To ask when is the cost of living going to go down?

Did you not notice the 2008 crash which most leading Economists agreed would cause a decade of stagnation as the UK wasn't prepared for it.

The NLW has increased more than inflation though…. it was £7.20 in 2016 but will be £12.21 next year!

Companies managed it by putting prices up, they didn’t and couldn’t absorb the cost.

^ this

OP I think realistically a second job may be the best option. I know you work FT but lots of retailers want good workers either for Christmas or long term. I've done one or two shifts a week at a supermarket alongside my dayjob. Would that be an option?

Another perk is after probation (or 3 months) you get staff discount on groceries 😊

I don't think that it's a cost of living crisis so much as a resetting, back to where we were before the economic boom of the 80s and 90s.

The problem is that during the boom, we became accustomed to all the associated luxuries (meals out, new clothes, foreign holidays) that wouldn't have been the norm prior that period. People also don't want to accept that the current welfare state (including expectations of what the NHS should cover) is no longer affordable. The boom time is over and I don't see it coming back anytime soon.

@pleasehelpwi3 yes by cutting jobs

The people who need it most will benefit the most from earning more.

The same arguments were all rolled out for the effect of the NMW when it was introduced, and in reality, companies managed it.

No. Not pandemic debt.

Oh you are taking about the pandemic debt.

I am talking about the debt Labour are creating right now that means we will never see prices OR taxes coming down, op should prepare for worse to come.

The OP definitely refers to the period of the last 16 years.
The cost of living crisis started in 2021 under the Conservatives.

Nope, this is under a Labour government. The price of everything is going up not down. The taxes will rise as will everything else. We are going to be in more debt as a country going forward, with very little to show for it.

I think the narrative in politics generally is 'jam tomorrow' .

Which will be eaten up by the increased higher costs of goods and services.

Noticed the toddler session at soft play has been hiked up again. I think they think we don't notice!

I don’t think it will get better. Food shopping is the one I’ve noticed the biggest increase with. I guess when my children leave home the bill will decrease but otherwise I think that’s it. We have a house and pay a substantial mortgage and we manage to save each month towards Christmas/annual holiday (UK) but we don’t have lots spare for eating out, treats etc.

however I’m grateful that we both have a job and we have a nice home but yes sometimes it feels a bit relentless

I think it's hard not to feel created if you did all the 'right' things and still like you're struggling. It's like the contract 's been broken.

The ideology I was fed was this:
Leave school young, get a crap job like we did and you'll struggle.
'Struggle' meant
Buy own house
Get by.
1 old car.
No holidays.
Every penny watched.

I didn't want that. I wanted enough to:
Buy a house
Go abroad once a year.
Have a decent 2nd hand car.
Have the heating on 20.

In order to do that, i:
Went to university
Got a profession
Bought a small house in an affordable area

And surely that should be enough? I'm lucky, although I bought at the height of price madness in 2006, I bought with now dh. We have everything on the list, but only just. And as for these mythical savings everyone is meant to have....

And if we're only just getting the nice rewards for working, how many more people must be just working to survive? Like our grandparents did? But my grandparents expected nothing more, because that wasn't for 'the likes of us'.

And it's great to tell everyone to retrain, but what happens (hypothetically) if all the mid level professionals and manual workers retrain? Who does all the lower paid work then?

What jobs should people be expected to do to enjoy a life with a few treats?

@scotpancakes I did a Masters in person-centred therapy (sometimes called normal counselling and you can do a PG Dip in it if you don't want the Masters) at a university in the north west, but that university also does the post-grad diploma and Masters in CBT. A lot of places all over do CBT training if you go the self-funded route and want to do an accredited course: https://babcp.com/Careers/Training-in-CBT/How-do-I-become-qualified-in-CBT 

Alternatively you can do a CBT Diploma course that isn't accredited, usually at a local college.

Also there's a NHS Talking Therapies training programmes where you get paid NHS Band 6 pay but these are very competitive and you need a mental health qualification first. These opportunities are advertised on Indeed.

Eat oats with your mince. Top tip.

It's never going to happen.

Never. This is the new normal. They know much people are willing to pay for food/energy/bills so will keep price gouging and using various excuses such as inflation (which has decreased), NI increase, minimum wage increase ect

Lol I just checked out the CBT courses too, but I'm not sure I'm the kind of person they would be looking for! Shame really.

It’s so hard both financially and mentally running a household these days on one income, and supporting kids. As at least one person has said, it’s either retraining or relocating (it doesn’t need to be to Hull!). I retrained as a counsellor. There aren’t many jobs, but you can earn more than £40K - £60K both as an employee and as self-employed, particularly if you choose to train as a CBT therapist.

Do you have any plans on buying your own home, or getting a shared ownership property?