The latest UK inflation data for February is due out today, with analysts expecting the headline rate to fall to 3.5%. In January the figure remained unchanged at 4%, as rising gas and electricity bills were offset by the first fall in food prices in more than two years and winter sale bargains.
After a difficult period the Dalys, who first spoke to the Guardian about their soaring bills in 2021, can see some light at the end of what has been a very long tunnel. But their optimism has little to do with the recent budget or government claims to have taken "action" to bring down inflation.
There is joy at the prospect of a second child - a sister for Robin, due next month - as well as more financial security for the couple, who live in Norwich. Jess, a library administrator at the University of East Anglia, faced redundancy last year but held on to her position, while her husband, Jon, recently moved to a better job at a large financial services firm.
In the supermarket Jess notices some prices falling. She recently paid "just" £1.60 for butter, with the reduction remarkable enough to catch her eye (official data shows the cost of a 250g block peaked at £2.36 last year). "I am much more aware of how much things cost," she says.
But more than food prices or energy bills coming down - in April the energy price cap in Britain will fall by £238 to £1,690 - the thing that has made the biggest difference to their finances is their daughter Robin's third birthday, which they celebrated with a picnic in a local park, with friends and family, on a gorgeous spring day.
Denne historien er fra March 20, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 20, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Wall of online rage should not obscure beauty and ugliness
While the authorities have undermined fans’ trust, the truth is at risk of being buried under a mound of tinfoil hats
Surrey worthy winners as Championship takes eye
Nestled within a season of Test triumphs for England, it was atop-of-the-table county clash that truly stole the show
Strike it rich Footballers must find a moral compass before embarking on a journey of unity
IT he distant strains of The Internationale can be heard on the approach to the Etihad Stadium.
Sri Lanka President pledges 'era of renaissance as leftists come in from the cold
As he was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president yesterday morning, Anura Kumara Dissanayake heralded a \"new era of renaissance\" for the country.
Man reunited with lost family 73 years after he was abducted as a child
A man who was abducted as a sixyear-old while playing in a California park in 1951 has been found more than seven decades later thanks to the help of an online ancestry test, old photos and newspaper clippings.
Veteran activist Fonda issues rallying call to young voters
Young people's unhappiness with the Biden administration's record on oil and gas drilling and the war in Gaza should not deter them from voting to block Donald Trump from the US presidency, the Hollywood actor and activist Jane Fonda has urged.
Ex-partner of Pelicot co-accused fears she was raped
The former partner of a co-defendant in a mass rape trial that has prompted horror and protests in France has broken down in tears and told the court she may herself have been sexually assaulted.
Meloni to be presented with thinktank's global citizen award by Musk
Giorgia Meloni is to be presented with the Atlantic Council's global citizen award by Elon Musk in New York, as the Italian far-right prime minister resurrects links with allies of Donald Trump before the US presidential election.
French interior minister is sign 'reactionary right' are in power, critics warn
The new French interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, has promised to \"restore order\" by cracking down on crime and immigration as critics on the left said the new government was leaning too far towards the \"reactionary right\".
Show puts creator of first UK Holocaust memorial in the spotlight
The work of an overlooked GermanJewish artist who created the UK's first memorial to victims of Nazi persecution is to be the focus of an exhibition that shines light on the unreported aspects of his life.