To think there's bias against single family households?

[Keyansier]

Does anyone else think this? For example: I cooked beefburgers earlier and needed baps for them but they only sell them in packs of 4. I have no need for 4 right now. It means I have been forced to open the packet only for 2 of them to go stale unless I use them before their staledate. Obviously for a family of 4, then this quantity would be fine without needing to think of this.

Also, things like rent: Does anyone think this is unequal, that 1 person has to pay the same amount of rent that a family of 4 would pay for?

I guess I am biased because I don't have any family like many on here will have, but it's always seemed unequal to me.

Also, things like rent: Does anyone think this is unequal, that 1 person has to pay the same amount of rent that a family of 4 would pay for?

You're renting three bedrooms whether you use them or not. If you have spare bedrooms you don't need and need to save the cash, then it's time to downsize. If you don't want to do that then suck it up.

And stick the buns in the freezer or put them in a sealed box and use them for your sandwiches in the morning.

You worry about safety with a young child. I shared as a young adult before I had DS without any such concerns.

So you're wanting to buy one bun packs and want to live in a half bedroom flat.

Okay then.

When I was single and lived alone in my cosy 1 bed flat, I didn't have anyone else to spend my salary on, and had more disposable income than I've ever managed since.

It is definitely more expensive to be a single person household. You still need to pay for everything and prices don't double if you add another person to the household. 2 person household does not use 2x more electricity, 2x more water, 2x more rent/space. I'm not sure about bias or food examples but in general it is more expensive to be single.

We're a family of 5 and I do roll my eyes when I discover yet another pack of 4 of something. It's frustrating having to buy 2 packs and then having 3 leftover, that isn't enough for another meal for us all. I end up with bits of this and that frozen.

It would be silly to say this was bias though. It's just supermarkets catering to the majority.

The Tories tried out that theory in the 1980s with the poll tax. It did not end well.

Bias implies prejudice. There's no prejudice amongst landlords against single people. They rent their property a certain price to whoever is interested, whether it be a single person, a couple or a family. They don't go round thinking: mmm how could I disadvantage single people? Oh I know, I'll keep the rent the same price even though it'll cost more per person.

Yes it turns out more expensive for single people but it's not bias.

If you shop at a butchers or bakers or grocers you'll be able to buy food in the quantities you desire.

A single person can live quite well in a studio or 1 bed apartment. Yes you pay double the rent as a couple but then you get double the space per person too.

Another family of 5 here, so I get the annoyance of pack sizes not catering for anyone. However, I usually buy the biggest packs of chicken breast etc and freeze some, because it’s cheaper. Or cook the meal with extra chicken breasts and freeze the leftovers for another night - saves money on cooking costs too.

I often feel jealous (very mildly, as in ‘oh wouldn’t that be nice) of single colleagues because they’ve always got leftovers for lunch - there’s no such thing as left overs when you’ve got 5 people eating, I’d need a cauldron to cook a spag Bol big enough to have some left!

also, you keep saying that people wouldn’t want a lodge/house share etc. but that’s what couples do - we share our space, privacy, bathrooms, which in turn makes our rent cheaper than if we had it to ourselves. No one’s saying share with a stranger, but you could share a flat with a friend and then be in the exact same position as a couple are in?

The rent example doesn't work. You pay based on the amount of space--people then get to decide how crowded they want to be. You could get a flatmate. The couple sharing the 1 bed flat get half as much space each, as well as paying half as much money. The single person pays 2x but gets the bathroom to themselves.

Things like council tax, we can argue about that, but the rent argument doesn't really work.

As for food, it seems that packing things for 2 or 4 is the norm because they're round, easy to split numbers. Same way mince is 500g usually. It's really impossible to get that one just right. Where I live, boneless chicken breasts seem to be 3 to a pack, and that's probably not convenient for anyone! I have a family of 5, so yes, pack sizes are never just right. There's a lot of breaking up packs of things and freezing some (or making leftovers).

Imagine being a family of 5 OP. You have to open TWO packs of baps and don't use THREE!

This is what we need as standard everywhere 😂

This was actually discussed on food/poverty thread recently as well.
Demise of butcher counters from many supermarkets (at least where I live and if they have it it doesn't have basics) is an issue. If they sold chicken breast on a counter per piece/weight like smaller shops and burchers do, it would be great help to many same with mince etc. Butchers are not everywhere and they are often (obviously) more expensive.

People used to invite lodgers into their family home - I'm thinking of the one in the Paddington Bear stories, it was just what people did to survive. People have been posting on threads about the cost of living crisis, and it will feel like surviving being the only thing. I suppose that when families had lodgers as more of a norm, that they must have made provisions to ensure that their sense of what is safe would be satisfied. I've recently seen people suggest lodgers ( to families) on MN.

I think being stoical will be easier without little ones to think of. I've seen families on those money saving programmes where they are scrimping and saving to pay off their mortgage early. In the end, some of those families have cracked under the pressure of not being able to provide the children with fun and high-quality experiences, like holidays.

If you get a flatmate you're still going to need two bedrooms, and half of a two bedroom flat is still going to be more than half a 1 bedroom flat. But fair point that you do get double the space to yourself as a single person, I think its more just that without sharing your bed with a flatmate you don't have the option to reduce your costs as low as half of a one bed. Just one of those things though!

Family of 4 ... but two packs and waste three!!

Totally agree with this. 5 people in our house and only 2 bother to work! The other three spend all their time at school and don't bring home a penny!! I feel our mortgage should reflect this.

The gov want to encourage 2 parents families which are best in most circumstances for children so whilst I see the point about tax and child benefit being better if you at least cohabit I don't see that changing to make it better for single parents. Certainly not under a tory gov, liz truss echoes new right thatcher views on benefits anyway, not sure about the family.

My local Co-Op only does baps in packs of 6... and I live alone. I do think there should be smaller salad/stir fry type things though. Meat stuff can be frozen.

I think the rent issue is fair enough. A single person living in a 3 bed place is not going to avoid using the extra 2 rooms. That would be weird.

Disgusting. You could send them to work as chimney sweeps.

I bought a pack of two brioche burger buns earlier.
Also a lot of things can be frozen

I am perenially single and I think you're barking.

You are being utterly ridiculous!

A single family household is a single person with children. You living on your own is a single person household. Either way I have lived in both - single family growing up, single person now and I think you are being absolutely ridiculous

Buy loose items, buy in bulk and freeze (that is not discriminating against single people as I know plenty of people with families who do exactly the same), apply for your single person council tax and don’t think you can get 50% off your rent

People really do think of the craziest things to get worked up about