Cost Of Living.

[cuddlepop]

Instead of just starting another thread about the price of fuel I thought I'd just make it a general cost of living thread.

Fuel on Saturday jumped up to £1 079,it was sitting at £1039.
Cereal ,inparticular Special k has jumped up to £3 05 ajump of 40p
Big container of milk is now over £2 00
Bread ,for a brand is over a £1 00


How on earth can the average household withstand these price hikes and not have a realistic wage increase.
What would you do without?
My electric is £25 a week etc,etc,
My weekly household budget is increasing at an alarming rate.:eek:p

I feel we are heading for leaner times.

[dandod]

i think the price of things have gone up because of changing weather cnditions (global warming) more flooding ruining crops therefore there is less crops to go around therefore prices will rise.its a sad state of affairs but 20 years ago you would never have seen the sort of looding that the uk had this year.

[Bobinovich]

While I agree that the cost of living has risen, there still appears to be quite a bit of disposable income around.

My grandparents used to go on about how everything was so much more expensive than in 'the good old days'. Well of course it was - you could get this and that and the other for a penny they kept telling me!

It turns out they had kept notebooks full of their finances over the years - logging income, outgoings, prices, etc., so one day I sat down with them and we worked everything out as a percentage of their income - mortgage/rent, a weeks' groceries, all their electric/fuel costs, etc. It turned out many things were CHEAPER when looked at them in that manner.

I'm not saying it is the same now but it was an interesting exercise, and really opened their eyes and made them realise they were better off in many respects.

[scorrie]

Instead of just starting another thread about the price of fuel I thought I'd just make it a general cost of living thread.

Fuel on Saturday jumped up to £1 079,it was sitting at £1039.
Cereal ,inparticular Special k has jumped up to £3 05 ajump of 40p
Big container of milk is now over £2 00
Bread ,for a brand is over a £1 00


How on earth can the average household withstand these price hikes and not have a realistic wage increase.
What would you do without?
My electric is £25 a week etc,etc,
My weekly household budget is increasing at an alarming rate.:eek:p

I feel we are heading for leaner times.

I know that you don't have the same stores where you live cuddlepop but I have been listening for over a year now to how much better off we were all going to be in Wick with all the new shops and their cheaper goods. The locals had been taking the eyes out of us for years so, surely, we must be swimming in disposable income now, compared to the bad old days when the Dick Turpins were asking us to "Stand and Deliver" whilst we stared down the barrel of a flintlock pistol?

I wonder if anyone has been keeping tabs on how much they used to spend per week and how much they now spend? Could it be that my theory, that spending expands to meet the rising opportunities for spending, holds some water?

[Yoda the flump]

We are just beginning to see the true cost of things now.

How nuch does a pint of milk cost to produce, how much do the crops cost? How much damage has been done to crops this year due to flooding and drought?

Oil has risen and hence so have transport costs as well.

We have been very luck over the last few decades and prices have relatively fallen. Maybe now we are on the road to paying a proper price for our goods and services which will be a shock for many.

[cuddlepop]

We are just beginning to see the true cost of things now.

How nuch does a pint of milk cost to produce, how much do the crops cost? How much damage has been done to crops this year due to flooding and drought?

Oil has risen and hence so have transport costs as well.

We have been very luck over the last few decades and prices have relatively fallen. Maybe now we are on the road to paying a proper price for our goods and services which will be a shock for many.
I'm all for paying a realistic price for our goods but when the national minimum wage is just over £5 50 an hour(over21) its difficult to make ends meet.

[telfordstar]

I must admit I to have been a bit shocked at the price of things. For example today i went to get bread the usual kind I get was done so had a look at the other loaves avaliable. Oh my heavens i was totally gobsmacked at the price of the "branded" breads shocked wasnt the word some were well over the £1.20 and bread in our house lasts maybe 2/3 days depending on the demand for toast. I was also quite shocked at all the diff types of bread. I mean bread for toasties wheres the point in that weve been making toasties with "normal" bread for how long now!!!!!

