[sellickbhoy]

The average family’s weekly grocery bill would be around £420 if the cost of food had risen in line with house prices, housing charity Shelter revealed today.

To highlight the shocking extent of house price inflation, the charity has analysed the cost of a typical shopping trolley of groceries for a family of four if prices had risen at the same rate as house prices in the last 40 years.

In 1971, the average home cost £5,632. By 2008, that average had risen to £227,765. If food and other essential items had risen at the same rate, Shelter found that a pint of milk would cost £2.43, a chicken £47.51 and a jar of coffee £20.22.

It would mean the average family paying around three times as much for their weekly food shop as they do today.

The charity is highlighting the UK’s shockingly high housing costs in an advertising campaign launching at train and London underground stations from Monday (15th February).

Shelter’s director of policy and campaigns Kay Boycott said: “These calculations show just how out of line the cost of housing has become – yet we seem to have just accepted these inflated prices as normal in a way we wouldn’t with anything else.

“We’re asking people to join our online discussion forum at www.shelter.org.uk to have their say about the way high housing costs are affecting their lives. It’s time for people to make their voices heard and join the fight for affordable housing.”

Shelter’s work, by Leo Burnett London, is part of an ongoing campaign by Shelter exploring the effects that unaffordable housing has on all aspects of people’s lives. In particular, these adverts challenge people to consider if it is acceptable that house prices have been allowed to rise, unchecked by inflation, to the point where the average home costs around seven times the average UK salary.

Ms Boycott continued: “Housing affects so many areas of people’s lives and high housing costs are increasingly influencing the choices people make about how they live their lives. In this election year, it’s vital that all political parties make housing a top priority so that future generations are not held back by the cost of housing.

Leo Burnett London’s spokesperson said: "By applying housing prices to everyday items, the shocking reality of unaffordable housing becomes all too apparent. Hopefully this campaign will really bring home to people the seriousness of the current situation."

Conservative Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps said: "Labour has presided over a damaging explosion in house prices. Failure to build enough homes coupled with an unsustainable credit bubble means house prices are now, on average, seven times earnings.

"This chronic lack of affordability has strangled both aspiration and opportunity putting huge pressure on thousands of families."

[Wizard]

Hello sellick and others.Now I don't want to start a row ,fight or any thing else Just my honest opinion.This problem is all I say ALL down to the greedy grasping estate agents.I blame not one little bit the proverbial you at all if Bloggs Estate Agent can sell your house for you for £100k of course you are going to take it.Its realistic value is £60k and so it started.Encouraged by these silly TV programs.How many of the said people could afford the repayments? The estate agents were not worried about that They gained their cut and the more they could sell your house for the richer they became.I haven't seen in any of the Lincolnshire Newspapers where ******** Estate Agents have gone into Liquidation or Bankrupt but every other day there is a report of someones home being repossed because they couldn't keep up the payments.There was a man in the Dickens stories Bah Humbug is it.If it wasn't so serious

[sandy]

I agree WIzard.....some many years ago house prices stayed the same, my dad was a plumbing inspecter and he was told, by an estate agent (not so many around in them days) house prices would go up so, my dad suggested me and my then boyfriend buy a house ASAP, we did, it cost us £2,250 and no, I have not left a 0 off....that house went up fairly quickly and we were gratefull, I think it was 1970 but not too sure as I got married in 1972......wow how house prices went up since then although, I divorced in 1992 and bought another house for something like £42,000 when the previouse owners had bought it for £62,000 so they lost out with negative equity.. Estate agents can be likened to gansters (sorry if any of you are emplyed as one!!!) I always did move when they were low and soon had a house bought for £130,000 only to find 4 weeks later it valued at £250,000, now it would be around £500,000 if I still owned it.......so who decideds on the price??

[Wizard]

A first class example Sandy Just what I mean.Food and petrol we can do now't about.But,if every one refused to move Reason may return.It may not,it may get worse because a lot of us on here would like a bit larger place.So they may get their own back by doubling the price of what does move. its not at all funny I know Regards George

[Womble]

Hmmm, not sure it's quite as simple as 'blame the estate agents'.

I think it all comes down to supply and demand really. Our demand for housing is in effect infinite (most people would like a bigger house), but the effective demand is governed by how much money the banks are prepared to lend on mortgages, and how much we're all prepared to borrow.

