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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have found increasing costs making a positive impact?

469 replies

Optimisiticcautiouslyso · 16/04/2022 10:50

Increasing petrol costs - so I’m actively cutting driving and walking so much more than ever

Increasing energy costs - so I don’t think I’ve ever been more aware of lights off, putting on an extra jumper rather than spinning the heating upwards

Increasing food costs - much more mindful with what I’m buying and much more thoughtful with my cooking and eating

Anyone else?

OP posts:
Agrudge · 16/04/2022 22:33

@Laszlomydarling

Privilege is earned?! Gambling will sort my money worries out!

This thread is unbelievable.

Matched betting not gambling
Alightjacket · 16/04/2022 22:40

@Agrudge you do know betting is gambling don't you?

Manekinek0 · 16/04/2022 22:43

@Alightjacket of course they will. The issue is that you don't know what matched betting is.

Laszlomydarling · 16/04/2022 22:51

Matched betting is supposedly lower risk than most gambling. However, firstly it involves money upfront. From people who can't afford to eat. And secondly, to be successful , it depends upon not getting drawn into one off bets, which would be very hard for some. Thirdly, IT IS AN ADDICTION! it's irresponsible, dangerous, and stupid to suggest anyone struggling to afford food should start any kind of gambling.

EmeraldShamrock1 · 16/04/2022 22:54

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4531417-should-mumsnet-have-it-s-own-middle-class-section?msgid=116686211#116686211
Introducing the sister thread. TAAT.
Hmm which pp is the OP of sister thread?

Alightjacket · 16/04/2022 22:54

@Manekinek0 not sure why you're @ing me but I'll bite. I know what matched betting is. It's still a form of gambling. It's also not something any sane person suggests as a way out of poverty and it's a very slippery slope into a full blown gambling addiction. Which never solved anyones poverty crisis did it.

Agrudge · 16/04/2022 23:01

[quote Alightjacket]@Agrudge you do know betting is gambling don't you? [/quote]
There no gambling involved.

I know the financial out come of every bet placed before I place it

SushiShopSearch · 16/04/2022 23:02

OP, I hear you. It's hard to articulate when there are so many people who will find it so difficult but petrol/diesel are still too cheap otherwise there wouldn't be so many vehicles on the road. I see a neighbour drive 300 yards to the papershop.

We have all become so used to cheap food and cheap travel.

I hope something good comes out of these times .

EmeraldShamrock1 · 16/04/2022 23:02

I know what matched betting is. It's still a form of gambling. It's also not something any sane person suggests as a way out of poverty and it's a very slippery slope into a full blown gambling addiction. Which never solved anyones poverty crisis did it.
Yes I agree with this, gambling of any kind can become a serious addictions.
Those shit shops have ravished WC areas.

Agrudge · 16/04/2022 23:10

[quote Alightjacket]**@Manekinek0* not sure why you're @ing* me but I'll bite. I know what matched betting is. It's still a form of gambling. It's also not something any sane person suggests as a way out of poverty and it's a very slippery slope into a full blown gambling addiction. Which never solved anyones poverty crisis did it. [/quote]
So I suppose drinking alcohol is a slippery slope to being an alcoholic?

If you have any problem with self control . Maybe it's not for you. But most of us dont . If you hate gambling it's perfect.

I never suggested it would lift anyone out of poverty. But it would more than offset the money needed to keep you warm in the coming winters

Alightjacket · 16/04/2022 23:18

@Agrudge hahaha of course drinking alcohol is a slippery slope into alcoholism! Clue is in the word alcohol. You're a good laugh.

CheshireCats · 16/04/2022 23:19

@SushiShopSearch Do you live in a city/ large town by any chance??
Too many cars on the road/petrol is cheap/cheap travel....
You do know lots of people can't walk/get public transport everywhere? That some of us live miles from a town/supermarket/ GP (10 miles in my case) Or 25 miles from a hospital with buses that regularly don't turn up in the day to get there, and absolutely no public transport there at all at night.
And that there's very very little public transport to my nearest town and what there is is over a mile away down unlit b roads with no pavements?
Without my car, I wouldn't be able to get to work, or access all of things city folk take for granted. Putting the price of petrol up would punish rural dwellers massively when there is no option but to have a car.

CheesecakeAddict · 16/04/2022 23:28

I've put on 2kg because fruit and veg is expensive and the gas oven is too expensive to run so my diet has become so bad. I have no energy anymore and dd cries some nights because she's so cold. So no, op, i don't think this is a dream come true.

Gilead · 16/04/2022 23:29

Aren’t you lucky. OP I’m not in a position to be more mindful. Increasing petrol means I’m housebound. Increasing utilities means I can’t afford to have the heating on. My gas and electric are now 20% of my monthly income. I’m disabled and I have a stoma which means regular wash loads, drying and showers. I can no longer afford the heating and it’s only getting worse. I’m in receipt of disability benefits which are increasing by 3.1%, meanwhile inflation has increased to 7%, the highest its been in thirty years. My God this government have fucked us over and still people will vote for them.

