Food inflation lates stats, 14.9%

[Nick]

They exist in your exclusive world. I know plenty of people who after paying for rent, council tax, and utilities who don't have £82 a month left to pay for food.

Which is totally irrelevant to this conversation. 
The difference is, nobody can see what you've got in your cupboards to eat, they can however see if you've got the latest phone and working SKY when they come round. 

[papasmurf]

And because you know no one it doesn't exist?
This is what some people rank higher than feeding their family, just because you don't accept it doesn't make it untrue.

Try £30 deposit and then £82 a month!!

https://ee.co.uk/partner-deals/iphone-deals

They exist in your exclusive world. I know plenty of people who after paying for rent, council tax, and utilities who don't have £82 a month left to pay for food.

[Nick]

And? (By the way I don't know anyone, who can afford £70 a month for a smartphone and neither does my wife.)

And because you know no one it doesn't exist?
This is what some people rank higher than feeding their family, just because you don't accept it doesn't make it untrue. 

Try £30 deposit and then £82 a month!!

https://ee.co.uk/partner-deals/iphone-deals

[papasmurf]

I've just contacted my friend that works at the DHSS, she says they buy them the cheapest smartphone possible from Argos.

And? (By the way I don't know anyone, who can afford £70 a month for a smartphone and neither does my wife.)

[Nick]

houses are about 2 to 3 times more expensive relative to incomes than they were in your day.

From you comments, you are of the baby boomer generation.  The luckiest generation in history. No wars to fight, solid welfare state, free university education, free healthcare, few pensioners to support, cheap houses, steadily increasing incomes.  And now all they do is moan.


"In my day....."
FFS

No, I am not a baby boomer, I am apparently Gen X, so your assumptions are wrong. We sole our house on 2001 when we moved to the States, lost money on our house there because house prices are based on the whole housing development,  and if 1 or 2 are repossessed it brings the value of each house down.  Came back to the U.K. where our old house was on the market for 3 times what we sold for. So no, I'm not of the luckiest group of home owners. 

[BeElBeeBub]

I've been through the rough times, had to sell the furniture to pay the mortgage. Our entertainment was sitting on the floor playing cards or Monopoly, keeping a roof over our heads and food on the table was my priority. I didn't get any help from anyone, just grafted my spuds off. So excuse me if I don't subscribe to Smurfs bollocks, there are many ways to make ends meet, keeping your expensive phone contract and SKY package isn't one of them.

houses are about 2 to 3 times more expensive relative to incomes than they were in your day.

From you comments, you are of the baby boomer generation.  The luckiest generation in history. No wars to fight, solid welfare state, free university education, free healthcare, few pensioners to support, cheap houses, steadily increasing incomes.  And now all they do is moan.


"In my day....."
FFS

[Nick]

You problem Nick is you are accusing everyone who is poor with your Daily Mail stereotype. You don't have a clue.

I don't read newspapers EVER. I have real life experience, something you do not. 
How many homes have you gone to on a big estate to do a job in someone's house? 
Zilch, so you have no experience of it, ask SW what it's like. 

[Nick]

They don't Nick, BUT you do have to be contactable 24/7/365

I've just contacted my friend that works at the DHSS, she says they buy them the cheapest smartphone possible from Argos. 

[papasmurf]

They don't give you an IPhone 14 at a cost of £70 a month.

They don't Nick, BUT you do have to be contactable 24/7/365

[papasmurf]

I've been through the rough times, had to sell the furniture to pay the mortgage. Our entertainment was sitting on the floor playing cards or Monopoly, keeping a roof over our heads and food on the table was my priority. I didn't get any help from anyone, just grafted my spuds off. So excuse me if I don't subscribe to Smurfs bollocks, there are many ways to make ends meet, keeping your expensive phone contract and SKY package isn't one of them.

You problem Nick is you are accusing everyone who is poor with your Daily Mail stereotype. You don't have a clue.

[Nick]

If you are unemployed and cannot afford a mobile phone JobCentre Plus issue you with one so they can contact you 24/7/365.
The benefits system has been digital by default for years.

They don't give you an IPhone 14 at a cost of £70 a month. 

[Nick]

heaven forbid the poors do anything other than exist!!!!   (I say this as a near teetoal non-smoker who hates (and doesn't have) sky)

"they have expensive mobile phone contracts"..... a mobile phone with a data connection is pretty much a necessity these days and roughly equivalent to the cost of broadband

In other news, the largest recipients of state benefits receive another bumper increace today.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/money/state-pension-uprating-triple-lock-30713408

I've been through the rough times, had to sell the furniture to pay the mortgage. Our entertainment was sitting on the floor playing cards or Monopoly, keeping a roof over our heads and food on the table was my priority. I didn't get any help from anyone, just grafted my spuds off. So excuse me if I don't subscribe to Smurfs bollocks, there are many ways to make ends meet, keeping your expensive phone contract and SKY package isn't one of them. 

[papasmurf]

"they have expensive mobile phone contracts"..... a mobile phone with a data connection is pretty much a necessity these days and roughly equivalent to the cost of broadband

If you are unemployed and cannot afford a mobile phone JobCentre Plus issue you with one so they can contact you 24/7/365. 
The benefits system has been digital by default for years.

[papasmurf]

I fitted SKY in the 80's and early 90's. I've been in houses that smell that bad you have to hold your breath, they out entertainment before anything, including food. You clearly have no experience of life or you would know what I say is correct.

Nick  that was a long time ago, frankly your original comment was trolling. As for no experience of life you really are joking. I am fully aware of the poverty where I live as well as the rest of the UK. You on the other hand are so totally ignorant of it. If I did not know otherwise I would think you are a Tory MP.

[BeElBeeBub]

Bet they still drink, smoke, have SKY TV and expensive phone contracts though.

heaven forbid the poors do anything other than exist!!!!   (I say this as a near teetoal non-smoker who hates (and doesn't have) sky)

"they have expensive mobile phone contracts"..... a mobile phone with a data connection is pretty much a necessity these days and roughly equivalent to the cost of broadband

In other news, the largest recipients of state benefits receive another bumper increace today.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/money/state-pension-uprating-triple-lock-30713408