Over the past decade, the fact that prices were rising so fast meant it made sense to borrow to the hilt (due to the principle of leverage). This led to a tremendous feel-good factor among home-owners (notice it's reported as good news when the price of houses increases, but bad news when it's the price of bread!?). The 'fact' pedalled in the media that 'prices only ever go up' meant that people were only too happy to borrow huge amounts to 'get on the ladder', and the banks were only too happy to lend it to them. This increased the effective demand, whilst supply remained relatively static - hence the bonkers price increases.

The problem is that the party ended some time ago, only instead of calling a halt and dealing with the inevitable hangover, the organizers just kept lowering the price of booze, and getting more rounds in for everyone! Where it'll all end I don't know, but I'm pretty sure we're in for a pretty rough time over the next decade or so.

I think I'd better go and get myself a T-shirt printed with the slogan: "I wanted an affordable house, but all I got was this lousy financial armageddon!" 

So, no house for me just at the moment then - think I'll go and see how the  are doing, to cheer myself up!!

[sellickbhoy]

People like me are to blame

I've bought several properties and let them out

I'm just waiting til they go up in price and then i can sell them all and clear my own mortgage!!

People keep talking of house prices falling - but they won't fall too far - if you've paid 250k for a house and it's now worth 200k, you aren't going to sell - you will LIVE IN IT - until it's value recovers

this further hampers the supply of properties and will ultimately help force the prices back up

money supply is tight at the moment - but once the banks need to start making more money again, it'll ease up

then, once house prices start to recover - guess what, the merry go round starts again, people stretch themselves to buy believing prices will only go one way and then we'll have another crash

simply enough there are not enough new/affordable houses coming onto the market for the demand/increase in population etc

so, as long as demand outstrips supply, in the LONG run house prices will rise.

the reason food shopping hasn't risen in line like this is because there is plenty of supply to meet demand.

might take 1 year, 5 years might take 10, but ultimately, they will recover.

(i HOPE!!!!)

[doganjo]

Absolutely right Chris.  And this exact thing can happen locally as well as globally.  When we lived in Aberdeen in the 80's, early in the decade we bought a semi for just under £20K, the rices zoomed up due to the oil industry, then just as we decided to move to the country in the late 80's, and put our house on the market, BP announced job cuts, and all of a sudden the market came absoluelt to a standstill.  Where previously houses were selling in 2 to 3 weeks, we eventually dropped the price by £2K and sold after a traumatic 6 months.  However, it was a double edged sword and we bought a repossessed house with land about 16 miles out of town.  Three years later, after Sandy died and I'd met John, the time came to try the market again - and would you believe it my house had more than doubled in value and there were hordes of people wanting it. So from 1984 to 1994 I made £70000 profit after legal fees etc.  Mind you it all went back into the next house.  But building one after John died  for £150K made enough money to move into Central Scotland.

[Wizard]

To do with the weekly shop as many of you know we usually shop in Lidl and the likes but Annie and David called last week and she said Have you seen all those Paddingtons in Tesco.No we can't afford to shop in Tesco.When did you last go in? Go and have a look round you needn't buy any thing she said.So we did and what a surprise Just to mention the Veg and fruit dept they had sensible small 50p packets of all sorts of veg fresh peas and beans sprouts and root veg.All sorts of offers on all sorts of things,including Lurpak at a quid its the cheapest I have seen it offered I don't like it personally but it was still a good buy for those that do They also had a 5p per litre off petrol if you spent £25  We shall go again say monthly it will be worth while I'm sure.Annie said they are all at it its called a price war Dad Sainsbury started it I think but I don't care who did as long as they keep it up

[Wizard]

I dont care womble it was the estate agent that told you what price to ask

[sellickbhoy]

To do with the weekly shop as many of you know we usually shop in Lidl and the likes but Annie and David called last week and she said Have you seen all those Paddingtons in Tesco.No we can't afford to shop in Tesco.When did you last go in? Go and have a look round you needn't buy any thing she said.So we did and what a surprise Just to mention the Veg and fruit dept they had sensible small 50p packets of all sorts of veg fresh peas and beans sprouts and root veg.All sorts of offers on all sorts of things,including Lurpak at a quid its the cheapest I have seen it offered I don't like it personally but it was still a good buy for those that do They also had a 5p per litre off petrol if you spent £25  We shall go again say monthly it will be worth while I'm sure.Annie said they are all at it its called a price war Dad Sainsbury started it I think but I don't care who did as long as they keep it up

i've lived out in the countryside for about 2 years now (not quite) before that i lived in Edinburgh right next to the the huge 24 hour tesco (which has recently had another floor put onto it!!)

