Great British Budget Menu-BBC

gayleygoo

raphanius wrote: »

edit: i know its judgemental but the 'poor pensioner' had a packet of fag papers next to his loose change on the table.

I know it seems the obvious solution that when someone needs to budget, they should give up smoking. Please remember that smoking is an addiction and is extremely difficult to give up, even when a person really wants to for the sake of their health. Of anyone I know that smokes (and spends anywhere between £20 to £150 a week on the habit), most of them have said they'd buy cigarettes/tobacco with the last of their money, rather than food, it's just how addiction works.

Sorry I didn't see the programme, I'll look out for it if it's on again, but :eek: at suggesting chicken fillets are cheaper than a whole chicken!!

maman

pricew1970 wrote: »

Agree on most parts, but never forget about benefit scroungers....its their attitude that will drag us all down !

There is a group of people on benefits who are 'scroungers' and this abuse needs to be dealt with. BUT (and it's meant to be a big BUT;)) this is only a small fraction of the benefit problem although people like Osborne and Duncan-Smith would try to lead you to believe otherwise. To me, a more worrying aspect is that benefits are being used to subsidise employers. We need a realistic living wage to replace the minimum wage and then, while it wouldn't solve all problems, being a benefit 'scrounger' wouldn't be such an attractive proposition.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

maman wrote: »

There is a group of people on benefits who are 'scroungers' and this abuse needs to be dealt with. BUT (and it's meant to be a big BUT;)) this is only a small fraction of the benefit problem although people like Osborne and Duncan-Smith would try to lead you to believe otherwise. To me, a more worrying aspect is that benefits are being used to subsidise employers. We need a realistic living wage to replace the minimum wage and then, while it wouldn't solve all problems, being a benefit 'scrounger' wouldn't be such an attractive proposition.

I can see your point BUT as an employer we are struggling to make ends meet too, and IF min wage was to go up, then we would not be able to trade, or let staff go and dramatically change the business, as like a lot of businesses we are just bobbing along, and just about managing to keep the business above water, with other increases like fuel, insurances:eek: and we get no help from the government etc

honeythewitch

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

its ok for us to moan and groan about this programme, BUT there are thousands and thousands of familes, who just don't know how to shop.

they are of a generation who's parents were shopping when there at the birth of the 'convienence ' food culture. So cooking from scratch was 'old school'

I did like the parts where they were going to local shops and markets and trying to get a little bit of discount or a better deal.

If even the chef was fooled into thinking the "per kilo" sticker on the chicken was the unit price, it shows that it is not that easy to find the best value.

I wish James Martin hadn't bought one tomato and two onions because in most places you cant do this, and it is usually more expensive when you can.

Also, the waitrose "bargain" sausage meat shouldn't have been included because reduced items are not always available and you cant bank on them while budgeting.

honeythewitch

pickle54 wrote: »

The way she was ripping in to her for feeding her a kids a hot meal after they'd had a (free) school dinner.....I've seen those portions and my skinny kids would definitely need something fairly substantial In the evening too if they had those or the biscuit tin would be empty! The woman had a fair bit of food I wouldn't say was healthy...but the lady following her wanted her to remove the chicken and not the processed stuff??!

That was the part that had me yelling at the television.
It was as if she begrudged the children a meal. :rotfl:

CH27

alfiesmum wrote: »

Didn't you get the sense that that woman had an absolute hatred for the lady & family that she was shadowing?!!

I wouldn't say hatred but like resentment.

alfiesmum

CH27 wrote: »

I wouldn't say hatred but like resentment.

Yeah, possibly. Of course the whole point of the show, is for the tax payer to JUDGE the claimant. And to do that you have to be judgemental. Although complaining that her kids ate 2 cooked meals a day was a bit far...
As has been said a couple of posts up, the claimant lady had a very good tactic of agreeing with the tax payer lady and carrying on regardless.

tori.k

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

I can see your point BUT as an employer we are struggling to make ends meet too, and IF min wage was to go up, then we would not be able to trade, or let staff go and dramatically charge the business, as like a lot of businesses we are just bobbing along, and just about managing to keep the business above water, with other increases like fuel, insurances:eek: and we get no help from the government etc

In the very short term, the cost to the employer would be spread evenly across board the cost of "living" prices would go up slightly to reflect this this would soon be balanced out with the extra income that joe public has to spend. reducing the gulf between the highest wage earners and the lowest really is the fastest way to get out of the rut we are in, the knock on will be more jobs will be created by the need of those that have money to spend. more business will be forced to close if something isn't done you can only tread water for so long.
we run a small business and we are far from the cheapest in the area we service but we are managing better than those that cut there prices hoping to attract trade and are sat trying to ride it out, by becoming more proactive we are actually slightly expanding our existing business this year, there are opportunities everywhere if you think outside the box.

sonastin

After the chef programme (OH refused to watch the second one!), we got talking about budget shopping and MSE and stuff. OH knows I come on here and that we're living on a strict budget but he hadn't quite put 2 + 2 together until the programme gave me chance to explain all the stuff that I've learnt coming on here.

Our conversation turned to coping during the war & afterwards on rationing and how people learnt how to survive with limited access to food then. It got me wondering just what it would cost in today's money to live on the rations diet. I know not everything was rationed but I don't exactly know what was and what else was available to have a stab at what it would cost to live like that now. Does anyone have any idea what that sort of diet would cost these days?

raphanius

Coopdivi wrote: »

You're not just being judgemental, you're also being pernickety. A packet of rollie papers cost 25p. Or are you picking on the pensioner for having the audacity to spend four quid on a pouch of baccy?

still a luxury to a man living on half a packet of soup for a meal!

Please remember that smoking is an addiction and is extremely difficult to give up

btw i am an ex-smoker so i do know how difficult it is to give up.