Minimum pricing

[Chris34]

Jesus christ man! how on earth do you manage to spend only 25 on food each week? you must eat like a sparrow!

Like Ched says, it's actually not that difficult.

I'm a bit boring with food, to me it's eating for the sake of it to keep me alive. So a weekly routine suits me fine and makes it easy to budget.

I have a kiwi for breakfast, don't have any dinner and have a decent evening meal. Monday and Wednesday I have a portion of salmon with brocolli carrots and boiled potatoes. Tuesday and Thursday I have the same veg but swap the salmon for tuna. Friday I just have a tuna sandwich and the weekend I eat whatever I feel like.

Salmon costs £3.39 for the two portions
Brocolli 69p
4 loose baking potatoes at 23p each
Carrots 24p for a bag
Kiwis 95p for 6
Tuna 69p per tin x 3 tins per week

Total = £8.26

So Monday to Friday costs me less than £10. £15 is left for whatever food I feel like at the weekend, toilet rolls, toothpaste, soap, mayonnaise etc.

I don't keep a tight budget on it anymore, it's just learned habit. £25 actually feels like a lot compared to how tight I used to budget.

When I hear of people spending £60 or £70 per week, I honestly don't know how they eat it all.

 

[Pjj]

Like Ched says, it's actually not that difficult.

I'm a bit boring with food, to me it's eating for the sake of it to keep me alive. So a weekly routine suits me fine and makes it easy to budget.

I have a kiwi for breakfast, don't have any dinner and have a decent evening meal. Monday and Wednesday I have a portion of salmon with brocolli carrots and boiled potatoes. Tuesday and Thursday I have the same veg but swap the salmon for tuna. Friday I just have a tuna sandwich and the weekend I eat whatever I feel like.

Salmon costs £3.39 for the two portions
Brocolli 69p
4 loose baking potatoes at 23p each
Carrots 24p for a bag
Kiwis 95p for 6
Tuna 69p per tin x 3 tins per week

Total = £8.26

So Monday to Friday costs me less than £10. £15 is left for whatever food I feel like at the weekend, toilet rolls, toothpaste, soap, mayonnaise etc.

I don't keep a tight budget on it anymore, it's just learned habit. £25 actually feels like a lot compared to how tight I used to budget.

When I hear of people spending £60 or £70 per week, I honestly don't know how they eat it all.

I would starve to death on that ???? we don’t eat caviar and drink Champagne but spend considerably more than that per week , I would say you are the exception rather than the rule with your food expenditure.

 

[Part Timer]

I think you misunderstand what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that if the poorest in society have more money, not disposable income after bills just more money to pay for bills, then those that charge those bills to them can charge them more because they've got more money. This then has a knock on effect to the higher earners who get more money as a result.

Believe me I know exactly what it's like living on minimum wages. Before I started the window cleaning I was doing contract office cleaning for 3 different employers and most of it was minimum wage, my rent at the time was £675, council tax just over £100, then had gas / electric about £60 at the time, water £40, mobile phone £10 broadband at £35, van insurance, life insurance etc. I basically ended up with about £150 to £200 per month to buy food, haircuts, clothes, dentist bills etc. So I know exactly what it's like. I used to cycle 10 miles to all the jobs to save myself £15 per week on fuel for the van. I had to budget all the money to the last pound weeks in advance because if I overspent there would be no way of catching up because I was earning as much as I could earn. I didn't mind it though, I just looked at it as a challenge and enjoyed what I could at the time and looked at it as a lesson in life. It's taught me well as now I have higher income I still don't waste it, my food bill is still only about £25 per week.

But yeah going back to what I was saying, if people at the lower end of the scale are earning more money then that has a knock on effect to the price of everything, it inflates the prices.

But whatever extra they're getting is going to be more than swallowed up by the increasing rent and utilities bills. Without being nasty or clever towards you, you do appear to only look up to the upside and never to the downside.
Many many years has taught me to look at the wider picture. Regularly wrong but overall on the right side.

