Yorkshire man trends after saying soaring living costs take ‘nearly half’ his salary
He says even "small luxuries" such as a beer or a meal out now "threaten to swallow a chunk" of his income - to the point where he feels he can't go out.
A West Yorkshire man has been trending online this week after speaking to The Guardian about how 40% of his salary goes on 'soaring' house costs - adding that energy bill rises have cut massively into his savings.
33-year-old Band 6 NHS worker Joshua Wheeler-Gaunt, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, told the newspaper that he is increasingly worried about rising costs of living.
He also said that he feels he might need to leave the UK to be able to afford to start a family.
Mr. Wheeler-Gaunt currently works in quality assurance for an NHS unlicensed medicines manufacturer, with a pay grade of between £32,000 and £39,000 a year.
However, despite acknowledging his salary is 'above average' he says even "small luxuries" such as a beer or a meal out now "threaten to swallow a chunk" of his income - to the point where he feels he can't go out.
“I think my energy bills are up by about £15 a month when compared with last summer, which will be more like £40 or £50 once it gets colder," he said.
"Water rose by about £60 a year, council tax by a few pounds a month …. Each one eats into your spare income.
"I’d say about 40% of my salary is easily gone on house costs – mortgage, council tax and bills – before considering any maintenance or improvements.”
Explaining that he lives alone, he added that any rise in costs chips away significantly at what he can save - meaning if his "knackered" boiler goes he won't be in such a good place to be able to replace it.
"I used to live in Switzerland, where the cost of living is more balanced and you feel like there is actually a future,” he added, saying that the situation here adds another element of stress and that he is considering leaving the country in order to be able to afford to have a family.
It comes as industry experts are warning of steep rises to household energy bills, with the Financial Times reporting that they will go up by "more than £550 a year if the price of gas stays at its current level" and the government do not intervene.
The FT also reports that at least five energy retailers in the UK have gone out of business since the beginning of August.
Feature image - Joshua Wheeler-Gaunt
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Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Georgina Pellant -
23rd September 2021 
