Bike Packing or even extra long day rides are now so much more expensive even when you factor in JUST the calorie replacement..
I used to do a couple of cafes stops on a long ride. You could do two lots of coffee and cake and it'd be a tenner.
Now it can be double that. I'm the same as you for snacks now, I take supermarket cereal bars rather than any fancy energy bars or on a ride I'll get a supermarket meal deal rather than a cafe stop.
Essential costs like electric, water, food, council tax, mobile contracts, broadband etc. have massively increased by % relative to wages since the worldwide covid pandemic began almost six years to the day.
Heck, remember the days when a premium road tyre like a GP4000 SII could be bought for under £30 each?
Every UK based company wants their profit numbers to keep increasing.
Brexit, covid and war have made the UK a very expensive place to live in recent years.
spend £500+ per month in order to be seen driving around in a top end car.
For reference a 3 year HP deal on a 5 year old family car will likely cost around £350 to £400/month + deposit (for £12-15k of HP). The upside is you will own it at the end and no-one cares about the mileage on the vehicle.
The downside is you pay for more scheduled maintenance and more unexpected random/age related/wear and tear breakages as the car ages.
Cambelt is £1000 on a lot of cars.
Gearbox oil change might be £500 on an auto.
Couple of suspension arms maybe £500?
Malfunctioning adaptive headlight £2500 (I think someone said on another thread)
That gap can shrink close to the lease cost fairly easily and even exceed it on a "Friday afternoon" car.
It's not all about "image" (although I'll grant it is likely important in some parts of the market). Leasing has become an easy entry point to reliable, pay monthly motoring with predictable costs and a warranty if you've got the income and credit to get a sensible deal.
I'm actually questioning having typed all that why I bought a 5 year old family car last year, the answer is I might have it another 2-3 years with only maintenance.
However the car companies and the finance companies absolutely rely on each other, it's the only way that either of them survive.
We don't make second hand cars and while the above might be true for some finance companies' profits (they're not all tied to manufacturers) it's even more true for the health of every layer of the second hand car market.
We have seen the impact in the real world of reduced new car supply with what happened to used car availability and pricing during COVID. The used stocks dried up fast and the quality went down while pricing went up.
You cannot have a healthy secondhand market without a strong new market. If you're not putting 3-5 year old ex lease cars in at the top there is no trickle down.
Just feels like at some point during or just after COVID the top 1% i.e energy companies, food suppliers etc found an excuse to put there prices up by a good margin and everyone else either said yeah we'll have some of that or had to put their prices up as a direct consequence. Obviously all this extra margin went directly to shareholders and bugger all to wages which is causing the issue.
Capitalism demands growth and once you've become so big that all the sneakier options are used you're just left with ramping prices up using whichever excuse you can find which is where I think we are
once you've become so big that all the sneakier options are used you're just left with ramping prices up using whichever excuse you can find which is where I think we are
I think that what we have now is nothing compared to what's coming. Oil prices will hit an all-time high alongside massively reduced supply. It'll make the 2008 financial crisis look tame in comparison.
I think recent events have overtaken this thread a bit and we can reason and see what's happening.
But I follow the sentiment that it's crazy the cost of living even before the current problems.
A recent and rare pub visit was a shock last week.
No rounds just alcohol free beer and a gin for two people 3 drinks each and £30 gone while having a chat.
How do people afford regular pub visits?
The heating oil issue is not rresolved either ,just some money thrown at it to tick a box.
Surely they can have rules for heating oil and gas prices to be online with what the supplier paid.
Things felt so much more affordable 20 years ago - what happened to evolution.
Things felt so much more affordable 20 years ago - what happened to evolution.
Just another step into the Great Filter
There is no such thing as a cheap break away now.
Scotland / UK national Parks etc are pricing themselves out of the home market for the general population in spring and summer..
So we tend to be forced to off season.
Even hostel prices are crazy. We used to be a fan of them. Some are do have good facilities and borderline worth it ,but sharing a dorm for £80+ grrrr .
Even cheap foreign holidays are not cheap now....how much to park the car at the airport ? Etc etc etc.
Yet some people seem to still go away alot and still drive a flashy car, I think it's all show tba!
Maybe they have the right idea, live for the moment.
Fortunately Rachel from Accounts has her Fifty million pounds widow to buy her clothing for her.I wouldn't want I see her suffer. Keir's son has a £15,000,000 study pad to help himalong.Thesefolks are well aware of our struggles.
Can we please stop the whole "Rachel from accounts" thing - it's not funny & is a bit misogynistic.
Ok were all struggling (except those at the top) but what do we do about it in the short term?
Fortunately Rachel from Accounts has her Fifty million pounds widow to buy her clothing for her.I wouldn't want I see her suffer. Keir's son has a £15,000,000 study pad to help himalong.Thesefolks are well aware of our struggles.
Can we please stop the whole "Rachel from accounts" thing - it's not funny & is a bit misogynistic.
Is that the person of non specific gender (happy now?) who showed themselves to be corrupt within a few days of being elected as the new broom that sweeps clean?
