Millions forced to skip meals as UK cost of living crisis deepens

[Mac Mickmanus]

1 minute ago, placeholder said:

You said that heating was "free" in the UK. It was not free. It was subsidized. And even after the subsidies, the cost was still at historically high levels. 

 

The Government credits customers account with a certain amount on money and thus customers do not have to pay any money and so its free 

[bangon04]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

In my experience the western people most likely to eat unhealthy food are also the ones spending a lot of money on cigarettes and alcohol. Question of priorities, isn't it?

and they usually have enough money for the latest iphone......

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, JayClay said:

The responses in this thread are absolutely disgusting.

 

A bunch of pompous old out of touch retirees making totally incorrect assumptions about the kind of people that are using these services because they can't be bothered to do the slightest bit of research.

 

No, this is not limited to "people with tattoos", and it's not a case of a few chubbas not being able to afford an ice cream after their McDonalds.

 

We're not talking about uneducated, unskilled workers struggling a bit.

 

We're talking about families of paid professionals; teachers, nurses, police and firefighters. People who have studied hard, invested time and money in their education and career so that they could avoid situations like this. Yet for the last 10 years they've had governments impose real-term pay cuts and now with interest rates rising and inflation raging at double-digit levels they are left without enough money to feed and/or heat themselves and thier families.

 

Show a bit of deleted compassion.

The comments on this thread were concerning obese people, people too lazy to cook decent meals, people that pay large for ciggies and alcohol/ drugs, and yes tattoos. The comments are not about the professionals you reference.

However, life isn't fair and if people think the good times are going to last forever, so hobble themselves with huge mortgages, expensive cars, overseas holidays etc, and didn't save for the rainy day, are we on here to blame for their predicament? I think not.

 

[placeholder]

1 minute ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

The Government credits customers account with a certain amount on money and thus customers do not have to pay any money and so its free 

More ridiculousness. The government pays a percentage of the costs. To those people with a reasonable command of English, that means "subsidized". It doesn't mean "free".

And what makes it worse is that the subsidy the same percentage no matter what your income. In other words, the government is subsidizing the heating costs of billionaires at the same percentage as it does for working people at the lower end of the wage scale. 

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

The Government credits customers account with a certain amount on money and thus customers do not have to pay any money and so its free 

LOL. Nothing except air is free. Where do you think the government gets the money from to give a credit?

[thaibeachlovers]

14 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Yes, people have been given about 1300 Quid for energy bills this winter , given by the Government 

given by the taxpayer.

 

Fixed it for you.

[Bkk Brian]

14 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Yes, people have been given about 1300 Quid for energy bills this winter , given by the Government 

Really?

 

You can get a £400 discount to help with your energy bills over winter 2022 to 2023. 

https://www.gov.uk/get-help-energy-bills/getting-discount-energy-bill

[placeholder]

4 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Really?

 

You can get a £400 discount to help with your energy bills over winter 2022 to 2023. 

https://www.gov.uk/get-help-energy-bills/getting-discount-energy-bill

actually

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-bills-support/energy-bills-support-factsheet-8-september-2022

[Mac Mickmanus]

4 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Really?

 

You can get a £400 discount to help with your energy bills over winter 2022 to 2023. 

https://www.gov.uk/get-help-energy-bills/getting-discount-energy-bill

Support with energy bills

Government is saving households £1,300 on their energy bills this winter through the Energy Price Guarantee and Energy Bill Support Scheme. You may also be eligible for benefits and grants offered by the government and energy suppliers.

[Henryford]

Skip meals, yeah right. But you can bet they can afford a mobile phone, sky subscription and drink/smoke.

[Mac Mickmanus]

8 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL. Nothing except air is free. Where do you think the government gets the money from to give a credit?

Windfall tax on the energy suppliers will pay for it 

[Mac Mickmanus]

9 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

given by the taxpayer.

 

Fixed it for you.

Given by the windfall tax in the utility companies ;

Fixed it with facts for you  

[thaibeachlovers]

50 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I know a few pensioners back in the UK, no income beyond state pension.

They're doing OK, so I can't see how 'professionals' aren't coping.

Probably poor money management skills.

 

Back to the OP,

"Case study: Victoria
Breakfasts are a luxury, weekday lunches largely a thing of the past. There are no food treats any more, no desserts or cake. For Victoria, a single mother on a low income, this denial of her own food needs has one purpose: to ensure her two primary school age children never go hungry."

 

Not much sympathy, she chose to be a single mother with 2 kids.

The UK is full of desperate single guys that would like some company.

Re the Victoria thing- I agree with you. The media is always bringing up the cases of "hungry children" and showing well fed children lurking around, opening cupboards to see the "paltry" food supplies only to see expensive canned food etc.

