It’s no secret that the rising cost of living is touching every part of our lives. With inflation the highest it’s been since 1982, more than 89% of adults in Great Britain are finding that everything from their weekly shop to their energy and water bills has increased exponentially since last year. More and more of us feel priced out of everything from fitness to food, and the increased financial strain is understandably having an impact on our personal relationships too.

Money (and particularly the lack of it) is never an easy thing to navigate with a partner. From the early debates over who will pay the bill to the significant burden of purchasing a house together, a sense of financial imbalance can easily create tensions and unequal dynamics. Therefore, it’s little surprise that research from Stowe Family Law has shown that 90% of those surveyed feel their relationship has been affected by the current state of affairs.

In the survey, financial woes were frequently cited as a leading factor in the breakdown of a relationship, with concerns over ‘not enough money coming in’ and ‘not enough money to pay the bills’ placing an extra strain. Of those polled, 55% said their relationships are already ‘on the rocks’ as a direct result of the cost of living crisis. But more worryingly, 25% admitted they are staying in their current relationship as they fear not being able to afford to live on their own.