 

[steve garwood]

Bit drunk, but don’t you lot ever switch off on a Friday? Gingers rule!

 

[steve garwood]

I’m as bad! Pushing out a dodgy kebab and on this site ??????

 

[Chris34]

But whatever extra they're getting is going to be more than swallowed up by the increasing rent and utilities bills. Without being nasty or clever towards you, you do appear to only look up to the upside and never to the downside.
Many many years has taught me to look at the wider picture. Regularly wrong but overall on the right side.

Sorry I don't understand what you mean about looking on the upside and not the downside?

To make it clear, for me people on NMW will not have a window cleaner as they can't afford one. What I'm saying is that their higher rent payment is going to a private landlord, that private landlord does have money and can afford a window cleaner for his own house and as a result of more money in rent collected from people on NMW can afford to pay higher window cleaning prices. That's the type of knock on effect I'm talking about.

 

[THL4KEL]

We might get a huge amount of new customers soon -

 

[Iron Giant]

2 to 3 bed terraced houses around my way are £300k + Just depends on your area, but to afford to pay those sort of prices they have to be on good money. It has to come from somewhere.

I am sure we all have affluent areas not too far from us, if I was to drive 7 miles into the city of Durham prices are a lot higher, our 3 bed semi if we picked it up and dropped it just over a mile away it would be worth almost double which to me is mad, it makes you wonder where they get these prices from, I sometimes wonder what type of jobs these people are doing to be able to afford the houses they live in and have 50 to 90k motors outside even if they are both driving 35k motors that's a lot of money.

 

[Iron Giant]

The 2 of us only spend £60 a week. We might have a pub meal or a takeaway a week as well. I feel we eat reasonably well, noting flashy but decent meals. I would say we have zero food waste though!
It's about planning what you are going to eat and just just buying stuff that you may or may not eat. Everyone shops differently but eating on a budget isn't that tricky.

Same here although we don't eat on a budget at all we buy what we want, well my wife buys what we need and I just buy alcohol we most likely don't spend more than £50 a week on groceries

 

[Dave B]

2 to 3 bed terraced houses around my way are £300k + Just depends on your area, but to afford to pay those sort of prices they have to be on good money. It has to come from somewhere.

My house is a fair bit over 300k and I had a big down payment on it due to inheritance but not many round here are in that position
House prices go up
Wages go up
Expenses go up
People still have the same or less disposable income as 20 years ago
Especially with a nice house and cars and mortgaged up to the hilt to pay for it
My brother is not far off 100k a year but I have more disposable as my Mortgage is virtually paid and he keeps upgrading houses etc and has to pay over 1.5k a month just for the house for the next 20 years and his flash cars and lifestyle etc
I have 2 cars and a van and the wife’s car and still have more left than him

Sod scrimping on food also
I can spend £25 on Saturday’s dinner for myself with a decent steak etc
How you can fuel your body for work on that little amazes me

 

[Dave B]

But whatever extra they're getting is going to be more than swallowed up by the increasing rent and utilities bills. Without being nasty or clever towards you, you do appear to only look up to the upside and never to the downside.
Many many years has taught me to look at the wider picture. Regularly wrong but overall on the right side.

You have had many many years ?

 

[Iron Giant]

My brother is not far off 100k a year but I have more disposable as my Mortgage is virtually paid and he keeps upgrading houses etc and has to pay over 1.5k a month just for the house for the next 20 years and his flash cars and lifestyle etc

I can't wait for the day I have more disposable income and my wife says we ain't moving again ? I've told her the only way I'm moving out of this house is in a box

 

[scottish cleaning service]

What's wrong with a potnodle for lunch which I have most days. Nothing about the cost but because its quick and I like them. I think we only need 2500 calories a day anyway.

