 2/3 cars in their driveways, have a quality of life are on the picket lines demanding better pay.

I am now a full time Unpaid carer. I receive £69 per week carers allowance and benefits. I have no support, no staffroom, no social life, no car, no holidays or weekends away with hot tubs. I didn't buy anything such as a pedigree dog or push bikes in lockdowns. So if these teachers portray themselves as poor, what does that make me and all the unpaid carers? We can't strike... we are told to be resilient and use foodbanks.