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're middle class and earn decent money (I'm on £65k).

However after being out of work for 15 months during the worst part of the COVID pandemic (other than various bits and pieces of work I managed to pick up to put food in my mouth and pay the absolute essentials like utility bills) we are now pretty screwed.

We have lots of debt and arrears from being out of work during the pandemic.

We've already cut back everything we can. We already shop at Aldi. We already don't go out (ever) or have takeaways or buy each other or anyone else presents or drink any alcohol or smoke.

We already have a lodger.

We can't downsize as our credit file from the pandemic period means we can't get a new mortgage and we'd struggle to buy much here on my current salary.

There's no point renting our home out as, even for much smaller properties, rents are more than our mortgage.

If you are asking the percentage of people that will end up in poverty due to the cost of living crisis, that's a fair question. Probably necessary if help is to be targeted. Unfortunately, I don't have the economic skills to work it out, maybe someone does. I would listen to people who work for charities, as they are on the front line. They seem quite clear that many are in crisis. Further predictions would need to analyse many factors, we probably need an expert for that.

I'm very well off thank fuck due to a lucky life rather than hard work. I lived through the 80s and what I fear most is civil unrest, strikes that mean no refuse collections, energy cuts and no petrol. But I also fear (perfectly understandable) anger towards the better off, tension in the streets, suicide and murder rates increasing, the towns and cities becoming ever more empty and ugly. I fear guilt and shame at being ok and wanting to have a nice holiday, facial treatments, a nice new winter coat.

Even tho my actual life won't be effected much, in terms of bills and food, by god the quality of life in general as I live through the next period, is going to be massively effected. And that is why I have always voted Labour. Even tho it "costs" me personally in taxes I'd far far rather live in a prosperous, happy country

As PPs have said - we are OK because we are older so smaller mortgage/better paid. But we notice our bills going up and we will probably have to support DC more as they are at uni - so less money for discretionary spending (and all the knock on effects to the local economy...)

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”

It literally wasn't.

You said that the crisis wasn't a crisis - your thread title - and then said But for the majority of people in the UK, will it really be a "crisis"? Isn't around half of the population middle class?

Not the same thing.

You keep on insulting people on your thread. It's not really very civilised of you.

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

How bizarre. People are discussing an emotive subject and an inflammatory post. Their replies are precisely how the OP will GET an answer, by listening to people and different views.

Also where I work - it's an office in the South East. A lot of our teams are customer service advisors and they start on something like minimum wage or just above.

The rent around the office is high.

One of them forgot to bring a pot noodle with them for lunch the other day and then couldn't eat all day because they couldn't afford to and wouldn't admit what their situation was until afterwards.

They work full time.

There’s going to be load of ship shutting down - coffee shops, nail bars and any number of service industry jobs that put people on benefits (or more benefits) which don’t cover the increase cost of living - then they’ll be more crime as people starve. Cut backs in policing etc will insure the riots happen

@buzzheath you might be interested in the survey (from late May) behind this BBC piece: www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62148525

To summarise:

• 25% of adults are struggling financially but not changing their spending habits (the article leads on the reasons for that)
• Just over a third (35%??) of adults were struggling and cutting back wherever they could
• Another quarter were financially secure but cutting back anyway as a precaution
• Only 14% were comfortable and had no plans to cut back

So if you define crisis as needing to reduce expenditure to keep it within income, then I make that around 60% of adults in that boat, even though a significant chunk of them are not actually doing it (yet.)

I’d be considered middle class. Me and my partner both work full time. We have a toddler and a teenager and we had to borrow £100 from my parents to make ends meet this month.

Everything creeping up a little across the bird means that when you have dentist/new glasses/unexpected bills it totally derails us financially.

Funnily enough I was going to stay at least a third already financially struggling to have a decent standard of living and a further third that will have to make significant cut backs to maintain a decent standard of living.

@PuzzledObserver That's useful, quite a significant proportion, and we are not in winter yet. Sounds like an impending crisis to me.

Do you understand the reasons for the increase in the number of food banks?
Do you understand the corporate and political mechanisms surrounding foodbanks?

Nope, you take the lowest denominator and then shout from the rooftops telling everyone about your findings.😂

@gnilliwdog
There are key indicators for predicting poverty. The problem is talking about them is forbidden. It's not a comfortable discussion.

Yeah, it is. It is a crisis for me. Good for you, though.

@LoReNewYork This is getting boring. You sound very tiresome. Either engage meaningfully or stop commenting with your pedantry on my posts. I’m sorry my question wasn’t worded to your exact requirements but honestly, get over it.

Actually I get what the OP is saying.
There will always be people struggling. Any price increase will affect those already at the bottom.
But… does crisis mean a very large proportion of ‘previously comfortable’ people being forced to choose between eating and heating (as is dramatically put). Or will they just have a lower quality of life?

Leaving aside those already in real poverty. Even supposedly ‘low-income’ British people consider things like holidays and kids classes a necessity. So is being forced to cut these out a crisis? How much can people actually absorb.

That’s how I understood it anyway. You can call it inflammatory or whatever you like but the gap was already large long before any of this came along. Those who struggled before, struggle more. Those who have accumulated assets, insulated. With nothing much in the middle.

I’m very lucky to be ok so far, and have doubled my payroll donations to various food banks…

To the people who’ve responded with links to articles, facts and figures - much appreciated! Currently reading through these.

Also to add cuts in discretionary spending etc will trickle down!

@LoReNewYork So do you think that more than 50% of the population will be in poverty? You keep telling me off for the “tone” of my question but if you go back and read it, that was always my enquiry. Will the majority of the population of the UK experience poverty as a result? A majority means 50% or more, btw. That’s not intended to be patronising but you seem to not actually understand my question.

If you are ‘genuinely curious about the numbers’OP, why don’t you try looking at the many, many research reports from one of the many, many organizations in the countries of the UK that look into poverty. If you did, you would find that is a substantial problem with piverty in the UK, that the member of working poor needing to use food and was rising before the cost of living crisis, and that there are, frankly, shitloads of families and households in the UK already with nothing else to give, and fuck knows how they are going to manage now. The organizations that work to assist people in n poverty are desperately worried. For them it’s not idle chit chat from a position of smug security as it clearly is for you.

I don't think it'll bite for most until the winter hits. At the moment, we're all using minimal gas/electricity. We've not noticed any massive hikes as yet because our youngest and their partner have just left home and most of our bills have dropped as a result. Think it's going to be a bit of an eye opener when it does change. I'm very grateful to be in a situation where we can afford the bills however large they are...... 10 years ago it would have crippled us.

OP - there was nothing wrong with your "tone" and you've started a valid discussion. I hate it when people try to shut others up.

How many non smokers use food banks? Serious question. I don't drink or smoke, not for cost but I would consider that if I wasn't able to support myself. Ditto endless xbox and tech stuff.