Porridge isn't expensive, mince isn't expensive, I don't know about in the UK but here rice is cheap, potatoes are cheap, cabbage is cheap, carrots are cheap, peas are cheap, bread is not expensive unless buying the fancy brands, margarine isn't expensive. Don't need spiced food, don't need sauces ( gravy is cheap ), don't need to eat fancy recipes, don't need dessert, DEFINITELY don't need sugar, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, sweets, cake etc. Don't need latest smart phone, kids don't need personal computers ( library books are cheap or free to read ), don't need to eat at restaurants, don't need to go away on holiday, don't need pay tv, don't need movies, don't need new clothes, don't need the soft bog roll, etc.

 

Your grandparents would have been amazed at the life we live, and there is no "right" to live the way we used to when times were good.

Want to have children, make sure you can pay for them- it's like people never heard of contraceptives.

Life isn't fair, so allow for that, save when times are good, economize when they are bad. Don't expect other people to pay for your life choices, unless genuinely sick. In the UK people have that wonderful NHS. Try living where the Dr is too expensive to see, and one can't get one's heart meds without seeing a Dr.

 

[cleopatra2]

36 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

The Government credits customers account with a certain amount on money and thus customers do not have to pay any money and so its free 

I thought the government is paying the energy suppliers the difference between actual unit cost v subdized unit cost through the energy cap price.

Thus customers are receiving a reduction on actual cost, but still have to pay.

[Pattaya Spotter]

And yet the UK government has billions of pounds for war in The Ukraine ???????? 

 

When her sons ask for snacks she can no longer afford, Aislinn Corey in London, lays down a blanket on the floor and plays “the picnic game.” She takes an apple collected from her preschool’s food bank and slices it in thirds to be shared. “We do it as an activity...so they don’t know that mummy is struggling.” She says dinners are often reduced to “pasta pasta pasta,” and she sometimes skips the meal entirely so there is more food for her children.

 

As the cost of groceries and heating homes have hit records signs of distress are everywhere. The BBC has published dozens of online recipes costing less than a pound, or about $1.23, per portion. Some schools have turned down their heaters and many communities have opened “warm spaces” — heated public rooms for people with cold homes.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/world/europe/uk-cost-of-living-children.html

[placeholder]

1 minute ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

And yet the UK government has billions of pounds for war in The Ukraine ???????? 

 

When her sons ask for snacks she can no longer afford, Aislinn Corey in London, lays down a blanket on the floor and plays “the picnic game.” She takes an apple collected from her preschool’s food bank and slices it in thirds to be shared. “We do it as an activity...so they don’t know that mummy is struggling.” She says dinners are often reduced to “pasta pasta pasta,” and she sometimes skips the meal entirely so there is more food for her children.

 

As the cost of groceries and heating homes have hit records signs of distress are everywhere. The BBC has published dozens of online recipes costing less than a pound, or about $1.23, per portion. Some schools have turned down their heaters and many communities have opened “warm spaces” — heated public rooms for people with cold homes.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/world/europe/uk-cost-of-living-children.html

The Tories undermining of the social good began long before the Ukraine War. 

[JonnyF]

1 minute ago, placeholder said:

The Tories undermining of the social good began long before the Ukraine War. 

I suppose it's the Tories fault that people spend their money on tattoos, Playstations, beer and cigarettes before food?

 

It's the Tories fault people are too lazy to cook? 

 

How about personal responsibility? I used to eat for a pound a day when I was at Uni and nearing my overdraft limit. I'd skip the occasional meal. That's life. I didn't expect the government to put steak on my plate every night. Those luxuries came later after getting my degree, working for a decade and paying off my student loans.

 

I was fortunate enough to be under a Tory government so I did get a small grant. Labour removed that shortly after I graduated.

[Bkk Brian]

10 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

And yet the UK government has billions of pounds for war in The Ukraine ???????? 

 

When her sons ask for snacks she can no longer afford, Aislinn Corey in London, lays down a blanket on the floor and plays “the picnic game.” She takes an apple collected from her preschool’s food bank and slices it in thirds to be shared. “We do it as an activity...so they don’t know that mummy is struggling.” She says dinners are often reduced to “pasta pasta pasta,” and she sometimes skips the meal entirely so there is more food for her children.

 

As the cost of groceries and heating homes have hit records signs of distress are everywhere. The BBC has published dozens of online recipes costing less than a pound, or about $1.23, per portion. Some schools have turned down their heaters and many communities have opened “warm spaces” — heated public rooms for people with cold homes.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/world/europe/uk-cost-of-living-children.html

& the majority of the UK population supports the aid to Ukraine. I guess they are aware that those in Ukraine are paying with their lives for the ambitions of one man.

[VocalNeal]

1 minute ago, JonnyF said:

expect the government

Nail. Head. ????

[thaibeachlovers]

13 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

And yet the UK government has billions of pounds for war in The Ukraine ???????? 

