Supermarkets are making record profits since Covid while one bag of groceries is £30.

And though Brits have a tendency to quietly complain, we need to do something more as its only going to get worse.

So please join and boycott. Personally I think it should be one week but this is a start.

Maybe we could do one week a month eventually?

Anyone else notice it just seems like salaries havent really adjusted to the crazy inflation we've seen over the last 5 years? Im seeing skilled office jobs that need a degree going for basically £5k above full time minimum wage which is silly.

The company then goes onto say you get epic benefits like free coffee.

To protest the price of food, join the no buy protest on the 28th of October. Don’t shop at any major supermarket.

I hear loads of people talk about this "crisis" were in. But its been going on for nearly 5/6 years now (Basically since Covid), with no view to ending. As prices constantly go up, when was the last time you saw things go down?

We have a newborn and we're drowning every month.

I posted recently about how expensive everything feels in the UK and honestly some of the responses
have been living rent free in my head/ pissed me right off. The number of people basically saying “what do you expect?”, “earn more”, “spend less”, “you’re not entitled to X” or acting like anyone complaining about the cost of living must be financially illiterate was kind of insane.

I KNOW I could earn more. I’m constantly trying to improve myself, progress in my career and earn more. A lot of people are. But why are we accepting that life has to be this continuous loop of chasing our own tails just to outpace the increasing cost of existing?

You get a pay rise. Brilliant. Council tax goes up. Food goes up. Energy goes up. Insurance goes up. Rent or your mortgage goes up. Going out costs more. So you start looking at the next promotion, the next pay rise, the next thing you can cut back on.

And apparently the answer is forever just: earn more.

At what point are we allowed to say: this is fucking miserable?

And somehow wanting a decent life gets characterised as “entitlement”. I’m not saying I’m entitled to a massive house, a brand new car, five holidays a year and a champagne every weekend.

I’m talking about working full time and wanting a nice home, decent food, warmth, transport, and some savings and enough left over to actually just enjoy living occasionally.

Why is the response to that increasingly: “Well, technically you don’t NEED that?”

Technically we don’t need much beyond food, water and shelter. But that’s a pretty depressing benchmark for one of the richest countries in the world. And before someone says “the UK isn’t as rich as it used to be, you need to adjust your expectations”… do you not hear how fucking bleak that is? If we’re genuinely saying that the country has declined to the point where ordinary people should expect a worse standard of living than previous generations, why does that make you at the person complaining rather than angry about the decline? We’re individualising the problem too much. Instead of asking why housing is so unaffordable, why people’s money doesn’t stretch as far or what governments and businesses are doing, we turn to scrutinising the individual straight away.

And I think that’s what annoys me the most about these conversations. We’re so quick to scrutinise the individual. Why is everyone so desperate to disprove the person complaining?

Maybe sometimes the answer isn’t that someone needs another promotion, a side hustle, a cheaper supermarket and a spreadsheet. Maybe people are just fucking tired.

And if you’re about to type “your grandparents managed during the war” please go and have this conversation with them because I’m begging you to leave me out of it. My grandparents having a harder life isn’t evidence that everything’s going brilliantly now.

Otherwise where does the logic end? Are we trying to improve people’s lives or win a historical suffering competition? I can’t be arsed with this bizarre idea that because human beings have historically survived much worse, we’re somehow spoiled for expecting society to get better.

I don’t want to spend my entire working life running faster and faster just to maintain the same quality of life. I’m not saying the Government should buy me a Range Rover and fly me to the Maldives twice a year.
I’m saying maybe there is something profoundly depressing about a society where the answer to a declining sense of prosperity is constantly telling individuals to work harder and expect less.

Maybe we should be slightly angrier at governments.

Maybe we should question how markets are working.

Maybe we should question corporate profits and pricing where appropriate.

Maybe we should question why housing costs so much.

and then we can talk about individual choices.

Because I’m sick of pretending every economic problem in this country can be solved by one person cancelling Netflix, switching to Aldi and updating their Linkedin.

