What would you say your biggest everyday problems are living in the UK?

[-]

coffeewalnut05@reddit

Busy roads filled with smelly, noisy cars. It’s hard having a quiet life in the city or even many small towns, because there’s so many cars driving up and down endlessly.

Also, how expensive everything is. I’m always broke/just getting by.

[-]

polygonisland@reddit

It's crazy the amount of McDonald's wrappers you see on grass verges that people toss out of their cars. Really annoys me.

[-]

evenstevens280@reddit

Cars.

So.

Many.

ThreeRandomWords3@reddit

What a strange thing to get triggered by. I just meant cars getting larger isn't necessarily a bad thing, crumple zones protect the occupants of the car, pedestrians and occupants of other cars so yes, I would have said it.

[-]

ChemistryWeary7826@reddit

Let's replace the word car with dog. Yeah it might kill a kid but it's big so you can see it coming and it might injure its owners as well.

It's definitely not a need for a huge car, but if someone has the disposable income, I can understand why they would spend it on making their car journeys with kids more comfortable (especially if they're planning on having a 2nd child).

[-]

paulmclaughlin@reddit

Because crumple zones, air bags, and other safety features that help save thousands of lives each year take up space.

In 1926 there were 4,886 fatalities from car crashes in Great Britain.

In 1996 there were 7,985.

In 1990 there were 5,217.

[-]

evenstevens280@reddit

Oh yeah you're dead right about motorbikes. They're SO loud.

[-]

MeltingChocolateAhh@reddit

They can be loud, and they can be smelly. Both countered with EV as much as I don't like their existence.

They're dangerous if people behind the wheel are dangerous.

They are getting bigger, and our roads aren't getting wider.

They do take space on some pavements. Up my dad's road, cars have to park both sides on the pavement and people are highly against this. My view is, try getting an ambulance down that road then when there is no off road parking.

They do take up spaces in places they should not be too. Sometimes, it's pretty funny to see a pic of a car parked in a trolley bay in Sainsbury's car park.

[-]

evenstevens280@reddit

My view is, try getting an ambulance down that road then when there is no off road parking.

Don't allow parking on that road then. EZ

[-]

MeltingChocolateAhh@reddit

To just congest the main road and make that more hazardous? EZ

They still allow 1 metre of space on the pavement, and there has been no accidents reported in the last however many years so no action needed really. Just a pain to park in, and would be even worse if vehicles didn't park on pavement because of emergency vehicles and just allowing normal traffic to flow freely in the middle.

[-]

evenstevens280@reddit

They still allow 1 metre of space on the pavement

Try piloting a wheelchair and getting past a car that's left only 1 metre of space (not including wing mirrors presumably)

[-]

MeltingChocolateAhh@reddit

I know. Or a pushchair. That's why shops must have an aisle of 120cm width to accommodate wheelchair users.

But, the law still says someone can park on the pavement leaving 1-metre space between the vehicle and nearest property line - unless you're in London where you cannot park partially on a pavement.

Without a doubt housing/renting

I earn a handsome figure for my age but not enough to move out for it to be worth it

[-]

childofzephyr@reddit

For me, it is autistic unemployment and the lack of safety in IRL workspaces.

[-]

Crinkez@reddit

rookie93@reddit

Honestly, people on their phones with no headphones on the bus

There are people with much worse issues, I have a good life, but it makes my blood boil lol

[-]

UniqueEnigma121@reddit

Speakermode😡🙄

[-]

knight-under-stars@reddit

At this time of year, the darkness.

Screaming at the cloud and screaming at policy makers probably has the same effect. Sweet fuck all.

[-]

Acceptable_Candle580@reddit

I really hope this is a joke.

[-]

windtrees7791@reddit

Such a strange comment.

[-]

coffeewalnut05@reddit

I quite like how mild our weather is. More snow would be nice, but I’m up north now so I’m getting more of that. Otherwise, it’s perfect.

[-]

windtrees7791@reddit

Don’t get that when it’s scorching or freezing for half the year.

4 seasons gives you exactly that, look at Canada. But even the Yukon thrives in Summer. Alaska in the US too.

