To think the cost of living crisis isn't really a "crisis" for most people?

[buzzheath]

Not meant to be inflammatory at all. I'm well aware of the hardships that some people and families will face. But for the majority of people in the UK, will it really be a "crisis"? Isn't around half of the population middle class?

We are classed as low income working class (nowhere near middle class) but I'm frugal and we live a decent if not very well spreadsheeted lifestyle (no worries at xmas, holidays but not expensive ones, days out places, meals out, birthday parties for the kids etc... never felt we 'missed out' on anything) but I have noticed not only am I no longer able to save at my regular rate through my 'bargain hunting mindset' but my savings are going down quicky now which is a worry.

I'm two grand down in saving in the last 3 months where as I usually manage to save about two grand a year into our house deposit fund.

I will say I know very few middle class people, I dont think 'half' of the UK is middle class, maybe a 3rd but most of what I know is lower class and working class and then there the richer lot that come above middle class too... is working class not the 'majority'?

Its working class that also tends to struggle the most in this country.

It must affect everyone ? The gas and elec , the fuel, the food in the shops has gone up loads?

There is of course a huge difference between not being able to eat and heat your home and having to cut back on things. But inflation has an impact on us all. It is also leading to a cycle of problems in particular for small businesses - if people who were doing OK and previously had some spare money no longer have the money they used to spend on paying for a cleaner, regular hair appointment, therapy, personal trainer, meals at local restaurants, clothes from a small online shop and so on, then those businesses will suffer and even close down in some cases. I've already seen at least 4 independent businesses I used to shop with have to make the decision to close down. Instead the money goes to big businesses (such as utility companies) 😞 Big businesses like Tesco and McDonalds seem to be doing just fine though... depressing.

I stopped reading after you said modern England. I guess here in Scotland and those in Wales and Nothern Ireland are positively sailing through......

It's already a crisis for me.
I've just had to spend £510 on school uniforms and new underwear and coats for three DC. All except jumpers and PE tops from the supermarket.
That's money that should have gone on my electric or gas to see me through the winter but because the price of everything is rising I can't prepare for winter like I usually would.
I've not got the money to put on the gas ready for winter this year so we'll be spending a lot of time huddled under blankets.
Food shopping is becoming extortionate. I buy asdas own brand everything, and even then I'm spending a fortune. I can't shop at aldi or Lidl because I'm disabled and can't drive.
I don't know how I'm going to afford Christmas this year, or even how I'm going to afford my DCs birthdays. I've had to buy my DS2 second hand toys off ebay for his birthday coming up. People may say that's what we should do anyway, but birthdays are meant to be special and I should be able to get him what he wants, not some random second hand toy that I've found online.
I can't get credit as I'm already in 20 grands worth of debt which I'm paying off with an IVA
I can't even afford to buy myself a new wheelchair that I need with my pip because it's all going on keeping my kids fed and clothed. I've had to crowdfund for it. Luckily I had some amazing people donate and now I can get the wheelchair but I shouldn't have to beg, my pip should be enough to cover costs like that but it's not. It's a pittance.
And before anyone comes on saying I shouldn't have had 3 kids I can't afford I was in a stable relationship with their dad for 12 years and was working 50 hour weeks until my physical and mental health deteriorated to the point I had to quit. Which is when the kids dad left (nice of him)
I rely heavily on the food bank run at the local community centre, but even then I have to buy some stuff because my DS2 is coeliac and allergic to tomatoes. So I need to ensure his diet is catered for.
Plus I need taxi fares to appointments as I can't navigate a bus alone. I've had to tell DS1 he can't go on his school trip this year because I can't afford to send him, because if I pay for that I can't afford food for 3 months. (He was meant to be going to Berlin)
I can't afford days out to the zoo, the beach etc, so my DC will have to make do with the park down the road as that's the furthest I can get them this year.
I can't afford new sofas despite the springs being broken in them, and I'm sleeping on a mattress with springs poking out of it because I can't afford a new mattress. I have to choose between that and eating. And my kids need feeding. I'll manage with a broken mattress for them.
For most people I know it's a crisis already and it's only going to get worse. I'm dreading it. Its made my depression so much worse already. I've no idea how we'll survive in autumn.

