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

carolt

Is it just me, or is that a little off-topic?

princeofpounds

List prices for the supermarkets are pretty constant as it's all coming from central warehouse(s), but that doesn't reflect the basket you actually buy in a shop. Each shop will have a different pricing policy based on format and location.

So for example, you will pay a very different amount in a Sainsburys local in Croydon to an out of town Sainsburys hypermarket in Rochdale to a Sainsburys Market (a format I think unique to London?) in Pimlico. There probably won't be so much difference between an out of town hypermarket in cambridgeshire and one in derbyshire however.

Supermarkets certainly can and do price based on all sorts of local factors individual to a store; if you meet the management of these companies (and I have) it's quite incredible how much they 'tune' the system through computer-driven analysis.

You can see from p45 of this link that there are variations in food pricing, and whilst they aren't extreme, it makes a difference. Food is about 7% more expensive in London than the North East, or at least was at the time of this report.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/economic_trends/ET615Wingfield.pdf

SingleSue

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Jam in a squeezy bottle?!

I've just made 10 pots of strawberry jam. not a bottle in sight (-:

It was on special offer and thought I would give it a try....I had a bit of a mad moment!

I can't wait for my fruit things outside to start bearing enough fruit to make jams at home, the gooseberries may be possible this year but the others are still very young and not quite up to the standard as yet.

I love gooseberry jam.....

Owain_Moneysaver

I need an extra £66 per week.

I'm just glad my rent is about £150 per month less than it would be on the open market.

Procrastinator333

I read the first few pages and thought I would skip on when the chat turned to sandwiches. Looked at page 8 and still sandwiches! Blimey :eek:

misskool

marklv wrote: »

All very well to prepare your own food etc but it takes time. I'm conscious of the fact that I spend far too much on lunchtime food but I do it for convenience. Nothing else. If I was unemployed then I would have plenty of time to seek out the best deals and spend all day cooking, but my job is brutally demanding of my time and energy.

At the moment, I work full time 60 hours a week (and that's without my commute). I still manage to a) volunteer and help a charity b) tend to my own garden and c) cook my own food.

How do I manage? I don't spend 3 hours a night monging at the telly.

treliac

misskool wrote: »

At the moment, I work full time 60 hours a week (and that's without my commute). I still manage to a) volunteer and help a charity b) tend to my own garden and c) cook my own food.

How do I manage? I don't spend 3 hours a night monging at the telly.

Wow, busy life. And 'monging'? I've never heard the word before. Having looked it up I realise it's what a lot of us spend our time on here doing.

misskool

treliac wrote: »

Wow, busy life. And 'monging'? I've never heard the word before. Having looked it up I realise it's what a lot of us spend our time on here doing.

I'm hoping to spend less hours soon working as I've just recruited a minion to help do some of the dreary jobs.

Doom_and_Gloom

neverdespairgirl we spend more than £15 a year but I would hate to see £15 a week go out on drink alone! It's about that a month I'd say.

Ah my partner gets his uniform through work. If he wants extra above the basic that they give you you have to pay to get more - he got 2 pairs of trousers, 4 work shirts and a fleece/jumper from his work with no charge.

chewmylegoff it is a shock and we mostly shop in Mr S. We have a budget of £115/month for 2 adults, 1 rat and 2 chinchillas. That includes toothpaste (I get the expencive vegan kind as well not cheap stuff), toilet roll (yes we get the cheap stuff here), litter for the rat, hay for the chinnies etc. We could go cheaper still but it's not worth the trouble right now. My partner spends £10 on cheese and meats that will go in sandwiches over two weeks although some of that will be for meals (fajitas for example). He get's 3 full meals and snacks a day and I do as well.

princeofpounds we live in Kent which is South East (around 25 miles or so from central London). As said we mostly shop in Mr S. We eat a balanced diet - fruits, vegetables, enough protien etc. To eat healthily doesn't need to cost a lot.

Yes I understand it is supposed to be above the breadline - fair enough. However saying you *need* over £60 a week for social and cultural activities for a couple is very luxurious. That is over 3K a year after all and I can't even see my parents spending half that for a holiday!
To put it into perspective it has the set rent for a couple as £65.45/week and the social and cultural as £64.83/week which is very close :eek:. I was under the impression that a 1/3rd of your inclome is usual for rent/mortgage. If that is the case they are saying you then need to spend around 1/3rd of your income on social and culture activities.

Protein doesn't cost that much. Pulses, rice, tofu, quinoa etc are all cheap. As it is too much protein isn't good - kidney stones anyone .

marklv my partner works part time but also cares for me as I'm disabled so he has a demanding life more so when he's not at work than when he is at work. He manages to take something to work with him - usually 2 sandwiches (4 slices of bread with cheese/meat) a pack of crisps (from a multi pack) and a drink - sometimes a chocolate bar (multi pack). It ends up a lot cheaper than him buying this at work.

Graham_Devon

misskool wrote: »

How do I manage? I don't spend 3 hours a night monging at the telly.

Frankly, i'd rather "mong" at the telly, and buy a fresh sandwich from the nice man in the shop who makes it in front of me for £2.