[-]

Jolly_Constant_4913@reddit

Also why the Arabs never invaded from North Africa (apart from the battle of Lyon. They thought it was a foggy forsaken place. They must have visited in January 😂)

[-]

Yeah I do like scan and go for this reason too. I didn’t use it this time as I didn’t intend to do a big shop and the amount I bought wouldn’t indicate it being so.

[-]

c0tch@reddit

Yep, the other day I bought shopping, about 10-20 yoghurts, some granola cereal, 2 chickens, 2kg wings, a leg of lamb (on offer £7kg) some potatoes and frozen veg, kitchen roll, 3 shower gels, some stuffing mix, a small pack of soda bread and a box of ibuprofen and paracetamol.

Came to £80+

Like I get there’s some luxury items in there like a leg of lamb, lamb is expensive but it was a really good price at £7 per kg.

Idk how families handle it… my weekly shops used to be like 30-50, I don’t even think I got much substance for £80 to consider it a good shop.

[-]

glasgowgeg@reddit

I feel even if inflation drops

Inflation dropping doesn't make things cheaper, they still get more expensive but at a lower rate.

[-]

Yep and talking about it gets you labelled immediately…

[-]

UniqueEnigma121@reddit

By Woke🙄

[-]

ManInTheDarkSuit@reddit

So a lot of your money doesn't go toward the local or UK economy and you're moaning about the local and UK economy and the wider effects of it.

Seems a bit circular.

[-]

Langeveldt@reddit

Yeh absolutely true, and I am cognisant of this, but it’s so far gone now, there is nothing of note to bother with in town anyway. I’ve just sat in traffic for an hour to go two miles in a place with 50,000 people. In Europe I breeze up on a bike, sit on the terrace and enjoy loads of independent shops. I remember it kind of being like that here, when I did go out more.

[-]

Bladders_@reddit

Hit the nail on the head concerning vast swathes of the UK currently.

[-]

It's not just a drain on people's finances it's a drain on the country as a whole. People invest in property instead of something worthwhile. If all the money tied up in property was spent investing in tech startups like it was in the 80s we'd be as rich as America now.

[-]

UniqueEnigma121@reddit

Don’t dare mention manufacturing or industry in this country. We are not aloud it since 1979🙄

[-]

knowledgeseeker999@reddit

How do we encourage people to invest more in productive activities and less in housing?

[-]

ThreeRandomWords3@reddit

Build more houses so demand and supply are in sync. Increase taxes on houses you don't live in.

Was your mums a council flat? I lm 30 and live with my mum and son who's with me every other week, the rent for a 2 bed flat here in SE London is about 490 quid a month lol my mum doesn't truly under how bleek it is because she's been in social since the 80s.....

Yep I’m in Chelmsford and any 1 bed flat is now £1200 ish. And they’re tiny and not even well maintained. There is not a chance the landlords are paying that in mortgage. The house 2 doors down which is the same tiny size as mine is now up for £1250. The lady next door owns hers and pays £600 a month.

It’s disgusting because even on a half decent wage - someone on their own is being priced out of renting even the tiniest of places and being forced to look at a HMO which is another way landlords are milking a load of money. You shouldn’t be forced to live with strangers just because you’re alone.

[-]

hamjamham@reddit

Yup, it's wild. My family home which we had to sell when my parents split was sold for 180k in 1998 & now it's just come back on the market for 900k.

My dad was a builder & my mum was a primary school teacher & she didn't work for 5 years whilst raising my sister and I.

You'd need a household income of close to 200k to live there now.

[-]

Old-Refrigerator340@reddit

900k whoa! The issue won't be fixed ever because those who put the laws in place are the ones who benefit from this wealth inequality. I always find it funny when my Nan asks when I'm going to be buying a house. She paid £3k in 1969 (£43k adjusted for inflation) for a 3 bed semi, with a garden that backs out onto a river. It's easily worth £750k now going by what the neighbours have sold for recently. She reads the daily mail and won't believe me when I say I can't afford it 😜

[-]

ancientestKnollys@reddit

Potentially a bigger issue is how all the voters who have benefitted oppose anything that might lower their property's value.

[-]

intonality@reddit

Yup. I lived in London for work and had no choice but to house share, and I went for the cheapest places possible. Back then (4 years ago?) I was spending £800-850 for a room in an HMO, dread to think what that would cost now. But I made decent enough money so it wasn't so bad.

