More than a third of people in England, Wales and Scotland are cutting back on food and essentials in order to help with the cost of living, a new survey shows.
The latest figures from the ONS suggest 9 in 10 - or around 46 million people -- have seen their cost of living go up in the last month.
More than half of the people who are between 55 and 74 are reducing how much gas and electricity they use at home, according to a study carried out between the end of March and June 19th.
57% of people who had seen their cost of living go up were spending less on non-essential items and 42% were cutting back on non-essential journeys in their vehicles, according to the data.
A government spokeswoman said we have taken action to help households by phasing in 37 billion worth of support throughout the year, which includes specific support to help people through the difficult winter ahead. Everyone will receive 400 over the winter to help with energy bills. She says that it means any holidays or extras we want in our lives that we're unable to do. Nearly a quarter of those who were seeing a rise in their cost of living had saved savings to cover their costs, and 13% reported using more credit than usual, according to the ONS research.
As energy bills increase, we need to spend more money over the rest of the year.