Do you earn enough for a minimum acceptable standard of living?

PasturesNew

nearlynew wrote: »

Just tried the calculator and it says my income is £307 per week more than I need.

I have PMd you my Paypal address.
Plz thx.

PasturesNew

beecher2 wrote: »

Each to their own. You've said eating is something you enjoy doing - for others it is just fuel. I don't understand people who get great enjoyment out of food, just as they won't understand the way I see it.

You've obviously never had me catering for you!!
One week of my cooking and you'd appreciate good food .... and rush off instantly to get some

chewmylegoff

ILW wrote: »

Pasta costs pennies.

there isn't much protein in pasta though, innit. meat is expensive.

ILW

beecher2 wrote: »

Well what I'm saying is that not everyone ties in food with emotion. Food doesn't remind me of anything - music does, but not food. I've never been one to sit around eating when there's other, more exciting things to be doing. Like I said - each to their own - to me food just isn't that important.

A agree, since the smoking ban you cannot look forward to a nice cigar with the brandy. I just cannot be bothered with going out for a meal any more.

ILW

chewmylegoff wrote: »

there isn't much protein in pasta though, innit. meat is expensive.

I tought protein was bad for you these days.

heffsta

My wife and I are supposedly £400/week extra according to the calculator after entering all the extra expenses and adjusting rent etc.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

tupacino wrote: »

Couldn't agree more old bean!

I got thrown out of bloody Boodle's members club last year for lighting up a Gurkha cigar to accompany a post prandial tumbler of Ellipse!!

What the hell is going on out there!!??

You can't out-mewbie Mewbie, so no point in even trying.

And unless Martins countermeasures have defeated our little anti-seriousness missile, you ain't him.

princeofpounds

I don't accept that. Groceries are just as expensive outside of the SE.

No, they aren't. Just pop into any sainsburys in London and compare prices with one in say, Derby. Largely because the staff costs and rental costs are lower elsewhere in the country than the difference in the food itself.

Eating meals which you haven't prepared yourself is a luxury and I can't see how anyone has no time to make a sandwich and pack some fruit.

Then you have a limited imagination of the range of jobs people do and the demands that can be put upon them.

Sure, in my case I can in theory always spend time to make food when I am at home, but I cannot avoid significant wastage because sometimes I have to head abroad with a few hours notice.

I have friends who, when on shift, work 18 hour days (including travel time - reps) for a few days at a stretch. In their off-time, no problems, but it's not like they have a nice little fridge and kitchen to whip up a spaghetti bolognaise in their breaks, and 3 day-old sandwiches get a little stale. They don't even know where they will be the next day much of the time!

Pasta costs pennies.

Yes, if you consider eating plain pasta with frozen meat (once a day) and a half can of chopped tomatoes for every meal then you can fit the budget fine, but my whole point is I just find the hair-shirted incredulity that people could even think about spending £40 a week on food faintly ridiculous.

I'm not saying it's impossible to eat for under £40, but what I am saying is that it is an entirely reasonable food budget for anyone who isn't one of the jam and crackers and bulk pasta brigade. £40 is not throwing money down the drain territory.

Example -

1 chicken breast £1.20
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-

200g pasta 31p
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Pasta_And_Noodles/Tesco_Conchiglie_Pasta_Shells_3Kg.htmlcomparison/Fresh_Poultry/Tesco_Skinless_Chicken_Breast_Fillets_950g.html

50g peas 8p
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Frozen_Vegetables_And_Chips/Tesco_Fresh_Frozen_Petits_Pois_1Kg.html

1/5th jar pesto 41p
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Marinades_And_Sauces/Sacla_Italia_Classic_Green_Basil_Pesto_190g.html

So that's £2.00 for a pretty plain (but certainly acceptable) meal. You could get it under the £1.90/meal budget by going for the ultra-value options I'm sure, and breakfasts would probably be cheaper, but throw in a once-a-week treat like a steak and you will get to £40 easily.

carolt

PasturesNew wrote: »

I figure that a lazy person, armed with a loaf or rolls and two tubs of sandwich fillers and a big spoon could achieve 5 sets in about 3 minutes.

I don't put spread on bread if it's going to have sandwich filler, so for a sandwich it's: grab two bits of bread, shove spoon into the pot, shovel out about 1/4 of the pot, use spoon to spread it round the bread, pop the top bit of bread on, cut in half. Done.

It'd take longer if one were poncing about with spread and knives though... but I've worked out a spoon is a much better implement to use with wet fillings on bread.

Can I put you on lunchbox duty in my house, please?

I have to do 3 sets, per day, most days. 3 school lunches = 3 lots of sandwiches (would that they'd all agree on the same filling, just for a change!), 3 lots of chopped, and then potted or wrapped veg or fruit (occasionally I get away with 1 large item like a tangerine or an apple, but often that will come back uneaten) plus 3 sweet items likewise wrapped, and 3 drinks, and in this hot weather something cool, ideally frozen, eg squueezy yoghurts, etc.

Takes 20 mins easily.

And that's if I'm lucky and we haven't run out f bread, so I don't have to start making emergency last-minute pasta salad, or out of protein so hard-boiling eggs etc.

What a palaver....

Should add that to do it properly, PN, you have to do it whilst finding odd socks, testing spelling words, washing up a bowl for breakfast, getting a small person dressed, breaking up a fight between 2 small people, getting shouted at by one randomly cross bigger person, dropping something heavy on your foot, running out of butter half way through the sandwiches, making 3 small people brush their teeth, brushing somebody's hair, making someone actually eat some of their breakfast, and finding a missing shoe and library book.

All whilst smiling pleasantly and not shouting so loud you frighten the neigbours...

Forgot trying to get the neighbour's cat out of the house, before you leave. And woe betide any parent who actually has to get themselves washed, dressed and ready for work before they leave, too... :eek:

beecher2

princeofpounds wrote: »

No, they aren't. Just pop into any sainsburys in London and compare prices with one in say, Derby. Largely because the staff costs and rental costs are lower elsewhere in the country than the difference in the food itself.
.

I really don't think this is the case. mysupermarket.co.uk gives the prices for all Sainsbury's, not just London ones. Supermarkets don't work out staff/rental costs per unit and then work out their own individual prices - it just doesn't work like that.