Local economies suffering because 25-50% of people's incomes are spent on housing

Low birthrate because people can't afford to have kids due to cost of housing

High immigration to replace low birthrate

Council finances crippled from having to pay ££££ for emergency/private accommodation due to lack of social housing

For comparison: for my dad as a single earner in the 1970s, his rent was 10% of his junior engineer wage

[-]

Winter_Cabinet_1218@reddit

Yeap, cost of living and the biggest bill is my home. £1k a month to rent something my landlord doesn't care about. FYI that's a three bed house in one of the most deprived areas in Birmingham

[-]

Ordinary-Break2327@reddit

In the 1970s, my dad owned a car worth more than his house and he was only 25 and an average Joe.

It's housing that sucks all the money away

That was their point...

[-]

shadowed_siren@reddit

That’s completely irrelevant because cost of living varies dramatically around the world.

[-]

BritishBlitz87@reddit

Honestly, it does but not as much as you'd think. Tech costs the same everywhere pretty much. Household goods and clothing don't vary a lot either. Food varies significantly but the UK is more affordable adjusted for wages than anywhere else in the world.

The only things that are really proportionally cheaper are anything that involves labour, so domestic service, tailoring, tradesmen etc.

Housing being overly expensive and sucking up disposable is literally the whole point of the post, yeah.

[-]

shadowed_siren@reddit

Household goods and clothing are much cheaper in the US. And they’re paid significantly more. Tech is also cheaper.

Food was cheaper - it no longer is. I had a meal in Times Square that was pretty much on par with the cost of any meal out in Manchester.

I’m not sure what you’re basing your opinions on - but inflation has made the UK a much more expensive place to live. And it’s happened very quickly.

Before Covid my weekly grocery shop was £50-60. It’s now £100-£120.

[-]

hamjamham@reddit

Source & same stats for living costs?

[-]

Mr_Emile_heskey@reddit

Nope. Wages have stagnated for years and not increased much with the cost of living. Housing is just another part of the problem.

[-]

dwair@reddit

I agree. Housing is by far the most disproportionate and acutely necessary expense we all face. Food and energy prices are rising and add to our overall costs but they still only account for a lesser proportion of what we have to spend in order to maintain ourselves.

[-]

rezonansmagnetyczny@reddit

The problem is, I beleive there genuinely is enough affordable housing to go around but the problem is, what is considered affordable to the working class and the middle class starting on the property ladder is in areas where you wouldn't want to live in. Over run by HMOs full of dodgy characters, drug grows, drug slums, people who chose not to work and cause disturbances until the early hours in the morning.

The simple solution is build more social housing and end the right to buy scheme to stop selling off social housing.

The increased supply of rent controlled property being available would lower rent prices across the board as supply increases and demand for private rentals drops.

But a lot of people don't want this to happen because they are landlords themselves, or have money invested into property developers.

And for all the right wing bots that like to repeat the lie of "rent controls don't work", they literally do.

Every single ex council property that went to private rental has increased their prices well above the social housing rent controls limits.

[-]

PoliticsNerd76@reddit

Housing Theory of Everything

[-]

SatisfactionMoney426@reddit

I'm on a street that's 1/2 gentrified in London. Posh hotel at one end, slum council flats at the other. We're just in the middle renting from a HA. A newly converted block next door a 2 bed flat is from 1/2 to 1 million. 5 minutes away theres a not special 2 bed flat for £10,000 a month! 'Normal' 2 or 3 beds in a tower block are £3,500 to £4,500 a month. Its simply mad.

[-]

Substantial_Cat2@reddit

This video explains it so well. The housing crisis sadly rules everything else

jackboy900@reddit

Wages have increased with inflation pretty consistently for the last few decades, this is just factually incorrect.

[-]

Can't believe they don't offer these as standard.

[-]

J8YDG9RTT8N2TG74YS7A@reddit

A family member of mine was born with a cleft palette in 1957.

He had it fixed on the NHS in 1997.

[-]

MalfunctioningElf@reddit

Wow, that is quite unusual for a cleft pallet. They normally cause so many issues that they need to be sorted asap. I know 2 people who have them and they've needed multiple procedures to correct it. How can you have one for 50 years?!

[-]

J8YDG9RTT8N2TG74YS7A@reddit

40 years.

