Living beyond our means, or just poverty?

[tinfoilhat]

An example of life choices

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-42789610

 

Today's news.

 

Well, january but its still a fair point I suppose. Some of the stuff I did in my 20s was shockingly naive - my decisions would be far more sensible in my 40s. Maybe they wouldn't though - maybe those closer to the edge should have a good look on how the benefits system works so it doesn't eat you alive like the poor chap in the article.

[gomgeg]

£11 quid a day to feed six easy and it would be fresh not frozen crap.

 

really do you really think there are kids going to school hungry and they all share a mattress?? if thats the case and it would be a very very small number then its the parents fault 100%

do you ever go out in the real world??? or is it spent huddled over your monitor spewing your garbage all day long.

On the news last night mattresses were being delivered to families that didn't have them, then the kids were jumping up and down on them with their shoes on, never mind they'll soon get another one.

No mention of what jobs the fathers were doing or how much they were earning.

Plus the shock headline of 400,000 kids without a mattress was a guess according to the charity distributing them.

Having said that I've also got no problem with a charity giving out stuff, if someone wants to donate that's entirely up to them.

[Calahonda]

There are folk on our street who are housewives/husbands who employ cleaners and gardeners, I just wonder if they are able to cook.

[sheffbag]

Put your money where your mouth is and show us how that works then.

 

Breakfast, dinner and tea for six people for 11 quid. I await your response with interest.

.

 

Ok then

 

Breakfast

Cereal – Box of branflakes £0.70 for 500 G. 6 servings of 40g each = £0.35

Milk for Cereal – 6 pints for £1.50 – Usage for breakfast – 2 pints - £0.50

 

Dinner

Loaf of bread - £1.00 (approx. 24 slices). 6 x 2 slices each - £0.50

Ham – Family pack of cooked ham (425g) - £4.00. 6 x 2 slices each approx. £1.40

Apples – 6 pack of Granny Smiths - £1.60

 

Tea

Jacket potatoes – 2.5kg - £1.14

Chicken Breast (100G each) - £4.00

Mixed vegetables with peppers - £1.50

 

Total £10.99

 

All fresh and healthy food using Tesco prices as of today, would cost less at Aldi/Lidl or by having more processed food (8 Southern fried chicken steaks for £2.50 instead of fresh chicken breast would make it £9.49 for the day and leave 2 steaks for the day after or jam instead of ham for lunch)

 

You could substitute in things like wraps (8 for £1.00 so a 30p saving there on the bread at lunch) Eggs (as little as 48p for 6 so 2 eggs on toast for lunch would be £1.46 instead of £1.96). Nearly a pound saved there and still good for you.

 

You can always add different fruits in but £11/day for a family of 6 can be done and still nutritious.

Edited August 3, 2018 by sheffbag

[Halibut]

Ok then

 

Breakfast

Cereal – Box of branflakes £0.70 for 500 G. 6 servings of 40g each = £0.35

Milk for Cereal – 6 pints for £1.50 – Usage for breakfast – 2 pints - £0.50

 

Dinner

Loaf of bread - £1.00 (approx. 24 slices). 6 x 2 slices each - £0.50

Ham – Family pack of cooked ham (425g) - £4.00. 6 x 2 slices each approx. £1.40

Apples – 6 pack of Granny Smiths - £1.60

 

Tea

Jacket potatoes – 2.5kg - £1.14

Chicken Breast (100G each) - £4.00

Mixed vegetables with peppers - £1.50

 

Total £10.99

 

All fresh and healthy food using Tesco prices as of today, would cost less at Aldi/Lidl or by having more processed food (8 Southern fried chicken steaks for £2.50 instead of fresh chicken breast would make it £9.49 for the day and leave 2 steaks for the day after or jam instead of ham for lunch)

 

You could substitute in things like wraps (8 for £1.00 so a 30p saving there on the bread at lunch) Eggs (as little as 48p for 6 so 2 eggs on toast for lunch would be £1.46 instead of £1.96). Nearly a pound saved there and still good for you.

 

You can always add different fruits in but £11/day for a family of 6 can be done and still nutritious.

 

Good job. mmmmmmmmmm

[Cyclone]

Apart from having mixed up the meals, clearly those meals are breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

Also 100g of chicken is a bit stingy isn't it? It's < recommended protein for an average sedentary man.

 

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/292255695

That's a typical 2 pack of budget chicken breasts from Tesco, each portion is 150g.

[Halibut]

Apart from having mixed up the meals, clearly those meals are breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

Also 100g of chicken is a bit stingy isn't it? It's < recommended protein for an average sedentary man.

 

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/292255695

That's a typical 2 pack of budget chicken breasts from Tesco, each portion is 150g.

 

Indeed. Isn't it rather beside the point though? People seem to be using this kind of stuff to suggest a) that poverty doesn't exist

b) that if it does, it's the fault of the poor.

 

Both a) and b) are manifestly untrue.

[the_bloke]

Indeed. Isn't it rather beside the point though? People seem to be using this kind of stuff to suggest a) that poverty doesn't exist

b) that if it does, it's the fault of the poor.

 

Both a) and b) are manifestly untrue.

 

No, we are just pointing out that you were wrong in your haughty 'can't feed a family on 11 pound' statement.

 

Poverty does exist, especially when it's measured as 'relative poverty'. If you measure poverty in such a way, you'll never eradicate it you'll just spend your time redefining what poverty is as living conditions and wages improve over time. Someone will always be classed as impoverished.

 

As for point b) it's clear that some people in poverty are not there through fault of their own. However it's foolish to remove all responsibility from those who have put themselves in that situation through their own actions, by putting everyone into the same basket. For some people in poverty, they have been shafted by life, whereas others are there because life offered them a way out and they didn't take it.

 

Perhaps people should read https://fullfact.org/economy/poverty-uk-guide-facts-and-figures/ and point out these big increases in absolute and relative poverty in the UK that they think exist?

Edited August 3, 2018 by the_bloke

[kidley]

Indeed. Isn't it rather beside the point though? People seem to be using this kind of stuff to suggest a) that poverty doesn't exist

b) that if it does, it's the fault of the poor.

 

Both a) and b) are manifestly untrue.

 

 

B/ does exist i can take you to hundreds of people who are 1st 2nd and indeed 3rd generation families who have been out of work all their lives.

 

conclusion

they would rather be poor than work.

[chakademus]

An Office of National Statistics report showed that the top 10% of earners had a disposable income - after taxes and housing costs - of £78,000 last year. These families spent less than £39,000 of that sum.

 

By contrast,the poorest 10% of households had a disposable income of just £5,000 but spent £13,000 funded by borrowing and debt.

 

Saving has fallen to the lowest level since records began in 1963.

 

Peter Andrew of charity step change said 'The reality is too many households simply cannot make ends meet no matter how hard they try.

Not having enough money to make ends meet is not the same as living beyond your means, which implies you have a choice, when too many people do not.'

 

A typical household's outgoings were £900 higher than their incomings last year,

 

Are we living in a fool's paradise? Are we heading for yet another financial crisis? Shouldn't something be done?

 

The UK financial system is one huge ponzi scheme. But that doesn't excuse people from earning more money & living within means if possible.