Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 80 total)
  • Can you really afford Sky, cigarettes, bingo, drinks and other non-essentials?
  • geoffj
    Full Member

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21855744

    Ham fisted genuine offer of help or patronising accusations of fecklessness?

    wysiwyg
    Free Member

    No i cant so no i dont

    ThePinkster
    Full Member

    wysiwyg – Member
    No i cant so no i dont

    +1

    I saw this on telly the other night and couldn’t see what was wrong with it to be honest. It strikes me as a genuine question that a lot of people are asking at the moment.

    hammerite
    Free Member

    Well yes I can afford them at the moment. But I’m looking at returning to studenthood for a year.

    Sky TV will go, I don’t drink much, don’t smoke or gamble. My main other spend is on bike stuff which will reduce dramatically.

    I don’t really see what’s wrong with this either.

    white101
    Full Member

    Having been immobile for the last 6 weeks, Ive spent quite a bit of time looking at what we spend money on around the house. Have changed utility supplier, knocked on the head some tosh channels from Virgin media and got a new deal on a phone which has saved me a few quid.
    Because I’ve not been able to walk or go out anywhere I realised how much a nght out costs when I checked my bank balance, not been drinking in the house (ok, bottle of wine over friday sat night). No smokers here anyway.
    I wouldnt say a broken ankle is good for you, but I’ve saved a few quid and had a bit of a spring clean on the finances.
    Just as well cos no doubt Mr Osborne will be gunning for me in an hours time.

    Papa_Lazarou
    Free Member

    Could be taken as slightly patronising, but the head of the housing association in question was on radio 4 this morning and said it was included with another 5 pages of advice on how to manage £.

    If things are that tight, maybe some people need it pointing out they may have to do without certain non-essentials or risk losing their home. BUT I’m sure there are many more families who are facing this scenario and can’t cut back anymore – it is these people I feel sorry for.

    IMHO it’s fairly normal for a Tory government to target the most vulnerable in society and unfortunately this advice will be used to further cultivate the image of ‘benefit scroungers’.

    bigyinn
    Free Member

    All depends on what your definition of essential is really.
    I’ve cut all my spending to the bone, or put our utilities on the cheapest package I can find.
    But, im not depending on any state benefits either.

    muppetWrangler
    Free Member

    No sky (or virgin)
    No smoking
    No drinking
    No gambling

    and still not much to show for it. I really must be doing something very wrong.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    When we moved to Oz we cut all the monthly stuff out and started again.

    For 5 months we had rent, elec, water, pre pay phones, internet.

    As we have settled in and I’m working we have added a few more but nothing mad. Home brew was the main solution though.

    Ringo
    Free Member

    I got rid of sky and have now got rid of tv too, I prefer reading and listening to music, I also like to gamble drink and smoke, and drugs

    scaled
    Free Member

    Ringo – Member
    I got rid of sky and have now got rid of tv too, I prefer reading and listening to music

    You weren’t getting the value for money that the unemployed do though, sitting at home all day watching TV 😉

    binners
    Full Member

    Do enough shoplifting and you can afford all kinds of ‘non-essentials’ 😛

    thx1138
    Free Member

    I’d quite like to see a leaflet campaign directed at many of the residents where I live:

    Do you really need a massive 4×4 vehicle, which is dangerous and creates unnecessary pollution? Could you not instead get a smaller, less polluting car, or travel by public transport/bicycle/walk instead? And start considering others rather than just yourselves; that way we might all have a slightly nicer society.

    Actually I might do it myself. 😀

    thx1138
    Free Member

    Do enough shoplifting and you can afford all kinds of ‘non-essentials’

    Or avoid paying enough tax… 😉

    tomhoward
    Full Member

    Don’t drink regularly.
    Don’t smoke.
    Don’t gamble often (maybe a £30 a year in poker games with mates)
    Have Sky.
    Can afford it :-).

    tomhoward
    Full Member

    Do you really need a massive 4×4 vehicle, which is dangerous and creates unnecessary pollution? Could you not instead get a smaller, less polluting car, or travel by public transport/bicycle/walk instead? And start considering others rather than just yourselves; that way we might all have a slightly nicer society.

    Actually I might do it myself.

    Trolling in the real world as well as teh internetz? Like your style.

    thx1138
    Free Member

    Trolling in the real world as well as teh internetz? Like your style.