Poor roads / potholes and traffic

Draconian gun laws

Increasing retirement age

[-]

0marSuarez@reddit

No sun

[-]

SighMartini@reddit

Americanisaion of our politics

[-]

riverY90@reddit

I feel like that's happening worldwide. It's crazy how many Australians are self proclaimed "trump supporters" (I've been living down under for a couple of years and met them)

[-]

cirrata@reddit

You're right, and it's not really surprising considering it's just a small handful of companies responsible for spreading propaganda on social media.

Because they keep building houses on farmland, which means less food being produced here which means we have to import more which means more pollution and less food security.

Because in my local rural area they’ve built around 1000 homes a year for the last 10 years and not one more doctors surgery, school or dentist has been built. The population has gone up by more than 50% in the last 20 years.

Because people from London and other large towns move here and price out us locals for whom this is our home. Not just house prices but in the town where overpriced restaurants and shops have destroyed the old local stores. We had a lovely old cattle market and now it’s another grey shopping centre.

Because with all the extra cars and people from all the extra building the last major road upgrade was decades ago.

The cost of housing.

Healthcare uncertainty - appointments are scarce and the chances of illnesses getting worse while waiting is scary.

Weather related anxiety and depression (I’m in Scotland). Going outside is consistently uncomfortable for much of the year.

Disposable world, mate.

It costs less to buy a duvet than launder one. Since when did bedding become “one use”?

[-]

cyberllama@reddit

How are you laundering it that it costs more than the duvet? Is it just that you don't have a washing machine at home?

[-]

MonsieurGump@reddit

Argos double duvet 12 quid.

Last time I washed and dried a double duvet in the laundrette it cost 14.

[-]

cyberllama@reddit

Fucking hell. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised at getting rinsed by a launderette

[-]

terryjuicelawson@reddit

I like to think buckets and spades are simply lost by careless kids rather than dumped tbh, some beaches have an area where stuff like that is put so people visiting can borrow it, cuts back on the waste. One annoying thing at beaches is the amount of cheap body boards that get dumped, broken or end up washed away. It is a lot of bulk that can't have anything done with it. Disposable barbecues - if buried they remain hot a long time and have sharp metal parts. Even if binned people manage to melt whole bins with them.

[-]

Dick_Ramsbottom@reddit

Some are genuinely just lost, but plenty are definitely just left.

SadPomegranate1020@reddit

I went to Copenhagen a few years back - so clean! Not even chewing gum on the floor.

I could never throw litter on the floor - if there’s no bin I take it home.

My old neighbour - she got home once and tipped her pushchair on its side so all the rubbish from the tray underneath went onto the car park floor. She literally had to walk past her own wheelie bin to get to her house.

And i know it sounds petty but when it was dark; i went outside, picked it all up and put it back in the pushchair which she always left outside. Bet she was well confused how it all came back 😂

[-]

Elster-@reddit

Not all heroes wear capes.

Unless you wear a cape that is.

Brilliant

[-]

SadPomegranate1020@reddit

I was trying to be incognito so there was no cape this time 🤣🤣🤣

[-]

-A-A-Ron-@reddit

The littering problem in the UK doesn't get talked about enough. The amount of rubbish I see on the streets is abhorrent and disgusting, and it's only gotten worse over the years. It's awful for the environment and makes the country look like a shithole. Country is just full of selfish cunts.

[-]

Low salaries compared to the cost of living.

Probably bothers me more than the weather to be honest.

[-]

Carphead@reddit

The central focus of the Scottish Government. They committed to dialling the A9 road by 2025 but haven't started one section and doubt they will. The SNP diverted th3 funds to the Edinburgh trams project.

Whilst that might sound petty in the grand scheme of things it isn't to me. If it was done I could change my job to one working hybrid from Glasgow or Edinburgh and it be an easy two hour drive for me. Instead of a fairly dangerous four hour drive, which gets closed at least once a week for hours.

There are some many natural resources in the Highlands that can be accessed by so many more people if this were completed.

[-]

UnknownWriter18@reddit

Grey

[-]

Honest_Chain4675@reddit

My washing pile and getting it dry

[-]

I like your bold views on cycling having started off your post by saying you don’t actually cycle.

