Is everyone going to be affected by the cost of living?

[Southerngal5]

Ie all sectors of society not just the ones who are barely getting by currently & will now pushed into poverty...
The squeezed middle will be affected & will likely have to do without luxuries they once took for granted... I'm finding it quite scary to be honest.. I know I shouldn't as we're quite comfortable & can afford our mortgage & bills but we won't have many of the "nice" things we had planned for the dc... Please don't flame me as I know there are millions worse off but I can't see prices coming down in the foreseeable future...

Are we really the only country that’s so short sighted with their public transport system? If it’s cheap and reliable people will use it and ditch the cars.

@Southerngal5

That's terrible, that's a massive increase.

Huge - I was planning to get back to the office 3 times a wk- I really can’t now

I bet half the coffee shops/sandwich bars will close. Poor sods.

It does feel like a stitch up

The government must be getting extra revenue with high prices such as petrol so why do we need the NI hike as well

Lightning020 My Stepdad was a milkman in the 80s for a while in between jobs .I find it astonishing that he could be compared to someone on 60k now! My DM was at work PT as well .We rarely went abroad and had to keep an eye on the heating .Gas bills were always a major concern as well!

Yes dotty I found that hard to believe about the analogy with a milkman. I have 2 friends both on 60k and they both live really well. Holidays etc. Though one has never had children and the other one has a husband on over 80k....

Sadly inevitable after the drop in numbers using tfl services during covid and through working from home. Although that was a government directive don't really fancy paying further to subsidise travel in London, would rather other places got a look in too.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

Just read the tfl ticket increases and want to cry, my travel card up from £10.60 a day to £14.40- beyond stressed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's awful - a huge rise. Is there a weekly ticket

I have to take a particular train journey several times a year. It was £92 walk up far and just over a month later it had gone up to £107 The government want people to use public transport and then they are priced off it.

Is there a weekly ticket there's a weekly and monthly travel card- but Im not returning to the office full time. Crazy to think 3 days would will cost what my monthly travel card used to.

OnlyFools does your employer lend annual pass monies and you pay them back monthly. Would that work out any cheaper? I appreciate you wont need all 5 days but would that help at all with these scandalous increases.

no unfortunately no such scheme
I have stopped all pension contributions to help with the cost of living- well done tories!

Crap isnt it.

The squeezed middle AND working poor are easiest to tax via PAYE. Or benefit cuts.

No government, not even Labour, dare to tackle the wealthiest - their properties and assets are in offshore or other tax avoidance structures

Lots of routes offering flexible season tickets now

www.thetrainline.com/season-tickets/flexi?cm=0p2a&gclid=Cj0KCQiAu62QBhC7ARIsALXijXSVml9D5FNFVu2vZUbSxqeTV8rxKkQ55fiRhZ5xuKYNUGvR8DHMNqIaAr0_EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[quote DetailMouse]Lots of routes offering flexible season tickets now

www.thetrainline.com/season-tickets/flexi?cm=0p2a&gclid=Cj0KCQiAu62QBhC7ARIsALXijXSVml9D5FNFVu2vZUbSxqeTV8rxKkQ55fiRhZ5xuKYNUGvR8DHMNqIaAr0_EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds[/quote]
Sadly not London when you factor in a tube but hopefully helpful for someone

I would usually have taken the kids for a day trip this half term but everywhere is £40+++ which we CAN afford but we wouldn't have even thought about it before... whereas now I really feel like we need to hang on to every penny. Especially while the DC are only small and wouldn't REALLY notice the different just playing at home. Plus it's cold and crap. I'll save the money for the Easter holidays I think.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers for a lot of routes it works out cheaper to buy a ticket only for the mainline portion of your journey and then tap in and out with your credit card or oyster for the tube, rather than get a travelcard

I'm rethinking the half term holidays too. Visiting family instead of booking a short break away. DH has a fuel card for work so that's essentially free although obviously we'll bring a bottle of wine and contribute to dinner. Meeting up with friends to go to a new park. Looking around for deals eg kids eat for 1 at Harvester, I'll just get a drink. No big days out though.

chillydownwiththefiregang depending on your age gap, what we've done this half term is taken the DC on separate outings - the 2 year old wouldn't have got much out of the RAF museum and the nearly 6 year old would have been bored at toddler softplay, so it probably made both trips more enjoyable as well as cheaper.

@Camomila

chillydownwiththefiregang depending on your age gap, what we've done this half term is taken the DC on separate outings - the 2 year old wouldn't have got much out of the RAF museum and the nearly 6 year old would have been bored at toddler softplay, so it probably made both trips more enjoyable as well as cheaper.

Thank you, this wouldn't work for us as DH isn't here Mon-fri so it's just the DC and me this week, but thank you! Something to remember for summer definitely.

One thought I’ve had whilst watching inside the factory, they are making Henry hoovers.
If our energy costs rise, so does the cost of the Henry - we all know that bit.

However, if energy costs are a lot cheaper in other countries (say, france) there’s yet another incentive to move manufacturing abroad.

the energy costs are affecting most of Europe- well places like Germany that use nuclear are better off- the US does it's own fracking so they arent affected.

I have cut out all luxuries until the dust settles. The only way forward. I have decided to live like this whether I have more money or not (self -employed - variable income) for twelve months as a personal character test and goal and see how I go.

Hopefully many of us will just fine tune things. The main thing is to pay all necessities on time keep a roof over our heads eat healthily and not get into debt. Plus be kind to ourselves and not feel as if we are failing. The last point I am struggling with though. I really do feel fed up.

I don’t know. I read posts like this on MN all of the time and get worried.
Then I walk around my very ordinary Midlands town and have to dodge the numerous vans re-laying drives, fitting kitchens and bathrooms etc. I try to book a reasonable restaurant and have to make sure I have booked three weeks in advance. If I want tickets for the local theatre to get a decent seat I have to book six months in advance.
This is not a wealthy area, average wage must be about £30k.
So the things I see don’t seem to correspond with the things I read.

Yes Fairy midlands here too. Media exaggerates and distorts things too much I think. I find the same where I live. Everybody working earning and busy.