Two months after the break up, Louise was eventually able to move out of the shared home and back in with her family. “In all honesty, I would much rather have had the ability to move into a place of my own. However, my financial situation, alongside the housing market at the time, made that impossible,” she shares.

The time spent apart provided the headspace needed and eased the financial burden enough for Louise and her partner to both consider what they wanted from the relationship. “My ex partner and I stayed in touch and found that once money was no longer such a prominent issue in our relationship, we were able to rekindle our romance,” she says.

“After months of saving we found a property that was a lot more affordable for us – and we’re still happily together.” However, she’s adamant that she learned a valuable lesson about preparing for the financial implications of a relationship.

“Our situation is definitely not rare and I’m sure many couples have gone through similar situations off the back of lockdown and now the cost of living crisis. It has definitely taught me a lesson, and when we decide to buy, I will make sure to have appropriate measures in place and savings on hand in case anything does go wrong”.

The cost of living crisis is forcing broken-up couples to stay living together