Rising living costs have driven one woman to extreme measures: becoming a personal chef for her dog. India Lerigo, a Cardiff worker, saves about £100 a month by preparing meals for her Staffy, Luna, who is both allergic and "very picky" - a combination that would test any budget.

Lerigo said rising prices had affected her "massively." Her cost-cutting doesn't stop at canine cuisine: she also saves hundreds on her own food bill by bulk buying and batch cooking a month's worth of meals at a time. She now spends between £250 a month on food for herself and her dog, down from £400 - £500. The trade-off? Spending an entire weekend cooking and freezing meals. "I would quite like that weekend back," she admitted.

Lerigo, 29, said her vet approved the homemade dog food, and Luna is happier "because her stomach doesn't hurt." But there's a catch: Lerigo is a vegetarian, and handling livers and hearts "freaks her out." Because nothing says "I love my dog" like being horrified by her dinner.

She cited council tax and petrol costs as increases outside her control, calling it "a struggle to make sure that everything stretches" despite being on a "decent wage."

Lerigo is not alone. Sara Davies from Caerphilly, a mother of two, and her husband now scrutinize prices at the supermarket instead of tossing items into the trolley without thinking. Their fortnightly pub night? Gone. "It used to be quite a cheap night out," Davies said, adding that it's "just not something we feel we can keep doing."

Andrew Pritchard from Cowbridge described the cost of living crisis as "bonkers." Everything - electric, gas, fuel - is going up, and at 62, he's still working full-time "just to pay bills and rent." He expects to be "working forever just to live."

Orla Williams from Llanelli said the pressure is "not sustainable," noting that wage increases can't keep pace with petrol and food bills. Donna Jones from Swansea echoed: "Food prices, energy prices... they just go up and up, but incomes don't."

Ashley Comley from Caerphilly Blaenau Gwent Citizen's Advice reported a 49% increase in people seeking help for financial emergencies in 2025 compared to the previous year, "and that pre-dates the recent rise in fuel costs." He noted "constant worry about energy" bills, especially with the energy price cap expected to increase in July.

Political parties have weighed in with promises. Welsh Labour said it would "lower bus fares, lower energy bills and expand childcare" and noted it had already removed the two-child benefit cap for 69,000 children in Wales. Plaid Cymru offered "controlling rents" and "free childcare for all." Reform UK pledged to "cut tax and cap council tax rates." The Welsh Conservatives promised "cutting taxes, extending free childcare... and scrapping stamp duty."

The Welsh Liberal Democrats and Wales Green Party have been asked to comment, presumably while their press teams draft similarly aspirational statements.

For now, India Lerigo will keep making dog food, hoping that someday she can have her weekends back - and perhaps a world where her dog's allergies aren't a budget line item.