Tell me there’s a cost of living crisis / rampant inflation without telling me there’s…
The future is really, REALLY stupid:
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Ever wandered into your favourite Starbucks only to find it closed?
Worry not, for there’s always another one nearby!
People qualifying for the Darwin Award.
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She’ll be back…
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This can’t have been an accident 
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Head chef is reportedly a Mr S Todd who has a sideline as a barber in the London area.
Not sure if this is quite the right thread, but I’m impressed at how the Royal Navy has gone from the world’s preeminent Blue Water Navy to one that would struggle to secure a duck pond:
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This is absolutely not because of another propeller issue. Nope, not at all. Not that again…
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I don’t even think it’s people with decent salaries - I think it’s now people who traditonally SHOULD have had decent salaries. As a middle level civil servant I stuggle to afford a 3 bed terrace - 20-25 years ago someone in my role would have been able to afford a decdent semi-detached with garage.
It’s a real concern. And we have no buffers for emergency issues such as one’s boiler dying this morning… 
i am not against equality in the workplace, but 25 years ago there were not as many women in the workplace, or certainly earning the big bucks, as such “families” now have more earning potential which has risen house prices.
while before a family could be “comfortable” on a single (male) wage that is no longer the case, house prices have risen faster than wages, why? because there is the potential for a second wage to contribute rather than need to increase the sole wage
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But also, don’t forget the ultra rich buying up all the assets of the middle classes, because they have so much money there’s nothing to do with it except buy up assets, thus raising house prices for the rest of us.
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Not just the ultra rich, but also those people buying multiple houses just so they can rent some out, reducing the availability of houses for purchase whilst generating “passive” income.
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And then in our area this increase in prices means people can’t afford to move from the 3 beds to 4/5 beds so convert their lofts instead. The resulting shortage of 3 beds means they are disproportionality expensive themselves, beginning a vicious cycle in the cost of smaller properties. (We are guilty of this having had no option but to extend our 2 bed into a 3 bed)
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Yeah, theres one person I know who actually occupies a council property whilst renting out multiple houses. Actually that grinds my gears rather than makes me laugh.
There is also an element of greed combined with cheap money. When I did financial advice years ago even when the bank rates were less than 1% and mortage rates ridiculously low I always showed my client monthly costs based on 4-6% as I knew it would return at some point, and if they could afford it overpay so the impact was minimised
Whilst it was normalised by the media those low rates were because things were broken.
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This whole talk of the housing market is a GMG. Its stupid that I, as someone who is lucky enough to earn slightly more than average, cannot afford a house anywhere near to where I currently live. I’ve saved up in total over a years pre-tax wages for a deposit, but simply cannot afford the repayments if I were to buy a house. (Now would the bank lend me the money…)
I could afford a house up north, a few hundred miles away from where I currently live. But for many reasons that’s simply not on the cards.
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Seconded.
I can afford a house where I live, but the number I can afford is rapidly shrinking and the quality deteriorating.
However, I can only afford it because I have a job that’s technically based 100 miles away in a big city and pays a salary relevant for that location. If I had a more local job, or lived locally to my job, house ownership would be out of reach.
Like you, I also earn a few thousand over the overall national median. Even on a regional level, it’s only London where the median income is higher than what I’m currently earning. It’s ridiculous that we’re in this position.