Discontent #9 food, energy, transport, cost of living, society etc

[Pinkii]

Our mortgage fixed term happens to be ending as the new interest rates started we were hoping that we could reduce our mortgage payments so we can manage other outgoings, its gone up by £600 . We were paying 900 and now £1500 (south east).

I literally want to cry, we have cut back on everything that we can, i meal plan to an inch, have no heating on apart from 30 mins in the morning for the kids bedrooms so they aren’t freezing.

i fucking hate this country and what the government has done to it.

 

[maharini]

Reading through these posts is enlightening and depressing in equal measure, but it does seem to me that the ‘heavy lifting’ on cost of living falls disproportionally on women, particularly those with children. Thinking about, shopping for and cooking food, worrying about getting laundry clean and dry, keeping everyone warm. ‘Twas ever thus, my OH is mildly autistic, likes what he likes, has a food routine, but shows absolutely no interest in increased food prices, no matter how ridiculous the increase in his favourite cheese or ham. I know others are better, just wanted to say bloody well done, you’re all amazing. But you know, it shouldn’t have to be this way.

 

[BlueOwlette]

Literally. I've got £62 in my account after paying for a big food shop at Lidl (because that's the only place I can afford to shop) and have to get through until the 23rd. On Monday I have a scan at the hospital for a post op hemotoma and the 2 return bus tickets for the 2 bus journeys it takes to get there will cost me £18. I'm debating today cancelling the appointment I really shouldn't miss because I may have an infection as that's almost a third of that £62 gone on something just for me, my son will probably need something and I'll have spent that £18 on myself rather than being able to afford something he'll need. Which reminds me, I need to get him some winter shoes as his little trainers are definitely not waterproof. There's always something.

But this is a hugely common thing for people this year. Hunch can't imagine having to choose between potential post op infection or winter shoes for her kids (I'm guessing they don't get winter shoes). She doesn't know what it's like pulling the duvets off both beds and huddling under them in one bed to stay warm. She doesn't know what it's like listening to her son cough all night because cold air triggers asthma but you can't turn on the heating or there will be no hot water for baths this week, which you share to make the hot water go further.

Sorry for the rant, I'm so unbelievably angry that some people do nothing yet get given so much and all because of fleecing people.

 

[pixxyy]

on Tesco you can add your last order to basket by clicking a button so I checked mine.
It was ordered 12th Oct & cost £135.71 Today it'll cost £152.26!

 

[candyland_]

Speaking of cars..
Every single day my 32 year old friend complains that they can’t afford to move out of their parents house. They don’t have any bills other than their phone and car insurance/car tax and they don’t contribute towards any of their parents bills or pay rent to live there.. They’ve just dropped 32k cash on a second car. At one point they had owned 3 cars. Why one person needs 3 cars I will never know but it’s crazy to me that they constantly go on about not being able to afford to live. Stop buying cars then

 

[Phil Anne Throw Pee]

I thought he was too busy fucking 20 year olds to give a fuck about anything else.

 

[candyland_]

I’m going to sound like a twat here but I wish old people would shut up saying they can’t afford to put the heating on. They were giving over £1000 this year including the warm home thing they get every year.

It’s parents and every body else that haven’t got the money to heat their homes.

 

[jackolantern]

I honestly think they talk shit when they tell you how much you can save by switching stuff off etc. Read an article the other day clickbaiting about HUGE yearly savings just from turning your TV off standby. £3.87. Per year. Aye fuck off. Can't even get a meal deal for that these days.

 

[Hauxwell]

My parents benefitted from decent final salary pensions and buying when it was affordable. They spent their cost of living payments whilst on approx their 4th holiday of the year.

Whilst I'm living in a damp rented tiny house with a child, with no chance of ever affording to buy or even move.

My mother asked how I was going to afford the heating, when I said I couldn't, she suggested a fleece.

 

[Elle Woods]

Just wondered if anyones employers are doing anything to support employees who are finding themselves using food banks or struggling to pay bills. Outside of increasing wages, has anyone been offered any support?

Not a scooby. I reached out to my employer recently as I have about a 30 minute drive to work every day and I mentioned that I am finding the fuel costs crippling, coupled with a general cost of living increase anyway I said I'm finding money really tight and life is a bit of a struggle right now. I asked if there was any provision for me to work at home even just 1 or 2 days a week as that would save me some money, or if I could work from the office which is a 20 minute walk from my house 2 days a week and was told "no, you are contracted to this office and we do not offer home working". I wasn't given any support which I found quite upsetting. I didn't expect a pay rise, we haven't had one in a few years so I definitely wasn't expecting anything but I thought maybe they'd be a bit more sympathetic when I've said I'm struggling

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

I blame the toxic side of feminism for that, coupled with the rise in consumerism

As a young mum in the 70s, I didnt have to work nor did any of my peers, one wage was enough to get through the basics of life. OK no holidays abroad or takeaways a few times a week etc but no one did that anyway.

People were conned that if both parents worked we could have it all,. All it really achieved is everyone paying for others to look after their children even those who look after children are paying people to look after their children. The breakdown of families and communities all came about at the same time.

Sorry but I can’t agree with this. There’s something to be said for the unpaid and oftentimes unacknowledged labour of women/mothers, the marriage premium we confer onto our partner’s earning potential, the mental burden of motherhood, etc etc etc but I don’t think the above is it tbh.

