To think lockdown has revealed a glaring class difference?

[TexanBlueNeck]

Filled in a survey & read some of the latest "lifestyle" columnists in UK (digital) newspapers.

No, some people are not using lockdown to browse around buying clothes and home accessories or patter about experimenting with new recipe ideas from inventive food combinations or try out a new food box delivery service.

Some of us are at breaking point between juggling childcare duties, supporting vulnerable or elderly relatives and neighbours, working from home or not at all, using the last tin of smartprice tomatoes that could be bought at an empty supermarket shelf (in person, because full-time worker parents aren't a priority group). While worrying about job security. Not whether to buy new sofa cushions while the cockpot experiment cooks!

I honestly think some commentators' experience of lockdown isn't even on the same planet as a huge portion of the rest of the (working class) UK

Our lockdown isn't. I work in a school, therefore still going to work every day, and dh is a care worker in a nursing home and going to work every night. We are also the only people who are looking out for our 76 year old neighbour who is single with no children - doing his shopping for him, getting credit for his phone etc. And we have a 12 year old child who needs supporting with all her online work that she's trying to do on her own during the day while I'm at school and dad's trying to get some sleep ready for the night shift.

Needless to say, I've realised I need to write a will.

"Gwen - I think you’ll find you can’t just stop the house payments , the car payments , the school payments etc . I think those used to less will fair better."

If you're a high earner you should have had savings anyway, no? You shouldn't be living right to your means in a way that lower earners can't avoid.
Banks are giving mortgage holidays aren't they and you'd expect housing to be somebody's main expense.

Carlotta - local volunteers can help with your neighbour

I agree OP its much much easier for people who have a house rather than a flat, maybe a garden, tech to access the internet, money for online subscriptions, a nice safe neighbourhood with green space for a walk, a car to get to a supermarket, money to buy any brand that's left in the supermarket etc etc etc
But some things are not income related, two jobs, elderly parents, no childcare.
I feel so lucky to have a small garden

But Gwen, where are these volunteers? I've actually already thought of that, but I'm not sure he'd answer the door to anyone but me or dh - he's become incredibly frightened you see. And if I can find a volunteer organisation, and ask them to visit him, I fear he'll think I've somehow betrayed him; somehow 'reported' him.

How can money buy your way out of this

I’m middle class. My husband and I are working hard from home and worrying about the future. We aren’t spending beyond necessities. Loss of jobs for years into the future and a housing crash would ruin us.

I think the divide is job security (paid by government) or having independent means vs living out of income from the private sector.

I totally agree with you, in similar situation. Keyworker in hospital for 7 hours a day, home just after lunch to look after 3 under 6, work on their educational needs and attempt to find activities for all of them whilst DH then starts work til he finishes at 8 as well as looking after elderly parent. Was hard enough before CV!

Seeing posts on SM about reorganising cupboards and reading books I just want to scream!!!

To all of you complaining about money - think on this - I am a maternity assistant. Babies are still being born, and I still have to go into work. My partner is a bin man. He is still going into work. We both earn barely enough to survive as it is (certainly not enough to buy a house) and we will be the first to go down with the virus. Maybe we won't survive. But you will, at home. I wish I could be furloughed. I really do. To be able to stay at home and keep safe, while on 80% of my pay (which is fine because I'd be saving on travel to and from work) seems pretty perfect to me. For those of you complaining about the government handouts, think of it this way - would you rather keep well, or rather have the money and risk dying? Which is it to be?

wahtedaggio dh and I are both working from home, both high earners, both secure. We would both prefer to be able to go to work and would welcome the risk but we are not key workers. We wish we were. We are both still working 40 hpw at least from home and it's very hard to have no boundary between work and home and for me in particular to be managing a team of 17 remotely and trying hard to work oit how to keep an institution afloat without loss of jobs for up to 200 people.

I don't think it's easy for anyone.

I think our experiences will all be different. If you are self-employed, obviously there are huge financial implications but, other than that, I don't think it's a class thing. My DH and I are employed by public sector so our income is not affected. I am spending less on wasteful things (fashion) but am spending more on food. Fir example, I can't get a delivery slot and rather than constantly going to the shops, I bought UHT juice on Amazon- which was vastly overpriced. However, I think there is a feeling (certainly in my house) of war-time like poverty where I feel the need to ration things. I have hidden choc biscuits and we were allowed 1 each for pudding. This is merely to avoid constant shop visits. I think we are all in the same boat.