I was passing last night and had to get petrol, so thought i'd nip in to pick up a few things - i needed lightbulbs and earphones

but as i got closer, i couldn't physically face going in. I started to feel sick as i got nearer the building. And that was just the sight of the car park and the madness around it!!

I ended up driving on and left it. I think I might be turning into some sort of Howard Hughes reclusive mentalist scared of the outside world!! I ended up going to the much smaller sainsbury in Linlithgow as I couldn't face the huge tesco. (though I managed to go in there OK today!)

I'd disagree that it's all that cheap too.

Certainly some things are, and they have mastered the art of selling small portions at what appears to be a good price - but in reality, I think it is is quite expensive compared to your local baker, butcher, veg shop (or box scheme!! LOL)

Overall though, the shopping experience puts me off it. And i really can't believe I'd say that after years of living in the ciity and being quite used to the interpersonal shopping experiences you get in big towns everywhere now

[Wizard]

Sorry Kath and I like going round the shops.I put my oxygen cylinder in the trolley and can wander round the big shops for hours at this time of year.Do you think this helps to keep my 90 day Gas bill under £100 ? We don't buy bread I make it.All of the surplus veg is put into the stockpot.I do not put left over potatoes in though.Still do stockpot although the boys have been gone from here for years.When they come its invariably lift the lid "Smells good Dad can I try it" I don't buy meat at any of the local meat purveyors as we go to Wragby where my friendly butcher has meat the way we like it beef hung for a month Pork with a thick layer of fat on under the skin and proper shin and beast kidney to make steak and kidney pudding/pie with and usually half a pigs head and trotters to make souse(brawn).When did you last see a pigs head or trotters in such as Tesco.When did you last see a beasts tail in any of the big stores?I must admit its no good asking Wiz for half a pound of chorizo or a couple of ostrich burgers.Then again I would sooner have a nice casserole made with the same price of shin as I wold pay for krap burgers in Tesco.Its no good going in Robinsons for half a pound of mange tout at this time of year in fact I can't remember ever seeing any out of the ordinary vegetables in the local shop.Until we had to move into the village we always lived on out of the way farms.Shopped on Saturdays for the week.In the main we still do,and no we don't forget the +++++ and have to go back for it ever.The last time we went to Wragby he said Do you want this and he showed me a piece of rolled top side and it was blue on the cut ends and had a lovely nose on it It weighed 31/2 kg how much thinking in terms of £30 + We missed it and I thought you might like it so its yours.I cannot see that happening in Tesco either I carefully trimmed each end and cut into 2 nice bits and roast both bits on Sunday after a couple of hours I removedone piece basted the other piece and put it back in to finish .When the other bit was cold I put it in the deep freeze.We had it yesterday beautiful I must report though we do not eat raw uncooked food no matter what Gordon Ramsey and the likes does.

[Wizard]

If you are interested Google Wisby Butchers Wragby and then choose a animal / bird from the left side of the page and scroll down All his products are listed.Even stuffed chine in the pork page

[doganjo]

I'd disagree that it's all that cheap too.

You know what would be very intersting?  A proper price comparison between the upermarkets and local folk, including you, Chris.  Anyone up for it. I suppose we could do it between us.  If anyone is in a supermarket - buy some veg then post on here what the weight, price and quality is.

[Wizard]

Yes Annie and no cheating I may not buy a particlar veg but I will note the price in Lidl and in Tesco this week

[sellickbhoy]

you can have a quick comparison by checking the tesco/sainsbury online site

If you want to agree a set basket of shopping I'm sure we could have a look and see what the differences are

Of course, I would argue that my fruit, veg, bakery and butcher products were of much better quality - and therefore a price comparison is meaningless!!!