The cost of living, from electricity to petrol and food, is rising sharply, leaving people living in Jesmond to protect themselves from soaring inflation by spending wisely.

Tamsin Yang, 20, is a local resident who studies at Newcastle University. She told JesmondLocal that price spikes had made her stop buying meat and fish for her meals because they were too expensive. She also needs to balance the cost between different products.

“I try not to spend over £20 for food shopping, but I go over budget when I buy extra things that week like toiletries and laundry powder – more expensive, but long-lasting things,” she said.

According to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Trading Economics, sales rose 2.2% in September, indicating a decline as inflation nears 10%. The BRC data cited major cuts to non-food items, with spending falling by 0.4% in September, while food spending rose by 4.6%, driven mainly by inflation.

Consumer spending on clothing fell by 4.1% in September, according to Barclays, the UK’s largest credit and debit card operator.

Yang has little budget left for shopping other than for groceries and daily necessities, such as clothes. She stated that she would be justified in using the extra money to buy them because she does not buy them often as non-essentials.

Esme Harwood, Director of Barclaycard, said in the company’s Consumer Spending Report, released earlier this month: “Consumers are taking a smart budgeting approach as they spend less on non-essentials and seek more value in their weekly shop, which is having a knock-on effect on the retail and hospitality sectors.”

Rapid increase of the price also weak the power of discount. Sale season is can’t awaken their desires to buy. Gabbi de Boer, 21, a second-year student at Newcastle University, lives in Jesmond. She finds that she cannot stock up in large quantities compared to previous months. She also sees frequent price increases on daily must-buy items.

“I shop more often as buying things in bulk isn’t possible for my budget anymore – I would’ve bought in bulk more in the past but can’t afford to as I don’t know when certain things will need more money these days,” she said. De Boer also prefers to stock up on some long-lasting items during sale to mitigate against future price increases.

The effects of the war in Ukraine, COVID-19 and the climate emergency pushing up the cost of energy and food production. During the cost of living crisis, shoppers are cutting their budgets, including food, and also spending more time to compare the price lists from different stores especially cheaper supermarkets or discount shops with sale to meet their needs and reduce their budgets.