Fortunately Rachel from Accounts has her Fifty million pounds widow to buy her clothing for her.I wouldn't want I see her suffer. Keir's son has a £15,000,000 study pad to help himalong.Thesefolks are well aware of our struggles.
Can we please stop the whole "Rachel from accounts" thing - it's not funny & is a bit misogynistic.
No no, leave it in.
It means I can stop reading four words in as I know the rest of the post won't be worth my effort.
Scotland / UK national Parks etc are pricing themselves out of the home market for the general population in spring and summer..
You'd think so but here in Aviemore it's busier than ever for 8-9 months of the year and it's not all foreign visitors or folk from the "wealthy South". I guess that prices are still increasing everywhere so UK holidays can still be best for many. We've a new hotel and more holiday accommodation just approved too, so developers aren't seeing an end to it anytime soon.
Yet some people seem to still go away alot and still drive a flashy car, I think it's all show tba!
Possibly telling that you see so many with cheapest option tyres on them when the car isn't very old at all
or they're are leased.
The annoying thing is how much of this has been caused by moronic ****wittery - Brexit, Ukraine, Iran - all unnecessary and all hitting us in the pocket.
Obviously the latter two have had far worse consequences for those unfortunate enough to be involved directly.
It should bring home how important voting is. Brexit and Trump's second term could have been prevented if more apathetic people had made the effort to vote.
Let them eat cake or they get what they deserve. Unfortunately, some of it lands on us innocent/more discerning bystanders...
Can we please stop the whole "Rachel from accounts" thing - it's not funny & is a bit misogynistic.
Also, blaming it on Labour ignores the fact this is a global issue, even in countries with very different governments like the USA. Prices are going up everywhere.
Wealth inequality has increased hugely too. California is attempting to create a wealth tax on billionaires to fund public services but look at the push back. Sergey Brin has made donations of 45 million dollars to groups trying to stop it. He has a personal wealth of 250 billion or so?
As a result, public services get worse, tax increases, people get more angry and paying tax and demand lower taxes -> everything carries on getting worse.
Looking around at local parents at our kids school, the ones with large houses and fancy cars, they don't earn that much more than anyone else, a lot of it just comes from inheritance. Some of them don't have a mortgage, thats a lot more disposable income.
It's interesting to hear that about Aviemore, people will pay and go ( for a special treat). But if they feel it's not value/ a rip off will they return?
We have stayed a few times in the McDonald in Jan /Feb just of the High St.
First time in the plusher building a couple of other times in the shabbier buildings . Same prices.
We are now put off as the second time in the shabbier bit was not great especially the staffing etc.
I suppose the extra capacity will mean better deals off season! So a small win 🙂
or they're are leased.
Are leasing companies just chucking ditch-finders on to cover the maintenance part of the deal? (Genuine question, never leased)
Can we please stop the whole "Rachel from accounts" thing - it's not funny & is a bit misogynistic.
Also, blaming it on Labour ignores the fact this is a global issue, even in countries with very different governments like the USA. Prices are going up everywhere.
Wealth inequality has increased hugely too. California is attempting to create a wealth tax on billionaires to fund public services but look at the push back. Sergey Brin has made donations of 45 million dollars to groups trying to stop it. He has a personal wealth of 250 billion or so?
As a result, public services get worse, tax increases, people get more angry and paying tax and demand lower taxes -> everything carries on getting worse.
Looking around at local parents at our kids school, the ones with large houses and fancy cars, they don't earn that much more than anyone else, a lot of it just comes from inheritance. Some of them don't have a mortgage, thats a lot more disposable income.
Not sure you can blame personal corruption on Global forces but nice try...
Looking around at local parents at our kids school, the ones with large houses and fancy cars, they don't earn that much more than anyone else, a lot of it just comes from inheritance. Some of them don't have a mortgage, thats a lot more disposable income.
My mother passed away at the age of 62 when my daughter was 18 months old. The inheritance I got knocked approx ten years off my mortgage but I would far rather have has my mum around as I know her and my daughter would both have got so much joy from that shared time.
Anyway I agree with the other parts of your post.
If you add in overnight accommodation then it starts becoming a "cost fest."
I did a 3 day "Tour De Calderdale" last year, stayed in two pubs and an (admittedly nice) hotel on the last night, with food and one way train ticket it cost me about £400, the cost of accommodation alone this year - was looking at going t'other way around, is not shy of that already.
"Not sure you can blame personal corruption on Global forces but nice try..."
No idea what you're on about. Who's are you saying is corrupt? Trump? Reeves? Starmer? Farage? Me? Everyone?
"Anyway I agree with the other parts of your post."
I'm not saying they'd rather have their money than their parents being around, just trying to explain the apparent disparity in owning flashy cars/houses. Also, some of them its not inheritance, but gifts. It's getting more difficult to earn your way to riches is what I'm saying. (Note *more difficult* not impossible).
or they're are leased.
Not even leased, in some cases just on finance. As a general rule, the flashier the (new) car, the less likely it is to be paid for, and the outstanding finance on some of them is more than their price...
