Cost of Living - How are you handling it?

[Green Gecko]

I managed to fit it in during free periods or before/after college when I was 16/17 I also worked part time whilst in college to help pay for it. At the time it was £17 a lesson. I also only had one lesson per week as that seemed like the norm tbh. Having more than one a week will probably make it harder to take in and make the lessons less effective.

Although I did not buy or even drive a car again until I was 23 after getting my license at 18 but atleast I had the license already.

I remember someone asking me why I was learning when I didn't intend to get a car after but I just thought it was best to do it whilst in college to get it out the way as you never know when you will need a driving license. Therefore I don't think you have to factor in buying a car if you learn to drive. Like people learn to swim but don't go swimming often. Plus the only way I could have afforded a car when I was 18 was to use my student loan but I didn't want to do that and at the time I didn't need to drive as my commute to uni was fine by train. But that didn't stop me from learning to drive as I think of it as a life skill similar to knowing how to ride a bike.

Cars don't have to be super expensive either, I remember my friend got his first car for £400 although it had no power steering and was a right old banger but it did the job.

Regarding expensive insurance for first time drivers, I got my first year of insurance for free as a lot of dealerships were offering free insurance for new car purchases and then the following years were more affordable.

I think you are omitting details that would reveal your socioeconomic advantage even at that age. Tell me if this is true:

1. You exclusively paid for the cost of your lessons yourself, and didn't merely "help" pay for them. It would appear you were one of the many middle class people who's parents essentially pay for their "essential life skills" (including a bike to ride on).

2. You did not buy a brand new vehicle, at cost of several thousand of pounds, which yes, may include a subsidy by the dealer for your first year's insurance, sold in a package deal (which is normal, for example you rent a property and the estate agent very aggressively tries to sell you a bad rate on contents insurance), making that an entirely moot point. Besides being able to afford a new car, with a warranty, and the expectancy it will run good for several years with nothing else besides an MOT.

I think this would help people understand your perspective. Cheers.

[LewisD]

Can we, like, go on a posting strike until he's banned?
Bit like the train drivers and that.

All are welcome in the WhatsApp group if you're fed up with him.

[No:1 Final Fantasy Fan]

No one has to buy a weeks worth in one go and struggle to carry it all home.

In terms of driving. Another bonus is that it would open the jobs market up for some people depending on where they live. I have a friend who used to commute two hours each way from Manchester to her job cos she didn't know how to drive. Yet if she learnt she could have done that journey in a lot less time and she could afford it too.

1. Yes you do, it's called budgeting. You don't need to budget, because you can afford £300 plants or wallets, making that something you inherently will not understand. But it's the same root issue as 2.

2. You need thousands of pounds just to start driving. Whereas you can pay £25 for a ticket into and out of a major city perhaps in the next few days. That's the difference.

Cashflow.

Those living in poverty have no cashflow. You probably live somewhere within 30-100% of your income with money to spare. We know this, because you speak about spending it on things you admit you do not need, so that is literally a fact.

Ah thanks yeah I agree some people just don't have the money to get started. I guess I wasn't talking about people in real poverty and should have. In terms of budgeting I am rubbish at saving and should start budgeting regardless of how much I have for food. It's a good habit to budget in general I guess.

I think you are omitting details that would reveal your socioeconomic advantage even at that age. Tell me if this is true:

1. You exclusively paid for the cost of your lessons yourself, and didn't merely "help" pay for them. It would appear you were one of the many middle class people who's parents essentially pay for their "essential life skills" (including a bike to ride on).

2. You did not buy a brand new vehicle, at cost of several thousand of pounds, which yes, may include a subsidy by the dealer for your first year's insurance, sold in a package deal (which is normal, for example you rent a property and the estate agent very aggressively tries to sell you a bad rate on contents insurance), making that an entirely moot point. Besides being able to afford a new car, with a warranty, and the expectancy it will run good for several years with nothing else besides an MOT.

I think this would help people understand your perspective. Cheers.

I think regardless of what I did I still understood the importance of funding it myself and did not expect someone to find my lessons for me. So I still got a part time job that would have covered the cost of the weekly lessons at the time. I think that's what's important.

Well I got it on finance over four years as dealerships usually have good offers on so eventually did own it outright. This is the norm though no? Hence how people can afford to drive new cars.

[RetroCora]

So you got a part-time job purely to support the driving lessons, which betrays that you come from some wealth. It is a privilege to be able to spend money on things like driving lessons without having to worry about food, rent, clothing etc. It is also a privilege to have a good enough credit rating to be able to buy a vehicle on finance.

