Decline in our standard of living, when will it stop?

ess0two

StevieJ wrote: »

Funnily enough there is a headline in the current Chester freebie paper



http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&refresh=Xi71t90Z0B8q&PBID=df12ef58-1026-4dbb-b727-8fdc713b0552&skip=

The police are soon on the scene when they appear.

Ben8282

Decline in our standard of living, when will it stop?

The decline in our standard of living will not stop. Firstly, globalization means a common standard of living for the whole world. The standard of living of the poorest countries will improve and the standard of living of the wealthier countries will decline until we achieve a common standard of living somehwere in the middle.

Many jobs which required education and intelligence have now been taken over by computers. For many years I did a job which required me to consult various reference manuals and make complex calculations which had to be right every time using nothing more than a calculator. I was well paid for doing this job. Now the job can be done by a minimum wage individual simply by pressing a button on a computer ... no mental effort, no responsibility, minimum education levels needed. Education stadards have now dropped to the point where the Government openly admit that the current A level grade A is equal to a grade D back when I took my A levels.

On the subject of petrol prices, a couple of weeks ago at a petrol station in Spain I think that I set a new record for the maximum amount that I have ever in my life spent to fill a car with petrol; unleaded was priced at Euro1.51 per litre.

PasturesNew

Graham_Devon wrote: »

For starters, it's difficult carrying stuff with me on a bike.

It is
http://giapets.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/aosom-trailer.jpg

Also, the amount you said you spend means you must be doing '00s/'000s of miles a month.

"Get a bike".... statement of somebody who doesn't actually need to use their car.

Graham_Devon

PasturesNew wrote: »

It is
http://giapets.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/aosom-trailer.jpg

Also, the amount you said you spend means you must be doing '00s/'000s of miles a month.

"Get a bike".... statement of somebody who doesn't actually need to use their car.

Can you imagine towing that along a twisty turn Devon A road!? Talk about dangerous!

I do about 15,000-18,000 a year. 12,000 at the very least being work related. I've always said £2 a litre would have me seriously thinking as to whether it's worth it. What annoys me most about these roads is being stuck behind coaches and lorries. Seriously drags the fuel economy right down.

DervProf

Puddleglum wrote: »

The 500g pack of margarine I buy for example shot up by 33% last year and recently took a more moderate 9% hike. Thank heavens for small mercies. Tinned tomato inflation has recently gone stratospheric. Guess who does the shopping in this household! We may all be focusing on petrol but the things we are not looking at have rocket fuel underneath them.

I too have noticed the price of "basics" still increasing. I hear reports like "the rate of inflation fell last month, mainly due to the price of bread, milk and (insert name of random consumable) etc". I have not noticed any fall in the price of bread or milk. I have noticed that chicken, raisins, onions and a few other regular purchases have increased. Maybe the cost of Waitrose "Because I'm Worth It" Extra Special Luxury Finest Hand Made Organic Smoked Salmon has fallen. Perhaps I should dine on that 3 twice a week, then I might believe the inflation figures.

Graham_Devon

RMI, a group of 6,000 petrol forecourts have warned tonight that there is another 4.5p to be added to diesel prices by Easter. This is due to the cost of oil and the low exchange rate.

The price of petrol is likely to reach 1.43 by Easter, and diesel 1.50 in the next four weeks.

They are also warning that this will force inflation figures back up.

Thrugelmir

Graham_Devon wrote: »

RMI, a group of 6,000 petrol forecourts have warned tonight that there is another 4.5p to be added to diesel prices by Easter. This is due to the cost of oil and the low exchange rate.

The price of petrol is likely to reach 1.43 by Easter, and diesel 1.50 in the next four weeks.

They are also warning that this will force inflation figures back up.

Then perhaps people should live closer to work. If fuel cost is that much of an issue. As for the average user that's going to be the bulk of their outlay.

Graham_Devon

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Then perhaps people should live closer to work. If fuel cost is that much of an issue. As for the average user that's going to be the bulk of their outlay.

I wish it was as simple as living closer to work.

The further you go outside of the areas providing jobs, the cheaper the housing gets. If we could all just buy or rent around our jobs, that would be great, but we can't, and there is no way the majority could, hence higher prices for living accomodation around places of employment.

Plus, gone are the days when you bought around your job. Jobs are too fluid now. I have a friend who a year ago relocated to the city he worked in. His office has now told him he still has a job, but in the office of the next city....45 miles away.

It's not practical to set your living accomodation up around work. Not these days.

People have been priced out of living near their work and are now getting priced out of travelling to work.

ruggedtoast

Graham_Devon wrote: »

RMI, a group of 6,000 petrol forecourts have warned tonight that there is another 4.5p to be added to diesel prices by Easter. This is due to the cost of oil and the low exchange rate.

The price of petrol is likely to reach 1.43 by Easter, and diesel 1.50 in the next four weeks.

They are also warning that this will force inflation figures back up.

All things being equal it would lead to increased use of public transport, but as people who have access to cars already don't use Britain's farcically fragmented and uncompetitive public transport network because it costs too much, it will probably just lead to fewer trips and even less economic stimulus.

It would be nice if the chancellor would use the extra revenue from the taxes for some kind of economic stimulus, rather than just servicing the interest from enormous loans taken out to protect people who are already rich.

Dan:_4

DervProf wrote: »

I too have noticed the price of "basics" still increasing. I hear reports like "the rate of inflation fell last month, mainly due to the price of bread, milk and (insert name of random consumable) etc". I have not noticed any fall in the price of bread or milk. I have noticed that chicken, raisins, onions and a few other regular purchases have increased. Maybe the cost of Waitrose "Because I'm Worth It" Extra Special Luxury Finest Hand Made Organic Smoked Salmon has fallen. Perhaps I should dine on that 3 twice a week, then I might believe the inflation figures.

What a sad life you must lead!