I’m more of a wine lady, myself 
Couple years on… how is everyone coping?
Don’t take much notice of these so called recessions, negative growth does not correlate directly to Soup Kitchens (for the majority)
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i’m still on a crust of bread a day
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I was a Lurpak man until it dawned on me I was buying highly processed imported butter when I could buy lovely English/ Welsh butter made by actual farmers. So I switched
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You’ll never put a better bit of butter on your knife
We are doing well financially as we can make small cut backs to our everyday living if need be.
Like most our Electricity has increased so last Winter was around 700 Euros for the coldest period and the same period this time is was up to over 1000 Euros…so quite a hike…Certainly was a longer cold period and no way are we prepared to cut back on Heat…
We have a couple of Log Burners and just one of them is used every evening. It is classified as ‘green’ as well so happy with that. …came from the UK as we could not find one of that size here in France.
So of course cost of living rising will affect most Mr Average’s but as long as you have room to cut out some of the more luxurious buys then your still sitting pretty…But if you have really got to make a choice like many I have read about, heating or food… now to me that is an inhuman way to live and if those in power whom often seem to me to be living in very well off circle…Do they even feel or know what it is like for so many people who are living in the 21st Century but truly are living hand to mouth…
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We’re doing OK. There’s lots of money for everyday food shopping and living. Perhaps because we don’t feel the need to get away from the local area and go on holidays. We eat meals at home and don’t buy coffees or fast food when out. Just the very occasional curry delivered to the house and a few beers a week.
Anything to make the home more comfortable can be afforded (gadgets, home entertainment items etc.) Got a nice garden and good local facilities. Financially comfortable all in all.
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A post was split to a new topic: Labours secret plans will cost us trillions/nations seeking reparations
I thank goodness I am ok financially .
However poverty has increased, it’s now visible everywhere .
No longer is it a shock to see the homeless living out their lives in shop doorways in affluent areas.
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We’ve never liked to put ourselves under pressure financially, always lived within our means, never felt the need to count the pennies. We live a pretty simple life and we are happy. If, at the end of the year, we’ve got a few grand in the bank we’ll take a holiday. Meanwhile we’re stocked up on tinned sardines, pasta & rice, ready for the big bang.
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I am truly shocked at the sudden rise in prices over the last year. Coupled with the “shrinkage” of products, its terrible.
I did an experiment when I found an old (4 year old) receipt in a cookbook. It cost me £20 then. I added up if I bought the same things now, it was approx £36 
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I did the same experiment - basically it equates to the cost of many food items doubling!
Meanwhile, the profits of supermarkets like Tesco have tripled since the pandemic! Shame on our politicians for allowing and facilitating it!
The thing is, most of the demographic of this forum, mostly Boomers and older, are likely to to be comfortably off, homeowners with pensions, you can see that from the replies
So we can absorb the price increases without too much hardship
I’m not saying that’s everyone over 60, I know there are lots of pensioners struggling and probably members on here to, but they haven’t come forward
But the majority are managing comfortably still
But I can’t imagine how young families, single parents, the unemployed, young families, unemployed, renters etc are coping with the horrendous increase in the cost of living
And it makes me so angry
I think producers and retailers are using the fuel crisis etc as an excuse to boost prices and profits and to try to kid us they’re not to blame and just being greedy
So although we don’t need to really, I have made a deliberate effort to cut down a bit, just because I don’t want to give the greedy ones my dosh!
It’s easier now I’ve retired anyway
I cook and bake rather than buy ready made, shop around, belong to a food buying collective, shop locally and in the cheapy shops, aim for zero waste and using up leftovers
I use the air fryer microwave and slow cooker rather than the big oven, we turned the central heating down and wear fleeces and hoodies, are strict on not wasting water and turn lights etc off
And in fact we probably spend slightly less as a result of all that, our direct debit for fuel has a definitely gone down
But the thing is we’re in a position to do that
I’m retired with time on my hands and we’re healthy enough with no small children so we can keep the house cooler, we’ve got good shopping close by and I’m active enough to do it
Heaven help young families working all the hours God gave for low income, the sick and disabled and children who need warmth and keep outgrowing their clothes and shoes
And I think it’s obscene that companies continue to profiteer on human misery and that they should be called out in it
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Yes I cook from scratch - I eat a mainly raw diet these days, so barely cook anything (no need to buy pre-packed stuff which can be expensive for the “convenience”)
I read the stories daily, of the sick and disabled and could cry for the disgusting way they are treated by those who should “know better”!
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Never pays to rent if you can save enough to buy. the problem is getting enough money saved up for a deposit, something you will never be able to do by renting. At the outset I could not see the point of my own and wifes hard earned money going into someone elses pocket. One of the reasons why I quit BT and decided to go it alone with the kennels. best financial move I ever made
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You can’t get a mortgage these days though.
Even renting is a nightmare for those who want to (or have to) move house
To get our kennels no company in the UK would lend to us ,even though we had a good deposit. They didn’t want to lend against a business that might fail. Eventually we got ours from an overseas company
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Well, that was quite a while ago wasn’t it?..imagine if you tried nowadays…it certainly wouldn’t have happened. Even dog walkers up my way who set up a business, tend to last only months, sadly
What most do is start or go into a business expecting it to fail. It is all a question of attitude, one has to give 110 pecent commitment and be prepared to work far longer hours that a 9 to 5 job
Not only that but a very serious interest in the work. There is so much more to running/owning a business than one can imagine. so much so I won’t even go there to explain.
Ask anyone wanting to have their own business be prepared to move- and sell their house to achieve their dreams . and most would say no
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