[The Pepsi Challenge]

Come try living in Edinburgh for a couple of years cuddlepop. When you go back to Caithness you'll realise how well off you really are.

[mums angels]

I'm all for paying a realistic price for our goods but when the national minimum wage is just over £5 50 an hour(over21) its difficult to make ends meet.


there are plenty of people (and i'm not saying all) out there on minimum wage that still pay out on sky/ broadband /fancy cars etc ..if they cut back then they wouldnt find it so difficult.

[NickInTheNorth]

there are plenty of people (and i'm not saying all) out there on minimum wage that still pay out on sky/ broadband /fancy cars etc ..if they cut back then they wouldnt find it so difficult.

and why shouldn't people earning minimum wage have sky/broadband etc?

The minimum wage regulations should be looked at to enable people to live on it. The current system is a total farce.

Average house price now over £100k nationally. Minimum wage gives earnings of no more than about £14k per year. How are people on minimum wage expected to get a house?

[Ash]

its ridicolous the cost of things, we had a car but got rid as we couldnt afford it, we had sky aswell but cant afford it - we kept broadband - people on low wage should be allowed to have luxuries

[NickInTheNorth]

its ridicolous the cost of things, we had a car but got rid as we couldnt afford it, we had sky aswell but cant afford it - we kept broadband - people on low wage should be allowed to have luxuries

I wouldn't describe sky broadband or a car as luxuries!

As mentioned earlier by Yoda the flump we are slowly starting to see some true costs reflected.

It is also about time that the real cost of living in the UK was reflected in the minimum wage. Why should anyone be expected to work for less than it costs to live?

I think £10 per hour would be a good starting point!

[angela5]

there are plenty of people (and i'm not saying all) out there on minimum wage that still pay out on sky/ broadband /fancy cars etc ..if they cut back then they wouldnt find it so difficult.

So lets say they start by not paying a tv licence, which is expensive. Switch of Broadband, get rid of the car, disconnect the telephone, turn some radiators off, opt for some candles. God, might as well live in Butt and Ben.

[mums angels]

and why shouldn't people earning minimum wage have sky/broadband etc?

The minimum wage regulations should be looked at to enable people to live on it. The current system is a total farce.

Average house price now over £100k nationally. Minimum wage gives earnings of no more than about £14k per year. How are people on minimum wage expected to get a house?


i was in no way saying that people on minimum wage shouldnt have these things i was just stating that IMO if people were REALLY struggling there are things in life we can all cut back on weather we earn alot or not . food etc is a nessecity and we cant help the prices . a few years back i had sky tv etc and was walking round the supermarket with a calculator complaining how much things cost until one day i realised how much i had that i didn't really need so i got rid and managed much better , then when money became better i got the things back .

as for getting a house that is difficult for everyone , low income families are getting a lot of help with it at the moment, part ownership houses are going up everywhere not ideal but better than nothing .

[NickInTheNorth]

of course food is a necessity. However from discussions I've taken part in on several forums most people are spending way over the amount they need to on food.

I can feed a family of 6 perfectly well on less than £10 per day. It simply involves shopping carefully, cutting out waste, and in general cooking from fresh all the time.

Well known brands are just about the biggest waste of money! Followed by supermarket 2 for 1 offers.

Doesn't alter the simple fact that the UK minimum wage is derisory. Nor that folk on the minimum wage need access to the internet, transport, and cheap entertainment.

[mums angels]

its ridicolous the cost of things, we had a car but got rid as we couldnt afford it, we had sky aswell but cant afford it - we kept broadband - people on low wage should be allowed to have luxuries

yes they should be able to ash and sounds like you did a sensible thing you cut back on what you didn't feel the need to have and kept what you wanted too ...

[ABC]

We have a friend who can never afford anything (food shopping clothes, shoes etc) but they are always out drinking every weekend, taking taxis to and from work and going out for meals. I just think why not save some money from doing these things for a while and start spending it or more important things like necessities.

