The Big Squeeze: What's the impact on families throughout Surrey and East Hampshire?
The Big Squeeze is putting an additional strain on families across the county as household bills dramatically increase.
Energy bills, fuel prices and a rise in food shopping is causing even the best budgeters a difficulty in their finances.
In Surrey, the strain on households is becoming increasingly noticeable. Food banks across the county are preparing for a rise in their services, as well as many who already plan and budget their money now feeling the impact more than ever due to low income.
Suzie Jones is a mum-of-two from Farnham, who is self-employed as a dance teacher. She has seen the strain of her bills increasing over the last few weeks and is preparing to make cuts.
Suzie's energy bill is expected to rise by £563.83 over the course of the year. She has worked out how the increase will impact her work life.
"I worked out that at £9 an hour of an hourly rate of working, it's an extra 62 hours of work a year.
"I'm a single mother with two children, so unless I want to never see them, there's not really any extra I can do. I'm also self employed.
"So it's just cutting back on on other things. I can't really cut down on my fuel because I have to drive my kids to school. We don't live close enough to walk up and I have to drive for work to get to where I'm teaching. So that means that other things are going to have to be cut."
Suzie is preparing to make cuts in her food bills, but as a keen budgeter already, the tightening of finances comes at a cost.
The increases will see families across the county making use of food banks and other opportunities to reduce their expenditure, but the steep rise in bills has seen parents like Suzie confused as to why the rise has come all at once.
" I don't fully understand why it has to go up so drastically in such a short space of time. Normally when we see an increase in in fuel costs, gas and electric costs, it would be gradually over a set period of time.
"But for things to go up by for some people by £1000 in one swoop? It's shocking.
People could have been informed earlier. Perhaps they could have just increased the prices is slower, more gradual rate."
The increase in fuel costs are also a growing concern for people who have to drive to work, or drive their children to school.
Suzie has already increased the amount of money she budgets for fuel but is fearful she may have to allocate more.
"We do pretty much the same miles every week pretty much, so unless I get an electric bike, that's just another thing that we're going to have to find extra money for."