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Ashfield said after-school facilities at the nursery help her and her partner with childcare for their eight year-old daughter, but she said they are constantly feeling financial pressure. "It is very hard with the cost of living, of food, gas and electric, and especially with my wee girl getting up [in years], the price of clothes as well, everything is just extremely expensive." She pointed to school uniforms, rent and rising rates as "another money problem" people have to manage. "You are trying to keep food on the table, [buy] clothes, trying to provide for them, alongside [that] your child wants the after-school clubs or any activities, you are trying to afford that as well as everything else, you would basically need a second job," she said.
Ashfield added that she is also learning to drive, which means finding extra money for lessons which can cost to £400 a month. Businesses in Northern Ireland have also been feeling the pinch as a result of increased prices. Selina Horshi, who is managing director at the White Horse Hotel in Londonderry, said she would be concerned about a further rise in inflation.
Energy accounts for the hotels largest outgoings, she said, followed by food. Horshi added that "even if inflation was to slow down, the problem is it is still adding small incremental amounts to the costs of what has been an incredible time of high inflation". "I have to heat the whole hotel, whether I have one customer who can afford to come in and use it, or whether it is 500 customers, so I have quite a high fixed cost base.
"I need to keep it warm, I need to keep the pool hot, I need to keep the lights on, and I need to keep buying a huge variety of food where there has been particularly high inflation," she continued. "All those costs are piling up and what it has done, is squeeze margins further and further."
Source: BBC
