Single mum from Peebles reveals impact of rising cost of living

A single mum from Peebles has spoken out about how the rise of cost of living has impacted her.

Mum-of-three Rhianna Scott has been keeping a close eye on her smart meter.

Due to costs rising she now has to wash her dishes by hand because of how much energy the dishwasher uses.

The family has started to use the car in just "emergency" situations because of the recent increase in fuel prices.

"I like to have the car in case there’s an emergency, if we need to go to hospital," she said.

"I try to use it as little as possible, but I do feel like I need to have it."

Keeping her three children fed and full, especially in the holidays, is an ongoing challenge so she’s started shopping in cheaper supermarkets and buying own-brand products.

She says the children have spotted some of the changes as she said: "They do say ‘oh, this tastes different’ or ‘that’s not the same’ and I just say ‘rice pudding is rice pudding and custard is custard’. So we just have to get on with it."

It has been a week since the energy price cap rose, meaning the average family’s bill will go up by around £700 per year.

But this isn't the only household cost that has increased as last month alone fuel prices rose by 11.6p a litre and food prices have increased 5% in a year.

Many in our region are looking at where they can make savings in their day-to-day routine.