The Newark Advertiser found what people have had to cut out since the start of cost of living crisis

On its weekly voxpop, the Advertiser asked what people across Newark have had to cut back in their lives since the start of the cost of living crisis.

The cost of living crisis has dominated the news in recent months with rising energy bills, fuel prices and food costs.

As a result, people have had to found new methods of saving, such as reducing their household energy uses, stop shopping certain brands or stop going out.

The Advertiser went out in the snow in Newark to find out the main things people had to cut back on.

John Burke said: “Everyone's cut back now. No one puts the heating on as much now do they? You don’t go out as often, no socialising. You go to the supermarket, buy alcohol, go home and have a party at home.”

Tina Cree “I’ve reduced in food, instead of getting a bigger brand, I buy the shop's own brand.

“I don’t go out as much, I’ve been putting more clothes on instead of the heating on.”

According to the UK Parliament data, food prices had risen consistently for the 17 months up to December 2022, when food price inflation was at its highest since September 1977.

“I tend to spread a meal over the days. If I do one big sauce it might go for next day and even the third day if needed to. I work two jobs to make ends meet which I have to if I work seven days a week, said Melanie Benna.

She added: “It was back in November that I got the second job so you could say that it was with the rise of costs of living."

The office for National Statistics revealed that electricity prices in the UK rose by 66.7% and gas prices by 129.4% in the last 12 months until January 2023.

Newark resident and business owner Tony Mills said: “Gas, electric, the other things you tend to just deal with cutting back accordingly or buy what you need to rather than buy what you don’t need to."