To think media overhypes the cost of living.

[Krazykat80]

Everyday you see on the news people at rock bottom. Today I saw a father boiling the kettle to give is son a bath because he couldn't afford gas etc. I understand this is a reality for some but the media makes it seem like its wide spread and everyone is really struggling. When I go into town on the weekend I still see bars ,restaurants amusement , theatre's, shops like selfridges full etc. I'm starting to think the media keeps showing us these stories to keep us from going out and protesting against rises in cost of food etc. I say this because today I saw a lot of people in clothes not fit for the pouring rain soaking wet and felt guilty for being dry in my waterproof jacket with my shopping and felt grateful even those I don't have loads. I said I feel guilty and he said yes that's why the media keeps showing you it so you think I should be thankful I'm not in that position instead of going out like some countries on the streets and telling the government to do something about it and it Stops riots because of the rich getting richer out of this crisis Oil companies even Jeff amazon dude feels guilty and wants to give his money he stole off people by not paying them properly etc. I walk around tesco and people's baskets are still full. Am I just a conspiracy knob about the media really overhypering it to keep us quiet ansdobenident.

I do understand where you're coming from but i think it is a perspective issue. Everyone we know is saying they are struggling financially but to our friends, that means one holiday not three this year. The people that are really struggling are not people I know personally so my perspective is skewed, yours might be too. I also think the people that are suffering from poverty may not be talking about it as much as those of us who are struggling a bit.

There's a thread with the identical premise been on the first page of AIBU for about 3 days now OP. Yabu.

@Justthisonce12

socialism is all about everybody having the ability to get rich whilst nobody is poor and yet people just don’t seem to be able to get on board with that concept,

People don't get behind the concept because it's absolute bollocks. It's impossible for "everybody" to get rich, as wealth is a relative term. That's why the "poverty" statistics are a joke because they are relative to "average" incomes etc., so there'll always be the same proportion in poverty even if you've doubled everyone's incomes! In reality socialism is all about dragging people down to a common level "because that's fair".

I know what you mean op, turn on the news and they make it out like the whole country is suffering and then you go out and shops/restaurants are packed. Even driving past many drive thru's, they are always busy massive queues.
It's like how they banged on about covid and now you hear nothing on the news about it.

@taxguru actually it’s not, but you keep telling yourself that shit because capitalism is working so well for the majority as we can see on this particular thread.

as you appear to be hard of reading I will state the obvious clue is in the word ability to get rich not everybody will take those opportunities as is the current position but there would be nothing to stop them getting rich under socialism but there would be measures put in place to stop people living in poverty. Hope that’s cleared it up a little bit for you.

I bought a lot of meat and stuff at waitrose- I usually eat out once a week or even more but i bought a lot of food at waitrose to cook for my DH so we can cut back on eating out, not to blow my own trumpet but my DH declared my food better than a restaurant..Reason why we are cutting back on eating out is cost of living crisis!

Did take SIL and MIL to a restaurant- we have decided eating out when with other is ok as we need our social lives but we took them to the cheapest restaurant in the vicinity and did not budge even when there was a long queue.-- again cost of living crisis.

Maybe those people in Selfridges would have gone to Paris to shop in the past, but decided to shop more locally- the money saved in air fares and hotels would probably translate to a nice frock (even at Selfridges!)

It does overtake the media.

JFC @Krazykat80 do you actually read any newspaper?!

Or, actually, I suppose I should ask you which newspaper you're reading, that you get this impression from.

I can't even begin with the complete lack of logic of this argument but suffice to say yes OP you are a conspiracy knob

I’m feeling the pinch but where I am shops/restaurants are still full. People are still doing building work, my DCs friends are still having expensive birthday parties, I’ve just been invited on a hen weekend which is £300 pp, I’m the only one of 15 who hasn’t said yes straight away.

Which makes me think that either it’s not as bad as we’re told or it’s a ticking timebomb for people who are spending as normal.

I think it's the same old as in it happens every year except that it's worse so more people are impacted and because of social media it's more in your face this time round.

This generation doesn't remember the 80s, sky high mortgage rates and high unemployment. The country got though the 80s but the misery has been forgotten.

People could be spending their covid savings.

I can imagine that having missed out on two years of birthday parties, parents might be in favour of splashing out. People have always overspent on weddings, a lot of it seems to be funded by parents anyway..

