To ask why everything is so f**kin' expensive?!

[MummyStruggles]

Just that really?

And, also, there's ALWAYS "something" that needs to be bought or replenished i.e new pillows and duvets for the whole household! Grrrr!

Meant to be a lighthearted thread but you know, I get really bloody stressed about it!

Anyone else?

I don't necessarily agree that things are too cheap but lots and lots of things are cheaply-made and not designed to last more than about five minutes. Even if you don't buy the cheapest available.

I've got a flat that needs completely recarpeting and don't want to spend the money. Buying decent-quality is going to cost a mint, cheap will need to be replaced within a couple years. So, instead of making an adult decision I'm putting it off

Kate Humble said that?! Hmm .
She's gone right down in my estimation now.

Duvets and pillows on amazon aren't too expensive but then if you want wool or goose feather you'll have to pay more.

Yep wait til brexit kicks in and the Tories stop lying about inflation figures

DD's feet grew from size 4 to size 6.5 from Sept to March.
She needed to replace:
New school shoes (bought with growing room)
Regular runners (had just bought an expensive new pair in late August!)
Astroturf boots for hockey
Sailing boots (neoprene)
Hiking boots
Wellington boots
Flip flops (worn a lot around sailing and Scout camp activities)

The new runners to replace the August pair were bought in a hurry by DH, and don't actually fit properly - so another new pair was actually needed within a week....as the new ones were causing pain and completely not supporting her feet (and they were reputable ones (Addidas or Nike or something), not just cheap Primark-type ones!).

She had just bought a pair of wellies size 5 last July for Scouts, to have growing room, so they saw 1 summer camp of use. At least they can be donated to the Scout group for others to use.

And of course, all her socks have also to be replaced (as even though they are generally sized 4-7, they shrink over time and washing), and her hiking socks were only 3.5-5.5 (again - decent socks needed due to the amount of walking they do on their hikes).

We go through phases in our house (over the 20+ years of being a household) of things being fine for a while, and then loads of things needing to be done at once, or a string of things breaking one after another. It feels like we have just started on that cycle again as a couple of smallish things broke recently as well.

All my sheets have a bloodstain on them somewhere (!) and everything in my house could do with replacing (except my vacuum which cost a lot but has lasted 12 years with no bother). I don't think that things cost more now, just that most household stuff is very shoddily made and doesn't last.

While I agree, things tend to go wrong just when it's most inconvenient.

I also think though that lots of people replace things well before they actually need replacing or choose a replacement that costs way way more than is needed when a comparable product would be fine in quality but don't have the name so costs a fraction but people dismiss them without even doing any research.

I know people who spend in areas that they see as essential but are absolutely not then complain they have no money.

Thank heavens I don't have to buy sailing shoes-phew-😂

I don't necessarily agree that things are too cheap but lots and lots of things are cheaply-made and not designed to last more than about five minutes. Even if you don't buy the cheapest available.

This is an issue for us - pp mentioned shoes we've had a really bad year across the range of prices. We do do more than normal walking, no car, but it's just be silly this year.

Try living in Aus 😱

We lived in London for 10 years, and I find it more expensive in Melbourne. Salaries are higher so you think it's ok, but there's less free things, no Wetherspoons dont judge me to have a cheap drink in, not enough people here to have any meaningful competition to provide something cheaper.

We live in a bigger house here because they're all bigger here), closer to family and the weather is definitely better, but it's eye-wateringly costly 😖

I find things are cheap.

I bought a brilliant Dyson vacuum cleaner in Tesco recently for £59.

Most of my clothes and ho,me furnishings are from charity shops, I don't buy into consumerism.

I feel you OP 🙌🏻

DH and I spent £5k on honeymoon (we’d saved and planned for it) with the intention of coming home and TTC (which we’d also saved and planned for).

Last week DH presents me with a builders quote for £6k stating that the jobs listed ‘need’ doing immediately 🤔 as they’re a ‘safety risk’ and that we ‘might as well do the bathroom whilst we’re at it’ 😒!!!