Looking around at local parents at our kids school, the ones with large houses and fancy cars, they don't earn that much more than anyone else, a lot of it just comes from inheritance.
For a lot of people now, that is literally the only way they'll ever get any real money.
But with people living longer, that trickle down takes ages to the extent that you can be near (or even in) retirement yourself before your own parents pass away.
But with people living longer, that trickle down takes ages to the extent that you can be near (or even in) retirement yourself before your own parents pass away.
My mother was only 22 when I was born.
Women live longer than men, plus I am fairly accident-prone. Decent chance she'll outlive me! More likely I could be into seventies before she passes
Can we please stop the whole "Rachel from accounts" thing - it's not funny & is a bit misogynistic
This sort of abuse has plenty of tolerance when it comes to Truss, Farage and Johnson. Did we all have a laugh at the lettuce?
Rachel Reeves has done much to drain the UKs chances btw.
Labour have carried on Tory style neoliberalism with a huge degree of incompetence. They could do much to improve the UKs chances.
No one should be that shocked at the cost of living crisis if you analyse the rubbish economic choices of Labour and the Tories before them.
Blame your governments for not doing the correct things. They have the tools.
It's better to give a poor person a job than a rich person a bung.
"Not sure you can blame personal corruption on Global forces but nice try..."
No idea what you're on about. Who's are you saying is corrupt? Trump? Reeves? Starmer? Farage? Me? Everyone?
Sorry, having a pop at our squeaky clean new broom. Not their performance (in an imperfect world) but their corrupt practices. Clothes? Glasses? Tickets? And everything else we haven't seen/don't know about.
I suppose it was naive to expect anything else...
Don't forget, 'Rachel from Accounts' was filching from her own employer.Then jumped ship and got a nice non job(MP) due to her honest mate Tony.
This vile hypocrite is also on record badmouthing the poorest of the poor who claim benefits. Don't defend this utterly vile individual
Its also worth mentioning you cannot have a good secondhand car market when spare parts are so expensive or parts cannot be repaired. Which where the evolution idea goes wrong, the throw away society.
Keeping stuff is costing so much now.
I remember my sister scrapping a mint car when the govt offered a scrap scheme!
That car could have helped a young person get to work or something!
The circular economy needs to work better.
This vile hypocrite is also on record badmouthing the poorest of the poor who claim benefits. Don't defend this utterly vile individual
Don't get me wrong, I don't have a high opinion of the Chancellor - but I will also call out misogny. It's the equvulent of being racist when criticising several Tory chancellors. That wouldn't be tolerated, neither should this.
Be better.
How do we get more women engaged in mointain biking & places like this? Start by not being misogynistic.
or they're are leased.
Are leasing companies just chucking ditch-finders on to cover the maintenance part of the deal? (Genuine question, never leased)
In my case with a salary sacrifice car they replaced one set of tyres with identical EV-specific Michelin Pilot Sport, and the second set with CrossClimates on my request. No issues with me grabbing windscreen wipers etc directly from the main dealer either.
Mortgage went up £400 a month in November, Though a chunk was equity release for renovations. Got nothing to moan about really, I'm on a decent salary but single parent family with a teenager is a balance of realities. Agree with above sentiments, life for those on modest incomes must be really tough. Radio 4 the other morning said UK had gone from top tier European standard for wealth equality to literally bottom in 2 generations 🙁 Not content with that, we're about to hand power to a bunch of grifters who'll defiinitively make that accelerate.
DIY Sprucing a wall up with some colour matched emulsion....wow paint prices are off the scale! Liquid gold! How did that happen?
Council tax bill arrived the other day close to £3k, I live in a small house and local services are crap, it feels like a total rip off for what you get in return.
I'll throw £7 toothpaste into the mix! Utterly ludicrous.
For me inheritance is a big problem. If my grandparents built 150k or wealth then my parents inherited it, they could pay that much more for a house. Let's say they added it to their mortgaged 300k and left me 450k. That means that when competing for a house I have that much more cash than someone who didn't get an inheritance or a gift. Given a large proportion of the population are getting inheritances, this must significantly drive housing costs up leaving young people whose parents aren't rich enough to gift significant cash stuck renting until their parents die and making things generally difficult for those who don't have any family property.
Aggressive inheritance and gift taxes would be one of the best things you could do for inequality and social mobility. Sure you can rave about the super rich, but they are essentially impossible to properly tax without global government.
it feels like a total rip off for what you get in return
Mostly you don't get anything directly in return, it's used to pay for adult and child social care. This is how we fund looking after people. Very little of it is spent on any services you'll use this year (assuming you're lucky and not in the care system).
[ source ]
bemoaned a 10% increase in utility bill fix for 2 years on Tuesday. Deal now gone and it’s a 30% increase…
I'll throw £7 toothpaste into the mix! Utterly ludicrous.
That'll be the non-Clubcard price!!
Even Waitrose sell toothpaste at £1.35...
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/colgate-triple-action-toothpaste/886732-804622-804623