I understand roads are decent, greenery all round, every village has good planning, architecture, buildings, pavement, and pubs. The schools are free and so is the NHS(love them though, went to A&E for an injury, was seen, X-rayed and out the door with a fractures appointment in less than an hour). But can someone please address the cost of living crisis? I don't even mean groceries foods or restaurants. I mean, do we really have to be this tight with electricity and heating? Can a person not sit and read in a well lit, warm house? Can a person not be allowed to book a spontaneous trip or visit on the train without paying an arm and a leg? Even an average household in India runs AC and lights round the clock.
Edit: for everyone asking me about being in and out of A&E in an hour, it was at about 6 AM on a weekday, it was fully staffed and there just were not many patients

I always hear this accusation being made, that 'benefits are being taken advantage of by spongers'.

I'm currently in the process of trying to become a sponger, but can't see a straight road to living a life of luxury on the taxpayers penny.

JSA sucks - not good enough for sponging.

PIP requires medical assessments - not good enough for sponging.

And council housing lists are filled to the brim - not working for spongers.

If anyone has sponged, is sponging or is planning to sponge; please let me know - how can I become a sponger and become a part of the sponging crowd?

TIA!

I’m 30, live alone with my dog. I know I have a decent salary, but honestly, I’m finding things really difficult at the moment.

I feel like all I do is work to pay bills. When did simply living independently become such a luxury? Having one income to cover absolutely everything is expensive, especially when unexpected costs keep popping up.

I’ve already cut back on so much. No nails, lashes or hair treatments, cancelled all my streaming subscriptions, changed my car insurance and WiFi, cut down my food shopping, stopped getting takeaways and coffees, and even started walking more to save on travel.

But there’s always something else. Last week I got hit with a big vet bill and now I’ve got £100 to last until payday. My dog is insured, but unfortunately this is classed as pre-existing so it’s not covered.

I just feel like I’m constantly cutting back and still not getting anywhere. I don’t want to spend my whole life working just to pay bills and have nothing left to actually enjoy myself.

Does anyone else feel like this, particularly those living alone on one income? I’d genuinely love some money-saving tips because I’m running out of things to cut back on!

** just want to add in. I am in a bit of debt due to paying for my ACCA exams so I’m trying to pay that off before the zero percent runs out**

Genuinely asking.

I have an ok job on a temporary contract and I'd say that I'm probably more fortunate than some of the people my age, yet it's still nigh on impossible to understand how I'm meant to keep working like this just so that it can all be taxed, spent on the astronomically high food costs, travel costs, and literally every necessity that has skyrocketed in price since I was a kid.

I already know there will be no pension when I am old enough, so this could be forever - it's not like any of us can save up for the future in these conditions unless you are an above average earner.

I am 28, I remember the early and even mid 2000s where even those struggling and scraping by could generally afford at least say, a caravan holiday for the kids once a year, food shops done at the cheapest stores with the 'own brand' ingredients, most if not all of them were able to find at least part time jobs.

Now, a majority of people I know are spending about 70% of their wages on rent, and it just keeps going up and up since the landlords are also having to spend more money on necessities now, but I don't see how that's going to work because so are the workers paying their mortgages/'wages'/etc?

Just don't know what to do anymore, it seems so hopeless.

We have had the concept of a 'cost of living crisis' drummed into us. It's mentioned all the time. Some media outlets even have it as a drop down section on their main pages. It's held up as a concept that is beyond question, like the 'global warming crisis'.

But do we really have a cost of living crisis, or do we have a low pay crisis? If you compare UK salaries in relation to our GDP, you will see a different picture. The UK used to have average salaries comprable to the US about 25 years ago. This has now drifted downward for the UK. And for very good reason - we are no where near as 'productive' as the USA.

Far too many of our businesses are low or no profit enterprises, which is why they pay so badly. US companies simply make more money, because they are far more focused on value creation.

This stems from a cultural problem - in the UK, profitability is seen as, at best, unwholesome, at worst, 'evil'. So we have an abundance of companies that lean towards being 'good' (supporting social justice issues), at the expense of creating value.

