To think it’s not going to be a case of heating or eating for many families

[LadyCatStark]

We can forget heating altogether! I know it’s a nice little rhyme but for many, many families it’s going to be a case of eating or putting just enough petrol in the car to get you to work to pay all these increased costs. Eating yourself, or feeding your kids (hopefully most people will choose their kids). Eating healthily or eating cheap rubbish.

I’ve just nipped to Aldi as I had a work appointment cancel in the area and spent £40 just on the few bits I needed, not even a proper shop. I could have cried that I’d driven even just the 15 minutes to my appointment and it was cancelled and every drop of fuel counts.

@Yorkshirelass04

This is an entirely foreseeable consequence of Brexit.

People got what they voted for and so have to accept what comes with that.

So that's why everywhere else is feeling the pinch too is it?

@LizzieMacQueen not sure if it’s a helpful suggestion but I’ve seen the egg timer method being talked about-putting a 3-5 minute timer on shower usage to save costs, especially for teens who like to be in there 20min!

Lots of people will be in debt

@LizzieMacQueen

Re saving on heating water costs. What do you think would be an acceptable drop in showering habits? Once every second day? Or maybe better to shower daily but in tepid rather than hot water?

Daily showers are simply not necessary. My late father had one bath a week, the rest of the time he just washed at the basin. He never smelled and was always neat and tidy.

There does seem to be some evidence UK is uniquely explained to fuel cost issues, and this article also reminded me that we were promised lower fuel costs post Brexit. www.newstatesman.com/energy-climate-tech/2021/09/gas-price-crisis-is-brexit-russia-or-covid-19-to-blame

@EasterIssland

My Spanish friends are seeing high petrol prices , expensive energy bills and so with gas. Food has increased as well and there is currently lack of food because of panic buying.

They must have had their own brexit for going through the same economical problems as us!

Food is much cheaper in Spain.

The UK has reduced food options now and they import fresh food from South America and South Africa instead of EU.

The only commonality now is high energy amd gas prices, because those prices are set globally. UK is totally exposed to them while the EU can potentially spread the pain by negotiating for bulk buys, thus buying commodities slightly cheaper vs UK.

So yes, Brexit is definitely still there. And its never going away.

Drip, drip, drip. We are slowly bleeding.

When I was a kid, we didn't have a shower. We had one or two baths per week and sometimes I washed my hair over the sink in between if it needed it. But my house was warm enough, we had enough food and unless my parents were great at hiding it, we didn't need to choose between things. People have different, better expectations now and that's good, who doesn't want a better life for their kids? But it feels like we are going backwards - food banks, no heating etc.

@Viviennemary

There is no doubt a lot of folk will have to tighten their belts.

An absolute masterclass in understatement right there.

I wonder what people whose belts are already on their tightest hole will do @Viviennemary?

When petrol/diesel prices go on up it has a knock on effect on food prices and all consumer goods which need transporting to shops. It is very worrying.

When I'm cold I tend to wrap up indoors and put the electric blanket on if needed. A few of my friends have said they don't want to wear layers and dress up like they are outside. They want to wear less indoors, feel comfortable, put the heating on and be in a warm house so it sounds like they won't be making any changes. It's difficult as some people have no choice but to leave the heating off.

It’s a dangerous spiral.

Those who are already on the breadline will have to make some very very tough choices which will result in some horrible consequences

Those who are very well off will notice higher bills but will be able to ride the storm but will probably see thier assets reduce eg stocks/investments etc

Those of us that are in the middle will have to cut back on luxuries in order to pay for the increase in fuel/food/utilities. That means no takeaways, no meals out, no trips to the cinema, buying less clothes and not getting haircuts as often.
This will then mean redundancies in those a sectors as the demand drops pushing more people into benefits and the breadline.
The less disposable money people have the less likely they are to be buying property or investing money or saving money - that then means less work for solicitors and bankers etc meaning more redundancies.
No one will really be safe and it’s going to be a tough time for all.

I think the next year will be quite divisive, into those who can absorb the increasing costs, and those who can not.

Divisive how?

@Flickflak

Australian fuel prices are horrifying at the moment. It cost us $143 to fill up the car on Friday. Food prices have been going up much faster than inflation for years (not helped by floods and fires of course). Our weekly supermarket shop is crazy expensive now. We can afford it but some must be struggling so much.