I think a lot of people are struggling due to circumstances, a lot are struggling due to finances, but it's mostly working class people who have to juggle both

I honestly think some commentators' experience of lockdown isn't even on the same planet as a huge portion of the rest of the (working class) UK.

This isn't unique to lockdown though is it? People experience vastly different lives across the country and globe. How did you not realize this before?!

Also massive difference being in a tiny flat with no outdoor space in an urban area than a massive house with garden in the county, but in London that doesn't mean anything class wise, though being stuck on a council estate with one supermarket and gangs of bored teenagers outside feels is different to a apartment complex in a naice area. That's life always though.

It’s about income, children’s age, support and childcare, job security and a multitude of things that aren’t class.
Single parents have it harder than couples, those in secure jobs easier than insecure, etc. Class isn’t the driver here.

YABU in so much as it's not a class issue, it's a situational.

My colleague is on 3 x my wage but is a single parent so whilst my DH is dealing with the kids/house/dinner (because he's self employed and his work's dried up) I get to go to work and my free time for once is free and I spent my Sunday cooking, internet browsing and planning my new bathroom whilst she is (despite my offers of help) tearing her hair out juggling childcare, household and work.

To clarify: my husband is the main earner and if this goes on longer than 3 months we will be jiggered and I will be kissing my bathroom goodbye because I'm on a low wage.

Your original comment is bitter, extremely judgemental and way off base.

I'm sorry you're unhappy but maybe it's time to start planning a life you will be happier with rather than looking at others lives and being angry at what you think they have. As the saying goes: if you are not happy, move; you are not a tree.

I'm also looking at retraining.

I've had an abysmal three years. Four major life saving operations, twice ending up on life support, losing my mum and DS being diagnosed with two life threatening heart defects are just some of what we've endured. My life changed massively. Lockdown has been probably easier for my immediate family than anyone I know. We are fortunate to have no mortgage, low outgoings and good savings. We also live on a good sized plot of land. DH has been furloughed but there's so much to do outside he is kept busy. I'm incredibly grateful that as one of the shielded DH can be home to protect me.

Yes I don't think class is the issue, I think it's income and whether or not you have lost your job or not!

Also it depends on circumstances, we have no mortgage,no debt and no car payments at all. Our only monthly bills are electricity and life/health insurances. We have no childcare bill at all right now as they are obvs no attending. And we are using less petrol, we are buying a little bit of more food but I always have a good stash anyway, I also meal plan and bake normally (so we're not changing our eating habits.

Don’t think this is even a class or income discussion. I’m well off (for now) and up shit creek trying to manage everything you listed, except the tinned tomatoes

@carlotta43 - are you working everyday? I am a teacher and we were given the option to volunteer for looking after keyworkers' children. There are very few of these children so only one teacher in our school has had to do it so far. I suspect you are a very caring person but remember to look after yourself too.

I don't think it's so much a class difference as an income difference. A 'friend' of mine,who earns around 65 grand a year expressed surprise when I said I didn't have enough food in stock for 12 weeks,if the need arose that I would have to stay in for that long. I am disabled,live on ESA and PIP to the tune of £700 a month,so I can hardly go spending around £600 in one go on food for 3 months!

cherish I'm admin. I have to come in every day to do the DfE return and the registers. Each day we're having to upload the number of children who are coming in, and the number of staff, by staff type (so caretaking, kitchen, teaching, TAs, admin). We are also still processing all the stuff for the new intake of Year 7's in September - that has to still go on you see.

The amount of queries we are getting from parents every day has to be seen to believed - parents having trouble logging on to online learning, parents wanting to know how their Year 11s will be graded, other parents wanting to know if current year 10s will get any special treatment because of this, primary school parents wanting to know where their child is on the waiting list, parents remembering suddenly that they've changed their email addresses and wanting them updated on the system, etc etc. There's loads of work still. Children who were moving schools still need their files sent to the new school, teachers still want files brought out from the archive, child protection meetings are still going ahead via video link where possible etc etc etc.......

This week we will be writing to all the key workers and the parents of vulnerable children to see if they want provision over the Easter holidays, and if they do, we will need to arrange staffing - so that's everyone - not just teachers, but the caretakers, kitchen staff, cleaners, TAs, admin, school nurse..... Then we will need to work out what we're going to do with those children over the Easter holidays, because there won't be any online learning - it's the holidays after all - so we will need to come up with a load of 'fun' activities for them, while keeping them, and us, 2 metres apart at all times. We will need to find resources for that and make sure that what we need is in stock - there will be lots of ordering of supplies and possibly having to go to shops to get stuff.