Brand buys fall as cost of living rises

Increasingly cash-strapped households are moving away from buying brands, as latest figures show the cost of living here is still on the rise.

The CSO figures show that although costs fell slightly in the last month, due to lower mortgage costs and the impact of winter sales, overall prices have risen by over 2% in the past year.

For example, the cost of buying fresh meat and fish to feed a household has risen by between 2% and 3.3%, with lamb prices showing the biggest jump in the past month.