    Not ‘trolling’ at all. But if certain sections of society are being targeted for their ‘behaviour’, then surely it’s fine to apply similar techniques to others?

    Muswell Hill is not so rugged that you ‘need’ a BMW X5 or whatever godawful monstrosity. And there’s limited room on our congested roads, so surely it’s socially responsible to drive a smaller car, or not drive at all?

    And it’s ‘helpful’ too; little Tarquin and Tabitha’s lungs will benefit from less pollution.

    hels
    Free Member

    It could be worse.

    I was sat outside a shop in the car with my elderly aunt once, in Turangi in New Zealand. A Maori woman came out of the shop, holding lottery tickets, and she pipes up “she shouldn’t be spending all her social welfare on lotto”. I didn’t know where to start with those judgements, gently explained that kind of chat might be OK in the South Island but not in these parts.

    But yes, I think the lady has a fair point re budgeting, if badly expressed. And taxing big Chelsea Tractors just makes them less accessible to the proles, therefore more of a status symbol. I say we torch them !

    hels
    Free Member

    P.S is thx-1138 Padded Bra/Fred ??

    thx1138
    Free Member

    I say we torch them !

    No; fit them with proper off-road tyres and send them to places where people can’t afford such luxuries, so they can be used by people like doctors etc so they can get to people in hard to reach areas. Somewhere where they’ll be of actual practical use, not just as ego extensions for selfish ****.

    thx1138
    Free Member

    P.S is thx-1138 Padded Bra/Fred ??

    😕

    What does that mean? Someone called me ‘Fred’ on here the other day too.

    kimbers
    Full Member

    does this apply to pensioners?

    they are by far the largest drain on the welfare bill- not to mention the NHS, see loads of oldies queuing up at the fag counter in morrisons

    vinnyeh
    Full Member

    does this apply to pensioners?

    they are by far the largest drain on the welfare bill- not to mention the NHS, see loads of oldies queuing up at the fag counter in morrisons

    They’re not old , just look it.

    I don’t think thx is Fred, too many differences in attitude and writing style, but could be wrong.

    Hels, what’s with the quip about south islanders?

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    “massive 4×4 vehicle, which is dangerous and creates unnecessary pollution”

    depends what your towing doesnt it … heavy taxation just makes it hard for those of us that do actually require the use of a 4×4 regularly to tow stuff… just means i buy old ones in the lower tax brackets and keep em going as long as i can.

    how would mcmoonter get his wood back to his gaff without his disco ?

    kimbers
    Full Member

    how would mcmoonter get his wood back to his gaff without his disco ?

    Pawsy_Bear
    Free Member

    No

    and no 4×4 or other huge gas guzzler or audi hair dresser cars
    no pets
    no take away or eating out
    Yes mobile phone
    yes 2 bikes 1 road 1 mtb

    my budget has to balance unlike Greece’s, Cyprus, Italy, Spain etc I havent voted myself huge benefits I cant pay for.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    tbh ive been doing that recently – pilfering wood left deep in the woods where you cant get with the motor from the thinning of the woods.

    Tom-B
    Free Member

    Definitely seems like then new elfie login. Anyone heard from Mike Connor recently?

    rattrap
    Free Member

    Muswell Hill is not so rugged that you ‘need’ a BMW X5…

    Oh, we allocate cars on ‘need’ now do we?

    Will this apply to other sectors of society as well in your utopia?

    Sorry guv, you can’t have that 6″ travel full suss as you only ride Swinley and Leith Hill

    yunki
    Free Member

    What does that mean? Someone called me ‘Fred’ on here the other day too.

    aaah..

    this means that you may have been sticking up for the underdog in a manner that betrays a simmering moral outrage..

    A bloke that used to post here (fred) used to do it a fair bit.. (a bit too much in fact, got up people’s noses) you shouldn’t be too upset by it though, most people were simply very jealous that Fred was so much clevererer than them.. 😀

    stumpyjon
    Full Member

    Meh, offence taken over clumsy advice shocker. Even if the advice was worded more effectively it would still have caused offence as people don’t like being told what to do with their lives or how to spend their money.

    I imagine the people thx1138 is ranting at also don’t like being told what to do with their money anymore than those using their benefits / tax credits / latest bribe for votes money to pay for fags and lotto. The only difference is the BMW X5 owners have found a source of income other than the state (I’d be surprised if it were possible to stretch benefits that far).

