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?

[Riapia]

OP you have strayed into AIBU
Any views expressed on here are not necessarily those of the people posting them.

[Emotionalsupportviper]

@AlexandriasWindmill

The national average isn't that a couple is on a combined six-figure income.

The average salary in the UK is about £30k but that's skewed by the pandemic and by the higher numbers in London.

20% of the UK population live in poverty.

That's one in five - already living in poverty even before the cost of living increases. Groups with protected characteristics are even more likely to be affected as disability, sex, race, etc, are all additional aggravators for poverty.

Your posts have a smidgeon of 'poor people can just do without ... cars, heating, etc.' The point is that the multi-nationals won't be cutting back. That they are recording record profits whilst pushing up prices. That the Government is quite happy to tell people to tighten their belts knowing it doesn't affect MPs (whose average salary is almost three times the national average). We're not 'all in this together' . This is about the wealthy continuing to get wealthy whilst the vulnerable will suffer. The UK has a very high level of income inequality compared to other developed countries - that isn't something that 'just happened'. It's as a direct result of Government policy. And no-one should be trying to pretend this isn't really a crisis and it doesn't really matter. It does matter. And if you're not affected by it, it costs you precisely nothing to read the statistics and consider whether being one of the countries with the most income inequality is something to be proud of, or something we should be challenging and shouting from the bloody rooftops about.

Hear, hear!

[ilovesooty]

@LoReNewYork

Hi OP, sorry at some of the reactions

Why on earth are you apologising on behalf of other people's perfectly valid opinions and feelings? That's astonishing. Some people feel terrified or what they - or people they love - are facing. They will rightly feel incredibly emotional about it.

"Apologising" for them is arrogant and reductive.

Absolutely.

[AlexandriasWindmill]

What the Tories are missing is that their heartlands are suffering too. I share a hobby with lots of ex military, traditional conservative voters. They're having to consider whether they put the heating on or not. They're working out the cheapest place to shop. That creates problems for the Tories because if their heartlands are feeling the pinch (and outwith London, lots of them are because of the cross-poverty aggravators of age, sex, disability) then their loyalty to the party will slide. They did not serve their country, work all their lives and vote Conservative to find that in their ill health and old age, the party was happy to have them cold and hungry. London centric focus groups and policy spads might be massaging the reality of this to the Tories and corporate funders might not care as long as they can reap massive dividends but it will bite the Tory party in the ballot box. And don't get me started on the Tory press trying to pretend Liz Truss is credible - simply because she's planning to pander to corporates with her tax proposals. Corporates getting richer has the opposite effect on the wealth of the general population.

[buzzheath]

@RandomMess I don’t have a partner.

[LoReNewYork]

I meant that inevitably there would be criticism of being tone deaf as there always is on this type of thread. It actually astonishes me that people ask questions or comment when some reactions are quite aggressive and judgemental. Not making light of how others feel at all, but I expect you will find someone else to have a pop at soon

That's not what you said. You "apologised" for other people's comments. That's an incredibly condescending thing to do.

I called you on that while posting on this thread. I'm not roaming the boards to 'have a pop' at posters. Grow up.

[Rahrahrahrahannoyed]

@Afterfire

I don’t like the tone of threads like these.

If even one family out there is having to resort to food banks or having to choose between heating or eating then it’s too many.

It doesn’t matter if there are a lot of people out there who aren’t struggling. Many, many are.

100%.
20p on to every little thing makes a dent.
Also, perhaps the people you don't think are struggling are, they might not be telling you.

[ivykaty44]

as disposable income diminishes, thats when the gap will widen between rich and poor - there will be a chasm in the middle
. For some they will scramble up and manage to make more money for many others they will fall between the cracks and rely on food banks

As others on the thread have said, when those losing their disposable income stop eating out, visiting the theatre, cinemas, hairdressers, coffee shops, all the activities that are not required but add ons as nice to do - then the rich will not fill the void as they will still spend the same. Then a recession will last longer and go deeper

[Pooet]

I agree. McDonald's is still packed every day, so is Primark. It's just usual politics. If people genuinely need help they should be helped bit for others, just buy less fast food and fashion and stop trying to look.like a reality TV star and just be grateful you live in a country where people.only starve to death on the streets, but for some reason, Mn don't care about them. How many of MNers ever post about the disgrace of having to walk past homeless and vulnerable people on a regular basis? None. I bought 700 UV resistant tents for my home during the heatwave for my homeless charity. I'm not going to start paying for turkey twizzlers and ridiculous eyebrows, I will let the government do that.

[buzzheath]

I find it a bit bizarre and kind of amusing that people seem to think I’m some sort of stuck up middle class snob who’s suggesting that “poor people should do without”. Projecting much? As I said earlier, I’m not on a high income and have a long-term disability which often makes life complicated and difficult. I expect I will be impacted by the crisis eventually. My original post was literally just musing about for how many people, percentage wise perhaps, will the rise in costs actually constitute a crisis.

