Well. Got a job today, after a year off for caring/writing. Local, so little/no commuting costs. Senior, so good salary, challenging job. Negotiated a 3 day week. And I’m 58. First application since sabbatical, first interview, and it’s working for a cause I believe in (cancer care). Can’t quite believe it. Was fully prepared for M&S night shift and my pension being decimated by the time I properly retire. Two year contract. I honestly thought I would be unemployable. Shocked. Pleased, but shocked.
- Notice
A nurse was on sky news, after talking about how so many of her colleagues had to visit a food bank she said that they also had to tell their children that Christmas wouldn't be good this year due to their pay.
Why would you tell children that? Christmas is about having time off and spending quality time together. Not having money for expensive gifts (probably made in China) doesn't mean it'll be an awful Christmas. Without sounding patronising and a Grinch maybe spending less on tat isn't the end of the world, and could be good for the planet.
We were making wreaths last week with the children, we spent a few pounds on ribbon, twine and glue. But we had a fun afternoon collecting and didn't buy any plastic.
Why would you tell children that? Christmas is about having time off and spending quality time together. Not having money for expensive gifts (probably made in China) doesn't mean it'll be an awful Christmas. Without sounding patronising and a Grinch maybe spending less on tat isn't the end of the world, and could be good for the planet.
We were making wreaths last week with the children, we spent a few pounds on ribbon, twine and glue. But we had a fun afternoon collecting and didn't buy any plastic.
Folkevermore
VIP Member
I think people are very quick to judge when people are struggling on higher incomes, but definitely don’t take housing into account.
My salary is £45k, but I work in London and I have to live in a commutable distance and factor in commuting costs.
I still live in the town I grew up in, which is an hour away from London by train. Because it’s in commuting distance, prices have risen a lot over the pandemic when people moved out of the city.
A lot of people would laugh at the idea that I’m not super well off on my salary, but when my mortgage is over £1500 a month, my disposable income isn’t that high.
There’s also tons of people who just say “move up north”, but I would have to leave behind my job, friends, family and everything I’ve known my whole life behind.
My salary is £45k, but I work in London and I have to live in a commutable distance and factor in commuting costs.
I still live in the town I grew up in, which is an hour away from London by train. Because it’s in commuting distance, prices have risen a lot over the pandemic when people moved out of the city.
A lot of people would laugh at the idea that I’m not super well off on my salary, but when my mortgage is over £1500 a month, my disposable income isn’t that high.
There’s also tons of people who just say “move up north”, but I would have to leave behind my job, friends, family and everything I’ve known my whole life behind.
Striking is never mandatory
Also, striking is usually the only way for workers to fight for their rights. Workers wouldn't have to strike if they were treated respectfully and paid accordingly.
It is so important to keep in mind that most of our basic rights as workers were gained by striking. None of us want to go back to working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week in hazardous conditions for peanuts.
Also, striking is usually the only way for workers to fight for their rights. Workers wouldn't have to strike if they were treated respectfully and paid accordingly.
It is so important to keep in mind that most of our basic rights as workers were gained by striking. None of us want to go back to working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week in hazardous conditions for peanuts.
Saddlesoap
VIP Member
This is a RANT
As a veterinary nurse, your post makes me really upset/angry. No they are not criminal, the costs of running a veterinary practice are HUGE.
Premises, equipment, staffing (and no we aren't loaded. I'm on 25k for a 35 hour week with 20 years experience and management responsibilities), consumables, medication.
Online pharmacies can sell drugs to the public for less money then we can buy them from our wholesalers.
Honestly £32 for a liquid antibiotic (maybe actually a pain relief?) Is pretty good value actually.
Just last month a client told me £1000 was disgusting to charge for a caesarian at 10pm on a Sunday evening, but she was going to be selling the puppies for £2.5k each.
Myself and the vet safely delivered 6 puppies, and didn't get home til after midnight. The same vet was up again at 3am because someone was worried that their dog had just passed diarrhoea in their kitchen and that warranted an emergency call. The vet was woken again at around 5.30am to a client with a dog that was seizuring and needed admitted for emergency care
Veterinary staff are under immense pressure, scrutiny, and at risk of being threatened verbally on a daily basis, individual vets acan be slandered all over social media. We can't win.
Premises, equipment, staffing (and no we aren't loaded. I'm on 25k for a 35 hour week with 20 years experience and management responsibilities), consumables, medication.
Online pharmacies can sell drugs to the public for less money then we can buy them from our wholesalers.
Honestly £32 for a liquid antibiotic (maybe actually a pain relief?) Is pretty good value actually.
Just last month a client told me £1000 was disgusting to charge for a caesarian at 10pm on a Sunday evening, but she was going to be selling the puppies for £2.5k each.
Myself and the vet safely delivered 6 puppies, and didn't get home til after midnight. The same vet was up again at 3am because someone was worried that their dog had just passed diarrhoea in their kitchen and that warranted an emergency call. The vet was woken again at around 5.30am to a client with a dog that was seizuring and needed admitted for emergency care
Veterinary staff are under immense pressure, scrutiny, and at risk of being threatened verbally on a daily basis, individual vets acan be slandered all over social media. We can't win.
So many do seem to think that making Christmas special = giving a mountain of presents. We've got so use to having so much of this stuff affordable that 40-50 gifts per child + a couple of "main presents" is the norm for some.
A picture of the Ingham children and their viral vids paints a thousand words.