    Everyone’s got an opinion on how others should live, my opinion is people should just get on with their own lives, deal with the consequences of their actions and stop whinging

    HughStew
    Full Member

    they are by far the largest drain on the welfare bill- not to mention the NHS, see loads of oldies queuing up at the fag counter in morrisons

    Surely this is the solution not the problem.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Do you really need a massive 4×4 vehicle, which is dangerous and creates unnecessary pollution? Could you not instead get a smaller, less polluting car, or travel by public transport/bicycle/walk instead? And start considering others rather than just yourselves; that way we might all have a slightly nicer society
    Could you also park nicely outside the school as the reason the roads are so dangerous there and your precious cannot go on foot is the behaviour of all the cars trying to park right outside the school endganering us.

    I doubt he is fred- he was an infamous poster on here now bay ned from here for his constant “trouble making”- as you are more coherent and less antagonistic. Every knew charachter gets asked this btw.
    He polarised opinions but i am in the for camp bu he was often a very naught boy

    Pawsy_Bear
    Free Member

    Sorry guv, you can’t have that 6″ travel full suss as you only ride Swinley and Leith Hill

    fair comment

    On inspection of the garage I find I need to balance my tyre budget I seemed ‘over stocked’

    geoffj
    Full Member

    He polarised opinions but i am in the for camp bu he was often a very naught boy

    +1 Long live Fred!

    thx1138
    Free Member

    Oh, we allocate cars on ‘need’ now do we?

    No, you are free to buy whatever car you choose. And therein lies the problem; buy a massive dangerous polluter, just because it’s nice and big and comfy and your neighbour’s think you look oh so wealthy, and you’re being less socially responsible/more selfish. So why shouldn’t you receive just criticism? Same as if you blow your benefits on Sky/booze/fags etc.

    Will this apply to other sectors of society as well in your utopia?

    Why not apply criticism of selfish and socially irresponsible behaviour to all, equally? If your behaviour impacts on others, why should you be exempt from criticism? This isn’t about ‘utopia’; this is about not being a ****.

    I imagine the people thx1138 is ranting at also don’t like being told what to do with their money anymore than those using their benefits / tax credits / latest bribe for votes money to pay for fags and lotto. The only difference is the BMW X5 owners have found a source of income other than the state (I’d be surprised if it were possible to stretch benefits that far).

    Have they also found other roads to drive on, and a different atmosphere to pollute?

    aaah..

    this means that you may have been sticking up for the underdog in a manner that betrays a simmering moral outrage..

    A bloke that used to post here (fred) used to do it a fair bit.. (a bit too much in fact, got up people’s noses) you shouldn’t be too upset by it though, most people were simply very jealous that Fred was so much clevererer than them..

    I see. This would explain why I’ve been met with hostility by certain other forum members, since I joined. I’d imagine ‘Fred’ was possibly in a minority of actually being able to think for themselves then; judging by many of the attitudes expressed on here.

    Strange, the bit about ‘people not liking being told what to do with their money’, because I got grief for buying a couple of bikes a few months ago. Quite a few were almost angrily suggesting I should spend less than I had intended to, and that I was ‘flaunting’ my ‘wealth’. 😯 😆 Funny forum this.

    crankboy
    Free Member

    “Funny forum this” now you get it!

    rattrap
    Free Member

    just because it’s nice and big and comfy and your neighbour’s think you look oh so wealthy, and you’re being less socially responsible/more selfish.

    So, you’re just jealous really then?

    Typical lefty politics of envy glossed over as social responsibility 🙄

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    massively dangerous polluter …..

    pull the other one.

    all cars are dangerous weapons

    thx1138
    Free Member

    So, you’re just jealous really then?

    No. Why would I be? 😕

    Typical lefty politics of envy glossed over as social responsibility

    Wrong again. What has ‘left’ or ‘right’ got to do with this at all?

    We have to share crowded, congested space in London. Ergo, we should exercise a degree in social responsibility in how we behave, and try to curb our selfishness. Driving larger, higher polluting vehicles than is necessary (or indeed driving at all if you don’t genuinely need to), is selfish and socially irresponsible. And indefensible, regardless of politics. Attempts to justify the use of such vehicles, by people in London who rarely venture beyond the M25, is apologising for selfishness and social irresponsibility.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 80 total)

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