To think that financially, Covid hasn't changed much for many people.

[blueblueblue101]

I keep hearing that we are in a recession that will be the longest and deepest in history. Yet when I look around, no one seems to be financially hit. Plenty of people going out for their meal out to help out. People still able to afford holidays. No one around me has been made redundant and no one I know seems to be remotely concerned about what the future holds in regards to finances Meanwhile, I am eaten up with worry that we'll lose our jobs our home etc.

Um. Well...I have friends and family in hospitality (lots), theatre, retail and manufacturing..so, yes, been lots of furloughing,a couple of redundancies (manufacturing) but it's really in the next 6 months that the shit is really going to hit the fan for all the people no longer furloughed.

Well. We’ve lost our income with both of us being made redundant and with the prospect of finding new jobs very poor indeed. We know plenty of others in the same situation. Currently hoping we can find something to keep us fed and with a roof over our heads.

@Isabella70

There are of course, people who are suffering very badly immediately but the bigger economic effect will be over the coming years. The government debt has just hit 2 trillion. Unless there are huge, and frankly unexpected, productivity increases this will have to be paid either by the taxes of our children and grandchildren, or by them living through long periods of high inflation

...which makes me angry on their behalf.

I’ve been doing out for meals and we went abroad on holiday and we are going away for a long weekend in the UK soon. We haven’t cut back on spending. However I did get made redundant. Luckily I’ve found a new job 🥳 but we would say we have been financially affected! Our home probably will lose value too. You’re looking at it from a very narrow point of view.

The variation is very sector based. I know a lot of people who have both been trying to juggle work during lockdown and it’s been hideous but we’ve got jobs so are fortunate. Personally we’ve saved a lot as no nursery fees, commuting costs etc but my husband had to take a pay cut and we have been anxious about his job.

. One of my fiends is self employed and has had no income or help because of how her mat leaves have fallen. Her husband is in events. Their situation is very precarious financially after being strong.

It is very unevenly distributed. Some people are better off. Many are suffering. Many more will suffer. Look outside your own bubble before making general statements.

Slight seque, but people keep mentioning the 80s. Can someone please explain and let us know what we are in for?

@BackwardsGoing did you mean to be so rude?! Unnecessary!!

I too have had heard of mass redundancies etc but haven’t seen it either. My neighbours for instance have bought all new garden furniture + egg chair. £1000 patio heater (price on box on delivery) just had new electric garage door fitted and are getting the whole house carpeted. They’ve also just got a new car.

I’ve also seen plenty of others splashing the cash too. So definitely no evidence of people being hard up around here.

We've been hit.

Nearly 4 months with seriously reduced income, which wasn't made up to 80% as a lot of our usual income is set overtime. I'd say we lost about 40-50% of our income over those 4 months. Now work is back but no overtime and reduced working hours means we are still only bringing home 80-90% of our previous income.

For a family already watching every penny it's been hard, and still is. Plus we also have another baby on the way, and we can't see the situation being better by the time baby arrives early next year.

I don't know anyone who has been redundant thankfully, but a lot of our friends are in the same boat as us where they've lost hours etc.

Just occurred to me that I possibly count as a splashing the cash person . We're not fantastically affluent, but we're secure enough in the short to medium term, so I feel like its right for us to spend & support our local economy now instead of just sitting on the money

3 of my closest friends have all been made redundant and their jobs weren't in sectors you'd necessarily think would have been overly affected - 1 in private healthcare, 1 in the charity sector and 1 in oil and gas.

I've lost my job.
My husband's is on the line.
If I cannot find work on a similar salary as before we will lose our home before Christmas because we simply cannot make ends meet.

I know an innumerate amount of people this has similarly affected.

Let me assure you OP, just because you haven't seen it Covid has destroyed more lives than just in the death tolls.

We have no income. We were already fairly poor but very careful and so managed to build up a decent amount of savings. We’re currently living off those and hope to get a job between us before we have to claim benefits. It’s been almost six months so far (redundancy about a month before lockdown). We’ve had a few interviews but no job offers. Hundreds, and occasionally thousands of people have applied for every position we’ve applied for.