At no point in the last year of careful saving and planning did any of this come up! I honestly feel quite defeated by it all. We live in a historic house and there is constantly stuff that needs doing/replacing.

The cost of living, groceries, clothes ...etc seem to be really high atm and the moment we save it gets swallowed up.

DH wanted to use the TTC savings for the building work but I’ve put my foot down and said no. (It’s literally a garden wall and exterior fixes)

Our vacuum broke (useless Dyson) so we now have a £15 carpet sweeper instead. When the washing machine broke I had to wash clothes in the bath for 6 months. The dishwasher broke a few years ago so now I wash up. I have clothes that are older than my children (3 - mid to late teens/early 20s). It's just how it is...thankfully material things don't appeal to me much.
You have to cut your cloth but the cloth seems to be cut more and more these days.

As my Nan used to say "there is always something that needs doing in a house!.Things can be bought more cheaply today but probably dont last as long as more expensive items .Sometimes M and S have a sale on or 20 per cent off.If you can ,try to put aside a little each month in case things break down !(Not easy I know!)

My philosophy has always been to buy the best quality you possibly can ( eg. I bought a kettle for £35 not £5 because I use it 35 5 times a day) OR buy second hand furniture etc as it's more solid.
I don't do flatpak, or home bargains.

Jackie Laverty AND John Corbett would both have to die in my bed before the sheets were replaced due to b!oodstains.

Also- on an unrelated note a friends of ours are taking their kids to Disney world in Florida and for a family of 5 (kids all under 10), for 10 nights - it’s costing them £12,000 including tickets 😦 and they’re staying in the ‘budget’ hotel with all the basic packages!

I honestly couldn’t believe that’s how much it cost

I get the feeling that there is always something - but often that something isn’t really a need.

I know you were giving one example, but how can you possibly need to replace pillows and duvets for the whole household?

I have had a mix of expensive and cheap duvets and I’ve never had to replace one, let alone replace a household full at once! Some of mine have gone by the wayside - so for example, after I got divorced I left them in the marital home. So I’m not saying I’ve got 30 year old duvets (my sister has though!). But I’ve not replaced one in 10 years since my divorce, only bought one new double when a chord moved from a single bed.

So yes, I sympathise that there is often yet another thing (for me, it’s 2 tyres and a bulb for an MOT, though that’s not really unpredictable) - but I’m flummoxed on a whole household of duvets and would love to know WHY?!!

@sofagirl said "It’s because inflation and costs of living has risen dramatically in spite of the official figures from the govt

People who work in finance know that the true inflation figures are in double digits

We are effectively a lot poorer"

Interesting. Can someone explain this to me. Is it about looking at wages against price rises?

DH always says we can't afford to buy cheap. If you buy the cheapest you get what you pay for. If you invest in quality it tends to fare better over time. There is always something to pay out for, but not everything needs replacing at once.

You need to have enough cash to buy expensive though, I've got flat pack furniture because that's all I could afford after my marriage broke up

Problem is all the cheap badly made stuff around means all the well-made, manufacturers have dropped quality to compete. And still kept their prices high.
We had to replace the washing machine last year, totally not planned for. Our vacuum is a bit dodgy, but still mostly works so I'll be waiting for a deal before replacing.
No idea why you'd need to replace an entire household of duvets at once though? One DC has mine from when I was a child, so it's at least 20 years old.

Because we import a lot of things and our pound was shafted after the Brexit vote, so imported goods have become more expensive.

Ellisandra I get what you're saying, our duvet could probably last us longer at a push but it's thin and worn out. We could maybe put a thrown or fleece on top of us during the colder night. DS's pillows are flat as a pancake, DD's pillows are sweat stained (she sweats so much in her sleep) and her duvet is lumpy and was bought cheap when I was a single mum and couldn't afford much more.

KanielOutis Friends of our live by "You buy shit, you buy twice" - Haha!

We've had some of our IKEA furniture for 25 years; bookcases and desks and bedroom furniture. If it's put together properly and not abused it's perfectly sturdy.