How is this all going to end?

[Ghostsapply]

We are a relatively high income family but we are really feeling the pinch. Our fuel bill has increased massively (more than tripled) as has our food bill. We are both professionals but DH has just lost his contract (I'm hoping another one won't be too far away) and my job has a ceiling in terms of pay. We work really hard and yet we have less disposable income now than when I was a SAHP (kids have become more expensive as they've got older). Our house feels like it is falling apart but we can't afford to do the work. Holidays abroad are not feasible anymore and we are cutting back on the extras that we have previously enjoyed (tutors for kids, extra clubs etc) which will have a knock on effect for local businesses. We pay so much money in tax and yet our public services are not fit for purpose.

I just don't see how this is going to end? How will it get better? With Hunt announcing further cuts to public spending and more tax how are we going to grow the economy. I feel like we are totally beholden to financial markets who don't have the interests of the general public at heart. Even if we held a GE and voted the Tories out then a new Government would have to deal with the shit they have been left.

Please help me understand how it is going to get better. For the first time ever I am actually scared that we will lose everything. FWIW I have had really hard times before but now it seems there is so much more to lose.

I would recommend everyone reads/watches Angela's Ashes. It can get much worse and most people will survive it. It is a test of mettle. It is what a lot of literature/film/spirituality has conditioned us for.

Life isn't supposed to be an endurance test of existence, scraping by on the bare minimum.

And yet for most of human existence, that’s exactly what it has been. The last few decades have seen unprecedented prosperity in the western world, and as a result, this generation thinks that is normal because it’s all we’ve known. But it isn’t the norm. We need to learn from history and look at the state of the world as a whole. CivilIsations rise and fall. Sorry that’s depressing.

Op, I would bite the bullet and get those downstairs windows double glazed. Insulation is always worth it; it will save you a fortune in fuel bills and keep you warmer than any other measures.

Wow. I can't believe the abuse that this poor woman is getting. Regardless of your income we are all going to feel the pinch in the coming months and years. I would class myself in a similar position, both are high earners but you life your life according to your income, that means I have a big mortgage and big fuel bills, that means I am going to significantly feel the pinch. Please back off this lady, she's clearly worked hard to be in the position she is in, that doesn't mean she's not going to find it tough!

What does this mean? That the OP’s energy bills are her fault? A fifth of UK homes were built prior to 1919; almost half – 46% – of English homes were built between 1930 and 1982. Fewer than half of English and Welsh homes have an EPC rating of C or above. UK housing stock is, generally, old and energy inefficient. You can’t blame the OP for that and we all have to live somewhere.

Yes - I've seen this reported widely in the news as well. We have the weakest growth of the G7 - in fact I think we're the only nation in the G7 to have returned to a smaller economy than pre-pandemic.

OP, I hear you. It is shit. There are the bits that are global - COVID, Ukraine. There are the bits that are UK-specific - Brexit, Tory policies, Trussonomics. There are the bist that are regional - mortgages in the SE are ridiculous. There are the bits that are family-specific - four kids do cost a lot.

It is infuriating to know the Tories are going to deepen the recession by cutting when the rest of Europe is likely to invest. This was the Tory mistake since 2010 and they look set to do it again.

Is it going to get better? Can't predict the Ukraine war issue.

But personally - I think the world is now prepping/ready for a major investment in new energy technologies and that could bring a new industrial revolution. If we can get rid of the Tories in time for the UK to invest in the future then maybe we will get to share in it. The war we need to wage against climate change could be economically beneficial, as (depressingly) actual wars often are.

We are seeing a hit to living standards, health and life expectancy in the UK - but we can turn that around and see progress again I am sure. It is possible.

For you personally - I hope you can keep things going for the next year or so. When things are bad it is best to focus on now and make sure you can do what you need to keep your family together. And don't worry about the extra-curricular stuff - that's a luxury and they will be OK without it.

Thank you. We will definitely look into this.

Mirabai Unfortunately we only have one working fireplace (the rest have been closed up 😞) in the biggest, coldest room so we are thinking of shutting the whole room off for the winter.

It absolutely will. It is the uncertainty I can't stand. He has been approached today by a couple of recruiters which has put my mind at rest a little as he wasn't getting a response for messages last week. At least I know there are jobs out there.

I would just get a chimney sweep and get the fire going in that room.

We used to close off a room at our old house without heating. It was great for storing Christmas food and drink

Hmm we closed off the dining room one winter and left it unheated. When I opened it up in the spring the whole room was green - table, chairs, wallpaper, contents of the cupboards… Never done that again! You need airflow and a certain amount of heating (even very low makes a difference) in an old house.

That reminds me of the time we rented an old house on the side of hills. The room DS (at that time unborn) would be in was green with mould. His moses basket had a layer of green under it and smelt awful. The room was heated and ventilated but the problem was the bathroom fan never worked properly and the roof leaked so we moved as soon as we could

They wouldn't be in a good position with two kids. The heating doesn't cost any less with two kids does it? The mortgage is still astronomical with fucking one. My mortgage has almost doubled. I could never have predicted that. By your standards I probably shouldn't have had any children but we could absolutely comfortable afford one. The only reason we didn't have another was the extortionate cost of early years childcare and now I'm thinking fuck I wish we'd done it because actually, having done all the "right" things we have still been totally fucked over. I wish I'd done what would have made me happy because I'm skint either way!