to think cost cutting measures have gone to far..

[stuckonsmallrock]

My DH earns 24k a year, I earn approx 5k a year, we don't live on mainland UK so no family tax credit etc etc etc. I have just had for tea a bread crust wiped around a roasting tin, the DC's had chicken drumsticks, mash & green beans for tea. I'm just wondering how far the current government is going to go cutting stuff, & where will it end. Earning £30k a year between us (no free preschool places or anything like that) I thought we would be OK, maybe not... how is everyone else coping?

Why are you suddenly struggling tho? What have the government specifically done to you?

We are not suddenly struggling, it has been a gradual thing, food prices go up, wages don't. I just thought I would mention that the normal gov safety net doesnt apply where I am.

Me and DP earn the same as you we live in mainland UK and aren't entitled to family tax credit anyway I think the cap is 25k now. It sucks I agree.

It's meant to get worse over the next few years so I don't think that we have seen end of it yet. We are struggling despite bringing home 42k between us. DD goes to secondary school in Sept so we won't have childcare to pay for so that will help.

If you don't live in the UK I don't understand how the government's spending cuts impact you.

Or you're talking about your own government? Maybe ROI?

But then spending cuts are not responsible for the food price inflation that seems to be your main concern either.

I assume stuck on a small rock is Gibraltar?

Can you not earn more - £5k is clearly well below minimum wage. How much is pre-school per annum - would you be better giving up job and taking DC out of pre-school.

OP does live in the UK adeu, just not on the mainland if I got it right

But I thought Gibralter had its own government. I know their tax system is entirely separate, and different, to the UK, although would be interested to know more about how overseas territories are governed actually, will google!

IOM?

Sorry Olidus just seen your post, but surely tax credits and so on are available throughout the UK..maybe that's not the case?

With an income of £30k you wouldnt be entitled to that much in tax credits anyway. So thats pretty irrelevant.

Agree about wages not meeting the cost of living though.

I think the only parts of UK that do not have tax credits are IoM and CI, both of which have separate governments with responsibility for those areas. It's not a Westminster matter for those communities.

Yep around that income here, single parent, two teens, that sweep the place every time I shop. Higher costs everwhere I turn. Utilities, food, blah blah, and my mortgage is much lower than renting would be for people on the same income. So I more than well know people get it much harder and I'm struggling.

Just my salary, not a penny from anywhere else, I work full time have done all my life.

I predict a riot, and I hope it makes sense this time, unlike the riots of two years ago.

I was thinking Isle of Man too.

Oh, forgot about transport costs too, well, just everything

I expect prices in the UK are going up because the pound has weakened - because of quantative easing.

Things will only stop getting worse when the Bank of England decides to stop printing money.

I think that the link between QE and inflation is debatable, but that the food price inflation that concerns the OP is certainly more likely to be due to bad harvests, unusual weather, rising world populations and increased demand from new markets.

UK isn't the only place that has gone in for QE.

And of course the pound strengthened against the euro during the euro-zone crisis, and indeed if you look at economic reports from last year it was all about the strength of the pound hitting UK recovery.

The dollar is strong against all currencies. There have been several rounds of QE is USA which have kept US economy afloat. The Federal Reserve's announcement last month of no more QE caused a sharp drop in share prices.