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'I don't even put my oven on to cook chips': Teesside shoppers share …

Teessiders have revealed how they try to save money as a rise in inflation means prices on every day items have continued to go up. From not turning on their ovens, to buying supermarket clothing and even swapping deodorant brands to save some extra pennies, the ongoing cost of living crisis means residents in our area are trying various means to keep the cost down on their monthly bills. Some students even even revealed they drive around looking for the cheapest petrol close to them, to save some extra cash when filling up their cars.

With inflation levels at their highest in 45 years at 10.4% in February, Teesside Live took to the streets of Middlesbrough to find out how the rise in prices has affected shoppers, and the struggles they have faced as a result. READ NEXT:Heartbroken daughter slams ‘cowardly’ killer driver who hit mum and left her to die According to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks in particular had risen by about 18% in the year leading up to February, its highest rate since August 1977.

The ‘salad crisis’ last month where supermarkets were left without products such as tomatoes and peppers, was highlighted by ONS as a driving force behind the recent hike in fresh food costs. Angela McAllister is a 63-year-old catering assistant from Hartlepool, she said: “I haven’t cut anything out but I can’t buy clothes the way I used to because food shopping has gone up. I go to Asda, Morrisons and Tesco now, I still have a look round the likes of M&S when I come shopping but never buy anything.

“My lot won’t eat smart price so I spend the money on proper brands, I go all over for that though trying to find the best deals. It’s not just a 10p or 20p jump the price of things are going up massively – I used to buy a deodorant which was GBP1 and it’s GBP1.79 now which is a lot for people who are struggling. When I’m out shopping I definitely don’t have as much money in my purse as I used to.”

Angela McAllister (Image: Teesside Live)

One Middlesbrough shopper, who wished to remain anonymous, explained how the rise in inflation has affected her.

She said: “It has affected me a lot because I walk around the shops and I just say ‘how much?!’ constantly to myself, my heating is on really low all the time and everything is just constantly going up. I’m on my own so I shop about or do without – I had to get a tin out of my dad’s cupboard the other day because I couldn’t afford the prices in the shop. “I’m a carer for my dad and the pay I get is what I’m supposed to live on all month so I’ve always been careful when it comes to the price of things, I used to shop for bargains but with some things I just don’t buy all together to keep the cost down.

What annoys me is when people question other people’s shopping, a pack of biscuits can cost you 45p but a bag of apples can cost you so much more, so you’re obviously going to buy the cheapest option to keep the price down but then people moan that it’s unhealthy!” Elaine Towers is 67 and lives in Guisborough, she said: “It’s affected me quite a lot, I lost my husband recently so it’s been hard. I always look for bargains and I shop in Aldi or Lidl now rather than M&S or Sainsburys, I don’t change brands but I try to shop for offers to keep the cost down on things.

“I’ve always shopped at supermarkets for clothes so that keeps the cost down on things, I think the cost of things can only get worse. I got a GBP40 rise in my pension but it came straight out of my pension credit so I’m no better off, my pension definitely isn’t going as far as it used to in terms of paying my bills and getting shopping in.”

Elaine Towers (Image: Teesside Live)

Another shopper, who also wanted to be nameless, added: “I don’t even put my oven on to cook chips, I buy potatoes and put them in the air fryer because it’s cheaper, I can’t even remember the last time I put my heating on. I’m a bargain hunter as well so I’m always looking to buy cheaper options, instead of buying clothes in shops I use Vinted to buy things for cheap, and I’ve managed to sell a few things on there too so I’ve got money back.

“Even my usual tin of beans has gone up from 69p to GBP1.39 which I’m definitely not going to pay so I go without! I feel sorry for people who have kids at home because I can imagine it’s definitely a struggle.” Jackie and Brian Clinton are retired and live together in Acklam, and shared how they try to keep the cost down on their monthly bills.

Jackie said: “You stop and look at the price of things now, where you would pick it up and buy it you’re walking on by now thinking ‘do I really need it?’ because everything is so expensive. I tend to travel to different shops for my food because although Lidl is good it doesn’t always have what you want, so I’m always looking at points schemes in shops like Tesco to see if I can get any offers for cheaper brands “In terms of the house we’ve just bought an air fryer to cook in because it’s just so expensive to use the oven now, all these daft little things you didn’t used to care about all add up now so we try and save as much as we can where we can.

We have mobile phones that are pay as you go and we don’t have things at home like Netflix so we keep the cost down there, but with our bills going up we’ve just had to say goodbye to the idea of getting a new carpet!”

Brian and Jackie Clinton (Image: Teesside Live)

Brian added: “The bills affect us more than anything, the energy bills have gone up and on top of that we’ve just had the council tax letter through the door too. We’re one of the lucky ones because we haven’t got a wild lifestyle so we have no mortgage or direct debits – essential bills have shot up for us and that’s the main problem – but our hands are tied because everyone’s in the same boat.”

Lauren Bellerby (Image: Teesside Live)

Away from the town centre and on the Teesside University Campus, 20-year-old Lauren Bellerby explained how the rise in prices has caused her to shop around for everything from food to petrol. The third year electrical engineering student, from Stockton, said: “The main thing that’s done me in is the price of petrol!

“To be fair I don’t worry too much because I still live at home so I’m lucky in that sense, but when I’m at my partner’s house and we buy our own food I do think that I’ll go somewhere cheaper to keep the cost down. I always look in the reduced section or do my shopping in Aldi, I’ve stopped buying clothes all together and if I do I only buy things online because it’s a lot cheaper, so I’ve just started to wear more of the things I own rather than buying new.”

Jessica Walker (Image: Teesside Live)

Fellow electrical engineering student, 26-year-old Jessica Walker also from Stockton, added: “The main thing for me as well is petrol, I think it’s gone up about GBP20 since I first got my car and instead of just going to my local petrol station, I tend to re route on my way to Uni so I can find the cheapest petrol station on the route and fill up there so it costs me less all together. For clothes I usually look in charity shops to save a bit of money and I think places like Poundland are good for clothes shopping as well.

“Me and Lauren both work part time as well which helps because we have an income, but if I think if we were on the other end of the skill and didn’t have jobs and didn’t live at home, I think it would be a much more difficult situation for us.”

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