'"You've never had it so good?" True for a few' blog discussion

mojo28

We are a bit better off than we were three years ago.

We took a tracker mortgage a 0.4% above base, back in 2006. This has enabled us to pay more off our balance.

Any spare money we put in to gold bullion this went up 30% a year, I have now changed to investing in Silver mines, this has returned 99% in 12 months. This may sound risky but I took a chance and it has paid off.

With saving rates so low, I used my isa share account allowance this is £10200 a year

Pincher

I would say I am better off by £7000 over two years from Nov 2008, due to the interest rate. Perversely, I am down by tens of thousands.

With the 15% VAT in 2009, and now 20% VAT from January 2011,
it was quite important to get the house sorted before 20% VAT starts. So the 30 year old boiler has gone, lots of roof repairs, lots of insulation, new kitchen, new en-suite bedroom. At 20%VAT, I think I would have to pay £2,500 more in VAT. Wish I had bitten the bullet and done more when VAT was 15%.

As far as builders are concerned, I can't even get them to turn up.
Loads of landlords out there polishing up their properties to cash in on the rental boom.

You would have thought fixtures and fittings should be cheaper,
but bathroom fittings are now obcenely expensive. Maybe that's the weak sterling for you.

Wickes and B&Q kitchen prices have been creeping up! They are continuously doing half price deals, with a few weeks in between to keep up appearances, but basically the half price is the real price, and that has been creeping up. Sterling again?

With all the cries of recession, you would have thought the sales would be good in January. I didn't see any great bargains in January 2010. January 2009 was not much better. Let's see what we can pick up in two months time.

Crowqueen

I think a lot depends on how people perceive things, not on the actual figures. As an armchair politician, it's what people feel that counts rather than what they actually stop to think about. I too am not particularly worse off, but I don't think this government quite knows what to do with itself and that is going to colour people's view of it rather than any details. I will mention that I am in receipt of cold weather payments through being on sick benefit, and it is a complete lie - the way I'm reading that article at least - that they were only £8.50 and this government have only just raised them to £25. I don't know why they are saying that - for the past two winters I have had payments of £25 during the coldest weeks. I live with my parents and don't need them, and last year at least donated mine to charity, but I'm amazed the government can get away with lying about something I can prove with a letter stored in my files at home. Things like that are much more important from a political view.

After all, the Tories got booted out in 1997 despite the economy beginning a 14-year long period of growth which their policies nurtured at the beginning (possibly more by accident than design but Black Wednesday helped manufacturing exports in particular by slashing the value of the pound and making it cheaper to buy from Britain). Political mistakes matter more than economic mistakes in the long run, and it's dangerous for a government with such low political capital - we didn't elect them to govern as a Conservative government, but they are behaving as if they have a huge majority to do whatever they want with - to go around bragging about things like this.

Coldfusion_2

I just love this recession - going for all the bargains in Sainsburys - buy one get one free etc.
Loving the retailers competing like mad for business.
I don't have a mortgage so not benefitting from the low interest rates.
Only wish I hadn't invested a seriously big chunk of my savings into a Lehman Bros. product ( S&P AAA rating no less ) a month before the crash and lost the lot !!