Am I the only one who thinks scrimping and saving can go and get fucked for bare essentials

[Freedomfromunfairbills]

All the advice about cost of living seems to be ways you can scrimp and save to possible cobble together enough money to stay alive on bare necessities such as food, water, etc. Am I the only one thinking fuck this we just should not accept this when many of the companies jacking up their prices are making record profits. Even if it’s technically possible why on earth should I give up new clothes, gadgets, TV, holidays abroad, ect all to fund the obscene riches of the one percent. Instead of this advice on how to possibly meet these we actually need to say on mass no we are not surfs under the feudal system and we refuse to become a peasant class enough is enough. We should demand the government steps on and nationalises these companies and demand immediate taxes on the ultra rich to fund it all. I’ve always been fairly right wing and conservative but surely this is simply some kind of feudalism that will reduce many of us to little more than peasants and ruin the quality of life for many. Aibu?

It’s entitled to think you have a right to luxuries without the income to pay for

No you’re missing the point and I don’t need a lesson in work progression from you thanks. The point is that people who work hard and used to have a good standard of living shouldn’t have to have such a drop in living standards, particularly when companies supplying essentials are making obscene profits. Do you really think £600 per month on fuel is acceptable? That everyone should just suck it up and earn more?

I was listening to a retired midwife today on the radio, 30 plus years of service, knew exactly how much she needed to put on her key meter to last the week, how many showers she could have, how many times she could cook etc. She now runs out 3 days early and is without gas or electric from Wednesday to Saturday. I think shes entitled to still enjoy her life as it was after her hard work, not ‘just earn more’. People deserve to be fairly rewarded for their labour.

Sounds like the OP should be saving up nie ahead of that then, but instead they seem to have decided to just enjoy themselves.

They’ll then be cold and hungry, but at least they’ll have a PlayStation to look at in the dark.

LOL OP, please do not vote Tory on next elections!

Where were all these newly minted working class heroes during the austerity years?

Nah, Elon Musk can pay it… because he can. Or something like that.

“Shouldn’t”? There’s no should or shouldn’t about it. We are where we are, and between coronavirus, the war on Ukraine and the move away from fossil fuels the standard of living will drop.

You say you don’t need a lesson in work progression from me, but it seems like you’ve not taken it from anyone. No-one else is going to bail you out here, it’s down to you and your partner, but you seem unwilling to do anything about it.

And I've often wondered why they won't abduct me, because I'd bloody well volunteer!

I agree with this. If it were in France there would be rioting in the streets. It may yet come to that in the UK shortly, as more and more thousands of people are unable to meet basic payments.

Don't know how to solve it but in principle I agree! I have an average public sector job, young family, small house. Have always needed to be sensible about money but unless something changes soon fuel+petrol+inflation etc means no holidays, no meals out, no new clothes, very careful budgeting, cutting back on kids hobbies etc. I appreciate I am far from the worst off . But I also know some quite wealthy people who won't really struggle and i think, am I worth less than you? Do I work less hard? Am I doing something of lower value?? And I have realised no, they were just lucky to come from money or have gone into lucrative but not necessarily particularly beneficial (to others/society) careers.

I’ve always been fairly right wing and conservative but surely this is simply some kind of feudalism that will reduce many of us to little more than peasants and ruin the quality of life for many.

He could give something like $30 per person to everyone on Earth, but sadly the OP and others like them would just spend it on one new Nike trainer, and be no better off.

If you want new clothes, gadgets, TV, holidays abroad, ect then you like capitalism but you think the rich should fund it for you

Why should these things only be afforded by the rich though? Maybe holidays, but surely clothes, tv etc should be accessible to anyone that works full time? And I think the point is that if they were accessible but now they are not, people feel that actually, they are still entitled to that life and the energy companies are not entitled to rip them off.

