Current Affairs Cost of living…

[efcfanwirral]

I was out on Friday with a few colleagues. I left after a couple of hours and paid for what we'd had so far. Total of about 12 pints, and a few bits of food. Came to less than £30. That's Vietnam. Little wonder many want to leave UK etc

Strange timing to read this, I was about to post about Vietnam! We're looking at going there and visiting a friend in Singapore at the end of March (I know...different ends of the cost scale!!), so I've been looking at prices of some of the places we went to last time.

Now I'm well aware there are cheaper and less Westernised options, but we stayed for a month back in early 2019 so had plenty of time for everything, and we really enjoyed Pizza 4 P's for food and Heart of Darkness for beers. So I thought I'd find the most recent menu I could get hold of and check the prices, assuming everything had gone up an insane amount like everything has here since 2019.

But no, the costs don't look much different. The comparison just makes it look like even better value. and the hotels we've found, absolute luxury in the centre of Hanoi is not that expensive at all.

Then I did the same exercise with Singapore, based on a couple of places we ate last time. Back then I used to think "ouch, pretty expensive". I looked at a burger place and a nice Irish pub that we ate in..my thoughts on the food this time..."that's about the same as home".

Leaving beer aside, which is more expensive (though about the same as last time, so no insane inflation there), I was shocked at the Singapore food comparison going from seeming expensive to seeming normal.

Again, well aware there are cheaper options in both places (within reason), but the direct comparisons are mad

 

[Rita_Poon]

bbc news now, schools using educational budgets to help families of pupils survive.

cameron, may, boris, truss, sunak. Someone needs to get hold of these 5 and remind them who they answer to.

 

[Rita_Poon]

Water bills to rise by £10 a month in April

Figures reveal a jump for billpayers in England and Wales despite questions over firms' performance.

www.bbc.co.uk

f*** you boris!

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Had fish and chips for the first time in many years last night, hell bells it's gone up in price. Large cod and chips was £11.40. Small £8.50!

 

[kenada_blue]

bbc news now, schools using educational budgets to help families of pupils survive.

cameron, may, boris, truss, sunak. Someone needs to get hold of these 5 and remind them who they answer to.

Brexit. Ukraine. COVID.

Basically took the gun off the person pointing at our head for negotiation, turned it on ourselves, and pulled the trigger.

 

[Tramps_mate]

Had fish and chips for the first time in many years last night, hell bells it's gone up in price. Large cod and chips was £11.40. Small £8.50!

I found an old menu the other day. Our local Chinese takeaway has gone up by nearly 50% in 4-5 years..

Same price as eating out now! Indian takeaway too..

 

[Yarrgh]

I found an old menu the other day. Our local Chinese takeaway has gone up by nearly 50% in 4-5 years..

Same price as eating out now! Indian takeaway too..

That reminds me- I took a memu from our usual Chinese place a couple of weeks ago to do exactly that.

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

I found an old menu the other day. Our local Chinese takeaway has gone up by nearly 50% in 4-5 years..

Same price as eating out now! Indian takeaway too..

That reminds me- I took a memu from our usual Chinese place a couple of weeks ago to do exactly that.

Not a surprise really. Wages, energy, food itself, and rents all have gone up. There's a few places near me closed when landlords have put rents up. Final straw.

 

[Harryflashman]

Had fish and chips for the first time in many years last night, hell bells it's gone up in price. Large cod and chips was £11.40. Small £8.50!

I remember as a youngster when it was the regular Friday night tea , the rise particularly lately has been really striking and a bit of a shock when you pop back in .

I found an old menu the other day. Our local Chinese takeaway has gone up by nearly 50% in 4-5 years..

Same price as eating out now! Indian takeaway too..

A takeaway meal is as you say pretty much the equivalent to going out , staying in as a cheap option with the takeaway has basically been removed as an option .

As for eating out I went for a reasonably priced tapas the other day , just a couple of plates and a glass of wine each and you’re talking not far off a hundred quid . If you’re a one income family or you’re close or below the average wage then I don’t see how it’s an option for those people more other than as a treat .

Sad state of affairs

 

[Ming the Merciful]

Not a surprise really. Wages, energy, food itself, and rents all have gone up. There's a few places near me closed when landlords have put rents up. Final straw.

Worst is the pricing of "street food" at restaurant prices.

Street food in any other country I know is cheap and affordable. Wouldn't touch anything over here, massive rip off.

I have a takeaway about every 3mths from local Chinese and go to restaurants once or twice a year now for special occasions and I research the menu and establishment meticulously beforehand to make sure its a quality and affordable place to eat.

Unless there's a massive change in how eating out is financed and charged it's done for me. Shame because it used to be something I really enjoyed.

 

[Rita_Poon]

bbc news now, schools using educational budgets to help families of pupils survive.

cameron, may, boris, truss, sunak. Someone needs to get hold of these 5 and remind them who they answer to.

Derby head teacher says staff buy food and clothes for pupils

A head teacher says her school has a food bank, and she knows staff buy stationery for pupils.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Rita_Poon]

Cumbria and Lincolnshire chosen as potential nuclear waste sites

Construction will only begin when the host community has confirmed its "willingness", NWS says.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Water bills to rise by £10 a month in April

Figures reveal a jump for billpayers in England and Wales despite questions over firms' performance.

www.bbc.co.uk

f*** you boris!

Water bills in England and Wales to rise by average of £10 per month

Households now have a much better idea of their bill increases from April, which will rise at a time when many other bills are also tipped to go up sharply.

news.sky.com

That's daylight robbery. Even on my meagre bill, that's another £12 a month or so.

And almost every night on the local news there's yet another story of some town or village being without water for days on end, or sewage pouring out onto a beaches and into our rivers.

Their CEO got a £183k bonus last year, very productive, if only the rest of us were this productive.

 

[Tramps_mate]

I remember as a youngster when it was the regular Friday night tea , the rise particularly lately has been really striking and a bit of a shock when you pop back in .

A takeaway meal is as you say pretty much the equivalent to going out , staying in as a cheap option with the takeaway has basically been removed as an option .

As for eating out I went for a reasonably priced tapas the other day , just a couple of plates and a glass of wine each and you’re talking not far off a hundred quid . If you’re a one income family or you’re close or below the average wage then I don’t see how it’s an option for those people more other than as a treat .

Sad state of affairs

We actually went for a chinese buffet last night. 4 of us. £91.. £18 was on 1 pint and 3 diet cokes.

 

[Tramps_mate]

Water bills in England and Wales to rise by average of £10 per month

Households now have a much better idea of their bill increases from April, which will rise at a time when many other bills are also tipped to go up sharply.

news.sky.com

That's daylight robbery. Even on my meagre bill, that's another £12 a month or so.

And almost every night on the local news there's yet another story of some town or village being without water for days on end, or sewage pouring out onto a beaches and into our rivers.

Their CEO got a £183k bonus last year, very productive, if only the rest of us were this productive.

I fully back re-nationalising utilities, particularly water. Water should be provided non-profit as a necessity of life. Its criminal the way they are run.