[mums angels]

of course food is a necessity. However from discussions I've taken part in on several forums most people are spending way over the amount they need to on food.

I can feed a family of 6 perfectly well on less than £10 per day. It simply involves shopping carefully, cutting out waste, and in general cooking from fresh all the time.

Well known brands are just about the biggest waste of money! Followed by supermarket 2 for 1 offers.

Doesn't alter the simple fact that the UK minimum wage is derisory. Nor that folk on the minimum wage need access to the internet, transport, and cheap entertainment.


I agree with you well know brands are a waste of money , i buy them now but didn't for many years , minimum wage is low and probably should be a bit higher but cost of living is high for everyone not just low earners. If i found buying food difficult i would cut back on brands etc and some of lifes luxuries ..thats all i was saying . hopefully the goverment will sort things out soon .

[mums angels]

We have a friend who can never afford anything (food shopping clothes, shoes etc) but they are always out drinking every weekend, taking taxis to and from work and going out for meals. I just think why not save some money from doing these things for a while and start spending it or more important things like necessities.


i know of the same kind of people , i will never understand it

[cuddlepop]

Come try living in Edinburgh for a couple of years cuddlepop. When you go back to Caithness you'll realise how well off you really are.
We live on Skye and have a very limited choice when it comes to shopping.

When down in Glasgow we can get our food shopping for a fraction of the cost and the fuel is cheaper.
House prices now are dearer on Skye and the housing rent is similar to central Scotland

Lets just say its more expensive in "cost of living terms" to live on Skye.:(

[percy toboggan]

Expect the cost of eggs, and chicken to rise considerably due to the rising cost of feed.

Bread will also keep rising - no pun.

Farmers will turn ever more to growing crops for bio-fuels, and this will put pressure on space avaliable for food crops.
We have had cheap food for a long time.
Textiles are still cheap in the form of finished goods - thanks to exploited labour overseas. I don't buy many clothes so don't feel guilty about it.

This time last year each weekly wage left me with about sixty quid 'doing nowt' . It's down to fifty now. No sign of a rise in the offing either.
Therefore less to save.

[percy toboggan]

[quote=NickInTheNorth;295534]

.....Doesn't alter the simple fact that the UK minimum wage is derisory.... quote]

Not to an Eastern European it isn't, and therein lies part of the problem. Low wage economy tapping a pool of cheap labour.

[Penelope Pitstop]

The cheap labour in foreign Eastern countries has/is killing our country. We just can't compete with foreign cheap imported goods. And they wouldn't be able to manufacture the goods at such a cheap cost.

Back to the topic ...... checking up on the price of domestic oil today....goodness sake.....44p a litre from Scottish Fuels.....it was only 15/16p 22 years ago. Oil industry seems to be booming so why is it so dear???? Or does it just go up at this time of year because they know that we NEED to use the heating?:(

[telfordstar]

We have a friend who can never afford anything (food shopping clothes, shoes etc) but they are always out drinking every weekend, taking taxis to and from work and going out for meals. I just think why not save some money from doing these things for a while and start spending it or more important things like necessities.

Oh there are alot of these folk around. Those that are on all the benefits(and not due to the fact that they cant work but just dont want to work) and have plenty of wee kiddies running around seem to have no money to feed and clothe the kids but them themselves are kitted out in all the best branded gear and are out every weekend or swanning away to concerts in Glasgow/Aberdeen. Id better stop ranting on about this before i get into any trouble but that deserves a topic of its own.

[Yoda the flump]

Back to the topic ...... checking up on the price of domestic oil today....goodness sake.....44p a litre from Scottish Fuels.....it was only 15/16p 22 years ago. Oil industry seems to be booming so why is it so dear???? Or does it just go up at this time of year because they know that we NEED to use the heating?:(

And if you factor the cost of inflation into this 15/16p? What does it come out to then?

