The rising cost of living in the UK

I have defined some of the words (underlined) in the blog post, which you can add to your Personal Dictionary. Click on the Excel icon to download the word list to your PC or mobile device, which you can thereafter import into your Personal Dictionary. They are also listed below.

Scroll down to the bottom for links to a crossword and word search using words from this post, as well a YouTube video.

Nevertheless – in spite of that; all the same

Soaring – increasing rapidly above the usual level

Inflation – a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money

Seemingly – so as to give the impression of having a certain quality; apparently

Phenomenon – a remarkable person or thing

Exclusive – restricted to the person, group, or area concerned

Approximately – not completely accurate or exact; roughly

Monitor – maintain regular surveillance over

Decline – a gradual and continuous loss of numbers

Accommodation – a room or building in which someone may live or stay

Citizen – an inhabitant of a particular town or city

Treatment – medical care given to a patient for an illness or injury

Utility bill – a monthly statement of the amount a household owes for essential services such as electricity, gas, water etc

Consumer – a person who purchases goods and services for personal use.

Pledge – a promise or undertaking

Persuade – get someone to do something through reasoning or argument

Luxury – a state of great comfort or elegance

Beg – ask someone earnestly or humbly for something

With Christmas only 3 weeks away on the day that I am writing this, I’m sure most people are trying to push the thoughts of the rising cost of living to the back of their minds. Nevertheless, the press and now me – sorry – are publishing stories of the soaring inflation on a seemingly daily basis, reminding us of the fact that money will be even tighter in the new year. I’m aware that this is not a phenomenon exclusive to the UK.

Without going into too much detail about the reasons for the increase, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is approximately 11% higher than at this time last year. The CPI is based on the price of thousands of goods, which are monitored monthly, as well as mortgage and rental costs. These have hit an all-time high, especially in London and other larger cities around the UK. Currently, one in five of the population rent, and the number of homeowners is declining, particularly because of the difficulties young people have getting on the housing market. Just like in other countries, there is a divide between different areas of the country, and the price of accommodation is more expensive in the south of England than other areas of the country as well as the other countries in the UK.

Even though the citizens of the UK have access to free health treatment on the National Health Service, the savings there go to pay utility bills, which are the highest in Europe. However, energy companies are required by law to inform consumers if a better deal is available elsewhere, and the government has pledged support for households in 2023.

Food and drink, which costs us about 14% of our income has been increasing steadily over the past years, owing to the increasing import costs due to Brexit, as well as the weakened pound. In doing some research for this, I tried to find some areas where prices had come down, and discovered there had been a drop in the price of second-hand cars. It’s just a shame that fuel to run them are still highly priced! I also read that some online and high-street retailers have introduced “inflation buster” schemes to persuade people to part with their money for luxury goods.

Whatever happens, it’s unlikely that those retailers as well as pubs, restaurants etc will roll back their prices in the future. Look out for upcoming posts on tips on how to beg your boss for more money, and how to live on fresh air!

To test your knowledge, why not do a crossword puzzle, using words from this text?

Click here for instructions on how to play.

To test your knowledge, why not do a word search puzzle, using words from this text?