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

My daughter and her partner are on a very low income although he started a new better paid job last month...she was thrilled today to afford a sandwich from a supermarket as a treat. We aren't massively better off, but such a small thing gave her joy x

Not surprising when Jacob Reece Moffat thinks it must be horrendous to TRY to live on 80k pa. My daughter earns just over 12k pa and has paid off her mortgage on their lovely detached house. They have two children and my son in law is a house husband. Neither of them drink or smoke and all the family, like me, are vegetarian. I help out a little- kids shoes, days out etc. but they more than pay me back with taking me shopping or to appointments and so on. It’s all a question of budgeting. My other daughter is on 60 k pa and her husband has a good job. They eat out a lot, have foreign hols, weekends away, and run SIX cars . Though not hard up, they still grumble about the cost of living. It’s all relative to what you think is important. Someone I know has 5 or 6 holidays per year ( mainly caravan or b&b) but can’t afford milk for her five children. It’s all about choices.

Hmmm...

I am so ashamed of Britain and have been for the last 12 years. When Osborne set out the austerity measures so many working poor were pushed into foodbank use - and I am still making regular donations. WTF is the matter with this country? (I probably know one answer and am using my vote in May local elections to let my views be known - as well as writing to my MP).

Jacob Reece Moffat

Do you mean Jacob Rees Mogg?

MissAdventure

Hmmm...

Lottery win perhaps?

MissAdventure

Hmmm...

You took the words right out of my mouth . . .

Is this the lyrics thread?

I was talking to some friends today and the main subject of conversation was our rising heating bills.One friend mentioned she was dreading the winter because she probably would be sitting in her house wrapped in a blanket with a hot water bottle to watch TV or read etc in the evening as scared to put her heating on.We all agreed we would be the same, or going to bed early. All of us are pensioners about the same age.
What is this country coming to?

I think this will affect the government more than anything. You can lie and obfuscate about so much but each person knows how this affects them and those close to them. That will concentrate minds sooner or later.

Martin Lewis issued a statement today that the wholesale price of gas has gone down slightly, and the October rise might not be as high as previously thought.

I was speaking to a friend today who does not have to worry about rising energy costs, but she said she is now more aware of her energy use and shutting off lights when she leaves a room etc.

Without doubt, there are silver linings in this but sadly those least able will be asked to pay for them.

Callistemon21

Is this the lyrics thread?

Two out of three ain’t bad.

More and more people are saying that utilities should be renationalised, and I wholeheartedly agree. If anything good comes out of this it might be that basic essentials such as heat and light aren’t driven by a profit motive, with people getting cut off if they can’t contribute to the profits of shareholders.

Nothing wrong with olives. They're low calorie and good for you and fill in the cracks. Is 60,000 pounds considered a good income for two in your area? I think that transfers to about $80,000 US. I wouldn't consider that a very good income for two people in this economy. Don't know about UK, but certain foods and other items are sometimes not available in US. What is here is mighty dear and getting more so all the time. Just wondering.

£60,000 for a family with mortgage and childcare costs is not luxury living as some on here seem to think, especially with rises in NI cutting incomes . Why should people want to return to the 1950s with unheated homes and living on mince? Yes, it’s doable but hardly something to aspire to in the 21st century. Why aren’t the energy companies made to reduce their prices given their huge profits?

No, £60,000 a year isn’t a massive income.
One of my daughters and her family live in the London area, and probably between them earn between £70,000 and £80,000.
It seems a lot, but they certainly never seem to have any money to spare.
They don’t live an extravagant lifestyle, they have a nice home, run two cars, they usually go away for a week in all the school holidays, but always camping or self catering.
I’m not saying they aren’t fortunate, I think they are, and sometimes I can’t understand why they never seem to have any money, so someone trying to live on less than half of that, will be finding things very difficult indeed.
I also agree with Vegansrock, we shouldn’t be going backwards, everyone should be able to heat their home, and have a decent diet.
Yes you can manage on very little, I’ve done it, but there’s no joy in life if every day is a struggle.

I am 69 in receipt of state pension which is a ludicrously small amount so having to keep working part time and that gives me a yearly income of just under £15,000, luckily I do not have mortgage or rent to pay…

The energy companies can’t ‘be made to reduce their prices’ vegansrock. They are owned by their shareholders, not the public. Unfortunately.

MeowWow

Crikey, I wish I had £60k a year to spend.

This couple do NOT have 60k a year to spend. This is what the two of them earn. So, once tax, NI etc etc. is taken off it is a lot less. Also take into account their costs of going to work, commuting, clothes, professional fees, etc. etc.

As has been said, 60k for two salaries does put them into the average earnings bracket, of around 30k each.

Of course if you are an MP - even just a back bench one, then this is a miniscule amount. Even the laziest MP get nearly £85k for their few days attendance each year, plus around another £20k plus in expenses, as well as a very subsidised restaurant and bar.

If you are a government minister, then receive a great deal more, and you can always use your time in the House, to catch up on your sleep (eg: Rees-Mogg). HE is the one who has the cheek to talk about people working from home, not giving it their all!!!!

Whereas, I accept that Food Banks do a wonderful job, and am in total admiration to all those volunteers who work in them - the fact that, in a country which is the 5th richest in the world, they are so desperately needed by so many - is absolutely disgusting!!! I would have thought that any government, under whom, these have have had to increase in number should be hanging their heads in shame.

Their existence and need is a total condemnation of the last many years of Tory rule.