I am feeling the pinch and trying to cut back but you still see me out and about. Trying to cut back rather than go cold turkey.

@socialmedia23
I am still out and about too. I’m tightening my belt but not on the bones of my arse…yet.

What I am saying is that the level of spending I witness on a daily basis around me is at odds with what the media is telling me is happening. I don’t live in an affluent area either.

I think that’s what the OP is saying too.

I feel like the media does a good job of finding people in the most weird of circumstances to be examples in their stories. Or they deliberately don’t do much actual digging into their personal finances so it makes no sense to me how a working couple, renting a council/housing association property apparently find themselves eating the kids leftovers back in September when the heating wouldn’t have even been on.

Some people genuinely will be on the bones of their arse. I've paid out well over 1000 quid in vets bills lately. If my dad hadn't left me some money it would have been put on my credit card and paid off as and when. My husband works f.t but without dad's money and tax credits we would have bugger all

Digression but what do you think the English civil war was?

Bit of both
Obviously you aren't going to see the people who have walked into tescos and can't afford anything, or have only bought what they can afford and not what they want/need, or who can't afford to buy anything so haven't even come to the shops, those who have gone to the food bank instead. You won't be able to tell from peoples baskets if they've bought food but that means they won't be able to afford heating or clothes. You'll only see the people in pubs not the ones at home etc.

But yes at the same time the media is presenting the COL as if the majority of the population is drastically affected, whereas in reality lots of people are still fine, or might have slightly less to spend on luxuries but aren't struggling to feed or clothe themselves.

Very similar to the issues during the start of the pandemic or the petrol issues earlier this year- there were never actually any severe or long term shortages but due to the media endlessly hyping it up more and more people rushed out to buy stuff, which then caused shortages.

People still seem to think the role of the media is to objectively report the truth whereas in the vast majority of cases it is to obtain a profit for the shareholders, and "man only as 2 pints rather than 3 to save money" is imminently less clickable than "man washes child in dark with hot water bottle water."

The media is full on here, it’s very adept at creating frenzies - a skill honed during Covid. And yes agree with pp it makes more money as a result.

Yes it’s a bit depressing - we had years of covid news now loads of poor people news. It does seem that there is a hell of a lot wrong in the world but not daily - it’s too much.

But your own post contradicts your view! You are still out and about, you are still spending but tightening your belt but because you see other people spending money (even though you actually have no clue about their overall spending based on one shipping trolley, meal out or weekend away) you have concluded that there is no cost of living crisis.

To what end though?

Do you understand what the cost of living crisis is? It means the cost of goods and services are increasing much faster than household incomes. That is a fact, not an opinion. Energy bills basically doubling twice in a half full of months, a massive sharp rise in the base rate, food inflation on basics being increasing rapidly and inflation over 10% are not opinions, they are facts.

Does this mean everyone in the county can’t afford food and basics? Of course not. It does mean that food and other basics have increased for everyone in the country though and obviously those with less money in the first place will be less able to ride that increase.

And let’s not forget the UK has barely entered the long recession that is predicted.

I know what you mean OP. I don’t know anyone who is truly struggling.

I have also never known anyone to truly “cut back” on anything that brings them joy. People seem to find a way to increase their earnings longterm, so that they don’t have to cut back and so they can pay off any debt they amassed while they maintained their standard of living before their pay caught up, iyswim.

I am a prime example of this. I took out 0% credit cards while I was a graduate trainee earning a pittance and had the absolute best time in London in my early 20s, then my pay increased once I qualified and I paid off the credit cards.

Could be a generational thing, but we (my social circle at least!) don’t really know how to go without. There’s a very ‘YOLO’ / ‘you’re only young once’ attitude. I can’t see that changing really. I’m early 30s btw.

Surely we can’t still be attributing people’s spend on luxuries/non-essentials to Covid savings? Restrictions were lifted last July. It’s been the same time since lockdown than we spent in it (16 months). The missed birthday parties and nights out have been more than made up for by now.

Probably depends on the non-essentials. I suspect there are still some big purchases being funded with lockdown savings, things like work on houses and holidays. Actually some holidays and events that people are doing now were probably even booked pre lockdown. But it won't be more run of the mill things.