You cannot but notice that the cost of oil is at a record high. That is why the cost of oil is going up. Simple demand and supply. There is a very high demand for hydrocarbons and it is continuing to rise. If you don't like paying 44p a litre our friends in the far east certainly will.

We are going to have to accept that the cost of basics is going to rise as the true cost of their production is reflected.

[unicorn]

I noticed in Turkey that although their wages are very poor roughly £150 a month that their fuel costs more than ours and a bottle of Raki (local drink) is £9 A bottle. Realistically that is incredibly expensive.

[Penelope Pitstop]

Hi Telfordstar

I'm just reminded about an advert that gets my back up when it comes on the telly. It's one by Jobs 4 u, or jobs plus or something like that.

The jist of the ad is to get people back into work who might think they cant work again, by retraining them for a new job. Which is great.....but the bit that gets me is at the end the woman doing the ad says something along the lines of .... we will of course check to make sure if you will be better off (being in employment) than on benefits.......:confused

What I wonder is.....what if they find you are better off on benefits than getting a job ...... does that mean it's OK not to get a job when you are fit and willing to go back to work, but better off on benefits .....[evil]

[Penelope Pitstop]

And if you factor the cost of inflation into this 15/16p? What does it come out to then?

You cannot but notice that the cost of oil is at a record high. That is why the cost of oil is going up. Simple demand and supply. There is a very high demand for hydrocarbons and it is continuing to rise. If you don't like paying 44p a litre our friends in the far east certainly will.

We are going to have to accept that the cost of basics is going to rise as the true cost of their production is reflected.

Can our friends in the far east afford to pay for it because they pay their workers peanuts.....which leaves fat cats??

Anyone know if you can run a domestic oil boiler on chip/vegetable fat??:confused

When you pass the house always smelling of chip fat.....you'll know it's mine!! lol

[scorrie]

I wouldn't describe sky broadband or a car as luxuries!

As mentioned earlier by Yoda the flump we are slowly starting to see some true costs reflected.

It is also about time that the real cost of living in the UK was reflected in the minimum wage. Why should anyone be expected to work for less than it costs to live?

I think £10 per hour would be a good starting point!

£10 per hour is pure Fantasy Island. I remember Tommy Sheridan giving it big licks about the minimum wage being more than £8 an hour some years ago. A minimum wage of £10 an hour would simply mean that many businesses would not be viable. Other businesses would simply farm the work out overseas, as many already do. The people making your £6 Primark dresses are earning pennies per day in sweat shops. Could you imagine what Primark would have to charge for the same dress made by someone in the UK earning £10 per hour?

If wages were to increase significantly, then prices would also have to rise significantly to ensure that profits were still being made. The end result? Hey, I've got a good bit more money coming in now!! Wait a minute, everything costs a shedload more than it used to!!

[NickInTheNorth]

just try farming out cleaning jobs, waitering jobs, shop jobs, bar jobs, the list goes on. All being paid a pittance, all deserve much higher wages.

It is fine saying that wages can't go up if your earning a decent rate.

[Yoda the flump]

just try farming out cleaning jobs, waitering jobs, shop jobs, bar jobs, the list goes on. All being paid a pittance, all deserve much higher wages.

It is fine saying that wages can't go up if your earning a decent rate.

Yes, but the higher the wages the higher the costs, now who pays these costs?

It certainly aint the employer, they are all passed on to.........

[scorrie]

just try farming out cleaning jobs, waitering jobs, shop jobs, bar jobs, the list goes on. All being paid a pittance, all deserve much higher wages.

It is fine saying that wages can't go up if your earning a decent rate.

Some jobs cannot be done overseas, that is why the workers come from overseas to the jobs!!

I was in London recently and would estimate that 90% of the Hotel staff, shop staff, bar staff, attraction staff etc were from overseas. Some of the ones I spoke to had not lived in the UK very long. I even saw signs in bar windows that read "Staff required, fluent English essential"

I am not sure what you would call a "decent rate" but it makes no difference to my statement about the minimum wage. My statement stands as a simple piece of common sense. There is only one way to make it possible for the minimum wage to increase by a large amount, and that is a willingness to pay a lot more for the goods and services supplied by those who have to shell out the far higher wages.

