Are you feeling better off then?

Compared to a year ago?

You are according to Dave and Gid

Things are undoubtably picking up out there at the moment, even in the ‘desolate’ north. Theres definitely a bit of cautious, measured optimism around. But can anyone say they’re truly feeling better off? I can’t say I am personally. Maybe this year has felt ‘less bad’ than some of the proceeding ones. Not that I’m too bothered. I’m not moaning. I’m hardly starving and destitute.

But even for politicians, these claims seem to be stretching the credulity of statistics to the limit. They seem very very selective about what they’re including, and leaving out. What’s your experience then? Bit of a straw poll. Might be interesting to add what kind of industry you’re in, and maybe what part of the country

Your experiences?

Actually, kind of yes. But that’s because I was working my redundancy notice this time last year.

With one 2.5% pay rise over the last 3 years, I can’t say I am actually better off. If you also factor in fuel, petrol and food price inflation, then definitely not.

Not that I’m complaining, there are millions out there worse off…..

As unemployment is up there are likely to be more people feeling better off simply as more have jobs than a year ago. As I’ve been made redundant I’m not feeling too optimistic at the moment.

well wages still frozen (mine and wifes) childcare bills increased
petrol seems to have gone down a bit , but im using the car as little as possible these days.
interest rates obviously low means our savings arent worth much, but then mortgage payments are staying down (yay for offset account!)
but no increase in pay and higher food and gas/elec bills!

my big worry is that my contract is up for renewal again in 4.5 months and I really cant be arsed with the hassle and worry of looking for a new job whilst hoping grants come in to fund extend my current project- something longer than 6months at a time would be nice!

so overall we are slightly worse off than we were 6 months ago (although 12months ago I was out of work) and being very careful with our spending

there is a building boom in our area at the moment loads of new flats going up, the high street is as dead as ever apart from the new betting shop which is quite busy- I imagine there is a steady flow of cash from peoples jobseekers/wonga to Paddy Power & the Exchequer on that one.

though no new schools or leisure facilities (our local swimming pool is insane at the weekends) the library is still going though despite rumours of closure, but I really cant see these facilities coping well with the hundreds of new homes being built!

Yes and yes for the other half.

Yes, but not sure it has anything to do with the UK as a whole. It’s just that we’ve paid off the kitchen and *ahem* new bike that we had on interest free credit and I now run a cheaper car. Should I be slapping CallMeDave on the back for that?? 🙂

I’m all good thanks… However i wish some muppet would buy my bloody house so i can spend the new found wealth on a massive mortgage !

As I get closer to enlightenment ,I do feel much better thanks.
I cast off the shackles of wealth,and now my riches are abundant .
Peace.

Personally not, but there does seem a bit of a buzz in that London that hasn’t been around for a few years, subjective I know.

does this mean that we’ll see the supermarkets putting their food prices up, because we can afford to eat again?
like they lowered them when the recession hit… oh hang on, that’s not right – they put their prices up to protect their profits knowing that food is one thing people don’t cut back on when times are hard.

Personally not, but there does seem a bit of a buzz in that London that hasn’t been around for a few years, subjective I know.

that’s because no-ones got any work to do as it’s January

With one 2.5% pay rise over the last 3 years, I can’t say I am actually better off. If you also factor in fuel, petrol and food price inflation, then definitely not.

Been five years without a pay rise here, but with unemployment at 27% (and 55% youth unemployment) I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much…

But Spain does feel as if it’s slowly recovering, or at least we’ve hit the bottom and it shouldn’t get any worse. Which is something 🙄

I don’t feel as rich as the landed gentry. Funny that. And no my pay hasn’t risen in line with inflation despite some nibbling at tax free allowances which will have offset it a bit. I will have paid off my student loan after 13 years in march, though, 155 smackeroos a month that I can spend on bikes Mrs S has already appropriated (I personally think the kids don’t need feeding/clothing, do they?). Still I feel all warm inside, good old Dave, you see, he’s got our best interests at heart.

Still I feel all warm inside, good old Dave, you see, he’s got our best interests at heart.

You’re a multi-millionaire with all your wealth in off shore tax havens?

Im not personally feeling better off.

Although there’s 85 people around the world feeling better off, slightly outweighed by 3.5 billion others they match in wealth.

brakes – Member
does this mean that we’ll see the supermarkets putting their food prices up, because we can afford to eat again?
like they lowered them when the recession hit… oh hang on, that’s not right – they put their prices up to protect their profits knowing that food is one thing people don’t cut back on when times are hard.

If food prices go up it’s because of something higher in the supply chain such as a raw material like grain or oil used to transport it all from around the world.

I monitor forecourt prices of fuel and also bulk diesel for my job. It’s at its lowest point for three years currently, that’s sure to help a lot of people out.

The recession meant I have quite a high fixed rate mortgage as a first time buyer. Hopefully the increased confidence of lenders will mean I get a better rate when the 5 year fixed period is up in 2 years. Other than that the recession hasn’t really affected me, and neither will the recovery.

Err, all my money is in ‘leveraged funds’ at the minute

As a household we are almost £2,000 a month worse of than 18 months ago, so no we’re not feeling buoyed by todays economics news.

If food prices go up it’s because of something higher in the supply chain such as a raw material like grain or oil used to transport it all from around the world.

that’s what they want you to believe and even if it’s true the consumer always takes the hit because food retailers need to protect their massive massive profits

Flatlined for me, but defo worse that the year before. Also for me, all this great news about the economy means I’ll be worse off soon as my mortgage is a Bank of England base rate tracker, so the minute the base rate goes up I’ll be paying more.