The cheapest dealership cars run into thousands of pounds, and it is very difficult to get financing on something that expensive without a) a full-time job, b) a fixed, permanent address OR c) a large deposit and someone who can act as a guarantor. Many people have none of those three things, you clearly had them. And it's not necessarily the norm that people buy cars on finance, particularly for working-class drivers.

I am begging you to stop posting in this thread until you actually have a handle on how poverty in this country works.

[Tomous]

No one has to buy a weeks worth in one go and struggle to carry it all home.

In terms of driving. Another bonus is that it would open the jobs market up for some people depending on where they live. I have a friend who used to commute two hours each way from Manchester to her job cos she didn't know how to drive. Yet if she learnt she could have done that journey in a lot less time and she could afford it too.

1. Yes you do, it's called budgeting. You don't need to budget, because you can afford £300 plants or wallets, making that something you inherently will not understand. But it's the same root issue as 2.

2. You need thousands of pounds just to start driving. Whereas you can pay £25 for a ticket into and out of a major city perhaps in the next few days. That's the difference.

Cashflow.

Those living in poverty have no cashflow. You probably live somewhere within 30-100% of your income with money to spare. We know this, because you speak about spending it on things you admit you do not need, so that is literally a fact.

Ah thanks yeah I agree some people just don't have the money to get started. I guess I wasn't talking about people in real poverty and should have. In terms of budgeting I am rubbish at saving and should start budgeting regardless of how much I have for food. It's a good habit to budget in general I guess.

I think you are omitting details that would reveal your socioeconomic advantage even at that age. Tell me if this is true:

1. You exclusively paid for the cost of your lessons yourself, and didn't merely "help" pay for them. It would appear you were one of the many middle class people who's parents essentially pay for their "essential life skills" (including a bike to ride on).

2. You did not buy a brand new vehicle, at cost of several thousand of pounds, which yes, may include a subsidy by the dealer for your first year's insurance, sold in a package deal (which is normal, for example you rent a property and the estate agent very aggressively tries to sell you a bad rate on contents insurance), making that an entirely moot point. Besides being able to afford a new car, with a warranty, and the expectancy it will run good for several years with nothing else besides an MOT.

I think this would help people understand your perspective. Cheers.

I think regardless of what I did I still understood the importance of funding it myself and did not expect someone to find my lessons for me. So I still got a part time job that would have covered the cost of the weekly lessons at the time. I think that's what's important.

Well I got it on finance over four years as dealerships usually have good offers on so eventually did own it outright. This is the norm though no? Hence how people can afford to drive new cars.

How did you afford food and shelter if your part time job was covering driving lessons only?

[No:1 Final Fantasy Fan]

How did you afford food and shelter if your part time job was covering driving lessons only?

Like a lot of people who learnt whilst in college and hence living at home.

[Moggy]

How did you afford food and shelter if your part time job was covering driving lessons only?

Like a lot of people who learnt whilst in college and hence living at home.

So you didn't fund it yourself.

[Tomous]

How did you afford food and shelter if your part time job was covering driving lessons only?

Like a lot of people who learnt whilst in college and hence living at home.

Right. So your parents supported you in your early adult life. Now imagine you didn't have that support for whatever reason. Would driving lessons have been your priority? Of course not. You'd have been working to put food on the table and keep a roof over your head.

You had a privileged middle class upbringing. That's not a dig, so did I. But you absolutely should be more aware that many, many people aren't as fortunate as you and I were.

[No:1 Final Fantasy Fan]

How did you afford food and shelter if your part time job was covering driving lessons only?

Like a lot of people who learnt whilst in college and hence living at home.

So you didn't fund it yourself.

Ok regardless of that let's get back to topic. I don't want to distract this topic and make it about me.
Obviously it's impossible to pick up a new skill like driving if people are struggling with basics like food and energy. And the viscous cycle just continues unfortunately.

[Herdanos]

And the viscous cycle just continues unfortunately.

Yes, you keep being thick.

[rinks]

^^^ 10/10. Flawless.

[RetroCora]

And the viscous cycle just continues unfortunately.

Yes, you keep being thick.

Absolute post of the year material.

[LewisD]

And the viscous cycle just continues unfortunately.

Yes, you keep being thick.

</TheRockApplauding.gif>

[Mommy Christmas]

How did you afford food and shelter if your part time job was covering driving lessons only?