[-]

Bird_Shoddy@reddit

I can cycle, and would love to. But my balance is terrible, one gust of wind would topple me over (not kidding, has happened) and I’m also terrified of my own blood. So overall, not a smart idea.

There’s a lot of cyclists where I am, and watching what other drivers do in response to them leaves me scared on the cyclists behalf. You deserve to be safe no matter what mode of transport you choose, and I’m envious sometimes of those who do cycle to work, there’s just too many personal barriers preventing me from doing so. The lack of empathy I see for cyclists just doing what works for them or makes them happy is scary sometimes.

[-]

ledow@reddit

I gave up cycling on roads years ago. I'm sorry, but the principle of "what should be" isn't enough to risk my life for. It's like saying "I should be able to leave my front door open". I agree. But that's not the reality we live in. And when you are crippled / burgled because of it, it is something that you could have avoided (whether you shouldn't have to or not).

I used to cycle 15 miles to work and back, on country roads, with little traffic. Still too dangerous and too many near misses, so I gave it up before I was injured. I drive now with a ton of metal protecting me from the idiots (and am very careful around bikes) - and those idiots still have the same speed, lack of care and lack of control as before when I was on my bike.

BlondBitch91@reddit

Everything goes up except my salary.

[-]

blxcklst@reddit

Fighting mould for 50% of the year

[-]

EdmundTheInsulter@reddit

Annoyance over immigration that people don't want yet successive governments ignore the opposition and allow it. I don't hate foreigners at all, but I just want limits of say 50,000 pa net.

[-]

BanditKing99@reddit

Gammon here as well. Looking around and seeing an overburdened society collapsing but not allows to have an opinion on it

[-]

New_Structure2020@reddit

You're literally here right now on social media giving your opinion on it.

I agree with your assessment, but don't pretend like you "can't say anything". Usually the type with that mindset are the ones who have deeper beliefs that they know are horrible.

You could have just said "Looking around and seeing an overburdened society collapsing"... is (from OP) " your biggest everyday problem living in the UK"

[-]

Villianofthepeace@reddit

It’s the fact that they get put in hotels, free food and heating whereas pensioners who have worked their whole lives get the short end of the stick. If they come over and want to work and integrate then no problem but most don’t they see it as a free life here.

[-]

bad_dancer236@reddit

I think this is it - if the country was in a better state and people weren’t struggling so much with the COL the average person on the street might have a lot more sympathy. Right now it’s harder to do when we all ourselves, or relatives / neighbours, are really struggling. My grandad is 30p over the limit for pension credit, the £300 he is losing in winter fuel payment will genuinely mean he will have to cut back on the few things that make his retirement that bit more comfortable.

[-]

Previous_Kale_4508@reddit

As a couple, we are mere pennies over the limit too, my wife is 80+ and I'm 60+. I have yet to qualify for a pension, so we both live off her pension, believe me when I say that it's not easy making ends meet. The winter fuel allowance was extremely useful.

[-]

MeGlugsBigJugs@reddit

I don't disagree with the immigration thing but how do pensioners get the short end of the stick?

Pensions are the biggest single expenditure (11.3%, or £113 billion per year)

If anything a lot of cost problems are caused by giving massive benefits to pensioners that dont need them

[-]

It's not just the volume of vehicles but the weight of them that has increased. Road wear is directly correlated with vehicle weight, and all the modern safety requirements (good thing) and massive SUVs (bad thing) have made the avg vehicle much heavier thus wearing the roads faster.

[-]

SigourneyReap3r@reddit

As someone who works in local city highways, unfortunately the lack of funding to fix the bigger issue means we're going to be having to temp fix more and more potholes.
Our infrastructure was never built for the size and weight of the vehicles which use them now.
We need a whole resurfacing to many places, but we do not have the money or means to do so (employees, vehicles etc).

All I can say is report, report, report.
If you are comfortable, make up some kind of incident and say it's a risk to life and limb, the bigger the risk of injury and/or being taken to court will speed some things up where it can be done.

It isn't the fault of the operatives doing the work, what they have to use/do comes from higher up and again, generally down to funding.

[-]

Bladders_@reddit

Lorries have been a thing for years though?