And yeah I have secondhand school uniform all branded with the school logos and Marks And Spencers and John Lewis coats on the eBay and Facebook marketplace and I can’t even give them away.

@EcoEcoIA - you make some fair points but I don't understand what you mean by this paragraph:

A more pressing question is how we can raise UK interest rates sufficiently quickly to combat the inflation that is shrinking the value of wages, savings, pensions and investments, while preventing defaults on mortgages and a fall in house prices? If we don't pull that one off then we might have to face disastrous economic mismanagement by a government lead by that lunatic Marxist Sir Keir Starmer'

a) We can't get the balance right with interest rates.
b) We have already been having to deal with disastrous economic management by the Tories for the last 13 years.
c) Starmer is not a lunatic nor a Marxist. I'm not an admirer of Starmer but I doubt he would be worse than the current crop of Tories who have already proved how shockingly incompetent they are.

I was just thinking that you could chart the increasingly levels of pressure on houses by looking at the increasing number of people living in fuel poverty.

But it seems that our government, in its wisdom, has changed the definition of fuel poverty this year so that only houses with an energy efficiency of D and below (about 50% of the housing stock) will be considered as living in fuel poverty regardless of how poverty stricken and cold the people living with efficiency ratings of a, b, or c.

Which should sufficiently obfuscate the scale of the problem, don't you think? How serendipitous.

£510 on school uniforms.🤔🤐🤨
Are you mad.

Not mad at all. That's what its cost me.

I'm not going to give guidance it's pointless.
Just to say we have 2 girls and our school uniform bill is less than a fifth of that.
The eldest has been wearing Clarke's bought off Vinted for £8. Mint condition.

I mean, good for you. I have 3 kids, one of which is in adult sizes so his shirts cost me £17 each.
But you rub it in that your costs were cheaper. Well done you I guess for not having as many kids or as expensive a uniform.

Of course three sets of school uniforms can cost £500 when you include coats, shoes and p.e trainers.

We are screwed to be honest. I took very ill a couple of years back, had to stop working, DH then had to stop working to be my full time carer. We are on UC, using food banks and 18k in arrears on our mortgage, so could lose our house any day now. Life is miserable and it's only going to get worse.

😂😂
Yep, my children are all midgets.
Honestly, there's no helping some people.

The problem isn't COL it's managing life and budgets.

Good luck everybody, you're going to need it.

Yeah, sure managing life and budgeting will bring the price of clothing down.

@Hrpuffnstuff1 You don't sound very nice.

It’s too soon to say for some. We’re ok but already I’m not saving as much as I did.

Especially if you attend a school that insists everything is branded from one supplier only who charges extortionate amounts.

Exactly. DS1s PE socks are branded and £12 a pair.

The reality of the current situation has yet to hit some people.

I live in Ireland and prices are going up here a lot at the moment. Even people that are working are finding it harder to keep petrol in the car, food on the table and pay the bills.

One of my friends is getting X amount a week on a certain benefit in Ireland. She is currently changing suppliers for certain bills. She spending less money in her local shops because their prices are higher than the supermarkets. She is trying to build up her savings due to certain things she has coming up. She told me that if she is finding things harder than a year ago it must so much harder for people with kids.

Another friend of mine is working in a charity shop in a big town that has several nice areas. Over the past 6 months she has noticed their sales have gone up. She is seeing more well healed customers in better clothes coming to shop there. She knows people as well that go to charity shops outside their local area so they don't bump into people they know. Also they want to get name branded clothes for less without people knowing this.

The reality is that people will have less money to spend with all the price rises and wages are not going up at the same rate. If you have less money to spend you will put shelter, food and heat above other spending such as meals out, takeaways, beauty treatments ect.
So these businesses will be effected also.
I think that the next 12 months won't be easy for the majority of people.

And heavens forbid if they are old and worn out- that will also be against school policy.
Yep. And although his old PE kit fits him, they've decided to change the entire PE kit this year. So he needs all new.

👏