RPI published today?

michaels

Hmm - I think as benefits don't go up with wages if wages increase by more than cpi (presumably on the basis that they support some 'basic' level of existance) it is a bit harsh to suggest that they should increase by less than cpi when wages do.

ukcarper

michaels wrote: »

I thought council tax had been frozen for the last couple of years?

I beleive in the last 12 months standard gas and electric prices have seen a reduction of about 5% and an increase of about 7%?

There is a personal inflation rate calculator on web somewhere - BBC or ONS?

You might think that council tax has been frozen but mine increased 2.7% last year.

I'm not sure you are correct about gas mine has only increased.

Generali

michaels wrote: »

I thought council tax had been frozen for the last couple of years?

Kinda:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4210628/.html

Councils are getting big increases in the grant from central Government if they don't increase Council Tax. Most, unsurprisingly, have taken the bait.

michaels wrote: »

I beleive in the last 12 months standard gas and electric prices have seen a reduction of about 5% and an increase of about 7%?

According to the CPI data, gas prices are down 0.5% and electricity prices are up 0.4% in the year to Sept 2012.

michaels wrote: »

There is a personal inflation rate calculator on web somewhere - BBC or ONS?

There are.

BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11331052

ONS:
http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc14/index.html

CLAPTON

ukcarper wrote: »

You might think that council tax has been frozen but mine increased 2.7% last year.

I'm not sure you are correct about gas mine has only increased.

of course pension increase from april was 5.2%

ukcarper

The energy prices are misleading as the last increases have just dropped out as they have remained flat for just over a year and are now set to increase at least 6%.

This is the problem with setting rate in sept and implementing rise in april still no easy way around that and it can work both ways.

ukcarper

CLAPTON wrote: »

of course pension increase from april was 5.2%

Actually for me it was better than that as the tax allowance changes meant I took home 5.7% more. But we are talking about next year my council might not increase rates this year but I wouldnt bet on it.

Also I had no increase in 2011

Loughton_Monkey

grizzly1911 wrote: »

The increase to the majority of pensioners and those on benefits is outstripped by the necessities of life, rent, heat and food which are rising faster than the average. Unless you have surplus in your income to pick and choose and economise then those on low fixed incomes are being hit. There is unlikely to be any respite in the case of necessities for the foreseeable future.

Well I'm a 'pensioner' but probably not a typical one.

I've looked up my own spending for this year (against same period last year) and find - unsurprisingly - that I'm running at 15% more than last year! But this is primarily due to my own 'choice/necessity' rather than inflation. I find the following features:

1. Utilities - virtually no change.
2. Expenses (Insurance, Memberships etc) - again no change.
3. Motoring (Depreciation, Petrol, Tax) - significantly up, but no change if I take out a specific large repair bill this year)
4. Holidays - massive increase.
5. Dentist - mega increase.
6. Groceries - modest 6% increase

I'm sure there's 'inflation' in there somewhere, but I haven't got a clue how much or where. But I chose to have an extra holiday for 5 weeks in Florida. I have also suffered £4,000 of dental work due to complex caps/bridges coming off!

I suspect this pattern is very normal amongst most people. i.e. a lot of so-called 'inflation' is avoided simply by shopping around or using less. Actual expenditure is therefore largely dictated by happenstance or choice. [or Mrs LM taking it upon herself to throw away our perfectly good bedding and spend £300 on some new stuff!]. But just think of what a 'good' year I'll have next year if my teeth and car behave, if I don't go to Florida again, and Mrs LM keeps her credit card firmly in her wallet where it belongs.

So quite frankly, the official inflation rate is largely irrelevant.

DiggerUK

michaels wrote: »

Bad news for the boe policy of inflating away the debt overhang

Which seems to make it more likely that the policy of QE will be pushed forward.
I suspect that the base rate will be dropped sooner or later as well.
..._

CLAPTON

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

Well I'm a 'pensioner' but probably not a typical one.

I've looked up my own spending for this year (against same period last year) and find - unsurprisingly - that I'm running at 15% more than last year! But this is primarily due to my own 'choice/necessity' rather than inflation. I find the following features:

1. Utilities - virtually no change.
2. Expenses (Insurance, Memberships etc) - again no change.
3. Motoring (Depreciation, Petrol, Tax) - significantly up, but no change if I take out a specific large repair bill this year)
4. Holidays - massive increase.
5. Dentist - mega increase.
6. Groceries - modest 6% increase

I'm sure there's 'inflation' in there somewhere, but I haven't got a clue how much or where. But I chose to have an extra holiday for 5 weeks in Florida. I have also suffered £4,000 of dental work due to complex caps/bridges coming off!

I suspect this pattern is very normal amongst most people. i.e. a lot of so-called 'inflation' is avoided simply by shopping around or using less. Actual expenditure is therefore largely dictated by happenstance or choice. [or Mrs LM taking it upon herself to throw away our perfectly good bedding and spend £300 on some new stuff!]. But just think of what a 'good' year I'll have next year if my teeth and car behave, if I don't go to Florida again, and Mrs LM keeps her credit card firmly in her wallet where it belongs.

So quite frankly, the official inflation rate is largely irrelevant.

Does this mean that Essex will see a major increase in G&T consumption with the associated increased in employment in the NHS?

grizzly1911

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

Well I'm a 'pensioner' but probably not a typical one.

I've looked up my own spending for this year (against same period last year) and find - unsurprisingly - that I'm running at 15% more than last year! But this is primarily due to my own 'choice/necessity' rather than inflation. I find the following features:

1. Utilities - virtually no change.
2. Expenses (Insurance, Memberships etc) - again no change.
3. Motoring (Depreciation, Petrol, Tax) - significantly up, but no change if I take out a specific large repair bill this year)
4. Holidays - massive increase.
5. Dentist - mega increase.
6. Groceries - modest 6% increase

I'm sure there's 'inflation' in there somewhere, but I haven't got a clue how much or where. But I chose to have an extra holiday for 5 weeks in Florida. I have also suffered £4,000 of dental work due to complex caps/bridges coming off!

I suspect this pattern is very normal amongst most people. i.e. a lot of so-called 'inflation' is avoided simply by shopping around or using less. Actual expenditure is therefore largely dictated by happenstance or choice. [or Mrs LM taking it upon herself to throw away our perfectly good bedding and spend £300 on some new stuff!]. But just think of what a 'good' year I'll have next year if my teeth and car behave, if I don't go to Florida again, and Mrs LM keeps her credit card firmly in her wallet where it belongs.

So quite frankly, the official inflation rate is largely irrelevant.

As you say you have surplus and choice.

I could name two widows who one of f whom is in a similar situation to yourself and one who is on basic pension who sits just outside of any additional benefits due to modest savings.

The one on basic pension has already ratcheted down energy use, with the best deal and is in a fully insulated home and eats frugaly. Her energy, food costs and until recently council tax outstrip any index linking of pension. Fixing of energy costs can remove an increase one year or two but the pain just hits you later.

The first widow is now becoming aware of increasing costs and is starting to take sensible measures to "control"extravagant spending and look around for better deals.

They both get up in the morning and live but the issues are very different.