To think many people are barely surviving Life in uk is unsustainable!

[Cupcakeicecream]

To think a normal standard of living is out of reach to the majority of the population. People are barely surviving as is.They have cut back as far as they possibly can and it's still not enough.Next month prices are rising even more. I know most people would say cut your cloth accordingly dont live beyond your means. If you stopped netflix and takeout coffee everything will magically be solved. That's not realistic there is people out there stressed wondering how they will afford the Bill's barely eating sitting in a cold house as they cant afford to heat the house. Yes there will be people on their high horse saying things are not that bad. But the uk has gone to pot. Wages arent high enough. Food prices are too high. This is just a general rant as its constantly on the news. And some people are just oblivious to the fact people in uk can actual be in poverty and really suffering right now even though we arent a third world country. And it seems will only get worse.

There has always been people who are skint just about managing in debt and this has probably tipped them over the edge completely . It’s awful and I know a few families who are in this position .

But for us personally we are not struggling.
we can afford the hike in electric and gas
we can still save a fairly large amount - over 1k a month and pay our bills and still do pretty much everything we did last year and previously .

we can still go out for meals if we wanted to
I still get all my beauty treatments each month which cost around £200 a month

We have a holiday over Easter abroad for 10 nights and a 3 night weekend in London over the May bank holiday and another weekend away in May - this alone comes to around 3.5k but it’s all been paid for apart from spends which could add another 1k

But my son is grown up so no huge childcare bill to pay out each month
I had a big inheritance last year and haven’t really touched it and no mortgage or rent to pay . Ive helped my son out with a deposit and furniture for his new flat .

The only thing I’ve changed personally is rather than using my credit card for buying everyday stuff and paying it off each month
I got a pre paid card that I put a certain amount of cash on and use that
I find by doing that I don’t spend so much money daily - weekly . On the credit card it’s to easy to tap tap tap and it £££ gone

we have always shopped in aldi -lidle rarely use the tumble dryer - cooker

The other thing that I noticed was that we had some work done on our house this year and we had no problem in getting an electrician and a carpenter out pretty much next day to give us a price and they were both able to do the work within a week

last summer I had to wait 2 months for the same carpenter to do some work in my garden and getting an electrician was like trying to get the bloody lottery ticket 😂

Is this your own personal experience OP, or what youve read/heard?

You do know that Morrisons was recently bought by a private equity company?

The result being that from being a cheaper supermarket, it is now one of the most expensive. They have upped their prices significantly and it is not all down to the cost of living. Private equity firms have to make sure every last bit of profit is squeezed from a business.

So from going to Morrisons fairly regularly, I shop elsewhere now.

It’s all relative and whilst some families will definitely be struggling, I think the majority are continuing to enjoy comfortable lifestyles by sacrificing small luxuries like less meals out , kids clubs etc.

I work with schools.

I see poverty in the UK, I hear children talk about their home life. I see head teachers and teachers providing breakfast and clothing.

Head teachers reporting home visits to houses without carpets, just bare floors. Kids without a bed, kids coming to school without their breakfast or without a coat. Shoes falling apart or too small.

So, yes some people are doing ok, some people are having to cut their spending but let's not pretend that some children are living, in this country, without their basic needs being met.

Some of these posts are ridiculous.

20% of the uk population live in poverty, according to the government's own statistics.

I think that's a disgrace in a wealthy, developed country, and when 1 in 5 are already in poverty, and inflation is at 10%, that's a lot of struggling people.

Bloody ridiculous to come on and say that the shops are full when every possible indicator tells us that the uk is getting poorer.

All those saying they don't see it - how many people do you know trying to survive on Universal Credit?? on less than £75 a week after rent??

PP is right - those people won't be out packing the pubs and leisure places. You just don't see them.

My experience, like many others, is not "barely surviving". Yes, most people we know are making cutbacks or saving less, but they still have something left for non-essentials like fashion/beauty/nights out and takeaways/treats etc. They might be holding off upgrading their cars for an extra year - but they're still managing to pay for and run two cars even when not necessary. They might be cutting the holiday budget back, but they're still heading off on a holiday of some sort. They might be downgrading their snacks and treats in the supermarket, but they're still buying some. They might be getting a takeaway instead of a meal out, or alternating between Netfix and Disney Plus rather than having them both, or buying own brand instead of Heinz, or shopping at Primark/supermarkets rather than River Island and Next, but they're a long way off "barely surviving".

Those at the very bottom - on means tested benefits - have had a good chunk of help from the government (up to £1200 last year plus £600 this year?, in addition to the £150 CT rebate and the £67/m via energy companies), plus benefits are being uprated at 10%. So those at the very bottom for whom the rises could leave them "barely surviving" have actually been given a lot of help.

Some people who were previously "comfortable" might be more squeezed and having make cut backs here and there, which no-one likes to do, but that's not "barely surviving".

I'm still spending because I enjoy eating out and nights away. I'm saving too. I can only do this by having 3 jobs and flogging things on vinted. I could survive on my full time salary but it wouldn't be fun. At all.

I don’t think it’s the majority of people, no one in my circle is struggling for example (that I am aware of, of course)

I don’t dispute that it’s difficult for some, as has always been the case!

Nurses and teachers using food banks. What a load of media driven tosh.