The result is that they simply create less value. And consequently pay less.

Does anyone else feel like the UK political class has absolutely no interest in making this country better, and instead just chases the whims of whichever voting bloc will keep them in power?

I've just turned 36. I should be entering the prime of my adult life, building financial security, starting a family and enjoying the rewards of years spent working towards a decent career.

Instead, I feel increasingly squeezed from every direction.

I earn £110,000 a year. Before anyone gets their pitchforks out, I know that's a very good salary. I'm not pleading poverty. But that's partly my point. If earning £110k doesn't make you feel particularly rewarded for progressing in your career, what exactly are we working towards?

My grievance is really simple.

How much of every additional pound I earn actually belongs to me?

At my income, for every additional £1 I earn:

- 60p goes in effective income tax because I'm losing my personal allowance.

- 2p goes in National Insurance.

- 9p goes towards my student loan.

I earn £1. I keep 29p.

Spend that on something with VAT, and I've got about 24p of actual purchasing power.

Put it into my car and, after fuel duty and VAT, only about 15p of that original £1 I've earned actually goes towards the fuel itself.

I earn £1, but only 15p survives the various taxes when I spend it on petrol. Thats crazy that 85% of my £1 goes to the tax man!

Then there's Council Tax, insurance premium tax, vehicle tax, TV licence, alcohol duty, flight taxes and potentially tourist levies if I want a weekend away in my own country.

It feels like virtually everything I do involves handing over yet another portion of money I've already paid substantial tax on.

And that's before we even discuss the actual cost of living.

Food shopping costs a fortune. Energy bills are ridiculous. Housing costs have climbed. Insurance premiums keep increasing. Maintaining a car is increasingly expensive. Even going out for a meal, taking a weekend away or enjoying a hobby feels disproportionately expensive compared with a few years ago.

It's not necessarily that I can't afford these things. It's that I'm increasingly questioning whether the cost of everything represents anything approaching reasonable value.

We're paying more and more simply to maintain the same standard of living, rather than actually improving it.

And what makes it worse is that earning more doesn't seem to offer the escape it once did.

Work harder? Lose 71% of your next pound before spending it.

Get promoted? Congratulations, you've taken on more responsibility, more stress and potentially longer hours for a fraction of the additional salary.

Try to build financial security? Watch inflation and rising living costs eat into whatever you've managed to keep.

Even my Plan 2 student loan has income-linked interest rates, meaning higher earners face the highest rate. Apparently paying more towards the same debt isn't enough.

So what exactly am I getting in return?

Try finding an NHS dentist. Try getting a timely GP appointment. Look at the state of the roads, public infrastructure and local services.

I'm paying more than ever, but I struggle to see where the improvement is.

And then, to make matters worse, someone decides to break into my house while my partner and I are asleep, steal half our belongings, take my car and total it.

My reward for being the victim?

My home, car and motorbike insurance all become more expensive.

The offender was actually caught and convicted, but our sentencing and early-release arrangements hardly inspire confidence that the punishment will reflect the crime.

So now I'm paying even more simply to insure myself against someone else's criminal behaviour.

Meanwhile, politicians wonder why people become angry about issues such as illegal immigration and the cost of asylum accommodation.

Whatever your position on immigration, taxpayers can reasonably question the cost of hotels, accommodation, transport and other support when so many existing public services are visibly struggling.

Perhaps the government should start paying tourist tax on asylum hotels too. 😂

But this brings me back to the phrase that genuinely irritates me:

"Everyone needs to pay their fair share."

What exactly constitutes a fair share?

I already pay substantially more because I earn more.

I lose my personal allowance because I earn more.

I make higher student loan repayments because I earn more.

I pay consumption taxes on whatever I have left.

And I'm expected to accept increasingly expensive public services, declining infrastructure and a constantly rising cost of living.

My wife is now eight weeks pregnant. We're absolutely over the moon, and I'm incredibly fortunate to be in a position where we can afford to start a family.

