More than 1m homeowners are worried that they could face severe financial difficulties when their current mortgage deals comes to an end, according to The Financial Services Authority. As well as higher mortgage rates, households are facing record fuel, energy and food bills. How are you coping – are you struggling to make ends meet?

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Community

Yes Definately, things are just getting more expensive by the day, and just the everyday livings expenses are increasing at an alarming rate. The crazy thing, we are both on good incomes and don't overspend!!

If you think there has been a huge exodus over the last 10 years since Labour came into power just wait and see what will happen now. There will be an ever larger and more rapid exodus amongst the British - not just the middle classes but everyone. I warned my family and friends 10 years ago what would happen now that Labour had taken control of the government - most of them chose to disbelieve me. They have spent money as if there was no tomorrow - most of it hugely inefficiently with no great overall benefit. You have to admire the blighters in a twisted fashion - they dream up taxes that most of us never could have. Whichever way we turn we are clobbered. The Fry family are right now weighing up the pros and cons of South Africa v. Italy. Can't and won't cope for a minute longer than necessary.

Maureen Fry, Macclesfield

I spent my first thirty years in South Africa, and have only just been back to the UK for five years, its taken me five years to fully establish myself, not easy being a woman in her late thirties, but have managed to buy a house, get my two boys educated, properly because in S.A. they were going no where in the state schools, believe it or not, and establish my self securely in the UK workplace, because I actually wanted to work, not sit back on benefits, like so many of my British peers. I won't get into the whole South African do or don't scenario, my case was, my sons and I were hi-jacked in Johannesburg, and once you've seen a gun being held to your childs head, the whole world shifts on its axis!! The UK has its problems, yes, but we are still, even though we don't think it, better off than say.........people in South Africa, I complain about things now, but you know, when I just arrived from S.A. I was amazed at the freedom I had, it was and still is unbelievable. I don't like whats going on here, and I also think Labour is not the way to go, but i've been there and done that, I might not be in the UK till i'm old, God forbid! but maybe Europe, definately, my sisters have both re-located with their families, one to Southern Austria, the other to Vienna, life is much more organised and civilised over there. I will set my eyes in that direction, definately. Good Luck in your choices, do your homework first.

Caroline Morris, Pembrokeshire

I was very friendly with a family, living in Prestbury, Cheshire who had come over here from Johannesburg because of the violence. They said every time they went on holiday their house girl would move her family in because of the threat of burglery, rape etc and as they wanted to have a family they decided to relocate here. What happened 6 years later? They returned to South Africa, to Durban not Johannesburg and their reason? The level of violence in the UK. I spent all of my 20's and part of my 30's living in the middle east and far east and alwlays felt completely safe. We have been back in the UK now for 18 years and I feel so damned unsafe in this country. Winters, safety, taxes and the Labour take on politics - no wonder people are leaving in their thousands every single month. My brief encounters with SA meant all the normal suspects - superb food, wine, scenery, animals, beaches. The list goes on and on.

Maureen Fry, Macclesfield

I guess everyone has their own opinions regarding S.A. I still have a property down there and won't sell it because I believe the boys may one day want to go and experience the good things that are there and that I did experience, because there is always good and bad everywhere, its just how you experience it yourself. Me.....I just wont go back there to live, I believe the government has gone over the top and definately think the person they've elected now is totally inept, but thats just my opinion.

I do agree with you on the situation here , does seem to be getting worse, even though, living down here, we are quite insolated The cost of living is crazy and my biggest bug bear, so many youngsters are not bothered to even try, what a shame!!

Caroline Morris, Pembs.

yes! Mr. Darling has done nothing for pensioners! I went through most of my working life as a single parent family, I claimed no benefit for this situation as in order to do so I had to take time off from the job that I had. This was the way to lose the job! Out of the miserable money that I earned I saved for my pension in a 'self employed pension scheme', which should have paid off my mortgage. This enabled me to move my job without losing my pension. The lump sum was supposed to pay off my mortgage, but nobody planned for 9/11. The bottom dropped out of the market so that I am left with a mortgage which I will never be able to pay off (interest only), and a small income which is not index linked ( at the time I could not afford an indexed one) which dear Mr darling taxes at a high rate. I tried to work, after taking my pension, and dear Mr Brown gave me a K tax code and taxed me at 50%!!! The type of job I could get after retiring could not pay enough to justify 50%! Now where is the justice? When I planned for my retirement all dental care was free and NHS, I now have to pay at a time of life when my teeth are falling apart! During my working life I moved to a remote part of Wales so that I could afford to live and buy a house. Now that house has been rebanded twice, upwards of course, I have an estate car to carry straw and bulk feed for my poultry, no public transport here. I have to put my rubbish in my car to take it to the collection point. I am now 70 years of age, and I am really getting very p------ off with the Darlings of this world!

I think nobody can blame you and the millions like you for feeling that way, the future holds a bleak picture for us, imagine what its going to be like when we get to your age! We are working, paying mortgages, actually had to get private medical insurance because the NHS down here in Pembs is dismal!! We're trying to live without being a burden to the state, getting nothing for it, not even the prospect of a pension in the future, a bleak picture indeed. Yet, sadly, the millions of under 40's who are lolling around on the dole, are very well looked after with all their benefits!

I am a self-employed courier driver, working for a courier company.

My earnings have been frozen for four years, last October the company gave us a pay DROP of 10% With the crazy price of fuel and other costs how am I supposed to keep going? I don't smoke or drink, I drive a 1.4 Diesel car, but with a family of 6 need a people carrier, this being a W reg it gets the higher rate of Tax even though it can do 40+ MPG!!!

Labour once looked out for the poorer working class, sadly all they do now is pander to big corps and Europe!!!

If another job was there i'd take it but with the huge influx of foreigners plus huge house building schemes (Our Town in 10 years has jumped from around 7000 to 10000 and we will soon have another 500 homes and another 650 planned for the future) the few jobs that were here have all gone......

If I could afford to emigrate I would.