I don’t have to work but choose to because I enjoy it and tbh because I’m in a career that earns well and took a lot of hard work to achieve so I don’t want to squander it. Me working enables us to make massive overpayments on the mortgage & save for our LO’s future. We’re second gen to this country and first gen grad/high earners so all we’ve got is all we’ve got and I’d be insane to squander an opportunity to build intergenerational wealth for my LO?

I don’t think an early years setting is just paying someone to look after your child, it’s more like a preschool and my child is more capable and confident for being there. Maybe back in the day it was more possible to socialise and educate your children in informal settings with friends who’ve all got similarly aged children but now the best case alternative is a 60-90 minute baby class is the best you’ll get in a day and oftentimes they’re naff with very little interaction between the children or educational value.

Idk I don’t like the idea of feminism being dragged into this, until men are getting the same level of questioning re their childcare choices it’s not a convo I want to have so not sure why I even replied really. Big ups working mums you’re doing it for your reasons and children of working mums have better educational outcomes so your kids are noticing your hard work

 

[Purrrrrrr]

Successful entrepreneurs on a soapbox . Leo should come and tell the people around here just on the border of the M25 who can't afford to get a new car and public transport is rubbish how ulez is better and fairer for them.

Where's the nuance thesedays? There's lots of issues to fix, but these sledgehammer approaches shouldn't be celebrated as wholly good.

View attachment 1776571

It's always those who have private jets telling people about climate. Didnt he fly 8000 miles in his jet to collect an award for his climate activism?

 

[pixxyy]

on Tesco you can add your last order to basket by clicking a button so I checked mine.
It was ordered 12th Oct & cost £135.71 Today it'll cost £152.26!

I dont usually quote myself but did it again & Today it's £154.06

 

[Millennial Pink]

The National Living Wage rise has irritated me. I still don't understand how they can justify paying a 17 year old pot-washer or whatever almost literally half of what a 23 year old would get, and a 20 year old 3 quid less an hour. It's the same job, you don't magically get better at pot washing at 23. That minimum wage has barely moved since I was a kid, it's appalling.

I wonder if more kids in education are going to end up with part time jobs to help with household expenses? I worked from 17, but it was to pay for things like driving lessons, not the gas bill.

 

[Yel]

It's like the elephant in the room with the older generation that no politician will dare mention. The lost generation is just about gone. Pensioners we have today are boomers who have never had it so good with homes, jobs, education, pensions etc. This generation took out far more than the ever put into the system. There's lots of very outdated stereotypes of pensioners. Dare I say most won't cope with the working conditions and expectations of today.

There's huge amounts of unearned income and the ni system is hugely unfair.

People today are paying for others to carry on having a lifestyle that they could only dream of having.

 

[masterone]

I've been turned the heat on the past few days, we are managing the cold just not drying the laundry. I consider it a treat lol, but it pushes us up to £7.50 a day on the smart meter. That's £225 a month (30 day month) if we stick to 2 hours a day. And Mr Hunt in the news today saying we just need to get used to using less gas and electricity... How out of touch are these morons.

 

[jackolantern]

I honestly don’t know how people are coping. All these adverts for Christmas, holidays etc. the shops are so busy,

I don't get it either. We are absolutely drowning. I had to leave the Christmas thread because people kept talking about how much they were spending and all the activities they had booked and it was so upsetting. I don't understand how they can manage when EVERYTHING has risen so disproportionately with no more income to compensate.

 

[bowtiesarecool]

Going back to the cost of childcare thing. I worked in nurseries for 20years before leaving this year.

The cost of what you are charged goes to the big companies. Childcare workers are underpaid for what they do, often undervalued (I always remember one parent refusing to pick up an obviously ill child as they apparently paid us to deal with vomit and diarrhoea. Nevermind the rest of the group it could infect) and certainly overworked. A 48 hour week was a regular thing, despite only a 35hr contract - this was non negotiable.

A lot of parents expect every imaginable thing that they don't want to do themselves. Weaning, toilet training and homework (after school clubs). And the abuse they give if they don't get it.

The childcare system is crippled right now, by people leaving who have simply had enough. Supermarkets pay better wages for less of the shit (literally). I left to work in a school - better pay and all the holidays off, and the feeling of being valued in a team.

The big childcare providers are making a mint, but unless you're a top level manager, you see a pittance.

 

[mummy_3]

I work in a supermarket and god you get some rude people right in your face. We've recently moved the fish and the old sign is still up because we need a specialist person in to unscrew the sign from a high wall the amount of people complaining because signs haven't changed but we can't get the people in for some reason to go to the ceiling and unscrew the signs to replace them. I dread Saturday and Sunday shifts as it's insane. I had someone yesterday complaining to me that we don't have microwave for customers to heat up the pie they just brought.
That and people seem to think me and my colleagues personally change prices every week when it's not our fault things have increased in price

 

[Falkor]

Overheard a conversation in a restaurant today (I wasn't eavesdropping, he was broadcasting quite loudly) where someone said "I mean, does anybody actually work for less than £14 an hour these days?" in the tone of voice that implied no sane person would do so and I was so cross that I very nearly got up, went over to his table, tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Yes, I do, and probably so do most of the people currently serving you this wonderful meal." But they'd probably have thrown me out and I hadn't finished eating, so I bottled it!