Maybe it's a good time to say you can't always get what you want, long term that is way more likely to help children.
A picture of the Ingham children and their viral vids paints a thousand words.
Maybe it's a good time to say you can't always get what you want, long term that is way more likely to help children.
heretoreaditall2019
VIP Member
Re consumerism I really think we need a reset across society, obviously this will always be most applicable to those with a disposable income as low income people have always made things last & acted sustainably.
Like #haul culture has SO much to answer for. As a young adult in the early 2010s things were SO different to how they are now and there are generations growing up thinking it’s normal to have clothes delivered to your house weekly? I don’t want to incur the wrath of anyone on the Christmas spending thread as it was a truly wild read but ppl getting themselves into financial difficulty for the day is just sad and shows how much pressure is put upon parents. I can understand especially for working mums the guilt is immense and you think what “should” you be doing and it is hard to tune out all those voices and go with what feels right for your family/values/budget. Again all roads lead back to social media, without it half this shit wouldn’t be a problem.
Folkevermore
VIP Member
Part of the problem is we live in such a consumerist culture where kids expect extravagant gifts, and if they don’t get them, they wonder why Santa likes their friends more.
One of my old work colleagues (who loves to moan about the cost of living crisis while sat in a 5 bed house) was complaining how she couldn’t afford to take her six month old child to Disney land to “make memories” this Christmas. As if the kid would even remember it
35k is such a low salary for the amount of work and hours put by nurses. They should be on at least 60k.
I am really interested to see in which cities they get 35k though. If they are single living in a medium to large city it makes sense that they need food banks.
And pleaaaaaaaase let's stop stop complaining about other people earning low pays. It's the 10th time that people bring up nurses or teachers in this thread and it is exhausting.
Remember that unless you have assets to keep you afloat without any labour, you are the bottom.
I am really interested to see in which cities they get 35k though. If they are single living in a medium to large city it makes sense that they need food banks.
And pleaaaaaaaase let's stop stop complaining about other people earning low pays. It's the 10th time that people bring up nurses or teachers in this thread and it is exhausting.
Remember that unless you have assets to keep you afloat without any labour, you are the bottom.
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SuperNova666
New member
I'm Irish and my partner, myself and my dog are living in a rented 2 bedroom cottage with no central heating. We have storage heaters on the walls that don't heat the rooms. It's so cold and damp in our house that water runs down the walls and settles on our sockets. We have damp and mould and we are so cold all the time. Our landlord said its a ventilation issue and bought us a dehumidifier which works but the house is still freezing. I think it's ridiculous that we pay 1k a month to live in these conditions because we have no other option. There will be no gifts this year and we live off cheap frozen pizzas.
I did what I was told to do, I went to collage and got a good job but I'm still struggling. I cannot imagine how hard it is to be homeless.
How can the government allow this to happen? I'm at my wits end and see no way out.
I did what I was told to do, I went to collage and got a good job but I'm still struggling. I cannot imagine how hard it is to be homeless.
How can the government allow this to happen? I'm at my wits end and see no way out.
anotheronebitesthedust.1
Well-known member
Honestly think until the general public work in these high pressured jobs they will never see that side of it or even come close to understanding . Same for those in police , fire , ambulances and nhs
We go into those jobs to care for the sick whether it’s humans or animals , not to receive a barrage of abuse from those who think they know better
It's never been as bad as this before in the NHS. It's always had issues, but never like this. There was never the worry that an ambulance wouldn't come in an emergency. I remember when Labour were in last, everything was funded better. We even had resources like Sure Start Centres, instead child poverty and inequality has increased since austerity. It's slowly been drained away over the last 13 years.
www.independent.co.uk
NHS loses crown as world’s best healthcare system
UK slips to fourth place out of 11 overall, and rated only ninth on healthcare outcomes
candyland_
VIP Member
There was some tips to stay warm on Sky News app yesterday. Have a warm meal and close the windows over night. Who makes this shit up…
Saddlesoap
VIP Member
Just really fed up of my profession being slated all the time*.
3 Veterinary professionals have commited suicide this month alone.
*not necessarily on here, in general.
Folkevermore
VIP Member
£35k salary is an average take home of £2,250; even less if you have student loans
If you’re single, and are spending over £1000 on rent, by the time you’ve paid bills, council tax, transport etc you probably don’t have that much left.
It’s not inconceivable that an unexpected bill would result in you needing to use a food bank.
If you have to pay child care costs as well you’d be screwed regardless of unexpected bills.
If you’re single, and are spending over £1000 on rent, by the time you’ve paid bills, council tax, transport etc you probably don’t have that much left.
It’s not inconceivable that an unexpected bill would result in you needing to use a food bank.
If you have to pay child care costs as well you’d be screwed regardless of unexpected bills.
Folkevermore
VIP Member
I pointed out to an uncle that you’d have to have an income of £80k just to be able to afford a small two bed in a town that would be more convenient for my partner and I to live in.
He was like “that’s what young people earn these days though”.
In what fucking world is that average
He was like “that’s what young people earn these days though”.
In what fucking world is that average
There’s quite a bit of ‘news’ trying to frighten people who are worried and can afford it into private medicine just now - particularly for the profitable bits, testing and minor surgical isssues. Shouldn’t we be fighting for a better health service for all, based on need, not wealth, and free at the point of delivery? That we already pay for, through tax and NI? Anyone who has ever experienced eg the US system, two tier and where you can bleed to death before they can find the paperwork to treat you ….