To wonder how people will financially survive?

[Cupcakeicecream]

To think that many people are struggling already. Food price rises, gas and electric costs. The general cost of living due to inflation from either brexit since the pandemic and Ukraine war. But come on some people were struggling before any of those factors. Financially people will be pushed to breaking christmas will be off the cards general life will stagnate no meals out leisure activities cinema socialising new clothes treat foods. The threat of blackouts and wondering how we will pay bills to keep warm or keep a house running. Never mind buying food the price of it plus the large gaps on shelves. Winter will be miserable. It's becoming impossible to live in this country.

The government gives zero fucks that people will die or people will have miserable lives being freezing cold and not having enough food to eat. It doesn't affect them and theirs so why do they care? They didn't give a shit when thousands of people were drying from covid and they proclaimes let the bodies pile high etc.....

In the real world, I hate that we are living like the bloody victorian times. It should not be allowed to happen. And yet some cunts will still vote the tories back in........

It's the deeper wider knock on effects, Christmas isn't even in question! Who cares about Xmas in these circumstances!

Lucky for us we already have decoration and never had large gatherings, I've had very lean Xmasses in dire circumstances.
It's the knock on however from people not spending at Xmas, Extra food/presents/decoration etc.
People won't go to the theater, use taxi's, go to restaurants, the economy will collapse.
No savings, savings depleted... creating more instability down the line.
No extra going into pensions!

I’m hoping mine will not rise too much. My house is absolutely tiny with new windows and doors and a new combo boiler which in the summer is used purely for washing up and we have an electric shower we each use twice a week . We don’t stink though! . We don’t use straighteners , hairdryers or an iron. We don’t pay for extra curricular activities- and cook a one pan meal each day . I do two/three washes per week and never use a dryer . I think the heating on twice a day for an hour will be adequate. We have a tonne of veg and fruit in the garden which is easily converted to pasta sauce and casseroles and the like. I’m aware this kind of set up is probably one of the most fortunate in these circumstances. We have zero transport costs as school is literally across the road as is the grocery store who bundles me up with hummus , cheese , meat etc that’s on its date for pennies each day and my work is done from home almost always.
on the opposite end of the spectrum , my low income parent who lives alone in a five bed , five reception house and drives a large , thirsty car everywhere is going to need a miracle or to finally downsize ( stubborn old git) .
It’s very concerning whoever you are , but I’m pretty used to a very basic lifestyle and I think we can absorb the extra on the utility bills and food because we just don’t use much of it anyway.
I really feel for people who do need to use more energy for various reasons and can’t make use of free food the way I do, my sil for one is already struggling immensely and is forever asking for help and I have paid untold amounts for her electric meter this year already , probably more than I’ve spent on my own bills. I’m really worried for her because I won’t have it spare soon .

I think the "governments" absolutely does care but...it's pressure to pull things out of the bag!
How desperate are they do act!

I really don't think we should have a mindset where we meekly accept that we should be happy just to ''survive' in life.

We are one of the richest countries in the world but we have allowed a few big corporations and a few Tory donors to dictate how we live.

I don't work and pay my taxes for the majority of us to barely be able to survive and go back to Victorian slums living conditions while the so called ''elite'' is having a very nice life out of our labour and money.

All of this was perfectly avoidable if we did not have the madness of Brexit and private utility companies who are charging extortionate prices and a zombie government.

What we need is new government and a change of direction but also a real change of mentality where we get away from simply accepting what is being done to us....

Assuming Autumn-Winter is going to be cold.

I have no idea. I earn a slightly above average salary, but I'm concerned about what is coming next. I actually sat down yesterday and reassessed our outgoings as our gas/electric has now increased significantly now that the fixed deal has ended. Mortgage has gone up yet agains There will be very little leftover at the end of the month. Meals out/ cinema trips are out for the foreseeable. Shopping is now done online so I can stick to a £50 budget. I have sold a lot of things dc have grown out of and used the money to buy an air fryer which will hopefully cut down on electric use. I worry for those working in leisure/hospitality as it is the first thing people will cut back on.

My television is having a holiday and will likely be having a long one . Hot water is staying . Heating will not be coming on in our house this winter . The house is new so I think fairly well insulated ( thank you ) . Savings put aside for xmas if I can afford it . I hope I do get through the winter as I have a disability . Please let there be more for people .

