Worrying about the cost of living

Money worries can be stressful for everyone, including your family, parents, or carers. But you always deserve to feel cared for at home.

When everyone is stressed at home, you might be worried about:

• arguments or people getting angry
• feeling like you can’t get things you need
• making sure everyone else is okay
• having to do more or look after younger siblings
• being hurt, abused or thrown out.

Whatever’s happening, you should never have to cope alone. Talking to a Childline counsellor can help you to get help outside of your family without having to worry, and can give you a chance to think about ways to cope or get more help.

Get more advice on family problems.

There can be lots of things that make the future feel uncertain. You might not be sure about whether things will get better, what will happen at home or if you’ll be able to do the things you want to do when you’re older.

Thinking about the future can be helpful sometimes, but if it’s making you anxious and stopping you from doing things then there are things you can do to help:

Focus on things you can control

The cost of living isn’t something people can usually control, which means that it can be hard to know what to do when you’re worried. Things feeling out of control can make you worried about what you should do, or even leave you feeling like it’s not worth trying.

When things are feeling out of control, it can help to take some time to focus on smaller things that you can do. This could be anything, like revising for an exam, going for a walk or just making a warm drink. Doing something small to feel in control can make it easier to cope, and give you the energy to find new ideas.

Making a budget can be a good place to start if you’re thinking about money, and ways to feel more in control of your spending.

Make plans for the future

It’s natural to focus on what might happen if things go wrong. The cost of living might make you worried that you won’t be able to afford things or that things might change at home. It can really help to make a plan about how you could get help if things get worse.

If you’re worried about something that’s going to happen, it can help to ask yourself “what if” that thing happened, and make a list of:

• what actually might happen, and how likely it is
• what you could do if that did happen
• places you can go for help if you need to.

If you’re worried about making those lists or you’re not sure what to say, it can help to try doing it with someone you trust, or with a Childline counsellor.

Take a break from the news

The news can be overwhelming sometimes, so it’s important to take a break when you need to. This could mean turning off alerts or putting your device away so you aren’t tempted to look at it. If you’re struggling with things on social media, then we’ve got advice to help.

Talk about it

Talking to someone you trust about what’s worrying you can help you to see things differently or think of ways to cope that you can’t see on your own. It can also help to let things out and to let someone support you.

If you’re scared to talk to someone in your life, remember that you can always talk to us.

Stress about money big effect on you. It can make it hard to cope or make time to take care of yourself.

It can help to think about ways you can feel more in control. Looking at the other tips on this page can help, and you can also try:

• Sharing what’s happening with someone you trust, instead of keeping it a secret
• Focusing on a healthy routine to get a good night’s sleep
• Doing something that gives you a sense of accomplishment, like a piece of homework or tidying up
• Looking at free courses or things to learn online
• Get advice and techniques on coping with stress
• Take breaks from news about the cost of living and focus on feeling good when you use social media

Whatever’s happening, you’re not alone and you can talk to us.

Every situation is different, so it’s important to think about what support you’re eligible for. Depending on your circumstances, it’s important to remember that some support will be for your parents or carers.

If you’re struggling with transport or other costs for things like school, college or university then it can help to talk to someone you trust there about what support they can arrange.

You can get information and support about which benefits, entitlements you might be entitled to on the Citizens Advice website. This can include things like one of payments, or help with things like energy costs.

Looking for work

If you’re over 13, you can apply for different jobs depending on how old you are. It’s important to think about whether looking for work is right for you, and making sure it’s not going to stop you doing things like school work.

Getting a job is a great way to earn extra money and build your skills, but it can be hard to know where to start sometimes. If you’re looking for a job, we’ve got advice to get you started.

A budget is a way of making sure you’re not spending more than you have. It includes a list of all the money you have coming in as well as anything you need to spend money on.

Writing everything down can help you to see exactly what’s happening with your money and can help you to get more in control of your spending and find ways to spend less.

To make a budget:

• Work out your income
  Write down all of your income, including money from work, benefits or from people in your family
• Record how much you spend
  This includes things like phone bills, rent, debt repayments and travel. Put down anything you have to pay for. Add up how much you spend on food as well.
• Figure out what’s left over
  This is your disposable income, and is the money you can use to save or spend on things you don’t need. To work it out, add up all of your income and take away the amount you spend.
• Plan what to do next
  If you have disposable income, you can set a limit on how much you can spend each month and think about how much you’ll want to save. Saving can be a good way to make sure you’ve got money in the future when you need it. You can also look at all of your spending to see ways you could cut costs or spend less.

If you’re finding that you’re spending more than you than your income, then it can help to look at all of your spending to see what you can cut out.

You could divide your spending into things you need to live like food shops or rent, and things that aren’t essential like going out, or spending money on games. Doing this can help you to think more about what you could spend less on.

If you’re struggling to cope with finances, if can help to get financial advice from Citizen’s Advice.