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

[Slip]

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

Three pages of stereotypical bar stool philosophy and economics...my oh my.

Amazing isn't it?  Apparently all we need to do is ban tattoos, energy drinks, junk food, cigarettes, alcohol and play-stations (for the poor and lazy only of course) and those sunny uplands will be firmly just without our grasp at last.

[puchooay]

6 hours ago, Credo said:

For many people, they are located far from a green grocer or a decent grocery store.  Local convenience stores tend to sell highly refined food, high in salt, sugar and fat and now in nutrition.  

 

You'll find most people who complain are from so called deprived areas. Mostly inner city. Lots of shopping opportunities nearby.

[BritManToo]

Just now, Slip said:

Amazing isn't it?  Apparently all we need to do is ban tattoos, energy drinks, junk food, cigarettes, alcohol and play-stations (for the poor and lazy only of course) and those sunny uplands will be firmly just without our grasp at last.

Poor people have always been hungry.

That's the way the world works.

[Hawaiian]

44 minutes ago, bangon04 said:

Guessing that many of the posters on this forum have worked hard for their retirement, have sometimes (often) been fleeced by a divorce settlement in their home country, and yet have still managed to provide for a "comfortable" later life. It should not be a surprise that they have little sympathy for those who appear incapable of financial self-management.

We are sometimes called survivalists.  And yes, I have empathy for them and feel sorry for the children, but such is life.

[puchooay]

5 hours 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.

My wife and I earn less than all those professions you listed.

 

We are doing OK as we have never overstretched ourselves, I understand that prices go up, as fo interest rates and thus we plan ahead. Upto and including during the pandemic things were good. So good that some people thought, foolishly, it would last forever and spent spent spent. 

 

My wife earns £10.90 an hour. I earn £11.04. We pay £1000 a month rent. Add all the other monthly bills it adds up to about £1500. Add food and probably in the region of £1800. 2 cars, paid for as we didn't overstretch anf get finance to buy something we couldn't afford. Petrol for cars about £200 a month. I guess we are spending above average yet we can still save each month.

 

If a couple a couple of nurses on £30+know a year, for example, can't do what we do, they have made some serious financial errors.

[puchooay]

4 hours 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 

You're slightly off the mark. Our subsidy is £1 less than our direct debit. Thus, we pay around £1 a month for energy. ????????????????

Edited January 26, 2023 by puchooay

[BritManToo]

49 minutes ago, NextG said:

A “comfortable” late life in another country much cheaper than their own ????

Posting bitterly on a forum because they “worked hard” and have been “fleeced” is to what the poor and downtrodden should aspire?

I don't know where the 'bitterly' came from.

Most of us are entirely happy living here with our younger wives and pensions.

[Adumbration]

Looks like political strategy might have to come full circle:

 

https://politicaldictionary.com/words/chicken-in-every-pot/#:~:text=“Chicken in every pot” was,of touch with economic reality.

[puchooay]

7 hours ago, animalmagic said:

Do you deliver?

I'll see if I can sign up to Deliveroo. Strangely, in these desperate times, they are still busy. 

[Adumbration]

I wonder how many of the people skipping meals to survive were mortgage holders?

 

40% of all residential mortgages in Australia are about to reset from 2% pandemic rates to 6-7%.

 

There will be lots of mortgage holder in Australia skipping meals shortly also.

 

 

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, bangon04 said:

Guessing that many of the posters on this forum have worked hard for their retirement, have sometimes (often) been fleeced by a divorce settlement in their home country, and yet have still managed to provide for a "comfortable" later life. It should not be a surprise that they have little sympathy for those who appear incapable of financial self-management.

People are in crisis because of the current economic situation and those here are lecturing families who are struggling, while making anecdotal claims about lifestyle choices that are stereotypical garbage.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2023 by Bluespunk

[puchooay]

2 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Nope.

 

People are in crisis because of the current economic situation and those here are lecturing families who are struggling, while making claims about lifestyle choices that are stereotypical garbage.

 

 

OK. So, please explain why those on much higher salaries than myself and my wife are apparently struggling, if it is not because of lifestyle choices?

[Bluespunk]

Just now, puchooay said:

OK. So, please explain why those on much higher salaries than myself and my wife are apparently struggling, if it is not because of lifestyle choices?

Do the words ''economic crisis'' mean anything to you?

[puchooay]

6 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Do the words ''economic crisis'' mean anything to you?

Yes, they do.

 

However, because of lifestyle choices, we are not struggling.

