THE cost-of-living crisis is hitting people’s finances harder than the pandemic did, a new survey suggests, with more than four million Britons now in serious financial difficulty. 

People are resorting to eating poorer quality food, selling off their possessions and showering less often in order to make ends meet as souring inflation outstrips wages, according to new report by the Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust and the University of Bristol published today. 

The trust, which has been tracking the economic impact of the Covid crisis on people’s finances, said that its latest findings marked the “first substantial deterioration” since the pandemic hit.