Benefits have not kept up with inflation. For instance, the increased rents for the housing benefit element, where rents have increased significantly but the local housing allowance stays the same. This is pricing those who have no choice but to rent privately into further difficulties. It is already difficult to make ends meet on benefits. We feel powerless about the decisions only the government can make. In simple terms we will be plunged into deeper poverty if benefits do not keep up with inflation, and the government does not care.

Feeling very unsupported within the welfare system as a neurodivergent family. No one will recognise that my autism and my husband's ADHD affect our ability to work. Self- employment is work we can do, but not the hours we’re expected so we can’t meet our minimum income floor, and are trying to survive on a monthly UC payment that is less than our rent! But because we fail the extremely narrow (mostly physical) limited capacity to work assessments if we weren’t self-employed we’d be expected to take any job - despite us both knowing that there are aspects of most jobs that we literally can’t do, or that would make us ill. The system is broken.

Hello All

For my point of view the cost of living is not over – the prices of the food, the rent, everything is extremely expensive.

I am surprised to hear that some media channels say the cost of living crisis is over.

I have never seen any information online or on TV. I have not heard anyone speak of this.

If so I would be writing about it in my diary. I would have hope again.

Food costs are still rising and private rental homes are still increasing, here in Stonehaven.

I noticed my broadband bill has jumped from £25 to £31.99 and I've not had heating on throughout the summer.

I definitely don't think that the cost of living crisis is over. In fact, sadly I think it's gonna be with us for a while.

I say this because, if the cost of living crisis was over, how come the prices in my local supermarkets keep going up rather than down, as is the cost of many other things like rent, etc?

Moreover, in many recent documentaries that I've watched, people are really struggling, and having to resort to foodbanks, partly because the jobs are just not there like they used to be, but also because many of the jobs that people are in just ain't paying enough, and hence people resort to foodbanks in order to make ends meet.

I think the media are portraying the narrative that the cost of living crisis is over so that they can make people think that things are not as bad as they actually really are.

Not even started to become over – how on earth are people saying that it is? If anything, for me, it's getting harder. I am trying to find a new place to live because my landlord is selling and like half of my town we're struggling. I don't earn or know anyone who earns 35x the rent!

Food is still massively over priced and still not able to buy a decent amount, just barely scraping by. Energy may have gone down but is still going to be extremely hard after the snow starts to come and its causing anxiety and panic, clothes are still so expensive that school uniform is still being brought due to how expensive it is and the fact we don't have enough to get it because we have no help.

Bills are still rising and debts still are outstanding for everyone I know! It's nowhere near over, if anything, it's got a small bit worse because not enough help has been given in the first place, and if the media is saying it's over then there's no way we will be ok. Inflation may be dropping but interest rates are still constantly going up and up, yet benefits are going down or being made harder to acquire when in need. We're all still skipping meals and going without so how is it over? The media should be ashamed and the government need to help not slip it under the rug.

So I'm definitely feeling the cost of living and the damage that was done by the Truss short period of time in office. My landlord is selling our home so we're having to find somewhere else to live – he told me Friday evening so not been able to get any help from any government or authority just yet, but I am blessed with a few good friends, who are already on the case and trying to help us, which has made me feel very emotional.

When we moved here, we thought it was for at least the next 10 years but because of the mortgage rises my landlord is selling up. He's a very good landlord and I'm very upset that we have to move, but I understand his situation and why he needs to sell – I just don't know what we're going to do. I don't have money to move, I don't have money for a deposit or anything and what's worrying me the most is everywhere I'm seeing online is £3000 and up per month. How is anyone able to afford this? I know my housing allowance won't. I can't work, I can't save, and I can't seem to find positivity from this. I'm scared we're going to be left homeless, or worse, in a damp mould filled property like last time.

It's scary and I don't know what the future holds for us or if we will have to relocate completely and uproot our entire lives or not. It's very upsetting. How is anyone meant to manage on the price increasing for absolutely everything? Housing isn't great where I am and £3000+ for a month to live in my town is so ridiculously overpriced. The government did this to us –why aren't they doing more to help?

The benefit system is always screwing folk over, like we've not got enough to worry about as it is. I'm getting nearly £40 deducted for rent arrears in the place I literally just moved in to, the notification of deduction came from current landlord, according to UC - bear in mind I've no letters of rent arrears from anyone, current or past landlord, and when pressed UC said it's from current landlord and they said that they were told that current landlord had discussed it with me. Which is BS.

So I'm working with a local charity who've been helping with moving during such a high stress time in my family's life, so they're trying to sort it. They rang my landlord who said they've no record of rent arrears or anything on my account cos I've just moved in. UC won't listen. It's too much for me to think about right now so I'm leaving it to my housing support worker but it's not easy losing £40, when you're on benefits that's a huge amount. It's just one effnup after another with benefits.

Just to add to a difficult few months the landlords are all increasing rents right now so they can afford their own mortgages



Mine called me today and is increasing the rent by £100 a month.

How am I going to feed my children and pay for the basics when I struggle so much already?

It's enough to make a person with good mental health cry . It is definitely taking its toll on my own mental health which has been so positive for so long.

It as a single parent that works full time. My child's care comes to 400 pound in term time. However, in school holidays it triples. So for the six week holiday, I'm about 1200. So it's hard to say a monthly income when you've got kids, because you have times of the years that fluctuate. On average, I would say rent being 600, childcare being 600. On average, you got your council tax, gas and electric. Gas and electric is 210 pounds a month at the moment. It's ridiculous. I don't think anyone could survive on less than 2500, especially when you have to drive to work, put petrol in and buy food. This world is just not built for people to survive anymore. I cannot afford to get my car MOT and repaired because I have got nothing extra and I work full time. It's beyond a joke.

Not much, not much at all. I’d like our rent to not take up 70% of it. And have enough to pay all our bills. I’d like to able to spend a little bit more money on fresh food, and provide my family with a healthier diet. But that’s all.

This is a hard one, because it would depend if it included rent as well, with UC it includes your rent payment, also depends on how many children you have and then add on disabilities in the household, it would be wrong to put a figure on this as i would not like to come across as greedy, but due to circumstances right now, we have just lost our car due to MOT and there is no price you could give to allow me to have a car where we live, as we live in a rural location that only has a bus every hour in the day. So with all these issues i could not put a value on this. See adequate is different for everyone. So i am unable to put a figure.