AIBU to think people begrudge weekly food costs but spend more freely elsewhere?

[IlovePhilMitchell]

People will spend money on subscriptions, takeaways, the cost of a weekly shop on a meal out, £10 on a candle but begrudge £80 on the week shop.

Food is one of the most important things to us as humans, it nourishes us and keeps us well. It should be a priority above most things we spend money on, not just an annoying necessity.

We have been lucky in the past with extremely cheap food costs and yes I know things have increased a lot and not in line with wages, but it’s not actually that bad if you don’t buy brands and cook.

I do appreciate a lot of people don’t have have room in their budget for any increases. I think my post is more aimed at those who whinge when they spend freely elsewhere.

Agree with those saying that having to make do with less while still working equally hard is the problem - especially as the reason we’re poorer is in no small part down to poor governmental decisions. We were all warned Brexit would make us poorer but nobody really believed that could happen so voted for it anyway. And here we are, all that bit poorer as a result. That plus over a decade of wage stagnation plus several economic shocks (Covid, Ukraine, Middke East) has really screwed up the economy. With more job losses to come - what a time to
live in, eh?

My dad ate breakfast at a greasy spoon every day before work in the 70/80s. Very few people do that now. It would be very expensive

People begrudge the labour and chores of cooking.

My dc wanted chicken burgers the other day. I bought the chicken, coated in flour, egg, seasoning & breadcrumbs. Pretty sure it would be quicker & cheaper to buy breaded chicken.

We were all warned Brexit would make us poorer but nobody really believed that could happen so voted for it anyway

I think they did believe but didn’t care.

Agree, there’s been loads of sanctimonious posts lately about those plebs spending too much on fripperies. Wonder what that’s about?

I’ve no idea how much chicken, or what quality for that price. But you can’t buy garlic in 5p amounts nor frozen peas, or potatoes unless buying them loose. The cost of the meal increases quite a bit when you’re buying a bag of frozen peas, a bulb of garlic and a bag of potatoes. It’s closer to £8 if you need to buy all the ingredients which isn’t a particularly cheap meal, depending on how many people you’re feeding.

I don’t think they did believe. I remember a friend going for a night out in London at the time and she said ‘all those people out spending all that money, I don’t see how Brexit could change that.’ She voted for Brexit!

Agree

There is always the " someone needs to doooo something"
No one is coming love, its down to you as an adult

My dad went to the pub every night! So did all his mates. He also drove a sports car and had motorbikes. People were spending in the 80s and 90s, the only thing that’s shifted is what they spend on nowadays.

@Rhb55fdr

I think we are a bit past comparing how we live now to how things were in the 70s/80s (which is when I grew up too)

I think everything is a balance isn’t it? We need food to survive of course and I enjoy cooking from scratch but food is essentially just another cost. Not as boring as the gas bill but not as joyful as meeting a friend for dinner and escaping the house / DCs for a couple of hours.

I agree that some people go overboard with endless tat/ takeaways/ etc but as others have said, life is hard. We work all week then there needs to be something more than a free activity at the weekend as a reward for most people.

Some people have mentioned ‘pointless nails’ or whatever. Having nice nails is one of the things that makes me feel good. I cannot do them nearly as well myself so I choose to get them done.

I like going out for dinner sometimes and going to the gym / cinema and buy audiobooks. I don’t drink coffee, I dye my own hair, I go for lots of walks with friends, I don’t really get takeaways.

People should be able to prioritise the things and pay for those that bring some joy to their lives and still be able to be annoyed about how much more their food shop is costing them now!

I spent my Friday evening doing the Lidl shop as soon as I finished work and it came to £202. It never used to come to anything near that and yes I moaned to my friend about it afterwards.

I think I’m allowed to be pissed off about that and still get my nails done later on today. (Apart from anything else I am on line dating at the moment and that’s a whole other financial burden. You can’t be meeting a stranger feeling manky 😩)

I don’t know what’s driving it. Is it something psychological? Does it bring comfort to people also feeling the squeeze. I genuinely don’t get it.

Also things would be far worse if everyone just stopped getting coffees, haircuts, eating out etc & our high streets completely died.

Your friend is spectacularly stupid if she didn’t see that uncoupling from our biggest trade market would result in trade being more expensive and restricted. There should be a comprehension test for people before they can vote.

No I don’t think farmers should work for free (although I will say I’ve never met a poor farmer!) but I do think that supermarkets make a hefty profit from us - especially when the likes of Tesco inflate prices if we don’t give them a ton of data for their club card scheme - and I also think the government could help taxes wise.
I personally spend a lot on food because for me good nutrition is a priority but it really grates when I work really bloody hard and can see the treats I’m able to afford have to be considered more or become fewer.
I don’t know the answer to it all but life with just the basics and no joyful parts which is what a lot of people are experiencing right now is not what we should be aspiring to. A life where we just work to afford the bare essentials isn’t what people want so we should absolutely moan about it.

Divisions, they need someone to hate. The ones too conscious to be racist let their inner classism run riot instead.

bootlicking, basically

Agree, and how much did the energy to cook it all cost, and the hot water to wash up, and the transport to and from the supermarket, and the freezer to put the leftover ingredients in? A lot more cost than just the individual portions.

People were spending in the 80s and 90s, the only thing that’s shifted is what they spend on nowadays

Yes, I always say this. Coffee shops are just the new pubs.

My gran never worked & was pretty poor. She still got her hair set weekly. No way could I afford that working!

I guess so, very depressing.

Framers obviously don’t work for free in general.

what “ton of data” do Tesco get? What food you bought? Your address?

we live in a capitalist society. If Tesco don’t make profit (and as above, their profit margin is very low) no one else will sell food will they?

My mum had a VERY tight budget when we were growing up. We never went out to eat or had takeaways. Fish and chips were an annual treat at the coast. She was feeding 7 of us on very little.
Then I had to do the same as a skint student in the early 80s. Now as money gets tighter, I can cope.

So I raise my morning coffee to my mum, who showed me how. ☕ She's long gone and I never thought I'd appreciate it quite so much. Perhaps I should feel sympathy for those who are learning to cope for the first time.

So did mine! Going to the hairdressers every week now would bankrupt me.

I am not sure where you get the idea that people are spending freely elsewhere. Our online retail business (non essential goods) has been decimated because of the cost of living crisis - thanks Mr Trump for the final nail in the coffin! Good job dh is old enough to get his state pension because an 80% cut in sales is hard to stomach and I suspect we are not the only ones impacted

My mum had a VERY tight budget when we were growing up. We never went out to eat or had takeaways. Fish and chips were an annual treat at the coast. She was feeding 7 of us on very little.Then I had to do the same as a skint student in the early 80s. Now as money gets tighter, I can cope.

7 dc are expensive!

Most families didn’t eat fish & chips once a year.

It was common for 50% of household budgets to go on food before we got used to cheap food prices.

I was shocked this week to buy some cream that was proudly advertising that it was ‘farmer friendly’ as 8p went to the farmer, the cream cost £1.80. People have no idea how little producers actually get.

People eat too much. There is far too much food waste. I buy much less food these days. I only buy for me and my 9 year old DD but £80 a week on good healthy food is a bargain. Compare this to £90 I spent on a 2 hour activity for us. I know which one is better value.

Perhaps I should feel sympathy for those who are learning to cope for the first time.

Nah, judgement warms the heart!

i used to get my hair blow dried once a week in 2018 and it cost me £20
They now want 45 to 60
And my hair is shorter 😳