 

When her sons ask for snacks she can no longer afford, Aislinn Corey in London, lays down a blanket on the floor and plays “the picnic game.” She takes an apple collected from her preschool’s food bank and slices it in thirds to be shared. “We do it as an activity...so they don’t know that mummy is struggling.” She says dinners are often reduced to “pasta pasta pasta,” and she sometimes skips the meal entirely so there is more food for her children.

 

As the cost of groceries and heating homes have hit records signs of distress are everywhere. The BBC has published dozens of online recipes costing less than a pound, or about $1.23, per portion. Some schools have turned down their heaters and many communities have opened “warm spaces” — heated public rooms for people with cold homes.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/world/europe/uk-cost-of-living-children.html

Thank you for pointing that out.

Indeed, if British children are going hungry, why are the parents not out demonstrating against any money for Ukraine? Use the "spare money" being spent on war, to pay for children's meals at school.

I have no sympathy for any that don't demonstrate against paying for a war that is IMO nothing to do with Britain.

[JayClay]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The comments on this thread were concerning obese people, people too lazy to cook decent meals, people that pay large for ciggies and alcohol/ drugs, and yes tattoos. The comments are not about the professionals you reference

Well that's a shame, because that's who the article is about...

[placeholder]

1 minute ago, JonnyF said:

I suppose it's the Tories fault that people spend their money on tattoos, Playstations, beer and cigarettes before food?

 

It's the Tories fault people are too lazy to cook? 

 

How about personal responsibility? I used to eat for a pound a day when I was at Uni and nearing my overdraft limit. I'd skip the occasional meal. That's life. I didn't expect the government to put steak on my plate every night. Those luxuries came later after getting my degree, working for a decade and paying off my student loans.

 

I was fortunate enough to be under a Tory government so I did get a small grant. Labour removed that shortly after I graduated.

Same broad generalizations. 

I'm guessing you graduated in the mid 1990's. Prices have risen considerably since then.

 

 

[Mac Mickmanus]

37 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

 

 

When her sons ask for snacks she can no longer afford, Aislinn Corey in London, lays down a blanket on the floor and plays “the picnic game.” She takes an apple collected f

Can no longer afford snacks, junk food ?

Chocolate and crisps and snacks were made expensive to stop kids pigging out on that food and getting fat 

[Pattaya Spotter]

30 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

& the majority of the UK population supports the aid to Ukraine. I guess they are aware that those in Ukraine are paying with their lives for the ambitions of one man.

That explains the government's unpopularity in polls. Got it. And the ambitions of Zelenski has nothing to do with the people of the UK.

[placeholder]

1 minute ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

That explains the government's unpopularity in polls. Got it.

If the popularity of a government was based on that single issue, you would have a point. Clearly, that's not the case. So you don't.

[KhunLA]

Hard to say the 'hunger' is alarming, when over indulgence is usually the effect of a few of those.   And are those same folks, giving up the fags & pints  ?

 

"The leading public health expert Sir Michael Marmot called the rise in hunger “alarming”, and told the Guardian it would have damaging health consequences for society’s worst off, including increased occurrences of stress, mental illness, obesity, diabetes and heart disease."

 

Maybe eating a little too much.

[JayClay]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I know a few pensioners back in the UK, no income beyond state pension.

They're doing OK, so I can't see how 'professionals' aren't coping.

Ohhh why didn't you say so before?

 

You know a few people who are doing okay; ergo there is no crisis.

 

Yes you can probably just about manage on the state pension if you have already paid off your mortgage or are in receipt of other benefits.

 

Believe it or not, life doesn't revolve around pensioners.

 

How many people do you know who are still working , who are dealing with massive mothly hikes, on top of the energy bill hikes and food and clothing price increases?

 

Anybody who dismisses the current crises as millions of people suddenly being unable to budget properly, is simply enabling the people responsible.

 

Ignoring the crisis is one thing, I can understand that... Out of sight, out of mind. But people who spout callous untrue deleted blaming the victims are nothing short of sick.

[Harveyboy]

6 hours ago, Credo said:

A big part of the problem is that so many people are relegated to eating very unhealthy food with a very high fat content.   

days of cooking and eating decent food ... Gone MC do ..KFC...pizza .. kebab..the list goes on ..junk food plus lazy people = obesity  simple

[vandeventer]

6 hours ago, Credo said:

A big part of the problem is that so many people are relegated to eating very unhealthy food with a very high fat content.   

So true, when you go to the markets here pig fat is the same price as the meat. And they use a lot of it. Also if people would cut down on the size of each meal they eat they would not be so fat.

[thaibeachlovers]

24 minutes ago, JayClay said:

Well that's a shame, because that's who the article is about...

Huh! The OP and the title say nothing about "professionals".