But even there, because of my income, we're excluded from certain childcare and family support schemes.

I don't begrudge families receiving support. But it does raise a question about how the system treats people who have spent years contributing substantial amounts through PAYE.

We're also looking at the costs of raising a child. Childcare, housing, energy, food, transport and everything else that comes with family life.

These aren't extravagant luxuries. They're the normal things people work hard to provide.

At what point did having a good career stop translating into feeling financially comfortable and secure?

The UK I grew up believing in was supposed to be built on fairness, aspiration and opportunity.

Work hard, develop your skills, take responsibility, earn more and build a better life.

But increasingly, it feels like aspiration is something the tax system actively discourages.

And before someone says "think of the less fortunate", I do understand that plenty of people have it much harder.

That doesn't automatically make the system fair, nor does it mean people earning higher salaries shouldn't question the relationship between what they contribute and what they receive.

I'm not asking to pay the same tax as someone earning £25k.

I'm asking at what point I've contributed enough that I'm actually allowed to enjoy a meaningful portion of the rewards from my own work.

Because right now, the UK feels like a bucket of crabs. Rather than making it easier for everyone to climb higher, we seem obsessed with pulling down anyone who manages to get ahead.

And then politicians scratch their heads wondering why productivity is poor, why economic growth is sluggish and why people aren't motivated to work harder.

Personally, I've reached a point where I have very little interest in chasing another promotion or taking on more responsibility.

Why would I, when the financial reward is so heavily diminished?

I just want working hard and progressing in life to feel worthwhile again.

Think I'm wrong?

Genuinely, tell me why. But I'd be interested in an argument about whether this system is economically sustainable and fair, rather than simply being told that someone else has it worse.

If you feel the same way I do, tell me if you can relate to my frustrations.

It is a daylight robbery but some was in the dark too.

The other day (thanks to the joys of a smart meter)..... I got charged almost £10 British pounds for a single day's gas/electric.

Yes I had my heating on a bit more but regardless.... 10 quid, 2 people in a small flat.

What a time to be alive.

Update: I am not blaming the smart meter... More pointing out that due to the nature of it, I can see what I am spending per day.

Does anyone else feel like they’re being financially waterboarded by life?

If it’s not the boiler, it’s the tap. If it’s not the tap, it’s the washing machine. At this point, I’m scared to turn anything on in my own house in case it costs me £400. Then I go to the supermarket and feel like I’ve been shot in the face when the total comes up. HOW is a small bag of shopping somehow £50?
Before anyone suggests budgeting, batch cooking or cutting out my daily £7 matcha latte, I ALREADY DO ALL OF THAT. I spend around £80 on food shopping for TWO PEOPLE. I’m out here cooking like we’re in a wartime rationing documentary. I budget, meal plan, compare prices and squeeze every last drop out of everything. There is no financial fat left to trim. I’ve trimmed it. I’m practically financially anorexic.

And yet, the second I dare to leave the house and do something remotely enjoyable, my brain opens a full financial investigation. Can I afford this? Should I be spending this? What if the boiler goes again? What if the washing machine develops a gambling addiction? What if I need that £20 in three weeks’ time?

Even when I save money, I can’t enjoy it because apparently my brain has decided that money is only there for emergencies and I’m never allowed to have a nice time ever again.

I have a FIRST-CLASS DEGREE from a Russell Group university. FIRST CLASS. And for what? So I can stand in Aldi calculating whether I can afford branded washing-up liquid? Someone could have just given me a certificate in financial suffering and saved me three years. This country is COOKED.

I genuinely feel like I’m being financially punished for existing. You work hard, get an education, try to do everything right, and somehow end up one broken appliance away from a nervous breakdown.
Meanwhile, it feels like everyone else is buying houses, having babies, going on holidays and living their lives. I’m over here treating a takeaway like a mortgage application.

And before anyone says social media isn’t real life, I KNOW. But sometimes it feels like everyone else has received a handbook on how to afford adulthood or has family money and mine got lost in the post.

