High Inflation.

Why on earth is there all this resentment? My kids have a more affluent lifestyle than I did when they were young; I had a better life than my parents, both financially and in terms of opportunities they never had; my mother was certainly better off in many ways than her mum, who started work at 13, crawling under industrial machines for 13 hours a day.

I for one am pleased that my sons and daughters-in-law can afford treats for themselves and their kids.

The reason they interview the more affluent as well as the poor is to show that this crisis is affecting us all, and has, therefore, potential to bring about significant political change.

It also has the potential for people to recognise that here is something we all have in common, even if the degree of impact differs, and which could bring people together - although some of the comments on this thread suggest that’s a forlorn hope.

But there’s more to it than that.
It’s good when people have lots of disposable income, it keeps the economy going.
The people who do all the jobs that travels does will be out of work. Even less disposable income…
Cafes and pubs will close too.
(I’m particularly thinking of my local here - by the time I’m ready to start going out and about again (I haven’t been to the pub in over two years) the blooming thing will have shut down! )

Some people have nice lives. They buy coffee at the coffee shop, they take their children for brunch, whatever. As inflation rises, their lives become not so nice; they can't have the things they used to.

Obviously its not the same as staying on the bus all day just to keep warm, but you can't blame people for being sad when their lives become "less nice". I didn't hear the interview that Calendargirl is talking about, but unless they were complaining it was the end of the world, I don't think we should criticise them.

I think it's fortunate (but not pleasant) that they have so many casual activities they can cut back on without hitting the heat or eat barrier. Most of the couples nowadays both work whereas I didn't and life was somewhat frugal but manageable. I wish us all luck with the financial management that seems to be about to hit us full on.

Once a week we do a shop for a local food bank, we have a jute bag with a shopping list, you are asked not to go off piste and to try and adhere to the list.
It’s humbling.
It costs between £13 and £16 pounds and goes a long way to feeding two people for a week.
The food bank have fresh produce, tea/coffee and juice that they add.
A take away Starbucks is £3.50, I don’t think any of my children ever arrive at our home without empty coffee cups they have bought on the journey, I couldn’t bring myself to spend £7 on two coffees, we travel with our Guinness travel mugs filled up at home and a couple of bits of fruit.
It’s very much a generational thing.

It’s certainly an alien lifestyle to me but one that many younger people see as entirely normal and they feel deprived if they have to cut back on things that seem luxuries to me. I thought I was being wasteful buying a sandwich for my lunch at work instead of taking something in from home. I suppose many young people spend a lot on gyms and beauty treatments too, I have never even had a manicure or pedicure so really can’t relate to it. They are certainly going to feel the pinch but I find it hard to sympathise when so many can’t afford the basic necessities.

I wonder how many women will end up having to pluck their own eyebrows, paint their own real nails, learn how to colour hair and style it. This will apply to some men too. All these treatments done in specialist places are very expensive and possibly will be the first to go if times are hard. It could mean some going out of business as people cut back.

I suppose it’s the difference between getting through each day and living each day to the full?

I think there was a big shift 30 or so years ago towards enjoying oneself going out, out, out. The hospitality industry soared with cafés and restaurants, the leisure industry with gyms and fitness clubs, the beauty industry with spas and treatments etc etc. It seemed as though everyone wanted to "treat" themselves because they were worth it. I guess the time has now come to reconsider, and those kind of things will have to go first. There will be a lot of disgruntled people though.

I often wonder how I ve ever lived and how my children grew big and strong we ate mince in various ways for lots of meals we bought broken biscuits and bacon pieces and they had
(good quality) second hand clothes toys and books but they did not go without at all My mum and dad bought their winter shoes and winter coats We had everything we needed they played out all the time They are all in professions and never been without a job and all have children who have a million things they never had