[telfordstar]

Hi Telfordstar

I'm just reminded about an advert that gets my back up when it comes on the telly. It's one by Jobs 4 u, or jobs plus or something like that.

The jist of the ad is to get people back into work who might think they cant work again, by retraining them for a new job. Which is great.....but the bit that gets me is at the end the woman doing the ad says something along the lines of .... we will of course check to make sure if you will be better off (being in employment) than on benefits.......:confused

What I wonder is.....what if they find you are better off on benefits than getting a job ...... does that mean it's OK not to get a job when you are fit and willing to go back to work, but better off on benefits .....[evil]


Hi penelope

I had totally forgotten about that advert but it is so true what you said about it. I think that is is fantastic trying to get folk back into work maybe because there older or have disablilities but checking to see if they are better of on benefits first i mean what kind of help is that?
Some people just look for any excuse not to work and that gets my back up everytime. I am only a part time worker as i have 2 kids and a hubby but he works full time so my hours fit around his job id be bored without my job i like the independance and time away from kids and of course my pay at the end gets me a wee treat so im happy. But some people get it all handed to them on a plate nice house, furniture paid for the house, nights out on tap, fancy branded clothes ahhhhhh gets me mad

[connieb19]

If someone is on minimum wage and bringing up a family they are entitled to Tax credits which bumps the wage up. Too many people use the mimimum wage as an excuse not to go out to work. If folks were made to go out to work for an extra tenner on top of their dole money I bet they'd be jumping at the chance of any job, minimum wage or not. Too many folk are too comfortable on benefits to even bother getting off their backside to even bother looking for work. In fact I know people who wouldn't want to work if a job was handed to them.

[Penelope Pitstop]

Yes, but the higher the wages the higher the costs, now who pays these costs?

It certainly aint the employer, they are all passed on to.........

It's not quite that simple. Not all employers can pass on the increased running costs of wage increases, etc. to their customers..............their end result would be they just don't get the contract. No contract......then no work......no work......then no jobs.:(

[telfordstar]

If someone is on minimum wage and bringing up a family they are entitled to Tax credits which bumps the wage up. Too many people use the mimimum wage as an excuse not to go out to work. If folks were made to go out to work for an extra tenner on top of their dole money I bet they'd be jumping at the chance of any job, minimum wage or not. Too many folk are too comfortable on benefits to even bother getting off their backside to even bother looking for work. In fact I know people who wouldn't want to work if a job was handed to them.

Im with you on this one connie19 i think that being on the dole is way to easy for half these folk that cant be bothered getting a job best of it is the majority of people on the broo are young folk who cant even be bothered and that really gets on my nerves thinking a long lie untill miday is fantastic 7 days a week and there getting all the handouts to do so.

[sweetpea]

Im with you on this one connie19 i think that being on the dole is way to easy for half these folk that cant be bothered getting a job best of it is the majority of people on the broo are young folk who cant even be bothered and that really gets on my nerves thinking a long lie untill miday is fantastic 7 days a week and there getting all the handouts to do so.


I've got mixed feelings about this, yes there is definately a core of families who are third generation unemployed and know no better so it's learned behaviour, no work ethic these days. I feel sorry for folk who don't have much going for them in terms of skills or maybe have some sort of learning disability, often they want to work and would make very good employees but can't get employers to give them a break.
As for cost of living which the thread is about, I feel ashamed to say that I haven't got a clue what a pint of milk or loaf costs. Getting control over my spending is something I have been putting off for ages, not very good with money matters so don't know where to start. It's not that I haven't got disposable income, just that I waste a fair bit I reckon.

