On 1 Dec, 19:57, melanie.fullw...@hotmail.co.uk wrote:
> On 1 Dec, 18:03, "mart2...@hotmail.com"  wrote:
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> > On 1 Dec, 16:55, melanie.fullw...@hotmail.co.uk wrote:
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> > > On 30 Nov, 14:59, "mart2...@hotmail.com"  wrote:> > > > On 30 Nov, 13:43, melanie.fullw...@hotmail.co.uk wrote:
>
> > > > > On 30 Nov, 09:36, mogga  wrote:
>
> > > > > > On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:38:00 -0800 (PST), "mart2...@hotmail.com"> > > > > >  wrote:
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> > > > > > >And how would the government tackle the cost of housing?
> > > > > > >Most properties are not owned by them. Most rents are not set by
> > > > > > >council or government.
>
> > > > > > >Martin  <><
>
> > > > > > Fair rents should be enforced.
> > > > > > For my street it's 85 quid a week decided by the rent officer. Council
> > > > > > charges 75 and private landlords who keep buying the houses round here
> > > > > > charge 135-160.
>
> > > > > > If rents were set and fixed at a more sensible level then house prices
> > > > > > would not have risen massively and caused the boom and bust senario
> > > > > > we're about to see.
> > > > > > --http://www.freedeliveryuk.co.uk
>
> > > > > I'd never be able to get a mortgage on NMW! I couldn't afford to rent
> > > > > privately either - have to rent a council/housing association. I think
> > > > > it costs about £35 per person a week on food alone, and then there's
> > > > > the cost of running a car................nightmare!- Hide quoted text -
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> > > > > - Show quoted text -
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> > > > Back when I started work, I could never have got a mortgage on my
> > > > starting wage either.
> > > > But a few years, and one promotion, later, managed to get a mortgage> > > > NMW is a starting wage, not an end wage.
>
> > > > If you don't like it, get a job paying more than it. There seem to be
> > > > loads of jobs advertised higher than NMW.
> > > > A lot of the NMW stuff are unskilled jobs. Even cleaners round here
> > > > usually get paid more than that. Shop staff often get a bit more.
>
> > > > A car is a luxury. They drain money like anything. Very useful though,
> > > > saves carrying a load of shopping back home on the bus.
> > > > Being without a car is cheaper, having one gives a lot more freedom to
> > > > travel, shop and activities.
> > > > Can be good if a portion of the car expenses are business expenses, so
> > > > reduce tax burden.
>
> > > > £35 is a fair bit for food. I spend only a little more than that on
> > > > food for 3 adults.
> > > > Cooked meal most nights though we use a chippy once or twice a week.> > > > Martin  <><- Hide quoted text -
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> > > > - Show quoted text -
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> > > £35 per head on food is based on the governments statictics published
> > > earlier this year.- Hide quoted text -
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> > > - Show quoted text -
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> > And that is based on a week's food shopping where?
> > And what sort of meals?
>
> > That would mean for 3 adults in my house I'd be expecting to spend
> > £105 a week on food. Wow.
> > Can't think what to spend the extra money on. Goose is nice but takes
> > longer than turkey to prepare for cooking due to the (usually) larger
> > size. I've got a recipe for pheasant somewhere. Can ask around see if
> > any local butchers carry it.
> > Perhaps have a whole salmon a couple of times a week.
>
> > Seems like I'm spending a little over 40% of what I should be, so must
> > get some more luxury foods.  :)
> > Or maybe I'm not eating enough processed food, perhaps I should stop
> > cooking and just buy a bunch of ready meals to nuke in the microwave.
> > Anything to get close to what the government say I should be spending
> > on food per head.
>
> > Martin  <><- Hide quoted text -
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> > - Show quoted text -
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> It's not me who published the report; don't start shooting the
> messenger. Where do you shop? Aldi? All I know, is that where I live,
> it costs a lot to buy groceries but I suppose I'm including toiletries
> and cleaning products in that also, eg. washing powder etc. You really
> need to work on how critical you are of people; probably your training
> - like I was talking about in an earlier post. Proves my point. Free
> speech? Questionable, if you ask me. Not that I expect you to agree
> with everything I say; just as I don't agree with everything you say.
> As for a car being a luxury; where did you get that fact from? The
> government? Just as they consider shampoos and sanitary products as
> luxuries. Would we be without them? Do you know many people without a
> car? When people hear I don't have a car, they think it's unusual.
> Have you seen how much driving lessons alone cost? Ridiculous! £22 an
> hour in my area. BSM £23 hr last time I checked.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I shop in Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys (online) and Tesco. For meat I
tend to go to a local village butcher - decent meat at better prices
than the supermarkets.

Toiletries and cleaning products do add to a bill. But I was simply
talking about food.


Car is a luxury. Damn useful one, but for most of the population, they
don't need it to get to work (though can make the journey quicker and
more convenient).
Times my car has been in an accident, even the time there was a fuel
shortage a few years back, managed to live without a car.
I've only met a handful of people for whom a car is a necessity. With
job, with disability or with where they live having no buses most of
the time.

I know quite a number of people without a car. Some are on benefits,
some simply don't want the hassle. My wife drives but won't take the
car to Uni. It would cut travelling time in half but increased hassle
(rush hour) and cost several times extra in fuel.
Not quite needed so much for shopping these days, with internet
shopping for groceries and delivery charges well below what running a
car is.
Driving lessons seem to have doubled in the last 20 years. Though fuel
prices have more than doubled, insurance has gone up, cars a little
more expensive and advertising has gone up.
So not sure the profit element will have increased.
Its not £22 an hour income for the instructor. After expenses, could
be under £5 an hour some weeks - for often what many would consider
unsociable hours. Weekends, evenings, and no holiday or sick pay.
Other times might make more money - but have to keep cash flow in mind
for the weeks when less work done.

Martin  <><