Michelin, Gallaghers etc - lots of bad economic news!

saverbuyer

motorguy wrote: »

How?

We've Tescos, LIDL, ASDA and Sainsburys here, plus loads of very competitive indy supermarkets.

Fuel - maybe a penny or two in it i'm not sure.

Cars - same price - cheaper for some used models.

Home heating oil - probably very similar.

They have council tax, we have rates per house.

Road tax is the same

Insurance "maybe" a bit more expensive, but shouldnt be much if any, comparing area by area.

Electricity - more competitive than it was, not sure on comparables but seems reasonable.

Clothes - all the big names here, and you can order online anyway.

Electricals - same price and you can order online anyway.

Insurance = More expensive
Online shopping = More expensive, deliver charges
Electricity = More expensive
Car = Same price??? Used seem much cheaper but we'll not get into that.
Gas = More expensive
Oil = No idea?
Rates = much cheaper
Transport = Much more expensive
Food and drink = Seems more expensive

motorguy

saverbuyer wrote: »

Insurance = More expensive

How much do you pay for car insurance? Ours are £400 for the 370Z and £250 for the Insignia. My Golf TDI was £200. Dont expect there'd be much difference if we lived on the mainland.

saverbuyer wrote: »

Online shopping = More expensive, deliver charges

Amazon, free delivery or standard price. Argos, collect in store free, tesco, collect in store free. Next standard price or collect in store, M&S standard price or collect in store. Currys, PC World and Richer Sounds, same.

saverbuyer wrote: »

Electricity = More expensive

No idea. I'd like to see evidence to the contrary.

saverbuyer wrote: »

Car = Same price??? Used seem much cheaper but we'll not get into that.

New cars are same price from a dealer. Used can be cheaper here, can be cheaper there depending on the car.

saverbuyer wrote: »

Gas = More expensive
Oil = No idea?
Rates = much cheaper

Same here...

saverbuyer wrote: »

Transport = Much more expensive

Commuting by public transport is a fortune on the mainland.

saverbuyer wrote: »

Food and drink = Seems more expensive

Shouldnt be. All the big players are here charging the same UK wide prices. Carry outs i would contend are cheaper on the mainland (or can be), restaurants can be dearer, can be cheaper - more big chains over there to keep prices down.

I dont think we're particularly getting stiffed here - i'd say it averages out. Therefore our biggest difference is the housing / rental price, which seems to be easily double and in most cases would irradicate the salary difference.

qwert_yuiop

The supposedly excessive fuel price here is a BT favourite, and wrong. Don't forget to fill up before you take the ferry, folks - it's dearer over there. (The Irish channel - is that a TV station? Cartographers are still unaware of its existence.)

Motorguy is right on this one. I've never felt poorer than when I lived in London - and I was on the London weighting in supposedly well paid job. Nowhere salubrious - Lewisham - knaa wot A mine?

saverbuyer

motorguy wrote: »

How much do you pay for car insurance? Ours are £400 for the 370Z and £250 for the Insignia. My Golf TDI was £200. Dont expect there'd be much difference if we lived on the mainland.

Anecdote again. Consumer council NI says it's significantly higher here than GB.



Amazon, free delivery or standard price. Argos, collect in store free, tesco, collect in store free. Next standard price or collect in store, M&S standard price or collect in store. Currys, PC World and Richer Sounds, same.



Yes true for those stores that have a presence here but lots of large stores don't. I can give you an anecdote of my own. I was buying carpet, the underlay in local stores here, £10 a sq meter can buy it in England for £3. Free delivery. £60 to get it delivered here.


No idea. I'd like to see evidence to the contrary.



https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/415778/qep_mar_15.pdf



New cars are same price from a dealer. Used can be cheaper here, can be cheaper there depending on the car.



Same here...



Commuting by public transport is a fortune on the mainland.



Per mile traveled more expensive.


Shouldnt be. All the big players are here charging the same UK wide prices. Carry outs i would contend are cheaper on the mainland (or can be), restaurants can be dearer, can be cheaper - more big chains over there to keep prices down.

I dont think we're particularly getting stiffed here - i'd say it averages out. Therefore our biggest difference is the housing / rental price, which seems to be easily double and in most cases would irradicate the salary difference.


Are you comparing everything to London and the South East BTW?

saverbuyer

Sorry Paul, quotes aren't working on my new PC for some reason.

motorguy

I think we're arguing ourselves round in circles here.

