Page 4 | Cost of everything. Race to the bottom.

Eddyraisins · 2023-10-08T09:26:22+00:00

The cost of things are horrendous no point in denying that. A mortgaged family are probably £400-500 down a month from a couple of year ago. A non mortgaged maybe £300. For renters if landlord has put rent up then its the same as above. Food, the insane gas and electricity costs, petrol, food bills gone up 25 percent plus. Just everything. Any spare money doesn't go as far as it did anyway. Now insurance is creeping up. Everything is up. It sucks all round. Why are people fighting at the bottom instead of looking up? Yes people on min wage work hard and have many different challenges, time also stands still if work is boring. It can be really hard. I also see people that have studied hard and earning ok but they can't switch off after work, have students loans, have been sold the idea life should be slightly better. It should be! Both have their challenges. Life is shit we are all down. Battling at the bottom while the rich are fine. It is representative of that cartoon. The guy with all the food pointing at a guy with some food, pointing at someone with an empty plate saying he is goong to take yours. Lets compare up not down. AIBU to stop blaming each other and blame upwards? Many of us are struggling lets not take that away from those struggling.

fetchacloth · 08/10/2023 13:19

RitaFromThePitCanteen · 08/10/2023 11:12

Other countries are experiencing a cost of living crisis due to post-Covid inflation and Russia's in invasion of Ukraine.

We have these factors to deal with as everyone does, plus an extra dosage of government mismanagement of the economy. Why has the UK been hit the worst out of all developed countries?

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The UK hasn't been the worst hit, this is just what MSM wants you to believe.
Germany has had a harder ride than the UK and much of Europe is similar. As another poster put earlier upthread, these issues are global.

Original poster

Eddyraisins · 08/10/2023 13:27

You have missed my point.
£100 for food.
If someone is buying nice food they can drop down from brands or Waitrose to Aldi and still have the same amount of food just a cheaper brand .
They still spend £100

If that £100 is feeding 3 kids in addition and is already Asda basics then there is nowhere to make changes.
The same amount of food is now £125

Of course. Still doesn't mean we can't have empathy for all people struggling and not blame each other which was my point.

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Original poster

Eddyraisins · 08/10/2023 13:28

In your opening post you said "I see people on the minimum wage.....'

You then said "I also see people who have studied and worked hard....."

I just pointed out that it's not an either or situation. There are many thousands of university educated professionals who for one reason or another either can't work or in minimum wage positions. Life happens.

Absolutely it does. That was my point lets stop blaming each other.
I see how anyone can struggle with the way things are.

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Pinkyhairclip · 08/10/2023 13:50

MrsSkylerWhite · 08/10/2023 12:55

Pinkyhairclip · Today 10:51

RitaFromThePitCanteen · Today 10:46

Time to get this government out. They have created this situation and continue to benefit from it. The cost of living crisis was never inevitable.
**
“To be fair, the cost of living crisis is being felt on a global level, not just the UK. So not sure that's entirely accurate”

Two words: Truss and Kwarteng.

It’s far, far worse than it needed to be. And still hundreds of dickheads are on their feet applauding her.

I'm not disagreeing that the government has been extremely incompetent in dealing with the situation. I just think we need to consider the wider global context as well, rather than taking an isolationist view.

If you look at some of the political shit storms in Australia and the US, we are not alone in having incompetent politicians who have made things worse.

The situation in the UK has been exacerbated by Brexit and the war in the Ukraine. Along with Covid and a completely over inflated housing market, then its a powder keg.

Voting out the tories and voting in Labour won't make it better. The tories are the worst possible people for the job right now, but politics in this country is fundamentally broken and a lot of the problems we face right now are global in nature. No party can unilaterally fix the situation, just apply short term band aids.

We need global responses to global problems: financial regulation, climate change, mass migration, resource scarcity, education, public health control.

We will be back here in 2028 saying how shit Labour is and how they have further undermined the rights of women, benefits system is a mess and there's still no money.

No one is electable. And that's a very scary state of affairs.

Flor26 · 08/10/2023 13:52

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Why blame anyone but yourself for how your life is turning out?

Staggeringly short-sighted about the complexities of wealth, privilege and particularly poverty.

OriginalUsername2 · 08/10/2023 13:52

@AnotherTeaPlease You need to do some reading on social studies. Life isn’t black and white!

caringcarer · 08/10/2023 14:00

andtheworldrollson · 08/10/2023 11:02

The crisis might be global but the uk isn't managing it well

The UK is not in recession like some EU countries are ATM. The government needs to increase the amount that can be earned before tax paid as it's been frozen now for ages.

caringcarer · 08/10/2023 14:04

Ilovemycatalot · 08/10/2023 12:01

But do agree this country is crap and is getting worse.

If you don't like living in the UK move away then. Plenty of people wanting to take your place, and to move to the UK. 🤷

caringcarer · 08/10/2023 14:10

Dorisbonson · 08/10/2023 12:15

When there is a job which pays more on the other side of the country do you take it or stay at home and moan and blame others?
When there is an opportunity to work hard and retrain at evenings and weekends do you do it or do you not bother?