My family are a bit in denial. My mum thinks Martin Lewis and Boris will sort it out so we can have Christmas as usual, I think we should skip presents this year and just buy for our own kids. No pantomime for the children, no trip to London for a musical for the mums and aunties, no meals out with friends, we've already been told work isn't doing a Xmas do this year so no new outfits needed, no taxis, no train fares to London, No takeaways, not even chip shop chips. No summer holiday trips to the seaside, who wants to paddle in sewage?!

It's the knock on effects on the knock on effects that cause the snowball into recession isn't it?

I've depressed myself.

You are correct. I thought it was every four years! Now I'm even more annoyed

I have no idea.. I am a support worker so on low wage with universal credit, been using credit card every month just for surviving.. will have to go cap in hand to ex.

Exactly this. I despair at the threads on here asking for tips on living frugally, how to cut back even further than the poverty that they are ALREADY in...

It's crazy!

This is going to be mumsnet from now on isn't it? Constant threads about it

Isn't everyone's energy bill going to quadruple @Theneverendingtories ? Unless they have reduced their usage from 2021. If it was £60 a month it's going to be £240, if it was £100 a month it's going to be £400 etc?

Of course it is. People talk about what’s uppermost in their minds

Ffs! This utterly pathetic left wing”the government must have all the solutions” shit is really STUNNING. Do people not understand history or politics AT ALL.
In 1914 and again in 1938, power hungry dictators (German in those instances) decided that they wanted to take over areas of Europe for their own glory/power/wealth. The whole of Europe (& then America) agreed to sacrifice their fucking sons and live through years of bombings, death and untold hardship and it plunged the world into a 10 year depression but THANK GOD they did. The world would look very different if they hadn’t.
The same thing is happening again with a Russian dictator this time but thanks to technology and geopolitics, we are only being asked to turn down the heating and put a fucking jumper on and accept a 20% inflationary rise and the hysteria is unbelievable. We are not being bombed and none of our children are being sent to war. Ffs!! Interesting that it’s the left wing mainly remoaners that suddenly want to cut and run and leave their Ukrainians to deal with the greatest threat to Western European life since 1938. And this is off the back of a fucking global pandemic where again ‘the government’ were expected to magic up solutions.
Ffs …. Be very grateful that this is all we are being asked to do. Or would you rather just send ‘thoughts and prayers’ to Ukrainian people whilst buying Russian gas and oil cos it’s a bit hard not too. It’s shameful

People (mainly women) considering sex work to pay bills. People who would never have considered it before. So depressing

Honest work doesn’t pay in 2022

It's possible to feel empathy for Ukraine AND still feel worried and sorry about not being able to heat your home, though?

Besides there is a lot of profiteering going on by energy producers. People are pointing out that privitisation of essential services hasn't worked, and that in recent years that the current government have not made good economic choices by allowing austerity to cut wages whilst retaining as asset price bubble.

And these multinational conglomerates are paying a vast percentage of pensions. Less than 50% of British householders are net contributors. So most get more than they pay

@Noname99 get over yourself. Nobody is saying hand over Ukraine to Russia, but the energy companies have offered a solution to freeze the cap and both Truss and Sunak are refusing to agree to it because they're too busy fighting for crown to accept an idea suggested by labour.

I don't understand why we don't generate our own electricity and have to buy it from other countries.

Haven't we got enough sun and wind and tides to be independent and self sufficient?

I agree @Noname99

The choice is essentially between £400 energy bills , whacking great rent, mortgage and food bills.

OR

World War 3 and watching the Russians invade Europe, getting closer to our shores (if we do nothing to support Ukraine).

They are both utterly awful and inconceivable 5 years ago. But that is the truth.

I am much more scared of China though, they have openly said they want to dominate the world by 2050.

*no meals out leisure activities cinema socialising new clothes treat foods

Some people will have to stop these things but not all. Life will go on as normal for lots.

@Noname99

Well put. The government has (rightly in my opinion) decided to stand behind Ukraine, which has prolonged their ability to defend themselves, and continued the upward pressure on food and energy prices.

The state spent hundreds of billions of pounds supporting people through Covid, so our debts are uncomfortably large, and there isn’t the room available to just borrow ever more to support people through higher costs.

We also all understand the effects on the planet of burning fossil fuels, so should understand that slashing use of them is in some ways a positive.

Yes, the winter will be hard, so get saving now, buy those extra pullovers, and start thinking about where you can make changes, but please, stop trying to blame Conservative voters for you not being able to afford a trip to the pantomime this year.

This rate of regular energy rises is not just ‘putting another jumper on and turning the heating down’ FFS.