 

[Chris34]

My house is a fair bit over 300k and I had a big down payment on it due to inheritance but not many round here are in that position
House prices go up
Wages go up
Expenses go up
People still have the same or less disposable income as 20 years ago
Especially with a nice house and cars and mortgaged up to the hilt to pay for it
My brother is not far off 100k a year but I have more disposable as my Mortgage is virtually paid and he keeps upgrading houses etc and has to pay over 1.5k a month just for the house for the next 20 years and his flash cars and lifestyle etc
I have 2 cars and a van and the wife’s car and still have more left than him

Sod scrimping on food also
I can spend £25 on Saturday’s dinner for myself with a decent steak etc
How you can fuel your body for work on that little amazes me

Yeah, people will always spend to the limits of their incomes, obviously not everyone but in general that's how it's always been. When you watch tv programs from around the 70's, or see photo's from around that time, well life looks a lot lot simpler. Like a middle class estate might have the odd car on a driveway, most of the drives would be empty during the daytime and very little would be parked on the roads, all the roads look empty and really clean and well kept. A car would be classed as a luxury item back then.

If you look at the gardens, it's usually just a simple privet hedge, a lawn, maybe a border with just a few shrubs. There wasn't all these hanging baskets everywhere, benches, garden furniture, outdoor lights etc.

On the inside of the house they'd have a tv, very little in the house they look quite bare really. No microwave, a simple cooker and a dining table. That was pretty much it.

Even the people back then were slimmer, very little overweight people. If you watch the old footage everyone was thin, dressed in a simple suit or jeans and a t-shirt.

All that's happened since then is everyone has spent more on all these little things that are not necessary. In some ways it actually creates a lot of stress to your life. A minimalistic lifestyle is a less hassle lifestyle. I've often liked the idea of having a sportscar, but then when I think of the upkeep of it, another mot, another insurance to sort out, cleaning it..etc . it just seems more hassle.

Imagine if everyone didn't have a mortgage though, all that pointless wastage of money to pay for a roof over your head. All that money would then be free to spend on other things...

Regarding surviving on the food I eat, I used to eat more years ago but I found when I ate less I had more energy. I always feel like I've got plenty in the tank. I remember reading something a while ago though, your body uses a lot of energy just to process food that you eat, so the more you eat the more energy your body uses to process all the excess food, I think that might be how it works with myself. I've probably just found the ultimate efficiency with my own bodies needs. I agree with PJJ though, it's definitely not the norm, but somehow it works for me

 

[johnny bravo]

im quite happy on £2000 a week

 

[Clean zero]

That’s good it works for you but I do like my food and you only live once and the wife makes a wicked steak +kidney pudding plus lots of other dishes , I would be in the dog house if I didn’t eat it mind you when arnt I ?

 

[Crystalalan]

I live to eat. I`ve always loved my food but I totally understand that theres people out there who are not fussed about it and if it works for you lads then thats all that matters but personally I like a bit of stodge in my guts.

 

[Crystalalan]

That’s good it works for you but I do like my food and you only live once and the wife makes a wicked steak +kidney pudding plus lots of other dishes , I would be in the dog house if I didn’t eat it mind you when arnt I ?

Ahh steak and kidney pudding one of my favourites?

 

[johnny bravo]

i have the KFC App. lots of offers come on it handy for a treat when by yourself. Non sharing haha

 

[Dave B]

Tuesday 9 pieces for 6.99
Mmmmm

 

[AndyD]

I know talking prices isn’t the done thing a lot of the time, but can I ask what is your minimum price, the lowest you will ever charge ?

I got half a dozen terraced fronts today whilst canvassing, mainly 2 windows and a door, I went in at £15pm. That’s the lowest I have charged so far, does that sound about right ?

Thanks guys I hope everyone is ok keeping busy and things are looking rosey in your neck of the woods..

That’s a cracking price for two windows and a door….well done!! If people are willing to pay it then go for it. Some people still think we work for £3 an hour and their mouths drop when they get given a quote