Cost of living

One in five workers are putting parenthood plans on hold

Employees delay parenthood due to concerns over parental leave

Nearly half of homeowners have incurred late payment fees

Disorganised households estimate they pay an extra £801 on bills

Sick of soaring bills? They’re not all going up

The household bill that costs less than 10 years ago

Novuna Consumer Finance is one of the UK's leading providers of retail point of sale finance and personal loans

Ad Feature One in eight households couldn't cover essentials for two months

More people are finding themselves in debt as the cost of living continues to bite.

New scheme helps give city residents 'breathing space' with debts

Sunderland Central MP Lewis Atkinson has vowed the Government will not tolerate petrol profiteering on the back of Middle East conflict.

We'll not tolerate profiteering on back of war says city's MP

A poll of 2,000 adults found 83 per cent have tightened purse strings during the past 12 months.

Brits have cut back more than £1000 due to rising costs

Energy bills are expected to fall by just 1% in January — around £22 a year (Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Your energy bill may fall by £22 in January - but rises loom in April

The Bank of England has kept interest rates at 4% for the second time in a row (Photos: Getty Images)

Bank of England holds rates at 4% - what it means for your money

An elderly couple watches as members of the Afghan community and Londoners fly kites on Hampstead Heath. UK pensioners are set for a likely 4.8% state pension rise from April 2026 (Photo: CARLOS JASSO/AFP via Getty Images)

UK pensioners set to see £241 weekly from 2026 after 4.8% increase

Around 460,000 UK workers on the voluntary Real Living Wage will see a 6.7% pay rise this year (Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Thousands to get £2,400 pay boost as UK Real Living Wage rises

(left to right) Joanne Wilkins, marketing manager at the Bridges and Hazel Ditchburn, Income Generation Lead at Feeding Families

Hundreds of free breakfasts given to Sunderland families

The cost of many store cupboard essentials has soared in the UK since the 1970s

How the cost of your shopping basket has changed, from 1960 to today

(Photo: SUSANNAH IRELAND/AFP via Getty Images)

How to apply for the Household Support Fund: a step-by-step guide

How much are fans being charged per day to go to some of the UK's biggest music festivals in 2025?

The 10 most expensive UK music festivals per day

Ticket prices are getting more expensive each year, but at what point does it become financially untenable to see your favourite act?

Is the cost of going to a concert becoming less accessible for fans?
Are we reaching a point where to go to a concert in the United Kingdom for the average music fan will be a thing of the past?
Benjamin Jackson

The Government says that thousands of children from struggling households had been missing out on free school meals

How to know if your family is eligible, as free school meals expanded

Young people across the UK have a lot of big worries on their plates

5 of the biggest concerns for children in 2025

Brits feel some aspects of their own life are ‘out of control’ – from family life to work and finances.

Brits want control in life as over 'half' feel overwhelmed

A member of the public being interviewed

Summer holiday prices: Are Britons priced out?

Abby McNicol was one of the four lucky winners who won the SPAR Frozen Fortune £10k prize

Ad Feature These four lucky shoppers scooped £10,000 from their local SPAR

Gareth used a company’s online quote service to see if he could save some money

How I saved £140 a month on bills during ‘Awful April’

(Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

UK's largest supermarket to give away free food items to cut waste

Bundle energy, broadband and insurance with UW

Ultimate consumer hack: how bundling household bills can save money

(Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Inflation hits 10-month high driven by travel and food cost increases

A statue has been unveiled as part of a campaign to highlight the issue of pensioner poverty this winter.

'Freezing and forgotten': Ice sculpture leads winter fuel cuts plea

(Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

'I'm tired of it' - Brits fed up with being 'ripped off' as bills rise
UK households are facing mounting costs, from soaring energy bills to higher food prices 💸
Alex Nelson

How much is it costing unsigned UK musicians to 'make it' in 2025?

How much money it really takes to make it in UK music

Almost half use loyalty programmes as a way of saving around the festive period

Four in 10 adults are worried about the cost of Christmas this year

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been addressing Sunderland pensioners about her decision to scrap winter fuel payments for most of the city's pensioners.

Watch chancellor address pensioners angry over loss of fuel payments

(Photo: SUSANNAH IRELAND/AFP via Getty Images)

The 'Coupon King' shares his tips and simple hacks to save big in 2025

Household Support Fund returns with up to £500 available for families

(Left to right) Steven Cassidy, Sunderland Food Bank's Helen Moss, and Steven's son, also named Steven Cassidy.

Man sheds four stone, and uses new-found fitness to help others

'Lifestyle inflation' is to blame, according to 4,000 adults

Fewer than one in 10 millennials have hit their financial goals

Bear is looking for his forever home after spending 4 years in kennels.

Watch: Dog who is 'not cute or small' seeks home after 4-year wait

Man reacts to the government’s plans to make the winter fuel payment means tested.

Watch as members of the public react to the winter fuel cuts

Gabrielle and Rhys will make the seven-mile trek for Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen.

Sunderland siblings Rhys and Gabrielle in epic walk for soup kitchen

As a seaside city, where would we be without our chippies? We’ve got some great ones, and everyone has their favourite.

Video report: Half of fish and chip shops could close in 2024

Review of Netflix and if its worth it in 2024. Photo: MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images/ National World

Is Netflix worth the money in 2024? Full review Matthew Mohan-Hickson

Thousands set to receive £250 payment - but deadline is just days away

(Photo: Pexels)

Thousands of UK households to receive up to £600 in government support

(Photo: Pexels)

The Royal Mint is 'scrapping' these widely used coins as demand drops

(Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)

Thousands of households to receive £500 summer holidays payment

Most UK schoolchildren are required to wear uniforms to school (Photo: National World/Adobe Stock/Getty)

Why Labour has promised to limit branded school uniform items

An eye-opening look at the cost of living in Sunderland just 50 years ago.

Cost of living in Sunderland 50 years ago - food, nights out, clothes

Kids eat free at Marco Pierre White's

Video: Kids can eat free or for £1 in summer holidays at these places

Every Sunday, The Real Greek will be offering free kids meals, for every £10 spent by an accompanying adult. The offer is available to children under 12 and will include a kids meal, a drink and an ice cream or sorbet.

8 places where you can grab free meals for children over summer

The UK's most affordable university cities for students aren't always the first place you'd think of to study (Photo: National World/Getty/Adobe Stock)

The 11 cheapest UK cities for university students named

(Photo: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

UK households face major mortgage payment increases in next 2 years

(Photo: DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

UK inflation hits 2% for first time in 3 years - what it means for you

(Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images)

UK city leaps into top 10 most expensive cities for expats

Numerous products are being kept in security boxes at supermarkets - including £2 chocolate bars (Photo: James Linsell Clark/SWNS)

Major supermarket locks down £2 item in anti-theft boxes

Motorists forked out millions for unexpected repairs in the last year

Many young people are struggling with the inflated cost of living and in particular, getting on the property ladder.Photo: Adobe

All the figures behind the financial trap of the Peter Pan generation

Lee Christian and his fiancée Aisling Nally are currently living with Aisling's parents.

Meet Sunderland's Peter Pan generation trapped by the mortgage barrier

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