Bills in the United Kingdom continue to grow, as households now find themselves spending 12% more on their essentials than they were just a year ago, according to Nationwide, Britain’s biggest building society.

According to their latest monthly analysis, utility bill costs rose by roughly a third (34%) last moth, year over year.

Mortgage payments rose by 17%, as rent payments grew 11%. Loan costs were up 8%, and insurance had grown 7%.

According to the study, over the previous six months, almost two-fifths (38%) had used their credit cards to pay for essential items such as food, drink, public transport, or childcare.

Mark Nalder, the payments strategy and performance director at Nationwide, said, “Our research shows that while the number of people worried about their finances has fallen slightly, there are people relying on credit as a way of bridging the gap for essential bills.” 

Substantial growth was also seen in most of the non-essential spending categories. Vacation spending was up 19%, and airline travel soared 34% year over year.

Even in spite of rising costs, Nader noted than consumers are “clearly looking to strike the balance between being fiscally responsible and still being able to spend money on themselves.”

Nationwide’s research was based upon an analysis of 208 million debit and credit cards, as well as direct debit transactions its members performed.