10 years ago I took voluntary redundancy from a boring job and moved and retrained. I worked 60/70/80 hour weeks. I worked away from home. I worked weekends.

I wish I had stayed in my hometown and I could have stayed in my cosy job and seen my family more often, had help with the childcare, not had to work events and weekends, not had to study while others had fun. I wish I had a 30 minute drive to work daily rather than spending 2.5 hours a day commuting. I wish at work I had friends I could laugh and joke with rather than people I manage and need to be cautious about boundaries with. I wish I had been able to take the fun jobs that everyone wants to do rather than take the ones no one wanted in order to progress my career. However I traded all of that off to earn more money and advance my career.

Anyone can do what I have done, I'm not genius. I do resent the idea that higher earners are to blame for the cost of living crisis. It's not our fault that people that work shorter hours with fewer qualifications who aren't prepared to move for work earn less in their generally lower stress jobs.

At least 50% of the blame for someone struggling are the decisions they take themselves.

My adult son couldn't afford to buy a house where we lived. He had a well paying job though and had saved a decent deposit. He took the gamble of moving up to Hull where he took a £7k a year pay cut but due to far cheaper house prices he has bought a house. He's made new friends. Got a lovely gf and 2 cats and is now really happy there. Too many people whinge and whine yet do nothing positive to improve their situation. People should be more proactive and shouldn't expect the government to sort out their lives for them.

Flor26 · 08/10/2023 14:11

Dorisbonson · 08/10/2023 12:15

When there is a job which pays more on the other side of the country do you take it or stay at home and moan and blame others?
When there is an opportunity to work hard and retrain at evenings and weekends do you do it or do you not bother?

10 years ago I took voluntary redundancy from a boring job and moved and retrained. I worked 60/70/80 hour weeks. I worked away from home. I worked weekends.

I wish I had stayed in my hometown and I could have stayed in my cosy job and seen my family more often, had help with the childcare, not had to work events and weekends, not had to study while others had fun. I wish I had a 30 minute drive to work daily rather than spending 2.5 hours a day commuting. I wish at work I had friends I could laugh and joke with rather than people I manage and need to be cautious about boundaries with. I wish I had been able to take the fun jobs that everyone wants to do rather than take the ones no one wanted in order to progress my career. However I traded all of that off to earn more money and advance my career.

Anyone can do what I have done, I'm not genius. I do resent the idea that higher earners are to blame for the cost of living crisis. It's not our fault that people that work shorter hours with fewer qualifications who aren't prepared to move for work earn less in their generally lower stress jobs.

At least 50% of the blame for someone struggling are the decisions they take themselves.

I wish at work I had friends I could laugh and joke with rather than people I manage and need to be cautious about boundaries with.

To be honest, if you voice such ignorant (and, I have to say, smug) views in work, I’d hazard a guess that it’s not your seniority that’s the reason for not having as many friends…

Poppysmom22 · 08/10/2023 14:27

Or you could accept that your life was always meant to be just an average life like so many people's. Sometimes it's good sometimes it's bad. You just have to roll with it. It's not always about having everything you want sometimes it about having just what you need.

duchiebun · 08/10/2023 14:45

The top 1% of earners earn 14% of all wages and pay 30% of all income tax.

Many pay less tax than those earning far less then them which is the issue.

duchiebun · 08/10/2023 14:50

Too many people whinge and whine yet do nothing positive to improve their situation. People should be more proactive and shouldn't expect the government to sort out their lives for them.

But certain jobs are never going to pay high wages, London still needs those workers though.

AnotherTeaPlease · 08/10/2023 15:57

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AnotherTeaPlease · 08/10/2023 15:59

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AnotherTeaPlease · 08/10/2023 16:01

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AnotherTeaPlease · 08/10/2023 16:02

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AnotherTeaPlease · 08/10/2023 16:03

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AnotherTeaPlease · 08/10/2023 16:05

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MissingMoominMamma · 08/10/2023 16:09

Eddyraisins · 08/10/2023 11:26

I don't. It's in response to people saying you shouldn't complain as there are people worse off.

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Listen to Silver Lining by Stiff Little Fingers, OP. They get what you’re saying (and so do I).

MissingMoominMamma · 08/10/2023 16:10

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Choices are different, depending on where you come from. It’s not an equal starting line.

Original poster

Eddyraisins · 08/10/2023 16:17

@AnotherTeaPlease is just being wilfully ignorant at this point.

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duchiebun · 08/10/2023 16:18

@AnotherTeaPlease why are you talking about tax evasion?

Original poster

Eddyraisins · 08/10/2023 16:19

@MissingMoominMamma

Thanks yes that's exactly it.

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duchiebun · 08/10/2023 16:21

If you aren’t to blame for your choices, then who is?

How can anyone be so blinkered? I work hard & I know what hard work looks like (my parents were economic migrants). It didn't matter what choices I made, I have a safety net.