Millions of us are really feeling the squeeze this year as energy bills rise by almost £700, and national insurance hikes mean we're even more out of pocket.
Making matters worse, the cost of things like food and petrol are also rising. Food price inflation has seen shops put their prices up on everything from milk to bread and potatoes.
Food inflation remained unchanged at 2.7% in February but remains above the 12 and six-month average price growth rates of 0.7% and 1.6%, respectively, and is at its highest rate since September 2013, iNews reports. The issue has been highlighted by poverty campaigner Jack Monroe, who forced the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to change the way it presents inflation data to reflect the impact on different products.
READ MORE: Second Big Power Switch Off date announced in protest to rising energy bills
Ms Monroe's actions also spurred on Asda to add more budget items to its shelves earlier this year. As the price of almost everything seems to be going up, we've taken a look at what some everyday items now cost. We've also compared this to how much we were paying for them just 12 months ago.
Milk
According to the ONS, on average, a pint of pasteurised milk cost 42p in February 2021. In February of this year, this had risen to 49p.
Bread
An 800g loaf of sliced white bread has jumped from £1.08 to £1.14 in the same time period.
A Big Mac from McDonald's
A Big Mac from the place with the golden arches currently costs around £3.29. This is the same price as in July 2021.
Eggs
According to the most recent data available from ONS, a dozen, large free range eggs cost £2.22 (on average) in January of this year. This is a rise of just a penny compared to January 2021.
Petrol
According to figures from the RAC, petrol prices on April 4 were on average 162.44p per litre. In April 2021, the price was around 126.28p per litre.
The price of fuel has increased because the price for crude oil, which is used to make petrol and diesel, has risen. As life has returned to some sort of normal amid the pandemic, demand for energy has grown, with suppliers sometimes struggling to meet this demand, resulting in higher prices.
Prices were rising before the war in Ukraine - and the fallout from Russia's invasion has made things worse. The US has announced a complete ban on Russian oil imports. The UK is to phase out Russian oil by the end of the year, according to the BBC.
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