The cost of living.

Former Member

Ignoring official figures ...are you noticing a seriously sharp rise in the price of everything?
I mean way beyond what the official figures are saying.
Today i went in the supermarket for a few items and came out sixty quid down ...a few items. And then ....
Gas electric diesel/petrol ...food ...food seems to have rocketed.
Are the inflation figures being distorted beyond how they used to distort them? If so ...how so?

Former Member

I don't think the inflation figures are being distorted any more than normal. We all know that the measure of inflation the Government uses has no relation whatsoever to the real world... theirs is one which measures the prices of items such as widescreen televisions, as if they were somehow an item you buy daily.

Food prices have gone up, and I've certainly noticed the price of fuel going up. It's gonna cost me about £30 to get the car filled up later this morning, and the tank's not even empty yet!

Former Member

Gas - yep.
Electricity - yep.
Phone - nope.
Water - nope.
Petrol - a bit.
Food - I don't buy that much, but haven't noticed too much of an increase.
Beer - always.

Former Member

i have noticed an increase in my shopping bill, especially for fresh stuff.

Former Member

It depends. Food in general has actually come down in real terms compared with what it was 15-20 years ago. Some items are actually cheaper to buy now than they were in the past.

Other things like alcohol have gone up far quicker than the rate of inflation. Home prices are probably where everyone loses out big, compared with the past.

Otherwise I think things are not much different, but the mind tends to look at the past with rose-tinted glasses. Sure things seemed ridiculously cheap then, but then so were wages.

Former Member

Cigarettes :mad:

(yes, I know! I am just saying)

Former Member

I'd hate to live in London that's for sure!

Former Member

Yerascrote wrote: »

I'd hate to live in London that's for sure!

I know it's more expensive than the rest of the country, but I truly believe that it is just a matter of knowing where to go or not to go, and that everything doesn't have to cost half a farm.

Former Member

One way I look at it is this. When my mum was little she had barely anything, and got given next to nothing in pocket money. But for this she could afford to go to the cinema and also afford to go swimming and some sweets too. She used to go cinema every weekend.

These days, you're looking at £15 for that kind of set up, and I don't know anyone who ever got that in pocket money. Bear in mind my mum comes from a poor background, terraced inner city living with a big family.

But I'm not an expert, thats just one case. (swimming baths - £4.10, cinema - £6.20)

Former Member

Aladdin wrote: »

but the mind tends to look at the past with rose-tinted glasses. .

Not this time mate ...i'm talking the last six months. Maybe it's just cos i live on the edge of nowhere and they are taking advantage ...the replies so far would maybe bare that out.

Former Member

Petrol i've noticed, but then i've got a big car. Utitlities, we don't use much, heating is kept off most of the year and it is only ever one for several hours a day anyway.
Fruit and veg seem to be more expensive, but that could be explained away by season.
But then my pay goes up with inflation anyway, I get paid £35 a month extra than the same time last year which seems to cover the increase.

Former Member

Aladdin wrote: »

It depends. Food in general has actually come down in real terms compared with what it was 15-20 years ago. Some items are actually cheaper to buy now than they were in the past.

Generally speaking, food prices are up. If you think otherwise, your partner must do all the shopping.

Personally, I blame the 'liberal elite' and the 'swan-eating immigrants'.

Former Member

Dear Wendy wrote: »

I know it's more expensive than the rest of the country, but I truly believe that it is just a matter of knowing where to go or not to go, and that everything doesn't have to cost half a farm.

:yes:

Former Member

I've noticed food go up, even over the last term at uni. Similar shopping runs are significantly more than they were at the start of term, and petrol is flying up. Christmas hols and it was under £1 a litre, it's now heading for £1.10

Former Member

I find it a bit hard to judge as my tastes and budget changes so I find I buy different items. When I was a student I would try to buy the cheap options whereas now I buy more higher quality items. My income has gone up too and some of my general expenses have gone down so these days I'm much better off than I have ever been in my life.

Former Member

Food definitely is.
In September, value/bettabuy/smartprice mild cheddar was £3.79/kg, and 3 months ago it went up to £4.48
A single pepper cost 68p, now 75p.
Bread is going up, but we knew that anyway because of the grain shortage.
Milk as well, but I think that is a repercussion of the price fixing thing the supermarkets got busted for a few months ago.
In Tesco, a 3kg bag of pasta was £1, now it is £2.48

And worst of all, Freddo chocolate bars went up by 50%!

Former Member

Mmm... I seem to remember an article a few months ago entitled 'the end of cheap food' in which it was claimed many food products were actually cheaper in 2007 than they were 15 years previously, and predicted price rises were inevitable.

So while it might be true that food prices have risen in the last 6 months or so, it might also true that they were cheaper than 15 years ago, which is far the more significant piece of data.

I'll try to dig the article up.

Former Member

Aladdin wrote: »

Mmm... I seem to remember an article a few months ago entitled 'the end of cheap food' in which it was claimed many food products were actually cheaper in 2007 than they were 15 years previously, and predicted price rises were inevitable.

