Oh goody another ST journalist whinging about not being able to afford Waitrose anymore

[emkana]

this type of article always brings me out in a rash even though she is slightly more self=aware than others

Well, sounds like they would be completely unwilling to do ant of the relatively few green things they do if they could afford not to, so it's probably a good thing they are a bit tight.

If being short of money is necessary to persuade people not to run a second car then bring it on I say. For the sake of the planet...

I think she's got a point too, have only read the article and the OP but will read the thread now.

I think there were some valid points, i.e house price inflation means professionals can't afford to live in many cities any more; everything costs more than it did (£56 a tank of petrol in my car now compared to £35 odd a year ago) and everyone is affected by the current economic climate.

I don't particularly have time for people whining about not being able to afford Yachts or skiing etc but I do take her point that we are all affected by the economy and middle class professionals are not immune.

Apologies for capitlal Y for yachts btw

I don't think the feature is so bad. She's using her own experiences to make a general point about the economy.

she should try living on our money, that'd shut her up

good post rosaisred!

I do think though that if a large part of society are suddenly finding that they will never be able to live the life that they thought they would, it would be silly to expect them to bow their heads and say "Ah, social justice", nodding meekly. Of course they will comment and question and wonder. You can't blame the journo for writing about what so many people are thinking.

Dp and I fall into the catagory to a certain extent. We went to public school but it will never be an option for our children. We will never live in a house comparable to the ones we grew up in. We will never take our children on the sort of holidays that we went on as children. Our lives are very different to the lives of our parents, even though we work hard in similar professions.

Now, I don't for a second expect anyone to feel sorry about that - I don't feel sorry about it. It's life and we're still enormously lucky in so many ways. I agree with the posters who have said that it's about time the balance was redressed, and of course I think the general trend away from a priviledged middle class is a good one...

But...

You can't expect people not to comment on it, and not to wonder about it. It has been a surprise for many people. And it doesn't help that all our priviledged middle class parents are looking at us over the rim of their half moon specs and wondering why we're not trying hard enough.

The journalist is quite clear that she doesn't regard herself as being unlucky. She knows that there are people much worse off than she is. And she knows that those people will suffer much more in a recession.

What's the problem with the feature?

I'm so old that I can remember going through the peaks and troughs several times round. I remember inflation in the 1970s where your pay changed every week in line with the RPI - if you were lucky and worked in the public sector. I remember having to save for two years and then go on a waiting list for a mortgage - despite having two professional secure salaries coming in. The major problem at present for most people is the ridiculous levels of house prices. DH's first flat was twice or three times his income - now it would be more than five times his income. I can't have much sympathy for London journalists who generally need to realise that long haul holidays and frequent restaurant meals are not a right but a privilege.

Not joining in the class-war guff, but nonetheless that article is missing the point by comparing her parents' lifestyle with her own. I bet her family has Sky, mobile phones, games-consoles, broadband, computers, widescreen tv and gadgets galore around the house, as do all the 'middle-classes' these days as well as plenty of others. Her parents didn'f fork out for all that stuff and if she didn't have them she'd undoubtedly find herself a lot better off. We don't need most of them, but somehow they're seen as essential these days.

My parents had the same GPO phone and black and white telly throughout my entire childhood. Fast-forward to 2007 and my DH is whinging because his tv is 2 years old and not big enough . He's in cloud-cuckoo-land, just like dear Eleanor....

2008 I meant. It always takes me a good 6 months to catch up

At the same time if people stop going to restaurants, going on holiday, buying a new car, a new house etc....then that's not good for the economy either.

it does seem to get more and more expensive.
i work part-time for my proper job, but have added in 2 extra out of normal workinghours jobs so that we have more disposable income and hopefully a bit of protection when we re-mortgage in september
i prefer having 3 different employers, so that at least my eggs are in different baskets.
i think there are harder times ahead

I have always worked part time since DS came along. I was lucky enough to be able to give up work for 6 months to help him settle into reception. When I went back to work the money was paying for trips out for pizza's, taking DS out for tea once a week after football practice, etc.,

Now it is to a degree propping up my DH's very decent salary.

Things are getting more expensive. Just done the weekly shop and it's definitely more than usual without any good reason.

Perhaps you can do an article about it RM?

That's a good idea, FM.

meh
yep, life is expensive
personally i think it'd be no bad thing thing if fewer middle class families end up being able afford to send their kids to private school

rosa..am with you at that barricade
lol

motherinferior
that was the quote that got me..first child in family to attend state secondary..
a killer body blow to middle class family ambitions for there offspring no doubt,
but does she have any idea what it sounds like..
join the que for the real world, love

love the way they are all pickling and tending organic tubers all of a sudden...

and it took her this long to feel any empathy with people who also work hard and contribute but are doomed by structure of this society to live on or around teh bread line..

interesting thread

I have to point out that she's not middle class as I experience it. I'm quite posh, but not as posh as that.

Pizza Express is pretty vile, though.

You'd think, being in London, there'd be a better selection of restaurants to blow 50 quid on.

I like Pizza Express. My dd's love the children's menu there.

the one near where we used to live sadly started to decline.

I just skim read it, and it's always annoying to read people moaning about the luxuries they can't afford.

But I do think living has got phenomenally more expensive. We filled the car up with diesel today - 3/4 tank cost £48 - I checked the litreage (is that a word?), and 3 years ago that cost £37 (we keep a log book). Diesel is now £1.13 a litre, whereas a year ago it was about 96p.

We shop at Waitrose because a) it's our local supermarket and b) I feel it's more ethical than the others in terms of paying farmers a fair price and not using 'hidden' battery eggs - I'd prefer to eat less and ensure proper standards - but it is becoing very expensive to do a shop. I don't think that's confined to Waitrose though - all food prices have shot through the roof.

Council tax - ours has just gone up by 8% or so - for no improvements as far as I can see.

Petrol is so much more expensive now. Everything has increased in price in the last year.

I started work in October hoping to start paying off debts. I think it's all going (and more) on increased cost of living.