[Ash]

i dont work, im a full time mum, but im studying for a better future, right now if i worked i would just be working to pay for someone to look after my wee girl
which is pointless

[grandma]

I know that you don't have the same stores where you live cuddlepop but I have been listening for over a year now to how much better off we were all going to be in Wick with all the new shops and their cheaper goods. The locals had been taking the eyes out of us for years so, surely, we must be swimming in disposable income now, compared to the bad old days when the Dick Turpins were asking us to "Stand and Deliver" whilst we stared down the barrel of a flintlock pistol?

I wonder if anyone has been keeping tabs on how much they used to spend per week and how much they now spend? Could it be that my theory, that spending expands to meet the rising opportunities for spending, holds some water?

Agree with you on that one Scorrie. There is such a range of stuff that we can now get in Wick that my shopping bill has increased, not decreased. The family love getting fresh and different varieties of fruit but it can be quite expensive. Bought half a dozen eggs on Saturday (my hens have stopped laying) from a small local shop and it was £1.05. I nearly dropped. Anyone know where I can get a stick of dynamite to get hens laying again !!:Razz

[cuddlepop]

Agree with you on that one Scorrie. There is such a range of stuff that we can now get in Wick that my shopping bill has increased, not decreased. The family love getting fresh and different varieties of fruit but it can be quite expensive. Bought half a dozen eggs on Saturday (my hens have stopped laying) from a small local shop and it was £1.05. I nearly dropped. Anyone know where I can get a stick of dynamite to get hens laying again !!:Razz
We buy our eggs from a friend who has some hens and he's had to put his price up for his fresh eggs to £1 40.a half dozen.
he's full of apoligies put he's got to pass the price of feed onto cutomers.
Fruit and veg prices are climbing rapidly too so what do we cut back on once the little luxuries like crisps and biscuits are ommited from our shopping basket?:confused

[scorrie]

We buy our eggs from a friend who has some hens and he's had to put his price up for his fresh eggs to £1 40.a half dozen.
he's full of apoligies put he's got to pass the price of feed onto cutomers.


Perhaps the hens formed a Union and forced an increase in the minimum wage ;)

[telfordstar]

Agree with you on that one Scorrie. There is such a range of stuff that we can now get in Wick that my shopping bill has increased, not decreased. The family love getting fresh and different varieties of fruit but it can be quite expensive. Bought half a dozen eggs on Saturday (my hens have stopped laying) from a small local shop and it was £1.05. I nearly dropped. Anyone know where I can get a stick of dynamite to get hens laying again !!:Razz

Thats the same us before the competitive supermarket arrived (dare i say its name) we used to do a weekly shop in coop and for a family of 4 we would spend approx£60 a week which i though was not to bad but now its gone up by about £20 sometimes more and why i find way to much choice now maybe i should go back to coop for weekly shop..

[grandma]

But did you not find that when you were going to the co-op or somerfield they only had some of the items that you needed? I ended up going to both and I really hate shopping for groceries once, never mind twice. It's so much more convenient to have it under one roof. The week that grandpa came with me (wanted to see new Tesco) I thought he was going to pop his clogs. Hadn't been shopping since 1992 and boy did he get a shock !!!

[telfordstar]

But did you not find that when you were going to the co-op or somerfield they only had some of the items that you needed? I ended up going to both and I really hate shopping for groceries once, never mind twice. It's so much more convenient to have it under one roof. The week that grandpa came with me (wanted to see new Tesco) I thought he was going to pop his clogs. Hadn't been shopping since 1992 and boy did he get a shock !!!

I must admit that is very true aft the "big" weekly shop in coop we still had to go to boots and other shops for things as well where as having it all under the one roof has stopped that plus a better variety as well helps which is what we are now getting. You certinly made me laugh with the part about taking hubby shopping i bet he did get a shock:Razz

[grandma]

It didn't help that he kept popping one or two 'bargains' in the trolley as we were going !! :D

[telfordstar]

Oh yeah i know that one well grandma you get to the checkout and you are like "wherd this come from" and there like ahh it looked good or its a bargin hahaha