Coming out of financial – as well as a physical – lockdown is quite a tricky business

Spending might not be great for the bank balance, but right now it’s brilliant for morale, writes Jenny Eclair

People have been quick to get back into socialising outdoors (Reuters)

Real life is expensive, isn’t it? Living on an abruptly reduced income for over a year has made me incredibly stingy, and now that the world is slowly opening back up, I’m not sure whether I can afford it.

Financially, the last couple of weeks have been a bit of an eye opener. So this is how I used to live, is it? Basically with my purse continually hanging open, and great wads of money falling out of it.

Of course, the first big expense for many of us, now that we are back in the real world – one that Tony Blair seemed at first to have swerved – is the post-lockdown haircut. By the by, what was that mass hysterical bitching about Tony’s hair all about? So he wanted to look like he was with the band. Why wouldn’t you? After all, it's much more honourable than looking like an MP. And who knows, maybe he didn’t trust Cherie with the scissors?