XenoBitch · 16/04/2022 23:35

I don't understand the hate you are getting, OP.
You have noticed the price hike, and have made changes. You are absolutely allowed to talk about them here. Some comments make out that you have walked into a food bank and moaned about Waitrose prices going up. That would be tone deaf.
On MN, there are people from all walks of life. You started your own post.. didn't comment this on someone who was on about struggling.

I say this as someone living solely off of UC.

Laszlomydarling · 16/04/2022 23:44

I think it's all in the wording. Saying that increasing prices are good because she's making good changes is very different for example to saying 'I never realised how wasteful I was until now'.

The increased prices are going to cause severe mental health problems, physical health problems, children going hungry, being neglected in some cases by parents who sadly can't afford childcare or can't afford to miss work to look after them. Elderly people will die. People will turn to crime.

The increased cost of living shouldn't have been described as positive.

anne2650 · 16/04/2022 23:48

God, you can't say anything without offending someone can you OP? 🙄 You are of course right, those of us who have taken things for granted are now thinking about the costs and making changes which will have a positive impact on the environment. It doesn't mean that we're oblivious to the pressure rising costs have on people who were already struggling.

Agrudge · 16/04/2022 23:52

@SushiShopSearch

OP, I hear you. It's hard to articulate when there are so many people who will find it so difficult but petrol/diesel are still too cheap otherwise there wouldn't be so many vehicles on the road. I see a neighbour drive 300 yards to the papershop.

We have all become so used to cheap food and cheap travel.

I hope something good comes out of these times .

Fuel has never been been cheap in the uk. even when it was cheaper
EmbarrassingHadrosaurus · 17/04/2022 00:18

I think it's all in the wording. Saying that increasing prices are good because she's making good changes is very different for example to saying 'I never realised how wasteful I was until now'.

Lots of people mis-speak or don't express themselves well. I wonder if the criticism, shame, or opprobrium directed towards the OP of threads like this will encourage some people to post as a way of discussing ideas or perspectives or serve to dissuade them. It's unfortunate because, without exposure to other ideas, and the ability to refine ideas through discussion, we miss out on one of the greatest potential benefits of social media.

The Shame Machine: Who Profits in the New Age of Humiliation

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09KBXFD4P/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

LBFseBrom · 17/04/2022 02:30

@Laszlomydarling

I think it's all in the wording. Saying that increasing prices are good because she's making good changes is very different for example to saying 'I never realised how wasteful I was until now'.

The increased prices are going to cause severe mental health problems, physical health problems, children going hungry, being neglected in some cases by parents who sadly can't afford childcare or can't afford to miss work to look after them. Elderly people will die. People will turn to crime.

The increased cost of living shouldn't have been described as positive.

She is a glass half full person, good for her that she can find positives at a time like this. I wish I was more like her. Good can and often does come out of bad things, it doesn't make the bad stuff any easier to bear at the time but if you can find a way to lighten the load, go for it.
Newmama29 · 17/04/2022 03:59

Tell me you’re a Tory without telling me you’re a Tory

MidnightMeltdown · 17/04/2022 04:34

I think that OP is simply pointing out that we, in the west, have been very privileged, which has led to a lot of waste and overconsumption.

The cost of living crisis has highlighted this, and is making people realise that they can survive on a lot less, which is major positive in terms of the environment

Yes, some people have never been able to afford the extras, but that doesn't make the point about the environment any less valid. The 'average' person in this country can and will cut back.

Some people on this thread seem to be angry and resentful that OP isn't as destitute as them. If you don't like the topic, then don't read the thread. It's not unreasonable for OP to post about something that is affecting the majority of the country.

AchillesPoirot · 17/04/2022 06:00

@SushiShopSearch

OP, I hear you. It's hard to articulate when there are so many people who will find it so difficult but petrol/diesel are still too cheap otherwise there wouldn't be so many vehicles on the road. I see a neighbour drive 300 yards to the papershop.

We have all become so used to cheap food and cheap travel.

I hope something good comes out of these times .

I drive 300 yards to the shop because I can’t walk that far.
Quincythequince · 17/04/2022 06:37

@Newmama29

Tell me you’re a Tory without telling me you’re a Tory
I’m not a Tory, but see no issue with what the OP has said.

Or are you equating people who aren’t poor, with all being Tories then?

cavalatete · 17/04/2022 06:46

OP do you realise that what you're saying is that in order for you to be more environmentally friendly, those around you needed to suffer. It's quite horrific. Things needed to get so bad for the nurses that look after you or your family/friends when ill, for example, that they can't afford to go home and be warm, can't afford to feed their families. Or things needed to get so bad that food banks are creaking under the strain of increased use, often now with people who are out there working every day.

Being wealthy and comfortable doesn't mean you're not allowed to speak, but not struggling to survive on a daily basis does give you more opportunity to be aware of others.

The world isn't going to become greener btw because people like you (and me) are turning off lights. It's well known that cheaper products are not made in the UK. There is also talk about restarting fracking and drilling for more oil/gas in the North Sea. In fact, had people who could afford to invested in greener energies earlier, it's arguable that there'd be far more cheaper, functional options now.