Cost of Living and the alternative
I have just been food shopping and I am now thinking that I may need to take out another mortgage. A week’s shop a few years ago was under fifty pounds and now it is nearly double that. I should mention at this point that the expenditure on this occassion does not include any wines or spirits; it's not Christmas yet!
Back in my early days when I first started work, I was on the princely sum of seven pounds fifteen shillings. That was not bad when petrol was two shillings a gallon; yes a gallon. I asked my computer what the equivalent would be today and, after much whirring and banging, it tells me that it is just under 3p a litre; although admittedly that doesn't take inflation into account.
Talking about inflation, the sneaky thing I also noticed, as I unpacked my shopping, is that not only has the price of everything gone up but many of the items have become smaller. I believe the term they use for this is shrinkflation. For example, my ice cream used to come in 2 litre tubs but now they are 1.75 litres but the price has actually increased! If you are wondering what inflation is, you may wish to see the answer from the people who should really know:
Inflation is when prices rise and how quickly they do so is called the rate of inflation.
One of the other ways, besides inflation, that affects my enjoyment is around the little treats that I slipped into the shopping trolley while my significant other was looking the other way. One of these is my favourite orange flavoured chocolate covered biscuit that apparently made me part of some unnamed club. But wait, I am shocked to find that the coating is no longer chocolate as apparently the cocoa content is now too low. Oh well, it still tasted good.
The one thing I can rely on is my favourite soap that I use in the bath along with my rubber duck and loofah. The packaging doesn't seem to change, it smells the same and the width of the bar is still the same. However, just as I was mentally thanking the manufacturer for maintaining standards, I picked it up and something didn't feel quite right. With trembling hands I extracted the soap from its wrapping and subjected it to serious scrutiny. It took me some time to notice and then it came to me, the depth is different. The top and bottom of the bar used to be raised on both. Now I find that although the top is still raised the bottom is now slightly hollowed out. Yet another sneaky change!
It seems, from my forays into daytime TV, that it is not just the cost of living going up but also the cost of the final send off that is suffering the same fate. I am advised from several sources that I should make arrangements for my demise and pay up front so I don't lumber my nearest and dearest with this cost. The question is, should I do the right thing, or take the world cruise I have always dreamed about? I think I need to shop around to find the best deal on both options before I answer my own question and, of course, before the cruise prices increase yet again.
So I will sign off until next time to find anything that is still the same size as it once was; do good works for others, keep your friends and loved ones safe and look after yourself.Â















