Fifty seven percent of British households have cut back on eating and changed the amount of times they cook to save money.
Which says every six in 10 households are now making the adjustments to meet the soaring cost of living . The figures were collated in the past month and reveal that as well as cutting back on essentials< coping methods include borrowing money from family and friends and taking out loans, using credit cards and overdrafts and selling items to raise cash.
This is a 19 per cent increase on the amount of people drastically economising in the same period last year - recorded in May 2021 as 38 per cent. Now around two million households have missed a housing, bill, credit card or loan payment in the past month, the consumer organisation estimated.
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Hull Live reports the consumer group said households on lower incomes were more likely to have missed a payment. Many people in its survey reported living their lives differently because of the changes in the economy. A third (32%) said they were using less hot water and one in six (16%) reported eating fewer cooked meals.
More than one in 10 (11%) said they had skipped meals because of rising food prices, 8 per cent had prioritised meals for other family members, and 3 per cent had turned to using a food bank. One person told Which?: “I can’t afford to buy food each week so I am not able to eat a proper meal each day.
"I can’t afford to buy oil so I go to bed when it gets cold.” Another simply said: “I’m cold, hungry and miserable.”
A lack of trust in energy firms was also cited originating from the price increases, particularly surrounding rising direct debits that have gone up by hundreds of pounds in some instances. These feelings of suspicion come despite Ofgem threatening 'robust action' if energy companies are found to have treated consumers unfairly when increasing direct debit payments.
With Ofgem predicting the energy price cap could rise to £2,800 in October, Which? said that the UK Government’s decision to give a £400 grant to households as well as an additional one-off £650 payment to those on the lowest incomes would bring some relief to people. Separate one-off payments of £300 were also being made to pensioner households and £150 to individuals receiving disability benefits.
Which? said the success of these measures would be judged on whether financial help was getting to the most vulnerable and continued to help them. Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: “The latest Government support package to help with rising energy bills will bring relief to many people. However, the Government needs to make sure the right level of support is available for the most vulnerable through the cost-of-living crisis.”
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