You and yours this morning,, feeling the pinch??

As a foodbank volunteer I have seem some very exotic donated items. We try to hand those out as extras to those who might appreciate them.
The list of items in a standard food parcel (in our case several carrier bags full for a family) is not probably what most would choose, but will provide basic food for a few days. The cookery book is a useful guide. All foodbanks publish lists of things they need urgently. I would ask all gransnetters to consider donating whenever possible.

And I agree that if couples like this do cut back in eating out, hairdressers, cleaners, gardeners etc this affects many others

That's very true Babs758
I was defending the extravagant Beckham wedding on the grounds that it gave a lot of work to many people and that money then trickles down to be spent elsewhere.

Saral1954
Our Foodbank has a list of items to allocate. They ask If you have a cat dog and if it has been donated we will give it out.
We also have a shelf for 'Odd Items"
Which have been donated.Eg Olives White Wine Vinegar .
It is not always possible to give out certain items as not enough donations or money spare

£60,000 isn’t that high for two incomes. I know it’s more than many people have...but as others have said, the programme was probably highlighting how higher earners are still struggling.

Times have really changed. When we bought our first house, my husband’s salary was about a third of the price. My salary topped up. Nowadays, first time buyers are nowhere near that with their earnings, unless you’re a professional working in London. It’s not uncommon to start on six figures....but houses in London are still unaffordable. So these people live out of London, and before Covid, were commuting.

It’s all relative. People just live to their means.

You and Yours may have been a bit satirical in the example they interviewed but there are plenty of families just scraping by or worse while Johnson struts the world stage and fails to pay attention to to the old and poor, not to mention the rest of us. The Tories simply don't care so long as their lives are comfortable. We need a far better government than this lot.

I heard the interview and the person interviewed said he was well aware there were people worse off than he and his wife. One thing he did say was that they had been planning to start a family but were now having second thoughts due to the cost. He talks about the cutbacks they were making including looking at public transport rather than using the car at weekends if going out etc but seemed to be planning realistically and not complaining. I think £60k as a household income with two professionals working full time is about average and probably does reflect the Radio 4 audience.

And I agree that if couples like this do cut back in eating out, hairdressers, cleaners, gardeners etc this affects many others. As an ex music teacher who used to have to rely on giving private tuition to supplement my state school work I can understand the worries!

It's like lockdown, we learn what we can do without. However there are those who had to struggle week in week out before this crisis, they are the ones who can complain. A takeaway coffee everyday on way to work, a regular habit for some, would cover the cost of a lot of food for some. Yes we are all affected, some harder than others.

I struggle when I hear people talking bout being on huge salaries and all the unnecessary outgoings they have... What did we do when we struggled when our kids were young.. Plain and simple cut back on things we couldn't afford....I listen to my children and what they spend on gym fees, run 2 cars, Friday takeaways& out for brunch on a Sunday morning....My DIL was over £400 to get hair extensions put in....I walk out the room if they say they are skint...

The point is that most people will have to cut back; for some they are already on the bones so it will be heating turned off and cheap food. For others, such as ourselves, we will not be living on cheap pasta or turning the heating off, but the trips out for a bit of lunch will be less often, the hairdresser appointments will be less often, some things will not happen at all, these reductions in our nice but not essential spending are not harsh for us, but will impact the small traders who we use.

I do donate to food banks willingly I was on my own after my daughter was born my son was three. Food banks didn’t exist then I would have been reluctant to go to a food bank. But in hindsight it would have saved me money for heating and saved me the heartache.

Daisymae
I know, even donating to them willingly makes you feel patronising.

I think that food banks are a national disgrace. People should have enough to live on and be able to choose their own food.

I did hear the interview. The question was how is the current economic climate affecting you? The man replied with his financial position, in no way asking for sympathy. As a professional couple, without children, they could expect to be least affected. The people who are going to suffer, as opposed to being inconvenienced, are those already struggling and have nothing to cut back on.

I normally let my grandchildren select a few ‘treat’ items, while I try and get things on the list they provide.

Many food banks actively encourage people to donate cat or dog food to help those who are struggling to feed their pets as well as themselves. And campaigners like Jack Monroe regularly urge people not to just donate the 'basics', but 'treat' items which can make someone's day if they get something nice. People often donate items such as olives or similar which were perhaps given as a gift or part of a hamper if they don't eat them themselves. Better than binning them...

MissAdventure
I agree, I think when we were young and had nothing, and our mortgage was practically everything we earned, but we assumed things would improve, and they did.
I don’t think that’s the case any longer.

Nothing is as straightforward as it seems, is it?
People's lives are so very diverse these days.

It's really no wonder that it's all such a mess.

Yes of course, and I know not everyone is as fortunate.
I also know that if I have to be late for some reason, that’s fine, if one of my grandchildren is ill, someone will stay home.
But on the other side, at the end of the year I had seventeen days of unused holiday, and my son and husband had more, and we haven’t been away for more than a few days for years.
Once again, I’m not complaining, just saying that flexibility isn’t as straightforward as it sounds.

You all support eachother, as a family, I presume?

That isnt the situation for a lot of people.

JaneJudge
We have a small business, and try and be as flexible as we can be, but with a small workforce you can’t have everyone working when it suits them, you have to be able to cover all bases everyday.
That said, we have just employed someone with a disabled child, so are aware from the start that that she will need to work from home as and when suits her.
The only people who turn up everyday and work through seem to be me, my husband and children.
Not complaining, just telling it as it is.

Free child care for four years is one thing the Labour Party could offer that would make a real difference both to households and to the economy.

JaneJudge

I was trying to look on the bright side, that maybe more people may want to access work. That said, work needs to be accessible for people who have disabilities or that care and therein lies another problem

I agree. The cost of childcare and/or full-time carers means that work just isn't a viable option for many people.

I think you're right GrannyGravy. I don't go to a beautician, restaurants or a gym because I can't afford them, but many people do use them and they provide thousands of jobs. They're all labour intensive, so if people cut back even 10%, it's going to mean that 10% of the staff will be made redundant. Unfortunately, not many of them live near a cabbage field, so won't be able to fill the vacancies there.

Our country on the whole is really inaccessible isn't it?
Adult education you have to pay for, any education to change career you have to pay for
Transport is expensive
No adaptations in the workplace
Inflexibility of shifts to suit employees
and the lower paid you are, the worse that is.

I was trying to look on the bright side, that maybe more people may want to access work. That said, work needs to be accessible for people who have disabilities or that care and therein lies another problem