AIBU to feel middle-class luxuries have become increasingly out of reach?

It’s absolutely fine. Wouldn’t be my first choice, but much better than Starbucks or Costa black coffee. What exactly is undrinkable about it?

So by your definition, solicitors, MPs, university lecturers and bankers - or anybody employed - is working class? Who would be middle class?

To get back to the original question, whilst some things are definitely more expensive, others are much cheaper.

Growing up in the 70s/80s, nobody owned a TV, most rented. TVs were massively expensive.
The first flat screen TV I bought around 20 years ago cost about £500. Same make, same size TV bought 3 years ago cost £300. And that was quite expensive, you can get cheaper ones.

Similar thing with white goods. If my washing machine packed up now, I could get a new one for less than £500. It's still a lot of money, don't get me wrong, but they cost that sort of money when I was earning £7,500 a year.

Most people today own a TV, a fridge, a washing machine and a car. All things that, in my parents' lifetime, would have been considered 'luxuries' at one point.

I don't consider that we were badly off when I was growing up, but my parents had the same settee for 20 years, we rarely went out for meals, only had cakes and drinks in cafes when we were on holiday, and had new clothes when we needed them.

Today, I work as a TA in a deprived area. Most of the kids I work with are Primary school age. Most of them have been abroad on holiday at least once, have some sort of device - games console, iPad, phone. All of their parents have cars and own a TV.

I definitely think what we consider 'luxury' has changed. The cost of a lot of tech has massively come down in the last 20 years. I might not be able to afford a dress from Monsoon, but I can talk to my relatives in Italy on WhatsApp for as long as I like. If it comes to that, who remembers waiting till after 6 pm to use the phone?

This is the whole thing - there is no middle class.
Working class - exchanges labour for wages.
Rentier class - lives off capital, assets
Aristocracy = landed gentry

Not me. Karl Marx.

He would still be working class. His kids however would grow up middle class

I suppose this demonstrates how abitrary these classifications are! Or that we should define terms at the start. I do think most people think of a three tier working/middle/ upper class system, with working class being 'blue collar' workers though - which doesn't include professions such as surgeons. However, by your /Marx's system, it seems all employed people are working class. Seems odd to me, but there you go.

It's thin and bitter, not sure it actually tastes like coffee. I genuinely can't drink it. Costa espresso is good. Can't comment on Starbucks.

He was working class. We, his children, are working class too. We WORK for a living. We exchange labour for wages (K.Marx). We are WORKING class. K.Marx called working classes proletariat and he classified teachers, surgeons, professors who have to work for a living as 'mental labour proletariat'.

You are using a classification system that most of us are not using. It doesn't help your argument.

I am petty bourgeoisie.

Actually, that's another thing, when we talk about the expense of coffee, there was a time when coffee in a cafe would be instant. Filter at best. Now every cafe has the fancy pants coffee machine that does ten different types. Even the greasy spoon truckers breakfast places at the very least have filtered coffee.

Aha. Sorry, I totally forgot this one. I apologise. So you own small means of production?

I remember our rented tvs. In those days tvs were forever breaking down. Renting one saved a lot of money on repair bills. If they had to take it away to fix it you got another one to tide you over. One of our neighbours bought theirs .... and envied the rest of us.

Monsoon? In 2002 I bought a dress there, for £70. I still wear it. Never bought anything else there. Just had a look at their website and the dresses start at £80 to £95, so they haven't increased in price as much as I would have thought. Have just looked it up and £70 then would be around £132 to £148. Does this mean Monsoon's cheaper now?

A lot of good points in your post.

I'd forgotten about the breaking down. TV repairmen were very busy. And sensible people didn't set them up near the curtains...

I drink a lot of black coffee from various establishments and macdonalds whilst not the best is not the worst. Surely its a matter of taste

God, yes, I'd forgotten about the safety issue.

I don't drink coffee out much, so i admit my sample size is small, and I've clearly been lucky 😊

YANBU, OP.

A friend and I used to treat ourselves to Sunday lunch in a pub now and again. The cheapest roast anywhere in our town is now £18, and that's in a pub that's frankly not all that nice. By the time you've added on the cost of a couple of drinks, you'd be looking at over £30 a head for something pretty basic.

The cheapest thing on their weekday menu is ham, egg and chips, and even that's £14.50. I'd rather buy a small gammon joint and make my own. The leftovers alone would feed me for a week.

I understand that they've got overheads, staff costs etc but it still seems like a huge amount of money.I'm not struggling to pay bills or anything, but there's very little money for treats.