How do people live and survive in england when it's so expensive?

Show all answers

sarch_uk

I think Zekerkat must have been living in a parallel universe to the rest of us who lived here when she says she did...

Our Health service is NOT free, we pay National Insurance directly from our wages...which are a damn site better than yours by the sound of it....you may have been so badly off because your husband was on a low wage...and if you had such a hard time living here you could easily have hopped on a plane back home...

We have some very nice toilet paper here thank you very much...the medicated toilet paper you are referring to is especially for those people whose heads are so far up their own backsides that they can't see the "decent" stuff next to it on the shelves....and as for your other complaints...well, I guess the people charging you saw you coming!

Your apparent arrogant attitude is why a lot of people here in the UK generally have no liking for people from the US of A

I went to visit friends in America and found that my family has a much better standard of living than they and their friends did.

Shelley...Every country has it's own problems and expenses and I guess America's are no worse or better than ours...we manage fine, thank you for asking!

Redhead

May I apologise to Zekerkat for having such a rough time in UK - poor soul. If you weren't such a pampered idiot and looked beyond the US way of life - most people over here work and do have a good standard of living - and we do not all eat at Mc Donalds. Has for our NHS, if you are working we pay National Insurance Stamps which equates to 11% of our earnings after the earning threshold.

Julius C

They don't, it's a common misconception that people live in England, they moved out years ago.

Rodrigo V

HI! Shelly, it is very easy, they get more average salary than what other people gets in other countries, for example, if you travel to Argentina, with your salary you could live like a tycoon.....and Argentinians manage to live well.....get it? if not can explain more....

Talk Dirty to Me =P

how the hell do they do it in new york? its so freakin expensive here too. rent has gotten crazy high

Snail

We in Britain are a civilised society, apart from a bit of yob culture, but what can you expect when half the country was occupied by Vikings? We don't let people fall by the wayside, even if some take advantage, including foreigners.
Do not mix the real Britain up with what our main cities have become. They are no longer British, but we'll get them back one day when the present load of crap politicians are thrown out.
We are typical pensioners. We live in a small, country town, in a three bed detached house complete with full central heating and all mod cons. We can walk to the supermarket, go for pleasant walks across the fields, the weather in the south west is good most of the time. We can save enough from our ordinary pension to visit our family in New Zealand for six months each year. We have friendly neighbours and greet people while out walking. We also have a free bus service to the surrounding towns and cities. My advice is to get out of your cars and get the flab off you, there's a lot of beautiful fresh air out there and friendly folk if you only get to know them when they are not racing down the highway.
Some people prefer to be tramps, US hoboes, but that is by choice. Freedom.

Ken B

Have you ever been to the really expensive countries, i.e Switzerland, Singapore, Japan or Sweden.
When my car broke down in Switzerland, luckily covered by British insurance, the mechanic advised me to have it towed to Germany for repair as it would work out cheaper.

They just barely survive.They can survive ,but they can't save money.Besides greater london is not as expensive as central london.If u came to london as a tourist ,everything that is aimed at tourists are much more expensive than everything aimed at londoners.There are cheaper places than central london businesses in greater london that tourists do not get to see.

chazza_m

It is a misconception that people in the US have a better quality of life. You work longer hours and most people only get 2 weeks vacation a year (we get minumum 4 by law). I'd rather have the extra time off than a few more pounds to spend on stuff I don't need. London can be pretty pricey though and you do have to watch those pennies, having said that most people I know still manage to get to the pub on a regular basis!

*atomickitty*

yes, it is expensive, but the pay is higher, too...i lived in london a few years back...i worked 2 jobs & survived quite well...my salaries were more than adequate, providing me with not only enough income to meet my basic needs, but to indulge my passions of shopping & clubbing, which i did in abundence!!!

zagi

yes its expensive but their incomes are high comparing to other countries....

Melanie M

I'm thinking that maybe they own their own businesses maybe or stock market etc.

zekerkat

The Sterling is mightier than the American dollar. They also have good health care they aren't paying (directly anyway).
We lived in England in the mid 80's so I will relate how we survived. At that time my husband was in the Air Force but we lived on the economy and the housing was very expensive for what we got. The country is small and so are the houses. They avoid being taxed for extra rooms in their home which includes a closet which is why they have wardrobes! Anyway with smaller houses, you don't need "more stuff "like we are accustom to in the US! So more affordability there!
Have you ever seen some of their clothes? Just watch a segment of the BBC sometime. We were just 60 miles from London and It is as if they stepped back in time with the pleated skirts and carrdigan sweaters. Even their wall paper seems out dated, Maybe they really can't afford to update after all!
I don't know what the exchange is today, but at that time when we lived there, it was $1.90 to the British pound. That meant that a big Mac at Mc Donalds was nearly double in price! I guess one could make it affordable by spliting the cost with someone and lose weight by eating half as much so that you can get through the doors of that small house! Also if you bought a sandwich, your condiments were purchased separate! They would charge you 5pence (almost 10 cents) for each packet of ketchup you got! Hmmm.... maybe that REALLY is how they survive , is on the surcharge of ketchup sales!!! They seem to be a frugal people . Have you ever seen their toilet paper? It's like an under developed waxed paper!

We did survive living over there though while raising 2 children. We were given a housing allowance from the military which helped afford our rent and heat. We only could afford one vehicle so I stayed home but I did work! Luckily I had a skill. I taught painting and drawing classes in the home. I had classes in the morning, during the afternoon, the evening and occasionally on weekends. I was much in demand and my classes were always filled with British and American students both! I also sold alot of my paintings which allowed us to even travel all over Europe. I modeled my works for a paint and brush company in Wales. I also bartered alot and I also bought lots of furniture at auctions at a low price, refinished and resold them.
Oh, and best of all, you could get a great deal on broken biscuits (cookies) from the milk man. I think one could survive on them alone! LOL

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: