Does anything ever come down?

Graham_Devon

It's a bit of a downward spiral really. I know someone who works 38 hours a week and he works hard. However, for what it costs him to get to work, once the government have finished with his wages, and then he's paid his council tax and rent etc, he would actually be £70 better off a month if he claimed benefits. He was seriously tempted, but would rather work for what he has, which to be honest is very little. Admire him for sticking at it though.

This is a scary thought though, plenty of people are working it out and taking an 'extended holiday'. I can see their logic too. But, it just makes everything more expensive as more and more people are doing it. And it seems, once your on the benefits ladder, benefits get thrown at you! i know as my sister was out of a job for 4 months, she was getting all these different entitlements, she found she was doing quite well, then she started work again and they wanted half their money back, lol!

Gemmzie

Benefits are not easy to get or an easy option and there as many people struggling because they can't get help and are in a bad situation. That's a very biased view of the situation.

Prudent

When I first started using mse my phone bill was £25 per month. Now I pay for the bt line £11 and the odd couple of £ to 18866 every few months. In general phone bills do seem to have come down.

Council tax always rise though...

Graham_Devon

I've only had my experience of it. And that was based on my sisters experience. She has always worked, but was out of a job for 4 months, redudancy and hadn't been there long enough to claim. I'm not kidding and not basing my views on anything other than what she told. She got everything thrown at her, literally. She was very comfortable for those 4 months. She had more disposable money than she ever has done and more than she does now shes working again.

Thats all I'm basing it on. Anyway, don't wanna start talking about benefits!

Back to your cheap undergarments...:p

frugglewump

Graham_Devon wrote:

You can get cheap electrical items I spose, and computers. Don't think they have come down greatly though?

In 1997 I bought my first computer - it was a P133 and cost me £1500. The same spec computer would now cost me £150.

Graham_Devon

That P133 though in 1997 would have been a high end computer. You can still buy high end computers for £1500.

I know, because in 1997 I moved to a 166 mmx, check that out! Paid £180 for that chip at the time. Only reason I remember was because I was just starting further education and that was my excuse for buying it.

frankie1_2

Digital Photography!!!
100 photos for £7 and each one is perfect. No more waiting for 3 days with 35mm.
1.No more school photos with your child blinking as the photo is taken
2.Every Xmas family photo is perfect ( you can make your grandmother look 30 yrs younger with a bit of re-touching.
3. Holiday photos are all stored to media card and not left in the camera until next year

tomstickland

A lot of things have come down, some "in real terms" relative to inflation and some, amazinging, in raw prices. For example, a Rover Metro or Vauxhall Astra hatchback cost £6.5K/£7K brand new in the late 80s. You can buy a similar car for the £6K nowadays, and in real terms that's way down. Consumer items or DIY tools have become noticabley cheaper. I've just bought a sander for £20 and that would have been £40 6 years ago.

LookingAhead

I can only think of gadgets, electronics - basically anything where the market is pretty flooded especially from Far East, where prices have come down.

Everything else goes up and salaries do not reflect this either. And it will get worse...with no money to spend on said electronics & gadgets. Actually, in my case, no enthusiasm for, or point of buying them actually...!

So glad I had my lightbulb moment is all I can say.

lazy&indebt

Mobile phone bills! When i had my first contract phone 4 years ago my .ine rental was about £60, now it's about £35!!

I hate this country and the government. In this country, they only look after you if you are not working, come from another country to seek asylum, break the law, have children in some circumstances, for example I have seen girls of 21 years old who have 9 kids and pick up more in benefit than I do at my job plus have a freee house and god knows what else...in fact in my local town the trend amongst teenage girls is to get themselves pregnant for that reason, therefore the people who do really need council housing go without because some girls want a free house and benefits so they don't have to work!!

If you are an honest, hard working citizen you get penalized! We pay for all those other people