[-]

DoNotGoGentle14@reddit

They actually terrify me as a cyclist because they are so frigging dangerous. There was a growing pothole causing problems for over a year and nothing was being done about it........until I was involved in an accident on my ride home from work. They filled it in right away. (Cheaply though, so it didn't last and is back) It took me a while to want to get back on my bike. 4 years on and I still glare at that pothole whenever I pass it. Frigging roads of England.

[-]

One-Picture8604@reddit

And trying to go round them serves to upset the BMW or SUV driver sitting on your arse who wants to overtake with a couple of cm to spare.

[-]

BinJuiceCocktail@reddit

Scotland too.

There are more than a couple of wheel-breaking potholes on my way home from work, however, it's an unlit road and I'm constantly dazzled by headlights as I ride down it after work.

Education.

Every single level is in the bin, it's really really bad.

Kids have tablets thrown in front of them instead of pencils, paper, and books, at a young age. Reading and writing ability is through the floor at every age group. Attention spans are shot. Media literacy is also busted and Tiktok has melted brains.

Moving to high school, GCSE's have been dumbed down and kids are still failing maths and english basics.

All demographics are suffering but kids in the north, and especially poor white boys are totally left behind.

At universities, kids are getting fleeced for fees and post-covid the quality of lectures have gone down below the total lack of rigour that was already present.

At post-graduate level, students are essentially cash cows, who along side international students who are paying double or triple, are essentially being milked. The teaching is poor and the quality of peers is equally shit.

You might get a group project with students who have no concept of plagiarism and they're openly sharing work amongst the others of their nationality on the course; They can barely read or speak english and now in 2024 they are also pasting whatever AI writes for them without a second thought.

Vapers

[-]

Accurate_Prompt_8800@reddit

I’m pretty happy in life but I guess I could always do with a little more money just like most people?

But again I’m very comfortable, I don’t have massive problems and I try to focus on the positives / getting myself out of them instead of dwelling in it.

If I had to give a more arbitrary problem it would be people playing their videos out loud in public places, it’s really annoying.

[-]

ManInTheDarkSuit@reddit

If it'll help, somebody was sodcasting on the train this morning, changing videos every 10 seconds or so. Then they dropped their phone on the floor and they weren't able to do anything to get their phone working again.

[-]

SadPomegranate1020@reddit

Not my worst problem - but those bloody blinding headlights!

I drive down a lot of country roads in the dark and I can’t see a bloody thing if they’re coming towards me, I have to slow down to an almost stop or risk ending up in a hedge or down some hole.

[-]

willcodefordonuts@reddit

The problems I’m currently having are small in comparison to a lot of them, but they are all in a big group id say “state of the country”

Me and my wife need medical treatment, she’s waiting months and I had to pay Bupa to get mine done. Sadly Bupa won’t cover her condition.

The local council in my area are purely looking for how much money they can extract from a person and not how they can help. As an example I live in permit parking area - a permit for a week is a bit over £10 for a guest. Yet when I need a skip I have to pay £40 for the permit, about £120 to suspend the permit parking area - yet the skip is the size of a car!

I’m in a tax loophole meaning I pay 60% tax on some of my earnings. And I won’t get any assistance when I have kids.

It’s impossible to get police to come out for most things.

Even simple things like it’s impossible to get a reliable tradesman to come do any work in the near future.

[-]

Traditional-Job-4371@reddit

Straight piped exhaust systems on shitty Fiesta ST.

[-]

melanie110@reddit

The weather for me!

[-]

bongowasd@reddit

Daily life issues/worries that come up for me. In order:-

Money. (Making less than when I was 15 years old ffs)
Housing (I will never own a home and rent is cancer)
Healthcare (Wait Time = 2 Years to go... woo...)
Student Loans. My Computer Science degree proved worthless.
Free Time in general
Finding a life partner
Having kids
Having a single holiday. Going abroad.
Retiring (Currently Plan is Suicide lol...)

There's not a Single issue I have that couldn't be solved with money... Private Healthcare isn't that expensive but still too much for what's essentially still a MAYBE/Diagnosis at this point ffs...

[-]

punekar_2018@reddit

Grey skies

[-]

New-account-01@reddit

Cost of everything

[-]

Montinator89@reddit

The rising cost of living vs. a stagnation in opportunities to earn more.

I know it gets talked about excessively nowadays but is it ever going to stop?