People have to tighten their belts when the country/world is in recession. That's the sensible thing to do.
As for the fuel cost crisis, the UK is sitting on millions of tons of shale gas, just a shake the government caved in to the environmental protesters. We could have been enjoying cheap fuel now for the next 50 years

Ah well.......

This. You've got what you voted for.

If you've always been 'a bit right wing and conservative ', then you need to appreciate what that means. It means as little government intervention as possible. You, yourself, are solely responsible for your circumstances and you don't want the nanny state to step in.

You do know that's the crux of conservatism, right? Wasn't all just bashing immigrants and 'the war on woke '. It's low government.

You voted for them to stay out of your business because you didn't need a safety net or a nanny state and you wanted low taxes. You've got it. You've got a conservative solution to your crisis. Which is 'you're on your own.'

Everyone's a socialist when the shit hits the fan, hey.

Totally agree.

The level at which people accept they will struggle to exist is shocking.

It should also be known as the cost of existing crisis. Because that’s what it is. So many people won’t have ‘lives’ because of this, they’ll just exist in a basic life

You say you don’t need a lesson in work progression from me, but it seems like you’ve not taken it from anyone. No-one else is going to bail you out here, it’s down to you and your partner, but you seem unwilling to do anything about it

Are you aware I’m not the OP and haven’t divulged anything to you about my personal situation and am speaking in general terms?

I’m not one for rioting and don’t agree with it. I tend to get what I want using my knowledge so I’m out.

yes they shouldn’t have privatised in hindsight but as a ex civil servant who was outsourced to a vastly inflated private global tech company, god luck with that.

The only way to bring back in house is waiting years / decades for contracts to end then slowly claw back section by section. You could blow up the HOP tomorrow and the government could cave by Saturday but no one can clawback a outsourced / sold off assset like that.

you sell me your house for 250k, I do it up and sit on it for a decade and it’s now worth 750k. It’s legally mine now. You want it back? Like hell would I surrender my pot of gold.

so I don’t see it personally. Set your high street on fire, loot, steal. Who does it hurt in the end? Where does the council get the cash to fix it? The super rich? Or council tax?

nice idea but flawed

If you've ever voted Conservative, I don't think you have any right to be surprised. It was ok when it suited you (the tories have never helped those who are struggling or on benefits!) But now it doesn't suit you, something MUST be done. Strange that.

So the OP wants the nice treats that a capitalist society creates e.g. a wide choice of clothes, new gadgets, nice holidays etc. And yet begrudges the very socioeconomic dynamic that provides them.

If you storm the Winter Palace OP and bring about an equal redistribution of wealth you won't be skipping off to 2 weeks in Marbs' in a Gucci bikini anytime soon. Socialism doesn't work. It never has.

You had me up until 'right wing and Conservative'. Give yourself a pat on the back, you got exactly what you wished for. And now we are all stuck with it too👍

Quite.

If you voted Conservative, this must be what you wanted. You wanted the ordinary people to be poorer and the Tory donors to be richer. Enjoy it. Enjoy paying your higher prices from your frozen wages.

You reap what you sow.

But people aren’t entitled to it. It’s hard to know where to start with the idea that someone in China should get up and commute to work to make you a shiny new phone that they themselves can’t afford but that you shouldn’t have to pay for it.

If people are entitled to nice things that they can’t afford should we not start by taking everything but the very basics away from you and giving them all to someone grubbing a living in the infertile dirt of the Sahel?

Why does everyone on MN presume that everyone else except them voted Tory? You do know they don’t have a 99.99% majority right? Or that a massive percentage of the eligible population don’t vote at all?

Also Borris Johnson and all politicians lie about their manifestos right? Hence the large % who don’t buy into voting in the first place.

vote non Tory and everything will be perfect. BS. Different names same old shit.

yes I do vote, no don’t vote Tory. The party I vote for will never be elected. My vote is pointless. But it’s that or more “new colour same old shit”

I voted Tory. Won't be again. Enough is enough.