Better off? Hell yeah! I was unemployed after being made redundant this time last year. I’ve changed jobs once since then (redundant again) but that was good timing and I got a better job with more money. So Dave is right.

Still earning less than I was in 2008 (as a family we are earning about 25% less (Before you start adjusting for inflation)). The entire sector of the building industry I work in is tendering at rates which are insanely low with no margins and barely covering costs. There is plenty of work around but its at what is euphemistically described as ‘Polish rates’.

Oh well we are all in it together 😕

Yes and No really –
2.5% pay rise this month, and a pretty decent bonus in December.
However, we spent a lot of money developing our house last year, and our debt repayments are huge at the moment, so that more than cancels out any benefits.

No because I’m currently redundant.

All the good news about jobs, inflation, fasting rising economy, crime rates, etc. is making me suspicious. Has a general election been announced without me noticing?

Yes for me and the Mrs. But then again we are in our 20’s early in our careers so would hope that we would be getting a bit better off each year! I’m sure if interest rates rise then I won’t be so happy!

No, not better off, in real terms, actual terms or theoretical terms. MsTPT opting to reduce working hours from April.
I am lucky enough to have a 2% pay rise and some pension fund catch up after swear word years of freeze. There will be no catch up on the co’s contribution.
But hey, we are still here and employed so it must be ok. SWEAR WORDS!

good grief NO

I cannot believe there is a recovery for the majority seems more poverty and job cuts than before.

Only winners are the quangos replacing the LA’s, big bankers and businesses.

Sorry I am afraid I getting poorer but as Fasthaggis said as enlightmemt…….

Nope. And I was on strike yesterday over pay. After Cameron’s claim, and Osborne ‘call’ for a rise in the minimum wage i’m eagerly awaiting the announcement that public sector workers will all be getting above inflation pay rises. I won’t hold my breath, though, health and safety and all that.

nope worse off.

Well, I got a pay rise this month that I think works out to just under 3%.
But, we seem to be spending stupid money on food at the moment and I have a long car commute so spend a lot on fuel and also squirrel money away into a ‘car maintenance’ fund that covers my yearly outgoings like tax/mot/insurance/2 services/tyres etc.

I also try to save money into a separate account for a rainy day, but the balance doesn’t seem to be going up as every month I have to dip into it and take out as much as I am putting in (so not really ‘savings’, then).

So, I think at the moment I am staying about level. But, I still have a job that I enjoy, a house we can comfortably afford and while we don’t have loads of money burning holes in our pockets, we are comfortable.

When i saw this on the news my instant thought was; we are being fooled.
Certainly the client group i work with are not better off, they are being hammered.
All very nice for dave and his mates in their ivory towers.

Saw a party political broadcast the other day.

Looked like that there Dave Cameron had paid a lot of actors to stand on a “typical” high street and spout off about how well they were doing and how optimistic they all felt.

It reminded me of that 1980s show “Whoops Apocalypse” were Breshnev was trying to convince the British ambassador that they had “dozens of steaks in Russia”

He used the phrase “hard working families” a lot too.

Just had new tax code which is 7 something rather than 5 something, so that will mean a bit extra from April, not sure how much.

Council tax set to rise, employer wants to take 3% for pensions contributions. I imagine energy bills will go up.

But last year I gave up my flat and went into a house-share, so am saving quite a lot per month.

So yes, but only the tax code is thanks to the government, the rest is no thanks to them, or down to my own management of stuff.

When i saw this on the news my instant thought was; we are being fooled.

Yes, managing information output to encourage us to think a certain way, thought that too.

Yep, had a proper pay rise this year and my company has doubled the number of staff in my laboratory over the last 6 months so feeling more secure in my job than I was 2 years ago when they were looking at redundancies.

Nope, made redundant 18 months ago after zero pay rise for five years, got another job in the same organisation at a lower grade, zero pay rise for another 18 months. Taxes go up, goods go up, pay goes down.

but I’ve still got a job I ‘spose, silver lining etc….

Yes for me and the Mrs. But then again we are in our 20’s early in our careers so would hope that we would be getting a bit better off each year! I’m sure if interest rates rise then I won’t be so happy!

Yup, definately better off, but I only graduated in ’08 so straight into the recession. Had a few years of pay freezes but averaged out significantly above inflation, not so much as the company’s done well, but as the learning curve is so steep in the first 5 years that not offering 5-10% would result in lots of people leaving (they did) as it’s quite a mobile and under resourced job market if you’re an engineer. All our new starters this year have been recruited from abroad!

Engineering, in the south east.

TINAS – I graduates in 10 and I’m engineering in the North West. We have just started a big new project and can’t recruit engineers quick enough! I was in the same ship and got offered a better rate with another firm (plus work local to home) so jumped ship.

My take-home pay is the same as it was in 2010, but the cost of everything I need isn’t the same as it was in 2010. So no, I don’t feel better off.

I don’t feel as badly off as many people out there, but I’m not exactly feeling ‘flush’ right now!

Interest rate rises will be ‘fun’ to cope with too. Still, someone’s got to be making money on all the money they’ve got, haven’t they…

the shocking thing is that cameron doesnt even win this weeks Tory delusional liar-liar award

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/iain-duncan-smith-compares-being-on-benefits-to-slavery-and-suggests-he-is-acting-in-tradition-of-abolitionist-9080982.html

I thought IDS’s plan was to convert the poor into slaves….