So while it might be true that food prices have risen in the last 6 months or so, it might also true that they were cheaper than 15 years ago, which is far the more significant piece of data.

I'll try to dig the article up.

In real terms that's true for a lot of things - not just food.

Former Member

I asked my supervisor at work why the prices had gone up loads recently and he said that they'd been kept low for ages and this was just a price rise that had been due for a while.

Former Member

Petrol - has been going through the roof for ages now
Food - yes.
Gas and electricity - I'm swapping people over, so I know how much the rates are due to go up
Housing - yes


I don't know how they expect students to come out of uni with the biggest fucking debt through a loan and to go and survive in life when they can't afford a house or anything

Former Member

energy has gone up a lot which has pushed the price of everything else up, made worse by the fact that most freight goods are moved on the roads in the UK not by rail, so as supermarket distribution costs skyrocket this is passed onto consumers i.e. your food gets more expensive. these distribution models rely on cheap energy and are not sustainable the way things are going.

it doesn't help that the pound is losing its purchasing power making imported goods more dear, a weaker pound might not be so bad if we actually exported anything these days. and london's not gonna be able to prop the rest of the country up much longer either so watch out for the taxman when that happens.

lol and worst of all beer is so damned expensive we can't afford to drink ourselves into a stupor to forget about it all. i had a bulmers and a star in the pub last night it came to a tenner, f me i thought i remember why i don't go out as much!

Former Member

Senor Miguel wrote: »

lol and worst of all beer is so damned expensive we can't afford to drink ourselves into a stupor to forget about it all. i had a bulmers and a star in the pub last night it came to a tenner, f me i thought i remember why i don't go out as much!

Serves you right for drinking trendy cider I got merrily drunk last night on a tenner but then I don't live in London! In seriousness I concur that it is difficult. I rarely go out drinking now but when I do I feel like retreating into my house with some chans.

KHSS - I can't believe that about Freddos. Are they 15p now? I am both shocked and disgusted! Also, 75p for a pepper? Where? That is fucking crazy, I can't believe it. PS. Will reply to your PM today!

I've noticed food, booze, fags and petrol creeping up. Well it might be more accurate to say running up behind us and giving us a good kick up the arse before disppearing over the horizon. Don't know about the utilities 'cause I don't pay 'em (how 21st century of me)

edit: I probably shouldn't be so offhand about it, really. My Dad works for an energy charity and has been talking about this for years. I never really paid too much attention as I didn't run my own home then and unfortunately it wasn't as interesting to 16 year old me as the omnibus of Hollyoaks... but, it seems to be a very worrying thing. He's been down to London six times in the last month consulting with this faceless important person and that faceless important person (with head stuck up arse in fitting play on ostrich-syndrome, no doubt).

Former Member

They've been 15p for about a year, maybe more. It was when I was still in the co-op, which was just a year ago. Peppers are 75p in Tesco and Morrisons, but the 3 pack (which I hate buying because they always have green peppers in and I dontl ike them and never use them) are about £1.39. Morrisons do a multibag of small peppers which is £1.19 (usd to be a pound) and they are smaller but you get about 5 and you can usually rummage (and annoy the produce men) and find one without green pepper in.

Baking potatoes are also expensive.

Former Member

Knee High Stripy Socks wrote: »

Baking potatoes are also expensive.

I've noticed that over the past year or so. Of all the things to be expensive, potatoes!?

Former Member

CptCoatHanger wrote: »

I've noticed that over the past year or so. Of all the things to be expensive, potatoes!?

In Brazil potatoes are expensive, they are a real luxury food there!!

Former Member

briggi wrote: »

KHSS - I can't believe that about Freddos. Are they 15p now? I am both shocked and disgusted!

Not only that, but having avoided inflation for over 15 years, Space Invader crisps are now 15p as well! :no:

Former Member

Very rare i go to pubs these days ...when i do the same old faces are always there. The well healed and the lowest paid ...how the hell the low paid can afford pub prices is beyond me ...but cheaper than ever to drink at home.

Former Member

morrocan roll wrote: »

Very rare i go to pubs these days ...when i do the same old faces are always there. The well healed and the lowest paid ...how the hell the low paid can afford pub prices is beyond me ...but cheaper than ever to drink at home.

This is true of many pubs... however it is also true that there appear to be are more pubs than ever before around that sell beer cheaply (Wetherspoons, Yates).

In many respects it is cheaper to drink today than it was 6-8 years ago- certainly in areas where there never used to be a 'discounted beer' boozer before but now there is.

Former Member

go_away wrote: »

:yes:

Isn't the average pint of beer down there £6-£7 quid? :crazyeyes

Former Member

Yes and no.

Food and energy bills do seem to be rising a bit.

Phone, internet and all that seems to be going down.

Former Member

MancDan wrote: »

Isn't the average pint of beer down there £6-£7 quid? :crazyeyes

No, it is quite often £5 for a pint of something out of the ordinary.