I know life ain’t fair and you don’t get nothing for nothing these days. And that into every life a little rain must fall…
But enough now. I’ve been very tolerant through the whole of the recession/downturn/economyturnedtoshit stuff. This has been going on for far too long.
There have been excuses and scapegoats – Fred the Shred, Gordon Brown or the Big Boys Who Ran Away. Does it really matter any more?
They say that if you keep putting the same in, you get the same out. But that’s not happening here. We keep putting the same – or more – in and getting less and less out. I’m a freelancer and I’ve been working much harder this year yet rates have stayed the same or dropped. The Panther of News is continuing his prowl for similar returns despite the industry being Levesoned* at every turn.
So you’d think things were much of a muchness in the Palace of Bundance, wouldn’t you? Not so. Everything costs more, much more in some cases.
At first I tried my usual philosophy of embracing it and making it positive. Frugal fun? Only now we take sandwiches everywhere, stay in, collect coupons, watch what we spend, holiday in the UK, turn down the heating, put off getting things fixed and generally try to pennypinch a bit more. It’s stopped being fun.
Now apparently our Child Benefit and Disability Living Allowance are under threat… that will make a big fat difference in this house.
I know in so many ways we don’t have anything to whinge about, we are healthy and earning quite a lot more than many others, but what we do earn has stopped stretching from one end to the other. Things have been cashed in to cover a difficult month, only to find there’s another difficult month right behind it.
The Panther and I have decided that staying in and watching telly is the new going out for dinner, Aldi and Lidl are the new Waitrose, and goosebumps are the new toasty warm.
But, frankly, narky and cross is fast becoming the new patient and understanding. I’ve been good, I’ve tightened my belt, made savings and worked hard. Now what… You want more? And for years to come?
Austerity is rubbish – perhaps it’s time to try something else. I’m no economic whizz – far from it – but aren’t other countries doing things differently and turning round the juggernaut of fiscal Armageddon faster than we are?
Of course I don’t have the answers, but what I do have is a lack of faith in our current direction. Would someone please help us get back on track before… well, actually, I don’t know what before, but I really don’t want to spend the whole of my children’s childhoods saying “sorry, we can’t afford it”.
Yours very cheesed off,
Ellen, Empress of Bundance.
*Leveson – to subject something to a random and slightly spiteful attack to which they have no right of reply.
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Feeling your pain. And my husband's a … best not finish that sentence.
Now I'm really interested. What does he do? A banker, politician, circus performer? Do tell…
I am equally fed up. I am tired of telling my husband to grab another jumper if he is cold. I would rather just turn the heating on. I am tired of having to play the bad guy every time my kids see what their hearts desire. I am tired of checking my bank account to make sure we are still OK for the week. I am just tired.
It is very, very boring, isn't it? I generally believe in taking responsibility and looking for my own solutions, but I'm running out of ideas.
If I have to hear my husband tell me turn the heating down/shut the door and keep the heat in/no we can't afford a cake with your coffee/this cafe is too expensive I will explode.
Never buy expensive clothes, or go out anywhere, or get my nails done etc etc. But we always seem to be asking where the money has gone.
Seems to me we'll be sitting around a candle in woolly jumpers, eating baked beans out of a tin. Aaarrrrghhhh!
I'm hacked off too. Single parent, 2 teens, what once was a good salary chipped away to not quite stretching from one month end to other. Playing freezer roulette isn't fun any more. God help me when I take car in for MOT later this week. Lottery ticket anyone?
I hear ya ladies! It's the same over here in Ireland and in so many other countries. We are blaming the banks and the politicians too.
It is miserable, isn't it?
Fingers crossed for your car.
I know we aren't alone, but it's rubbish.
Good blog Ellen. I'm the whinger in my house – heating too high, freezer too full, throwing good food in the bin because nobody checked the use-by date.
Even I'm sick of listening to myself.
The worst of it is that there's no end in sight. Four years of no pay rises and the possibility of redundancy staring me in the face – it's not funny.
Indeed. It is becoming a bit of a slog.
Great post – totally hear you – feels as if we've been being careful for ever (we bought our house, had the girls and so have been watching pennies for years)
Totally agree that I'm not sure there's a great plan to help us out of this – really would like to know that there'll be a point in the future when it can be jam today not jam tomorrow
With dire warnings about pensions, it doesn't seem there will be jam at all.
You're right Ellen. I'ts not funny anymore and hasn't been for quite some time. It's not on. We're minions comparative to the debt we're all saddled with and it's just not fair. I'm an ex City Trader and firmly believe that the only place they're likely to raise funds such as these required are bang slap in the middle of where the problems started…. I realise I'd better stop there ….and breathe….!
So, as we all suspect squeezing us won't make enough of a difference and actually the whole thing needs a rocket in the middle of it? Interesting.
Heart felt post Ellen. It's a hard time to have young family too. High costs and high expectations fed by our culture. Feels wrong that someone of your ability isn't properly rewarded too. What shines through for me from your blog and tweets is that your family has a rich supply of stimulation and love and that's what counts too. Re economy I do feel we accept too much and don't challenge back enough. Women are good at organising so maybe we need to organise ourselves better to help all those most affected.