How the cost of living has changed from late 70's

[DXP55]

Sorting out house insurance file I came across estate agents flyer for the house we bought just north of Wellington in Shropshire.

We sold our house in Brum for 16k and bought this dilapidated semi for 15k - The bloke who owned it was a building laborer so it had two colours -Bright green and bright pink emulsion (knicked).
It was in the sticks and we bought it at height of petrol crisis (around 1979) so we bought a commuter motorbike.

Anyway the reason we bought it was because the bills were cheap and I quote

rateable value £98.00 PA -Rates payable £66.54 PA -Water and enviromental charges £10.29 PA.

Mains water and electric are connected. Sewage to septic tank.
When we moved in it was on mains sewers.


Then Poll tax hit us -by then rates had gone up to around £250 pa and rocketed up to £750 - a year later they dumped poll tax and reduced our rates to £500 -so 100% rise for nothing.

We sold it 13 yrs ago and it didn't go for silly money and most of it was used to get this dump of a 1972 gerry built bungalow into livable condition.

My water rates are now £530pa
Council tax over £1k

 

[DXP55]

Job for life, whacking great final salary pension, house for five grand......

Free university, low council tax and energy bills, NHS actually worked, police actually cared.

The generation that had it the easiest in history to date, and the way things are going probably the last for a while.

Enjoy spending my pension contributions, you might as well, not like I'll end up with anything.

What Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale books have you and rest of this generation been reading.

The main boomer generation wasn't all the same - Very few of the country lived in London where pay was much higher than anywhere else in UK and they down there bought their council houses and sold them for big prices - That had a knock on for whole of UK and prices increased although pay stayed lower here.

We could never have had a council house as we didn't have kids so we rented furnished then unfurnished - we then saver for a deposit on a house and at one point interest rate hit 12%+ and my income didn't cover the mortgage so good job wife worked.
From there it's as my OP above.

So when I retired 23 yrs ago and collected my whacking great final salary pension I was ovewhelmed.
On retirement my salary was 2/3rds of the national average so being clever work that out then half it for my pension -Now see how much it is after 23 yrs of inflation and I can tell you the girl over the road that works at Tesco picks up more than me.
The wife and I like a lot of the people of our age who did buy their own houses were the same as me - Property owner but not rich by any means. We don't buy things we can't afford - we never took out debt but saved for it - Not quite like this gen who "WANT'S IT NOW.

The wifes parents bought their council house for around 50k and it sold for £120k when they died years later. - that was divided by two. (her sister)

I just wish you lot would look at the whole picture not the tasty bit's you pick out to support your flawed argument.

The NHS did indeed work but we the boomers didn't vote in smarmy face Bliar who opened up this country to the scum of the world - How can something work when another 4million are added to the list but not paying in - of course it is broke.

Your gen has so many funny groups who are managing to force the police to change the way they work.

Our life wasn't easy - we worked hard day in day out and made do - nothing wife and I had was handed to us on a plate -we worked for it. We couldn't even afford a washing washine when we got our first house -we had a wishy washy ringer machine given to us -Would you accept that today -I very much doubt you would.

Anyway do what we did and work hard -do overtime -save your money -don't go on expensive holidays -don't waste it on trivia -buy a left hand drive Citroen 2CV like we did - or a rusty DAF 44 or Fiat Panda. And main thing -Don't have kids unless you can afford them - I have spent my life paying family allowance for other peoples kid and now I am subsidising child care. Can't you all pay your own way and save me a bit of tax.


My car is a 13 yr old Focus.

 

[DXP55]

I remember that tax relief -Blokes at work were all saying get the biggest mortgage you can for the tax relief - I looked at it and thought the amount of tax relief I would get from £7.5k morgage wouldn't pay for the extra you took on - My logic was low morgage -biggest lump you could put down and cheaper monthly payment.
To this day I don't know if I was right or wrong.
As regards anyone having a £60k mortgage then they had to be very rich. To say things like that you need to use the house prices at the time.

When we were in the unfurnished flat we started to look at house's and found a 3 bed terrace going for £4.5k which was normally the going rate but due to the London influence on house prices when we knocked on the door the woman said I have been offered £6.5k.
No way it was way out of our reach - I think at the time my take home pay was £19 a week.- This would be around 1973/4.

We stayed in for a year and saved £1k then found a house for £8.5 K (gazzumping had pushed up prices) so mortgage of £7.5k -By 1976/7 the interest rate went up so much my income just covered the payments and we lived on wifes earnings.

So yes it was a tight - I scrapped my Ford Zodiac and got a 2CV as by then the petrol crisis was on it's way. Money was tight.

Further up in my reply I said we had overtime - I was getting a few hours a week not the whole sat and sunday stuff that was mentioned.

Another reply to my post said you can't compare costs from then to now but at the time sevices were high compared to what we earned and moving to the house in Shropshire the costs were much lower so made it easier on same income (I job tranfered from Brum to Telford).

So all in all I have learnt things by reading the replies but I still say for me and wife things are more expensive but still being on a low income it is still a drag. Our income is enough to put us out of assistance and I do pay tax - just

I can appreciate how some people feel about us but I also feel left behind when I go to the doctors and see all the old codgers getting into new 4x4 and wonder what the hell did they do for a living.

There is a woman the wife knows that sold her ex-council house in London for a lot of money and has bought a nice sized bungalow out in sticks not far from us - Believe me when we sold our last house it just paid for this house and a full refurb -we do not have a spare £300k left over like some people think.

 

[DXP55]

Thanks -No problem.

 

[DXP55]

I have one of those roll you out chairs - just press button and it tips forward - when it stops just lean forward and you roll out head first right over till you are on your back.
Then roll over onto your stomach - get on to your knees then crawl to a chair and using that with your arms stand up.

This is the exciting way.

I had to google Bejam -never heard of it.

 

[DXP55]

I would think every pensioner that retired around 60 must be taking home £3m - I have pocketed £1.5m since 2000 and believe me it isn't enough - We will be up poo street if you Z- ers stop paying tax.

 

[DXP55]

I remember 10 years ago asking my parents to help out to buy a place in London at the time I needed 30%.100k. they refused I asked them a few times over a period couple years, along with other issues.

They don't even spend their pension as they don't need it, their pension just accumulates in their bank, they retired early. 51 I think. Your generation and the one after made the most from property boom, Some like my parents took advantage of it.

I really think most not all from that generation and the one after are pretty selfish, they kept going on about how hard it was, I just don't see it.They seem to have so many financial opportunities gifted to them without actively seeking it.

Eventually I gave up, I told them I would never assist them in their later years, stuck to my word.. I walked away made my own way.in life.

Wong you have it all wrong.