While fuel prices have increased a lot here in Oz (from about $1.70 to $2.20, or 95p to 123p) in the last week alone, our prices are still a lot lower than in the UK. I agree food prices have gone up, the floods haven't helped! I'm in Perth and lots of people have solar as it is heavily subsidised. I have 18 panels and pay under $30 a week to power a 4 bedroomed house.

I know I'm lucky though, my mum is still in the UK and is filling her garage with as much coal as she can get, as she says its still comparatively cheap. She is also selling her beloved camper van as its just not economical to go anywhere in it any more. So I do sympathize, and hope for everyone's sake that fuel prices come down again soon.

Those who are very well off will notice higher bills but will be able to ride the storm but will probably see thier assets reduce eg stocks/investments etc

Those of us that are in the middle will have to cut back on luxuries in order to pay for the increase in fuel/food/utilities.

I think there’s a load of people in the gap between these two.

I won’t have to cut back, but neither do I have stocks or investments.

That was far more polite than my response BOOP.

We’re usually comfortable but this will stretch us. Fil is very ill and dh has been taking mil to the hospital to visit daily and it’s costing us an extortionate amount in fuel. If this continues and with all the other rises, we will struggle.

So that's why everywhere else is feeling the pinch too is it?

This was the argument when people were claiming brexit had nothing to do with the trucker shortage.

There are issues everywhere, but those in the U.K. are exacerbated by the cost of brexit. And much of the brexit issues have also been hidden by Covid. Very fortunate for those who want to continue to pretend it has been a roaring success.

Portugal here…massive rises in petrol, food and we’re waiting on the electricity bill. Food shortages now too, it’s frightening.

@Yorkshirelass04

This is an entirely foreseeable consequence of Brexit.

People got what they voted for and so have to accept what comes with that.

When I said to my brexity octogenarian mother that brexit would make us poorer, she said that people have too much money anyway. Nice of her to her solve that problem I thought.

@Ionlydomassiveones

And yet I heard an MP on radio 4 today saying he didn’t need his income as an mp but if say, a GP on £100k+ (“perhaps with a mortgage and children”) were to enter the House of Parliament they shouldn’t have to drop down to a measly £84k. As if the mere idea of existing in £84k was unthinkable. (I imagine because in his mind the basic standard would be a large mortgage somewhere expensive and his kids would need school fees etc etc)

I thought - if I found a fiver I’d think I’d won the bloody lottery. It made me so sad to think that there are MPs supposedly representing us who simply have no idea. The man sounded lovely but clearly a product of privilege and unintended snobbery. So depressing.

If we paid MPs properly we might actually attract competent people instead of the current bunch of witless cunts.

This recent economic development will not hit the few but the many.
Keep heart and care for each other.
Warm food helps. 💪🤞

And yet I heard an MP on radio 4 today saying he didn’t need his income as an mp but if say, a GP on £100k+ (“perhaps with a mortgage and children”) were to enter the House of Parliament they shouldn’t have to drop down to a measly £84k. As if the mere idea of existing in £84k was unthinkable.

I think the point being made is that most people would struggle to see a nearly 20% drop in salary.

I’m pretty sure it’s an entirely unforseeably consequence of war in Europe

No, this is an entirely foreseeable consequence of allowing a tiny minority of elitist cunts to rule us. In 2022 there is absolutely zero reason for anyone to be struggle other than protecting a bunch of arseholes wealth. I can only hope that the masses will waken up to the fact that those at the top contribute fuck all anymore and overthrow them to create a more equal society. Unfortunately I fear the reality will be for us to bury our heads and pretend nothing is wrong, all in the vain hope that somehow "we" will become one of "them".

@TooMinty

It's totally shit but I think theoretically in the UK we can live without heating (although cold and miserable and with lots of layers). So people will be doing heating off so they can eat. Fucking depressing though.

Can we?

Possibly in the South but that's not feasible further North. I grew up in NE Scotland in a house without central heating and we basically lived out of one room in the winter (and learned to shut the door very quickly to keep that heat in).

No way could we have managed with no heating at all, neither physically or mentally.