AIBU to believe that the cost of living crisis is a load of nonsense

[MaryWils24]

So I wake up this morning to find that 14 million people are trying for Oasis tickets. A mediocre rock band and a “reunion” tour just to create a retirement fund for two already multi-millionaires.

The question is - where are so many people getting the money from to buy tickets? On one hand people moan about the “cost of living” but can easily find £500 to fund this nonsense.

Madness.

People should stop moaning about the cost of living if they can waste money on things like this. They are either getting too much income from their job/benefits (if they can afford this) to complain about “cost of living” or they should stop moaning about increasing food/fuel prices!

Rant over!

Well surely it costs the state more for a parent to care for an ill relative or friend, in addition to the impact of that parent leaving the workforce (and missing out on development opportunities)? Not only will that parent be out of work and this reliant on benefits, they will also be claiming Carers Allowance over above this.

What exactly do you mean by ‘putting the care burden on the state’? There is no state social care. It’s all private, it costs a lot of money and it’s not necessarily that good.

How would you feel if your relative needed care and you or they could afford it but were wary about the quality of it? Alternatively,how would you feel if you and they couldn’t afford that care? Don’t tell me you could afford it, so it wouldn’t be a problem, because if your relative needs serious long-term care, you can’t afford it unless you’re seriously, seriously rich.

Who is mentioning children? We’re talking about adults here? Isn’t that what the NHS is for? To look after people if they become ill? If the NHS took full responsibility for caring for those who are unwell then their parents/family can continue their working life?

Carers allowance is, at most, £81.90 a week. People can’t survive on just that. That’s nowhere enough to pay rent or a mortgage.

I had a relative who needed care for the last few months of their life with a horrid prognosis - and you can bet we dropped everything so we could be the ones to care for them before we had to say goodbye. So they could be surrounded by people who loved them. So we knew they were getting the most loving, careful care possible. We were lucky we could spread it out between the family but I know many wouldn’t have that available to them.

it’s really low to look down on people for leaving work to care for someone they live who is seriously ill, I’m sure they would trade those circumstances for the world

Depends on your priorities I guess. I get what you are saying, I see it as a massive luxury and I don't like them that much so wouldn't do it. However, a work colleague who is sofa surfing, hasn't enough for a flat deposit, or indeed we enough for fuel actually offered to get me tickets. Not sure this and Cost of living is in the same ball park to be honest.

Labour tried to introduce a nationalised social care system under Gordon Brown, but it was cancelled when the party you support (David Cameron’s government) came into power in 2010: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Care_Service#:~:text=The%20National%20Care%20Service%20(NCS,to%20power%20in%20May%202010.

It’s strange that the party you support (the Conservatives) cancelled the planned nationalised social care system, yet it sounds like you’re in favour of the state caring for people. Are you actually a Conservative?

By saying “their parent can continue working life” YOU are literally talking about children.

and it’s very callous to resent someone wanting to be the one to care for their own seriously ill/disabled child. I could never just hand over my child’s care in those circumstances… I felt guilty af when I had to leave my DS with my mum when he had chickenpox

Hahaha, oh my word - that is exactly the type of person I have been talking about in this thread. If he was surfing on your sofa at the time I sure hope you started charging him rent - looks like he’s taking advantage of you and your colleagues. What a waster.

You know carers is £80 a week and even part time care in independent living is around £800 a week at a minimum and they take some from the person's benefits.

How about, if you don't know what you're talking about you don't talk about it and carry on living in your bubble thinking everything would be better if they brought back workhouses

@CostelloJones just to check if you’re replying to me or to the OP? Because I agree with your point. I’m so sorry to hear about your relative’s prognosis. It’s very kind of you to step in to care for them. It must have been a really, really tough time for you. I’m sorry.

I don’t have children so am thinking about someone quitting work to care for an unwell working-age adult.

Kind of agreeing with you and moaning at OP in the same reply? Sorry if it wasn’t the clearest haha

I agree with you

You actually said leaving work to care for people, whoever they are. That would include children.

I don’t think society should go that far, although I do believe in better financial literacy being taught in schools as well as the food, fuel and clothing component of benefits being issued as vouchers rather than a cash benefit.

Unpaid carers in England and Wales contribute a staggering £445 million to the economy every day – that's £162 billion per year (Petrillo and Bennett, 2023).

What was that about financial literacy?

You miss my point. It's THIS concert, THIS band that has driven you to comment, with the unfounded assumption that because some people are trying to get tickets for this, there's no COL crisis. You didn't make the same post over the Taylor Swift gig. So what's different? What makes you think the majority of these people are on their arses and moaning about COL?
It's the huge level of assumption that's doing people's nut in. That these people are fiscally irresponsible. These people you do not know. So on what are you basing your assumption?

I think the fiscally irresponsible are all the people who can't manage on £100k that keep posting here. Middle class fools with massive mortgages. Haven't seen you up in arms posting up a thread about people who are 'struggling' on four times the average wage.

If you wanted to post about the COL crisis, why link it to a specific event, notably a band that has been popular with the working classes? Bearing in mind that most of their fanbase will be people remembering them from the 90s, so people my age, now. I could afford to go if I wanted to, and I was the demographic they appealed to 25 years ago. We have grown up now, many of us were very fiscally responsible and bought houses back then when the market was in a sweet spot. We've paid those off, now. We are in our 50s. Plenty of us have got the money, thank you. You really don't need to worry.

I am baffled at the complete denial of a cost of living crisis from you, @MaryWils24. I read a good quality newspaper and watch the news, and I have seen the cost of living rising steeply over recent years - interest rates, mortgages, energy costs, food prices - and wages have not even come close to keeping up with inflation - so I can absolutely see why there is a cost of living crisis.

What am I missing? How are people causing this?

You added clothing to your initial just food and heating vouchers well done you.
Now what about travel to the job centre? Or interviews? Or phone and Internet to arrange work? What about vouchers for courses to better ourselves? Are we allowed decor now or is that too lavish?

But my son will always be my son. He could be 30 years old and become terminally ill, requiring care. If there was no one else to reliably do it of course I would.

just like my family took over the care of my grandmother when she was dying. or my mum closed her shop on Wednesdays to take my aunt to Chemo.

have you seen the state of care across parts of the nhs at the moment? I’d rather have someone I trusted and I knew let bed me looking after me in some circumstances

maybe it’s because we have Mediterranean blood and come from somewhere it’s common to have your parents/grandparents live with you idk. But what happened to looking after each other?

it’s more complicated than just “it’s better if they could continue working”

Well if I was Prime Minister I would recruit more professional carers (thus creating jobs) which will allow more people to continue in the workforce rather than being an unpaid carer. This will also bring economic benefits through reducing unemployment.

I take Thatcher’s view that there is no society, only individuals to the extreme.

What about if the person needing care is their child?

I think you live in a privileged bubble OP and you haven’t seen the reality of the COL crisis. You’re so lucky to be in that position.

Oh this explains a lot.

Thatcher is one of the reasons this country started on its downward spiral. A big reason.

You’d have to raise wages/working conditions significantly to retain staff