I've made my point. It would be easy to only look to the negatives in Northern Ireland and not see the positives. Go to any area of the UK and Ireland and people will tell you why their area is getting the worst deal.

As i said in my first post - i heavily sympathise with those affected by redundancy, i've been there myself before, however life goes on and with the timescales involved, people have the opportunity to make adjustments and look for other roles - maybe use the opportunity to change career direction.

I consider life to be like snakes and ladders, some times you get thrown down a snake, sometimes you get a hand up a ladder. All in all, its how you deal with what life throws at you that defines you.

tara747

motorguy wrote: »

Then you're clearly having a blinkered view - prices have been trending upwards for several years now. And even at that if they arent, surely its been statically low for several years - surely an ideal time to buy?

We're currently back to Q2 2005 prices. The market has been bumping along since Q4 2011. Meanwhile, my savings have grown by almost £40,000 in the same period. I'm absolutely fine with that.

http://www.nisra.gov.uk/housepriceindex/NI_RPPI_Statistical_Report_Q2_2015.pdf

My friends who bought in 2005-2010 have paid very little off their mortgage principal, and are in negative equity by more than that amount, in most cases. In the worst case, I know someone in negative equity to the tune of £140,000 (bought in mid-2007 for £200,000). :eek:

Uh huh, however by far the biggest difference is housing costs. The price of a tin of peas pales into insignificance by comparison.

And it's been pointed out that salaries here are much lower than elsewhere in the UK.


Ah the Bel Tel economic reporting there - take out something that makes a headline story and run with it.

You're mistaking me for a Belfast Telegraph reader. :rotfl:

Or what about just not focusing on the negatives? Controversial i know...

This thread is about the negative economic news in NI in recent months. Alternative views are welcome, obviously.

motorguy wrote: »

Road tax is the same

I'm surprised at you not knowing that road tax was abolished in 1937.

Replies in red.

motorguy

tara747 wrote: »

We're currently back to Q2 2005 prices. The market has been bumping along since Q4 2011. Meanwhile, my savings have grown by almost £40,000 in the same period. I'm absolutely fine with that.

You're conveniently missing the point that prices have risen 7% in the last year and have been rising since 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-33985054

tara747 wrote: »

My friends who bought in 2005-2010 have paid very little off their mortgage principal, and are in negative equity by more than that amount, in most cases. In the worst case, I know someone in negative equity to the tune of £140,000 (bought in mid-2007 for £200,000).

Yes - you're talking about things from ten years ago!!!

We're here NOW. House prices have been rising for two years now. They bottomed out two years ago. In the meantime you've been paying rent which is dead money, irrespective of the rise this past two years.

Average house prices have went up maybe £20,000 during that time, so thats £20,000 you've lost automatically from all that hard earned saving - THEN factor in your rent.

tara747 wrote: »

And it's been pointed out that salaries here are much lower than elsewhere in the UK.

you said - "average wages are much lower here than on mainland"

I replied - "however house prices are much higher on the mainland"

And you've just said "but wages are much lower here...."

tara747 wrote: »

I'm surprised at you not knowing that road tax was abolished in 1937.

Ask anyone how much the road tax is on their car, and they'll know what i mean.

qwert_yuiop

motorguy wrote: »

paying rent which is dead money, .


This old favourite. So's mortgage interest. So's maintenance. So's rates


Average house prices have gone up maybe £20,000 during that time, so thats £20,000 you've lost automatically from all that hard earned saving -

Minus the above. I wouldn't let it worry me too much. No boat's been missed. Not even one across that elusive Irish channel.

motorguy

qwert_yuiop wrote: »

This old favourite. So's mortgage interest. So's maintenance. So's rates.

Mortgage interest isnt dead money, if its facilitating you buying a property at a very low rate.

Maintenance - very little needed on most houses and its money maintaining your asset so certainly not dead money.

You're paying rates in your rent. No choice there for anyone.

qwert_yuiop wrote: »

I wouldn't let it worry me too much. No boat's been missed. Not even one across that elusive Irish channel.

Its not worrying me at all.

I'm just surprised *anyone* who is professing to want to buy a house and who has a decent deposit hasnt done so in the last couple of years.

Values have been going up, and theres still terrific value to be had, but i guess all this "negative" news is a good reason to put it off another while......