I live on a deprived council estate and many people have been hit very hard. You need to consider that not everybody has a life similar to yours. I think things will get even worse once the furlough scheme ends. I volunteer in a place where people can get emergency food bank vouchers. We already have a steady stream of requests and I can see this massively increasing.

Oh gosh canyou - hoping it will get better for you soon (we’ve been there more than once - recessions bite don’t they?) 💐

In my world no one has had any particular financial fallout - all senior executives in finance/law/property sectors, all saving on commuting and holiday costs, have enjoyed school fee reductions and work still as busy as ever so no worries on the horizon.

However I have a 20 something child whose contemporaries are facing job losses, grad scheme closures, eviction, trying to work from crowded house share type accommodation etc etc

And in my work where I advise on benefits and tenant rights I hear daily from people whose lives have been completely upended and face terrible consequences as a result of the shutdown of the economy

@Silvercatowner Have you read to the end of the Op or the Op's other posts? Your post is extremely unkind in the circumstances when the op has said she's "eaten up with worry".

I hope you never word anything unfortunately and get kicked to high heaven as a result.

Most people I know are affected. My DC lost their jobs (theatre and hospitality), my DH lost his (freelance, TV), and mine is under major threat (media). My neighbour has lost his (manager of a nightclub. Friends who run a hotel are badly affected. The only people I know who aren’t affected work in public service or are retired.

We're a bit better off due to lack of commuting and wraparound childcare costs and DC's activities/clubs not running during lockdown. We are both in jobs that, if anything, have been made more secure by covid but we know many who have not been so lucky.

Our adult DN has already been made redundant and had to move back in with her DP's who have themselves both been furloughed so they are now in a very precarious position having previously been relatively care-free. I have lots of friends who work in the arts. Some are furloughed. Some are freelancers who have seen their incomes disappear almost overnight, not to mention projects they had been working on for months, real labours of love, cancelled with no idea when and if they will resume.
We also know a couple who work for the same company who were let go on the same day.

Those saying public sector workers will be fine, I wouldn't be so sure. Councils will need to make savings, many were already skint and having to cut vital services before all this. I work in a school and our budget has been absolutely trashed by covid. There is no extra money from the government to support all the changes that need to be made to get kids back to school as safely as possible. Schools were already struggling massively due to ten years of relentless cuts and many were reluctantly getting rid of TA's and Pastoral staff way before the pandemic. With this added financial pressure I would not be surprised at all to see more job losses.

I've lost my job. I'm entitled to £20 a week tax credits.
Partner has a job that is just over the threshold so we can't claim anything else.
Partner has debts to pay and can't afford to pay my half of the bills (that I paid when employed).
I'm worrying about finding school dinner money when the DC go back to school ( we find packed lunches just as costly)

I was made redundant, but I've found a new job quickly. If I hadn't I would have been screwed.

Tbh I think the company I was made redundant from is in trouble. It can't really do the service it normally does because of social distancing so they're trying to go online, but their product isn't really at the forefront of people's minds at the moment.

I think lots of the economic impact will be felt further down the line. Lots of companies are still getting by but won't last long after furlough stops/their savings run out.

You must live in a very privileged little bubble.

I admit that my household hasn't suffered financially and if anything we are better off due to refunds on holidays and savings on train seasons ticket and petrol. We are still worried and are stashing away the money saved in case of future problems.

But I know many people who have suffered. A few have been asked to accept 20% pay cuts to help the business survive, people on fulough are 20% down , one friend has been made redundant while on furlough. Another friend's son has lost the apprenticeship/college course he was due to start in September and now has no idea what the future holds for him. Another friend is about to lose the previously very successful business he has spent the last 25 years building up.

And I don't think we've even seen the worst of it yet.

I feel as if a lot of people calling the OP need to actually read what she said properly...

My husband made his JSA claim this morning.
I think you'll find the Covid effect is going to be over a period of months/2 years rather than an immediate doomsday scenario.

@JaffaCakeGal

I feel as if a lot of people calling the OP need to actually read what she said properly...

I agree. Particularly the last sentence of the Op if its too much to expect people to read all three posts.