Tighten your belts

MANY people are struggling to make ends meet during the cost-of-living crisis, but some, including those in my circle, are not.

It is not up to the Government to tell us how to spend our money, but it’s high time we all took responsibility for our own choices.

If you choose to shop at Marks & Spencer and pay £3.20 for ready-prepared mashed potato, that is your choice. I shop at Aldi, where I can buy a big bag of potatoes for 80p.

Many families are said to be using food banks, but equally there are long queues at airports, so people are making a choice.

It is a hard lesson — but one that has been forgotten — that we need to learn to budget, live within our means and make better choices.

Some people seem to think that whatever happens, the Government will help us out, but they have forgotten that any assistance has to be funded by our taxes.

Mrs CYNTHIA BENTLEY, Middlesbrough.