[Tubs11]

You need to open your eyes and ears. Endless accounts of people choosing between eating and heating and accessing food banks and we're barely in it yet. Everyone will be tightening their belts and that will have a trickle down effect especially when the recession hits. Just because you yourself think you're not feeling the effects, which is an odd thing to say when food prices are rising and wages are stagnant. You may be better placed to weather it but again that could all change when the recession comes.

[MercurialMonday]

It will hit more people when weather gets colder - every one in this house is saying fine to having heating on less but when it comes to it I expect there will still be pressure to put it on as much as usual.

When DH was made redundant I was late pg - people had a go at us for not foreseeing it was just before 2008 recession hit and came out of the blue apparently we were irresponsible to get me pg nearly 7 months before. However others were telling us to go on holiday - just as we were cutting everything we could and job hunting like mad. I concluded people are nuts and not good thinking things through.

[FirstHusband]

@BlackForestCake

By this logic nothing is ever really a crisis.

The majority of us are not going to die of Covid.

In the big recession of the 1980s, most people still kept their jobs.

In wars, the majority of people survive.

Welcome to the wold of government policy. It's all about how many people can be left behind. In the last fifty years, in the UK, 5 or 6 kids in my class at school would have been living in poverty, irrespective of the political party in charge.

[StridTheKiller]

Yet...

[buzzheath]

@ladydimitrescu It’s astonishing the assumptions people make on here. I actually said a few posts ago that I do donate to food banks and have done for several years. My question was literally a question. Not making a judgement or suggesting people don’t have a right to be struggling. Jesus fucking Christ. Can you read?

[TwilightSkies]

There’s no need for sheer terror 🙄

For YOU!

[ivykaty44]

tbh I used to shop and spend £40 a week, now I shop and am spending £50 a week - to me that isn't 10% inflation but 20%

the utilities have increased by 54% and then onto of that rise will be a 60% increase so thats not 114% but 150% in 6/7 months

[LoReNewYork]

I find it a bit bizarre and kind of amusing that people seem to think I’m some sort of stuck up middle class snob who’s suggesting that “poor people should do without”

Really? Amusing? I don't see that people have really said that you're a 'stuck up middle class snob,', a couple might, not sure. It's actually more that you're really, really out of step with what's happening and seemingly unaware of the basics of how this will affect millions of people. So a snob? No idea. Need to pay more attention to the issues? Yes.

Projecting much?

A little immature.

[LoReNewYork]

Jesus fucking Christ. Can you read?

Thread's going well.

[Pinkspottedbanana]

OP I would give up responding, there are too many just waiting to have a go, hopefully you got some replies which answered your question.

[PuzzledObserver]

Rising prices bite first on those with least slack in their budgets.

Initially, many people will cope because they started out with income well in excess of essential expenditure and/or they have savings. So they can ride it out.

But as prices continue to rise (ahead of earnings), increasing numbers of people will tip over from having slack to not having slack to having to delve into savings to not having any savings left to being in debt. The longer it goes on, the more people will tip into crisis.

We are currently insulated from energy price rises through a combination of lucky choices about when to fix tariffs, driving an EV and having installed solar panels and a battery. But fixed tariffs will end, so eventually it will affect us - our electricity bill on the EV rates now in force will be double what we are currently paying, I’m trying to decide whether to fix on those rates now, 3 months ahead of my tariff ending, to ward off possible further rises if I wait till the end date. Plus, high fuel prices have to be covered in the price of everything else. Just bought milk at the supermarket - £1.45 for 4 pints, I’m sure that not so long ago it was £1.10.

35p isn’t going to break the bank, but if those percentage increases happen across more and more items, then sooner or later it will make a difference. So, while we are a long way away from being in crisis, I am noticing bills rising, and taking steps to adjust our spending accordingly.

[buzzheath]

@LoReNewYork Of course it’s going to to affect millions of people. Duh. My question was literally “HOW MANY PEOPLE do you think it’ll affect”. I think the UK’s population is around 60million or so, and I was curious about how many of those will suffer as a result of the rise in costs, as opposed to it being an inconvenience.

[Lalliella]

@Afterfire

I don’t like the tone of threads like these.

If even one family out there is having to resort to food banks or having to choose between heating or eating then it’s too many.

It doesn’t matter if there are a lot of people out there who aren’t struggling. Many, many are.

I totally agree, well said. In a so-called first world country nobody should have to rely on food banks, or choose between eating and heating.

[overitall1]

@Ducksinthebath jeez, are you deliberately trying to be an arse? So anyone who isn't struggling should still be handwringing and wailing because some are? This is exactly what the media is doing, blowing everything up into a crisis. Of COURSE it's going to be a nightmare for some, but life is ALWAYS a nightmare for some. The OP said for most it won't be a crisis. And they're right.