I live with my wife and one child. We earn what should be decent money on paper. I work 40 hour weeks at £18.75/hour, she works ~20 hours part time at £14.90/hour.

We don't live outside our means. Our mortgage payment is very reasonable at less than £400/month. We don't drink. We only have a takeaway once a week on a Friday as a treat. We home cook all our other meals and meal prep food for work. We ditched a TV package in lieu of internet only as we didn't feel like we got our moneys worth any more. The only real luxuries we have is a gym membership each.

And yet the last few years, the rising cost of the necessities like food shopping and household items and energy bills just seems to suck up every last penny we have every month, to the extent that it feels like I'm struggling not to dip deeper in to the overdraft month on month.

It's that bad nowadays that something like a washing machine breakdown fills me with absolute dread because I just never seem to have any expendable income anymore.

It feels like slow drowning and I hate it.

[-]

nl325@reddit

I don't have any access to meaningful methods of retraining as an adult.

So much stagnant labour in this country because like me they're bored shitless and would probably be revitalised by a change of industry but the methods of changing are non-existent.

[-]

ZookeepergameNext967@reddit

What are you talking about? There are free tech boot camps, apprenticeships (technical and degree alike, up to a masters level), grants for new businesses. Honestly so much complaining without any agency to even research what's out there.

[-]

nl325@reddit

A cursory Google will ping back thousands of results demonstrating free tech boot camps are free because they are shit, starting a new business isn't exactly retraining someone it's just additional unnecessary risk and apprenticeships are designed almost entirely for school leavers with wages at £16k pa if you're fortunate.

None of that helps adults. Most likely are acutely aware they'll need to make some sacrifices, be that time, money and/or a hit to earnings, but there's pay cuts then there's apprentice wages, which is not feasible.

[-]

ZookeepergameNext967@reddit

Oh really? How did your "cursory Google" demonstrated that exactly? As to apprenticeships, I'm someone who's retrained into a different field to a masters level while growing my salary from £35k to £45 during the apprenticeship. All it took is being humble, researching, speaking with my employer and working hard. I'd say employers in the UK are exceptional in trying to help people grow, however mostly what's lacking is the will of the employed... I've now been able to change employer and up my salary by another £10k. My starting point was a dead end admin job.

[-]

warpedandwoofed@reddit

Yes! My partner and I were talking about picking up a trade casually through evening courses but there basically aren't any (unless you want to be a beauty therapist or "wellness expert"). I was a bit shocked considering we live in a major city. So I guess the only option is for adults to do distance learning (at their own cost if they already have a degree), an apprenticeships (on a low wage/salary), or go back to uni and live on thin air in the meantime?

[-]

ZookeepergameNext967@reddit

You can ask you current employer to put you on an apprenticeship is a related field or even a different one if there's a need elsewhere in the organisation (e.g. an admin person can ask to go on an accountancy apprenticeship.) There are many things wrong with the UK but the provision of options for people to retrain has improved drastically in the last 5+ years.

[-]

Grand_Act8840@reddit

This. It’s insane that people are expected to know what they want to do at 18. And then once you actually manage to get in to something, you can never get out of it without suffering financially - so it’s basically impossible.

Housing costs AND everywhere being so fucking busy.

The two are probably related.

Every time you want to go somewhere of a weekend, everyone else has the same Idea. It didn't used to be like that 20 years ago. I suppose it's because every time there's something new and interesting to see/do, everyone knows about it via social media. The population has obviously increased and people have more disposable income these days.

[-]

Good-Statement-9658@reddit

Food costs. Just bought 2 bags of shopping at Morrisons and it cost more than bloody £50 😭😭😭

Followed by energy prices. Who needs hot water anyway 🤷‍♀️😭

[-]

OpiateSheikh@reddit

more than anything it’s the weather and lack of sun

We are taxed to oblivion. I had 1600 deductions last month, that's a salary in itself

[-]

frogfoot420@reddit

How dirty everything is. It has such an adverse effect on your mental health when you see decaying roads, cracked pavements strewn with shit etc.

[-]

coffeewalnut05@reddit

I do a lot of litter picking now to try and halt that. It’s shocking how much rubbish I see under bridges, behind benches, nature reserves, beaches and on car parks especially that has been lying there for years and years.

Absolutely housing costs.

cityspeaks@reddit

Low wages. It creates more issues and a false economy!

