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The official inflation rate may have hit zero but families face a raft of April price rises on 'must pay' bills that could add up to more than £145 a year.
April 1 was the trigger date for increases on the cost of everything from a tank of petrol or a hot shower to a dental appointment or a doctor's prescription.
BT, the BBC and the Royal Mail are also among those taking a little bit extra from the pockets of consumers.
For families who are faced with pay freezes or worse, every extra penny going out of the budget risks tipping their finances into the red.
Drivers are being hit worst by the Government's decision to go ahead with the 2p-a-litre tax hike on petrol from April 1 despite complaints from business and motoring groups.
A two- car family using unleaded petrol will find they have to pay out an extra £51.36 a year in tax to satisfy the demands of the Treasury.
The petrol increase will also put up the price of everything from a basket
of groceries to a stay in a hotel, because it will increase business transport costs.
April 1 was also the day the country's big water companies increased their charges by an inflation-busting average of 4.1 per cent, taking the average bill up £13 a year to £342.
However, some face even bigger rises. Southern Water customers face a rise of 5.6 per cent - £20 - taking the annual figure to £370.
BT has put up the cost of monthly line rental by £1 to £12.50.
It is also killing off the Friends & Family discount which offers a saving of 10 per cent on calls to up to 15 of a customer's commonly dialled landline numbers.
Separately, the cost of a daytime landline call is going up by 15 per cent to 4.5p a minute, while it has already put up the call connection fee by 16.8 per cent to 8p.
These increases are balanced by reductions in some areas. However, a family could realistically end up paying an extra £42 a year.
NHS healthcare has also become more expensive, at least in England, where a single prescription charge is up 10p to £7.20.
By contrast prescriptions are free in Wales, while families in Scotland and Northern Ireland will see a £1 reduction as part of a gradual phasing out of the charges.
This week, the cost of a BBC colour TV licence fee increases by £3 - 2.1 per cent - to £142.40.
The black and white version is up £1 to £48 - squeezing the wallets of the public while millions of pounds go into the pockets of well-paid presenters such as Jonathan Ross.
The fall in the value of the pound against the euro and other currencies will put up the cost of imports later this year.
Nintendo has already responded by increasing the UK price of its Wii console by £20 to £200.
The Retail Price Index measure of inflation, used in most pay negotiations, hit zero in February, suggesting the cost of living is static.
But the raft of rises which come into effect now mean the squeeze on household budgets will only get tighter.
Finance expert Rebecca Atkinson, of Moneywise magazine, said: 'The impression given by the official statistics is that the cost of living is not rising; however that could not be further from the truth.
'April 1 has been the trigger for an increase in a number of bills. Each increase may be relatively small, but the combined effect can make a real difference.'
She added: 'It will be interesting to see what impact these increases have on the official inflation rate.
'If it rises there is a real risk the Bank of England will respond by putting up interest rates.'
, they are gradually squeezing the last few breaths out of us.
had 40 fits, my gas bill september - march over £300.. unit prices went up 52%. leccy up.. havent had water..yet... why does it take until 2020 to have water meters installed? they should have done it years ago, and when water meters get installed. they want the cost of it back... and when water meters prove to save money, they lose out and they put it up.. big rip off coming up and i smell a fooken rat.. when water meters go in, the unit price will be high.. grrrrrr