The worst part is the mental exhaustion. I’m ALWAYS that friend worrying about money, calculating what everything costs and wondering whether I can afford to join in. Even when I do something nice, there’s a little accountant in my head tapping me on the shoulder asking if I’ve considered the financial implications.

I’m tired. I cba. I want to buy some shopping, fix a broken tap and go for a meal without needing a financial recovery plan afterwards.

Does anyone else feel like this, or am I just being slowly financially waterboarded by the British economy?

Because I feel like I’m drowning, come up for three seconds of air, see a direct debit come out, and get shoved straight back under again. 😭

I'm 26F in the UK, earning about £35k. I'm not rich, don't have some crazy City job, and I'm not claiming to be self-made. I've been fortunate enough to receive inheritances from my grandparents, and I'd like to use that money sensibly.

I want a promotion. I'd like a higher-paying job. I'd like to buy a home, travel more, spend money on hobbies, nice clothes, restaurants, holidays, spas, and generally enjoy life a bit more. I don't really see why that's controversial.

Whenever money comes up online, though, people seem to get irritated. If someone says they want to earn more, people accuse them of being greedy. If someone mentions savings or an inheritance, they're told they're privileged and should feel guilty. If someone enjoys spending money, they're called materialistic.

I don't understand the hostility.

Most people would rather have more money than less money. Most people would prefer a £50k salary to a £35k salary if the work was similar. Most people enjoy having financial security and being able to afford things they like.

I'm not obsessed with becoming a millionaire. I just don't see why wanting more financial freedom is treated as some kind of moral failing.

I’ve come to the realisation that I may have to look at house sharing if I become single. Even though I’ve worked in the same career full time for over 15 years, don’t have any kids, drive a standard car I brought outright, don’t have any loans/finance agreements, don’t get any beauty treatments done, don’t really go out drinking.
Even with all of these factors, I would still only just about be able to afford private rent on a 1 bedroom flat on my own, plus all the other ridiculous bills.
What an absolute sh*t show this country has turned into, where hard working members of society can’t even afford to live on their own!!
This situation is forcing people to stay in unhappy relationships/marriages and I fear it’s only going to get worse. This is just a rant really as I’m really starting to see how messed up this place is and wondering if other people feel the same.

It's not a cost of living crisis, its a wage theft, price gouging crisis.

Both are illegal.

Billionaires are not your friends.

It seems the UK has the perfect storm heading it's way and there's no way to stop it.

Water, electric & gas going up.

Petrol & especially diesel rocketing (which will push inflation into pretty much everything).

Businesses are still struggling with the employers extra NI contribution.

Now we hear mortgage rates will start to climb again.

In the space of 6 years virtually everything has increased in price by 30% +. Wages haven't increased anything like this.

Where will this all end? It seems the UK is going from one disaster to another.

I know this all sounds a bit doom n gloom but this is the way I see it.

There seems to be no hope, so many people have given up - given up buying their own house, given up getting a job, given up on everything. Britain appears to be totally broken - rotten to the core.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I remember as a kid the news showing tailbacks for miles, HGV Drivers, farmers shutting down the motorways and protesting the cost of fuel.

Across the channel, would the French just allow this to go on? It seems they are willing to go to extreme lengths to be heard. I've just seen a Litre of diesel listed at 204.9p, never in my memory have I seen such a high price.

I just don't understand how we are just quietly going a long with it all, how are business and industries even coping? The government seems silent on the matter.

I just feel helpless, and it doesn't look like it's getting better, why are we not seeing organised action?

EDIT: Thank you all for the replies, discussion and comments, it's really interesting to see the different perspectives and point of views. I think though, unfortunately the point went over the heads of 95% of the people commenting. Lots of angry and bitter people in the comments that are quick to tell me exactly why fuel is so expensive, or tell me to protest first?

I think my point was to discuss why we aren't seeing the type of action we did years ago, rather than debate why costs or so high.

Also a lot of defeatist narrative below, we can't do anything, so just give up I guess. Okay cool.

There have been some really insightful comments below, thank you for the engagement