‘Cost-of-children crisis’: UK parents on coping with half term on a shoestring

As food and heating costs rise with children at home, compromises range from washing less to cancelling holidays

Delaying heating the house, showering every two or three days, weighing up selling cherished items, cancelling holidays – these are some of the sacrifices parents in the UK are making in their efforts to cope with the cost of living crisis.

About 19% of households with children, an estimated 1.5 million, are in serious financial difficulties, according to analysis of abrdn’s financial fairness tracker by the charity Action for Children, compared with 13% of households without children.