Like a lot of people who learnt whilst in college and hence living at home.

So you didn't fund it yourself.

Ok regardless of that let's get back to topic. I don't want to distract this topic and make it about me.
Obviously it's impossible to pick up a new skill like driving if people are struggling with basics like food and energy. And the viscous cycle just continues unfortunately.

I think that your starting position in this debate is in an area of naivety but as you carry on messaging you are showing ignorance towards those that are genuinely struggling.
You don't seem to understand what it's like to be in a position where there is no money. I'm not talking about having enough to buy a new game or go on the piss, I'm talking about there not being enough to feed your children or heat your home. I'm fortunate that I can support my family as a single parent but I've experienced times in my life where there was nothing. No money, rent needing to be paid and no food. Its happened twice in my life and there is a realisation that there is nothing you can do other than wait for the situation to improve.
Now seeing things from that viewpoint I shudder at the thought of people having to choose between eating or feeding their children. It's a terrible position to be in but it happens.
I had the good fortune in knowing that I would eventually be starting a new job and I only had myself to worry about but there are so many people in this country who have nothing to look forward to, no light at the end of the tunnel.
I've also been in your position where Ive made comments that were downright ignorant and frankly an embarrassment looking back.
The solution is education. Understand the subject a bit better and you'll be less likely to sound like Marie Aintonette.

[Qikz]

How did you afford food and shelter if your part time job was covering driving lessons only?

Like a lot of people who learnt whilst in college and hence living at home.

So you didn't fund it yourself.

Ok regardless of that let's get back to topic. I don't want to distract this topic and make it about me.
Obviously it's impossible to pick up a new skill like driving if people are struggling with basics like food and energy. And the viscous cycle just continues unfortunately.

I think that your starting position in this debate is in an area of naivety but as you carry on messaging you are showing ignorance towards those that are genuinely struggling.
You don't seem to understand what it's like to be in a position where there is no money. I'm not talking about having enough to buy a new game or go on the piss, I'm talking about there not being enough to feed your children or heat your home. I'm fortunate that I can support my family as a single parent but I've experienced times in my life where there was nothing. No money, rent needing to be paid and no food. Its happened twice in my life and there is a realisation that there is nothing you can do other than wait for the situation to improve.
Now seeing things from that viewpoint I shudder at the thought of people having to choose between eating or feeding their children. It's a terrible position to be in but it happens.
I had the good fortune in knowing that I would eventually be starting a new job and I only had myself to worry about but there are so many people in this country who have nothing to look forward to, no light at the end of the tunnel.
I've also been in your position where Ive made comments that were downright ignorant and frankly an embarrassment looking back.
The solution is education. Understand the subject a bit better and you'll be less likely to sound like Marie Aintonette.

This is without a doubt one of the best posts I've ever read on any forum, nice job dude. I also had no idea you were a single parent, but good on you for fighting so damn hard for yours and your kids benefit!

[Curls]

I'm thinking about my return to the UK and how I'll afford fuel. And it got me thinking, I will get a scooter for work commutes...but then I thought...? Why not get an electric scooter...then I thought, well it may as well be an electric bike!

Is there a cycling thread on this forum, or somewhere I could ask for advice on an electric bike. I'm happy to spend a bit of cash but don't want to waste said cash if you see what I'm getting at. A bike with a 20 or 30 mile range that could also be switched to cycling would just be awesome.

t:cycling?f=7&hilit=Cycling&start=980

It's not been posted in for a year though, we are all too lazy and unhealthy nowadays.

Thanks. Tricky thing to judge really. If I want a bike I'll have to start looking now before I'm home due to the ridiculous state of our country (long waiting list), but if the roads are too unsafe to cycle I may not want to! Anyway, I may ask in there, but it does look pretty dead.

[DML]

And the viscous cycle just continues unfortunately.

Yes, you keep being thick.

That really tickled me.

[ITSMILNER]

Is No.1fff actually Rishi Sunak?

[rinks]

Is No.1fff actually Rishi Sunak?

Nah, Niff would never have come up with the furlough scheme. He'd just tell people to find new, better jobs, e.g. with their father's company.

[Qikz]

Is No.1fff actually Rishi Sunak?

Nah, Niff would never have come up with the furlough scheme. He'd just tell people to find new, better jobs, e.g. with their father's company.

Sunak highly likely didn't come up with the furlough scheme either. He had a team of people working on it and he just announced it.