Council rents do not go up like mortgages do…. They increase but not in the way that a mortgage does. There is also help to top up your income so you cannot compare the two situations. My friends in council houses have life long tenancies and feel safe and secure, as they should do. They have also had financial help (around £1k from memory ) to help with heating. It’s not all doom and gloom. The UK may be far from its glory days of handing out money for giving birth (thanking you kindly Labour) but it still attempts to help those most in need.

You're hardly in the 'barely surviving' bracket are you!

When I thought of 'barely surviving' people, I used to think of those on benefits, or minimum wage tbh. However, I help to run a charity for small traders. These are self employed people running the cafes, barbers and pubs etc across the land. I help them with their legal or financial issues when they cannot afford to hire a legal professional. Daily, my inbox is flooded with new clients. They tell me they have not recovered from the pandemic, and the economic tsunami that followed. They are the new 'barely surviving' who are closing, or on the verge of closing, their High Street shops or pubs. Some haven't drawn a salary in a long time as their business is not attracting enough customers to allow that. It is dreadfully sad, and I spend half my time counselling people to be kind to themselves. I worry for the next generation. They have to emerge into adulthood into what is looking like an economic wasteland. In my youth, it was possible to thrive through talent, and a bit of luck. I am not sure that is possible for most people nowadays, and the Western world faces a crisis of mental health. The old saying all work and no play resonates with me now, as people do not have the disposable income to enjoy life. My favourite cafe/ restaurant owner has told me he is forced to close weekdays as his fuel costs cannot justify being open.

i find the same as others. I don’t know anyone who is barely surviving. We’ve all had to cut back and not buy certain things and it’s shite but I don’t see or know anyone that is really struggling.

A lot of denial on this thread. Many of those working in the 'jam packed' bars will be struggling.

Staggering amount of sticking fingers in ears and going la la la on this thread!

Yup. It's almost as though privileged people really only mix with other privileged people.

I’ll put my hand up and say that I’m barely surviving. I’m a single mum of two and work part time (due to disability) in a low paid job. I get UC and PIP alongside my earnings and it’s a struggle. My gas and electric have more than doubled, council tax has increased (I earn just over the threshold to get support with that), my food shop has dramatically increased and my ex has gone self employed and is no longer paying child maintenance.

Ironically enough the charity I work for runs the local food bank and I’ve had to request a parcel this week because it’s the week before payday and I can’t make the little money I have stretch far enough.

I can only dream of going to get my hair or nails done or to go out for dinner. Whilst I’m happy for the people that can please don’t assume that it’s the same for everyone.

Whenever I hear the phrase, "even nurses and teachers are using food banks" I think it is just another oft repeated cliche.

Why aren't the questions asked:

1. How much do you earn?
2. What are your expenses?
3. How much debt do you have?
4. What choices are you making?
5. If you have a car (paying for petrol, road tax, MOT, servicing and insurance) why not give it up so you can afford food.

There are so many reasons for going to a food bank, but like everything in life the reasons for doing so are not always clear cut. Providing the context for why someone uses a food bank is important. All users are not benefit scroungers, but also not all users are deserving recipients either.

I have been to the townships of South Africa and also the Far East in the last 18 months. We have become immune from what is really poor.

And comments like this are just in insulting to parents who have considered referring themselves to social services because they can't feed their kids.

A lot of denail. As a teacher and a volunteer at my church. I see plenty of families struggling.

Quite it's not on third world country levels but it is in our first world country and people are indeed struggling to exist.

A lot of privilege on this thread.

I know most people would say cut your cloth accordingly dont live beyond your means. If you stopped netflix and takeout coffee everything will magically be solved.

Oh come on now you're exaggerating and catastrophising if you're claiming most people would say that, of course they wouldn't.

It's very tough for a lot of people, but like PPs have said, the shops, bars, restaurants, takeaways, soft play etc are still extremely busy.

I imagine they'll get even busier when the nicer weather arrives.

A lot of replies here are so narrow minded, unempatheic and ill informed.

'People on dinghys come from France so it's not that bad here.' What fucking planet are you on? Desperate people, feeing war, who believe some incredibly out dated things about the UK. These people have been told the UK is a rich country. That the streets are paved with gold and everything here is amazing. Its a dream they cling to because they have nothing.

You don't have to ge the person suffering the most in the world to be suffering. Its not a competition. It doesn't work like that. You don't have to hold your tongue unless you're sure you have it the worst of all. It's okay to say things are shit, that's how you change things.

It's not a vocal minority either. I live in the Midlands and its desperate for so so many people. I know people watching the chance to ever own a home disappear as their rents continue to go up. The country is a mess. Healthcare is revolting its a shambles. No doctors no nurses no nhs dentists. If you are lucky enough to not be experiencing hardships then good for you but don't you dare deny what other people are experiencing, just because you personally haven't yet been hit by any of these things. It's people with these denailistic moronic opinions that stamp out the voices of those who actually see the cracks showing. The system is broken and its going to fail. Perhaps when it does you will wish you had listened.

I really don’t think it’s ‘sticking fingers in ears’ at all.
I don’t think many people are doubting that inflation is incredibly high and certain basic food items have increased way more than that; dairy and bread for example. Energy bills are high and only rising, trussenomics resulted in a very sharp rise in interest rates which mean hundreds of pounds on your mortgage bill if you have remortgaged recently.
But OP wasn’t talking about generally things going up, OP was claiming most people are struggling to eat which is obviously not true. There will always be a poverty line and unfortunately more people will have fallen below it due to the economic climate, but that’s a far cry from most of the country being destitute and surviving on stolen stale bread.

A lot of privilege on this thread

I agree!