So..Britain..

[Lanark2]

Overheard in gym today, a 20something woman, explaining how she gets up at 4am to clean at a chain store's offices before work, and has done for over three years, not to have a holiday, but just to live. My work has a guy who is making himself I'll eating just bread and ridiculously cheap coleslaw sandwiches, to keep his work food bill below £1 a week so he can afford the commute. I am surviving on lentil stews and £3 chickens, and had a month without being able to shower or use the toilet because I couldn't afford a plumber until next month. Another person takes home the work toilet paper and teabags because she can't get by (zero hours) and at my second/third job, some staff live on food that is thrown away by that workplace because their wages are too low to live on as well. What is happening??

[Lanark2]

I love the fantasy that £55million a day will go to the poor if we come out of Europe..first there's the legal process of disentangling nearly all out laws from European laws, then a disentangling of human rights and the insertion of this into our laws, the financial disentangling, the political debates about reallocation of subsidy, farming would have to take most of it to stop all farms being bought by European firms, or European farming to put ours out if business, then the new committees, all our shares will have dampned performance until the uncertainty ends, and UK domiciled companies would be intensely vulnerable, a separation from Europe could accelerate a us model of business, which would increase poverty, decrease holiday, create more sickness, but more expensive healthcare, reducing productivity further, etc etc. Investors would earn from the bounceback and increased opportunities for exploitation, but the general population and much less the poor, would never see a penny of the supposed £55. Million gain, because a. The wealthy would take it anyway to do the extraction and b. We would lose tons in the period of uncertainty anyway. Our civil service are struggling to manage the collection of taxes as it is without throwing European disentanglement into the mix.

It always amazes me how selfish twatty people always support the cocking up of a team effort.

[Lanark2]

Oh god, its like someone saying 'I eat bread' and hands going up in horror because 'artisan spelt bread is £18 from Harrods...'

[Grilledaubergines]

Watched a programme a while ago and one woman had previously had a comfortable life, took a down turn and found herself with nothing. She had a £6 a month gym membership. She went every day, did her exercise had her shower and hair wash, washed her smalls etc. It saved her money because it meant she didn't need hot water at home. She had family feeding her. I watched it and felt so fucking pissed off for her. Sitting in a cold, sorry state of a flat with nothing. And people are taking issue with A £6 gym membership. Sweet Jesus.

[arethereanyleftatall]

This must be regional. I know of no one at all who lives like this. (South East).

[ComeonSummer1]

Try 2 kids and a mortgage that increased from 12 to 15 % in a day after black Monday under John Major.

It's not new op.

It might be bad but it's not new.

[GingerCuddleMonsterThe2nd]

Whaat £40 per month!! Mines £9.99 and I get free exercise classes! Oh and I don't eat mouldy food anymore hence the gym membership Haha

[FellOutOfBedTwice]

Sorry you're getting grief op. I've learnt not to say anything about the unfairness of the working poors current situation (especially in London) right now after a thread a few months ago where I got slapped down for moaning about crippling student debt and house prices being insane but rental prices being unmanageable. Was told to work harder, despite both DH and I being experienced well qualified teachers with no time for second jobs unless we pull some night shifts to go with our day jobs.

And yes, don't mention any gym membership or that you might dye your hair once every couple of months or get a takeaway. Heaven forbid we should have any enjoyment in life when we should be saving all our pennies to see off our debts and get on the property ladder

[Mumblechum1]

I agree it must be regional, the sort of convos I overhear at my gym centre around holidays, second homes, riding and private schools.

Are you up North OP?

[Grilledaubergines]

I always wondered why most of MN is so negative about London and the South East. And then people come along and say, oh not in the South East, as though it's untouchable. If I lived elsewhere it'd boil my piss too. I live on the south east. I don't know personally of anyone in this situation but my God it's no different to anywhere else on the country. Families struggling to make ends meet, food banks, debt, cuts in services, reduced resources, homelessness, addiction. No it's no little golden bubble. But some people are too high up in their Range Rovers to see the crap going on around them.

[bessiebumptious2]

Are you up North OP?

hahahahahahahA! Haven't you heard about the North yet?!!

[cornishglos]

Where are the £6 gyms?

[GingerCuddleMonsterThe2nd]

Poverty is the norm inmany areas nationally here.

Welcome to Wales, why do you think we charge you to come over the bridge? So we can put some dosh in the electricity meter!

All jokes aside though the Welsh valleys are some of the worst poverty affected areas in GB

[MishMooshAndMogwai]

Of course it's not bloody regional- this is happening EVERYWHERE! Maybe not in the little bubbles of some of the pp but in the real world at least.

Sorry op, no one deserves this, it's completely unfair and frustrating and wrong and I have no idea when or how it will end.

I second looking on the online calculator as there may be something especially if you have DCs.

[bessiebumptious2]

Don't know but if it's a choice between a few loaves of bread a month and the gym, the gym bread would win in this house!!

[Grilledaubergines]

It would in my house too bessie but if I were a single person then if prob go for the gym. Especially if it meant I could save the expense of hot water.

Bloody depressing that it's either/or though isn't it.

[NameChanger22]

I haven't had a pay rise for nearly 12 years, I've been with the same employer for nearly 14 years.

Wages need to be raised to a proper living wage - I would consider that to be around ten pounds an hour outside of London. I earn less than 8.50 an hour, I have a child and I don't claim any benefits. I know that I am lucky to earn this compared to some people.

I get really annoyed that people think that earning so little must mean I'm lazy, stupid, or lacking qualifications. I have lots of qualifications, including a degree and I've always worked extremely hard. There are so few opportunities out there.

[ChemicalReaction]

It's not just you. I have heard similar conversations.

[Katenka]

It's awful. But it's not new.

Both me and dh had 2 jobs to make ends meet. No luxuries. Very tight food budgets. Our house was rural so petrol money was at the top of the list so we could work. Rather than food.

I grew up in the 80s in a single parent family. Mum used to go to bed when we did to save on the heating. I remember her skipping meals, she would say she was 'dieting'. Now I realise she couldn't afford food for us all.

My grandparents went through the same.

It's shit but it's not anything new.

[notgoingabroad]

So what do you propose are the solutions OP?

[bornwithaplasticspoon]

Oh I just love the assumptions that people make on the op instead of asking the question first.

Why assume people that use gyms are well off? My dh has a gym at work that is free for all employees.

[SlinkyVagabond]

Ah yes the Living Wage mentioned up thread. How my son's employer (big northern supermarket)reacted? By making enforced breaks unpaid, Sunday no longer extra time. He will be lucky to make the same as he does now.

[notgoingabroad]

I emailed my MP about not getting the NMW.

I didn't get a reply.

I guess it wasn't seen as very important

[AgainstTheGlock]

Hello OP, so sorry about your situation and all of that above.

Are you in lanarkshire? Is it private rentals which are tipping the balance? If yes, please give a nod as I may have info.

Yes it is really fucking tough out there for some of us.