[-]

Mop_Jockey@reddit

Potholes, low pay, high expenses and a criminal class that seemingly acts with impunity.

[-]

Steve8557@reddit

The lack of consideration of other viewpoints - pushing towards an all or nothing tribalism.

We have had decades of this and yet the countries finances are still screwed.

And rant over

[-]

uktravelthrowaway123@reddit

Shit wages and high cost of living, basically the economic situation more broadly. It's tricky to access healthcare though I think much easier where I am than it seems to be for many others. Poor standard of food, housing, and infrastructure bothers me but I personally feel it's more of an annoyance than anything as you can work around it to an extent.

[-]

Beautiful-Skill-5921@reddit

Too much privatisation.

[-]

InvestmentFederal856@reddit

Lack of opportunities for young people not in the education. I struggled with addiction and ADHD throughout my teen years so opted to join the work force to avoid the distractions of university life. I also like to think i have a really strong work ethic and love the fulfilment of working full time and having a purpose to wake up for everyday . Even after working full time for the same company for over a year when it was time for me to find a new job it took 113 applications over a span of a month to find employment. Eventually i found a contracted job that was supposed to be full time in the same field i have experience in - I am now in a constant battle for shifts as my contract isn’t being being abided to. Racking up debt as i continue to search for a full time job 2months into my job search. Also trying to navigate adult life (just turned 20) and extortionately high living costs and trying to stay optimistic.

Also trains constantly delayed and ludicrous train prices for 30-40 Min trips are more than an airline ticket to some places in Europe.

[-]

Sam_rei@reddit

Realisation of a failed empire

[-]

JAD4995@reddit

Cost of living compared to a wages. In Manchester the cost of living has increased much (2nd most expensive place to rent in the UK atm) but the wages have stayed the same.

Lots of my friends have to work to jobs to get by or downsize and live in shared accommodation.

[-]

tweettowhooo@reddit

This anticyclonic shit weather atm

[-]

AdThat328@reddit

Whilst not crazy problems; people parking on pavements and across crossings so that you can't use the dropped kerb if needed and the price difference between supermarkets for the same thing. I used to do my weekly shop in Asda but it's now more expensive and with less choice...

Housing and energy costs.

Things are absolutely wild.

[-]

Agreeable_Fig_3713@reddit

Depopulation, closure of local amenities, air b&b and second homes.

[-]

Henno212@reddit

The law Barristers/ solicitor’s - using human rights/ mh/ etc to get softer sentences for folk who have committed vile acts.

I haven't set foot on the high street since 2004, but it shouldn't be allowed to die, despite online shopping being far more convenient!

Trains are too expensive and outdated, but updating our infrastructure is a waste of time and money!

People shouldn't be allowed to enjoy anything loud because my dog gets PTSD...

[-]

IcemanGeneMalenko@reddit

Honestly probably trains, absolutely horrendous and unreliable

[-]

Ok_Onion7335@reddit

Its money isnt it? They say it doesnt make you happy but it certainly makes living a whole lot easier

[-]

Qyro@reddit

Money. No-one is paid enough and everything costs too much.

[-]

thatcluelesslad@reddit

On the big picture: British exceptionalism and the societal problems that derive from it.

My chronic health problems

Housing costs

[-]

TravellingAmandine@reddit

How expensive everything is; people’s shocking manners (leaving rubbish everywhere, feet on seats on trains, generally disgusting behaviour); homelessness; drug use in broad daylight; pavements covered in dog poo.

[-]

uxpr0@reddit

The price of burgers and fries going up at the chip shop does have a knocking effect because essentially less customers means the business has less customers and makes less money, therefore businesses go out of business due to lack of business.......thus having a wider effect on the economy

[-]

buginarugsnug@reddit

At this time of year - the weather.

I also struggle with time management, full time work + 1 day at college requiring extra revision on a night + trying to exercise + housework (including trying to cook healthy meals) + socialising + relaxing. I've had to place the exercising and socialising on hold in anticipation for a college exam coming up and the relaxing doesn't get much of a look in either.

[-]

Top-level comments to the OP must contain genuine efforts to answer the question. No jokes, judgements, etc.
Don't be a dick to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
This is a strictly no-politics subreddit!

Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.