Everything is going up except our income.

The Lurpak taste is lovely - but I only have it on its own - no good in a sandwich or with jam as it has a distinctive taste - which I adore'

It will change now. 5 years from now, you mark my words, things will be good again.

Getting cheaper by the minute Sue! I like Lurpak because it's a very mild, creamy taste, easy to use straight from the fridge and is good on sandwiches or for baking. I think Aldi do a very similar product called Norpak but that's one of the very few items of theirs that I haven't tried.

I've just checked and Lurpak is £1.70 in Tesco.

What makes Lurpak superior to other butters? Genuine question, because I have no idea!

I do think it is bonkers that Kensington and Chelsea, with its high number of extremely wealthy foreign residents ( chiefly Russians I believe) has a lower rate of council tax than where many of us live. And I agree gillybob that those on a fixed income must be finding it harder and harder to make ends meet, not just those on retirement pensions like your DF, but many public service employees such as teachers, nurses etc have had little or no payrise for 8 yearsnow I think, although no doubt someone will come along with the correct figures soon. I am glad you live in your little bubble Norah and can give such sound advice to people such as gillybob and you are obviously expert in NICs and self employment. You must be such a help to others. I too run a small business with 7 employees, everyone gets an annual rise apart from me, I get paid last, I am considering selling up to be honest as I am breaking the minimum wage regulation with myself

We live in Dorset so are paying these high rates. DS lives a few miles away and his council tax is well over £3000 and ours is slightly less. We would be better of paying poll tax with only two of us in the house. Next door in a similar size house are a family of five adults all of whom work but the council tax is the same as ours.

Really Jalima ? even lower price than March 2016 in that case!

2 for £5 from Tesco!

I usually buy the packet butter but I did buy a tub (which contains rapeseed oil too) last week. £2.79 for 500g from Lidl

Like Jalima, I too favour Lurpak butter and so checked to see who is selling at the best price today. Asda is selling a 1kg tub for £5.00 and, since March 2016, it has only been lower in price once - in June 2016, when it was £4.50. The graph shows that prices have fallen, quite significantly, in the past 12 months. It's quite easy to check to see what "special offers" are available in supermarkets for most food items and the trajectory of price increases/decreases over the last 12 months. Haven't found much to alarm me yet though.

While we're discussing small business and rates - many small businesses are being unfairly hit with the rates increase to fund social care.
That doesn't seem fair, since the people who own the small businesses will probably be paying council tax too if they have a home elsewhere and surely the cost of social care should be spread throughout the community?

I do like Lurpak but can be persuaded to try other brands if the price is right.
My DM would never have any butter except Lurpak.

Icecream (not eaten very often these days ) has to be Kelly's or that Scottish one - Mackies? - or Tesco Cornish at a pinch.

My bottle of wine is my luxury , only once a week and it does last two or three days.

....oh and its' not me that buys the bloody LURPAK butter either it's my dad. He neither drinks, smokes or drives so his butter and his Ice Cream (Cart D'Or mind you) are his only luxuries.

Whilst I agree I am probably mad as the proverbial hatter i am not mad at wealth and nor do I have a chipped shoulder whatever that is supposed to mean Norah

Yes Jalima I'm sure both DH and I could walk into well paid jobs tomorrow.

Now shall we make our 7 staff members redundant before we do that or not?

janea I know council tax isn't income tax - I was pointing out the unfairness of it. Over the years, the balance between income tax, which is progressive, and other types of taxation, notably VAT which is regressive has shifted increasingly towards regressive taxation. This is a political decision and not one that has to be made. How much people pay in in proportion to what they take out isn't relevant as far as I am concerned. i don't care whether my next door neighbours take out more than me or that I pay more than them in income tax - the overall tax burden on them as lower earners than us is unfair - we pay proportionately less even if we actually pay more in real terms. Gillybob is absolutely right about life being more expensive but for the harder up its worse. As for the better off using private services - only 7% of children are educated privately - I don't know what proportion have private health care and anyway - you'd need to know what that covered.

An economy where a small business employing people and supplying parts to larger businesses is not viable is not a successful economy, nor does it bode well for the larger businesses who need the parts. Of course, the larger business would probably be able to get supplies from elsewhere - China perhaps - where the national policy is to nurture exporting enterprise and do their best to establish essential supply chains to other countries and increase their balance of money in/out. Very nice for the Chinese.

It doesn't bode well for those made redundant by business failure in a less buoyant job market either, or the cost of welfare for those redundant workers if they can't find employment because other firms are equally feeling the pinch.

DH gets whichever butter is on offer (within reason, there are one or two I wouldn't buy)

That seems very expensive even for a larger pack.

Plenty of jobs out there gillybob, apparently, for older people - just carry on and do as Norah suggests, it's so easy.

Of course, as DH would say, some people are very well-balanced because they have chips on both shoulders

ps and of course, the food producers have to bear the cost of the increases in all the commodities you mention in your post and need to pass them on to the consumer or else go under.

No, I was NOT knocking your small business. I was pointing out that I think it's unnecessary to keep doing something that one admits isn't working for that person. And I originally said that I see no price increases as I shop carefully at cheap stores, on offer. My taxes are not up appreciably. I'm quite glad to help provide social services to the less fortunate. End of.

It feels as if you have a slightly chipped shoulder. It's silly to be mad at wealth.

ps I include some farming amongst 'small businesses' gillybob so that is not an attack on small businesses.

Some price increases on fruit, vegetables etc are due to the poor weather on the Continent (and not just the storms that wiped out the courgettes and iceberg lettuces recently).
Whilst we are complaining about prices going up, some farmers are going out of business. What happens if a crop fails for whatever reason? The income for the year may be lost, it cannot be insured. Bills have had to be paid and will have to be paid with no result from the outgoings.

Anyway as no-one else seems to have recognised (or be suffering) a problem with price rises in general, council tax rises, fuel rises, electric, gas, water price rises, rent rises, food and fuel price rises I will leave this thread alone. Norah seems to have turned it into a "lets knock hopeless small businesses* thread, which was nothing to do with my OP.

Thank you for coming to the defence of all small business enterprises Elegran

You don't need to lecture me on my employment status Norah. I do not pay tax or NI as Self Employed and neither does DH.

My DH and I started a small business after we both suffered (and lost jobs) due to ill health. Me in my late 20's and he in his 30's. Believe you me if either of us could have worked for "someone else" we would have.

The confusion is easy, DH sent me here (he was lastly a self employed owner) to this site.

You’re probably self-employed if you: run your business for yourself and take responsibility for its success or failure, have several customers at the same time, can decide how, where and when you do your work, can hire other people at your own expense to help you or to do the work for you, provide the main items of equipment to do your work, are responsible for finishing any unsatisfactory work in your own time, charge an agreed fixed price for your work, sell goods or services to make a profit (including through websites or apps)

Many of these also apply if you own a limited company but you’re not classed as self-employed by HMRC. Instead you’re both an owner and employee of your company.