 

Please explain how those on higher salaries than us are struggling, if it's not because of lifestyle choices. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by puchooay

[JonnyF]

11 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

People are in crisis because of the current economic situation and those here are lecturing families who are struggling, while making anecdotal claims about lifestyle choices that are stereotypical garbage.

 

 

Nonsense. None of my extended family are struggling. None of us were given anything either, we simply worked hard, planned ahead, lived within our means, didn't make a myriad of poor decisions.

 

People need to start taking responsibility for their lives and stop blaming governments for everything.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

People are in crisis because of the current economic situation and those here are lecturing families who are struggling, while making anecdotal claims about lifestyle choices that are stereotypical garbage.

 

 

My lifestyle choice was to move somewhere where I could live on my income.

Another lifestyle choice I could have made was to work until I dropped.

If I were a woman, I could have chosen to live with (or share living costs) with a man.

[Chomper Higgot]

10 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?

When was the last time you were in the UK? (The subject nation of this thread).

[Chomper Higgot]

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Agree,

Yesterday I made shredded chicken and pasta soup, enough for 10 servings, about 100bht (same ingredients as yours -spinach +pasta).

I'm betting all those people that can't afford meals only buy prepackaged, and can't cook.

It hasn’t dawned on you, prices in the UK are significantly higher than the UK?

 

The fact you paid in ฿ is clue you missed.

[BritManToo]

4 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

When was the last time you were in the UK? (The subject nation of this thread).

Still in contact with my rellies, older couple, live in social housing, live mainly on benefits.

Eat a lot of junk food (both huge), drink a lot of alcohol and smoke.

I'd say TBL is bang on.

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It hasn’t dawned on you, prices in the UK are significantly higher than the UK?

The fact you paid in ฿ is clue you missed.

Looking at ALDI UK prices, almost the same for the ingredients in Thailand and the UK. Chicken breasts 2.99gbp for 400gm Vs 60bht for 250gm, potatoes slightly more expensive in Thailand.

Edited January 26, 2023 by BritManToo

[Chomper Higgot]

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

My lifestyle choice was to move somewhere where I could live on my income.

Another lifestyle choice I could have made was to work until I dropped.

If I were a woman, I could have chosen to live with (or share living costs) with a man.

Most people in the UK are not able to make the choice you made.

 

You might open your mind and consider millions need to earn a living, raise, feed, house and educate their children, millions more are caring for aged parents or dealing with their own health challenges.

 

The UK is there home, where their lives and responsibilities are.

 

Your experience of moving across the globe to find somewhere cheap to live is a totally irrelevance to the lives of the vast majority of people in the Uk.

[Chomper Higgot]

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Still in contact with my rellies, older couple, live in social housing, live mainly on benefits.

Eat a lot of junk food (both huge), drink a lot of alcohol and smoke.

I'd say TBL is bang on.

I don’t think we are discussing why you left, but I may be wrong.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

Nonsense. None of my extended family are struggling. None of us were given anything either, we simply worked hard, planned ahead, lived within our means, didn't make a myriad of poor decisions.

 

People need to start taking responsibility for their lives and stop blaming governments for everything.

Good for them.

 

Life experiences of others differ.

[puchooay]

9 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It hasn’t dawned on you, prices in the UK are significantly higher than the UK?

 

The fact you paid in ฿ is clue you missed.

I paid £2 for 800g of chicken. About 80 baht. How much is it currently in Thailand?

[Chomper Higgot]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Poor people have always been hungry.

That's the way the world works.

Not so.

 

Millions going hungry in the UK is a problem, not seen since the 1930s. 
 

It’s a problem of the moment.

 

 

[BritManToo]

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

Not so.

Millions going hungry in the UK is a problem, not seen since the 1930s. 

It’s a problem of the moment.

My mom told me she was often hungry in the 1950s (rationing).

[Chomper Higgot]

5 minutes ago, puchooay said:

I paid £2 for 800g of chicken. About 80 baht. How much is it currently in Thailand?

I don’t know, currently I’m on the UK.

 

 

 

[BritManToo]

9 minutes ago, puchooay said:

I paid £2 for 800g of chicken. About 80 baht. How much is it currently in Thailand?

60bht for 250gm in Lotus's for chicken breasts.

Your UK chicken was way cheaper than Thailand chicken.

Edited January 26, 2023 by BritManToo

[Chomper Higgot]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

My mom told me she was often hungry in the 1950s (rationing).

Rationing was a controlled diet designed to ensure a balanced and sufficient food intake.

It was also in place during a period when the industrial processed food industry did not exist.

 

 

[puchooay]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I don’t know, currently I’m on the UK.

 

 

 

Excellent. So your comment, sorry, assumption on price differences was just that. An assumption. Not much use in your argument.