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Comment by solumunus | Hacker News Reader

The only people I know who aren’t saying they’re struggling are those on high incomes with low fixed mortgage rates. Outside of that everybody is telling me they’re struggling.

> but most people have a lot more money coming in to make up for that...

Absolutely not. Honestly, I can’t fathom how you have such a warped view of how the average person is doing. Your social circle must be exclusively asset heavy, mid-high income folk, which is far from most people.

My partner and I have combined income of >100k and are significantly worse off compared to a few years ago.

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About same income and yeah we are worse off than a few years ago, in reality it just means I'm saving less each month which I realise is a fortunate position relative to almost everyone else (I know many people who not only can't save but are net negative each month which isn't sustainable long term).

The country is currently utterly fucked - even if Labour make sensible decisions I think we are looking at a decade or more and we know that once they've been in for a couple of years the media will do it's usual hatchet job to lay the blame at their feet - the tories are still blaming labour and they've been out of power for fourteen years.

I'm very working class. Almost everyone I know outside of work is either unemployed or retired so I don't think it's that.

Like you I'm personally worse off for sure with tax increases and mortgage increases, but obviously most people don't have mortgages, pay much tax, and most people get help with things like fuel bills.

I guess I'm just surprised that given how much extra money the average person is getting that the economy is doing so poorly. You're right, I might be out of touch though... All I'm saying is that this doesn't align with what I see personally, and I'm surprised given the extra income most people are getting that there isn't more economic activity, but clearly I'm wrong.

> most people get help with things like fuel bills

No they don't? What are you referring to?

There really is not a lot of extra money coming in once you properly account for inflation. Energy and fuel inflation has hit productivity of businesses pretty hard as well as individuals.

Do you live with parents? I can’t think of any other way you could be so disconnected.

> given how much extra money the average person is getting

This just isn’t reality. Price increases have been far greater than pay increases, it’s as simple as that.

> most people don’t have mortgages

Most people do either have mortgages or pay rent which pays their landlord’s buy to let mortgage on the house they live in. Mortgage rates and rents have both spiked very sharply. Along with energy bills that’s a huge chunk of most people’s expenses.

> but obviously most people don't have mortgages

Most people in the UK either have mortgages or pay rent (and rent tends to be more expensive than mortgage payments)

> and most people get help with things like fuel bills.

... Are you under the impression that most people in the UK are pensioners?

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