Really Really unhappy with cost of living increases

My home state of Queensland privatized water and electricity both were unmitigated disasters,since 2007 water has gone up 120 percent its due to go up 190 percent by 2017 so the average bill will be 1350 per year then,I dont know who Joe Average is because Im paying that now.

Since 2007 electricity has risen 94 percent,today the pricing commission today approved a further 13.6 percent increase on top of a carbon tax coming effective July 1,pensioners were ringing the radio crying I have never been so disgusted in our politicians that promised to ease costs last election, but they haven't done Jack except treble their salaries at the state level the last ten years these pigs at the trough no longer represent anyone other than corporate interests and partisan party lines.My rates have gone up 80 per cent since 2007.My income has only gone up 20 per cent during this time,I still get by but months when 600 dollar electricity bills or 900 dollar rates bills arrive are pretty frugal,theres no going out,no partying those months.

Im getting sick and tired of the poor and middle class getting screwed to pay off the excesses and mismanagement in our local,state and federal governments like 40-50-60 billion God only knows how much broadband schemes when the whole worlds going wireless or 14 billion dollars on f35's which are a piece of junk.

Dont even get me started on the price of fresh food or petrol which now gets another federal tax this budget

Well theres my spit what about your part of the world.

originally posted by: khnumIm getting sick and tired of the poor and middle class getting screwed to pay off the excesses and mismanagement in our local,state and federal governments like 40-50-60 billion God only knows how much broadband schemes when the whole worlds going wireless

So... what are you going to do about it?

a reply to: AkumaStreak

Im really considering joining Palmer United or another major smaller party the two party political system has reached critical morass and needs an enema a 3rd party needs to hold the balance of power.

For myself 0 as have solar .. well along with rainbarrels .. no taxes out here in the border areas were left to ourselves .. we manage fine without government intervention / influence ..

a reply to: Expat888

If Thailand would settle down Id seriously consider living there,electricity can be pricy in Bangkok but other than booze its so cheap there

a reply to: khnum

You need to move. I'm serious. I know the first thought in your head is "I can't afford to move." And I know it won't be easy, but you can't afford to STAY either.

With everything available online you have all kinds of information at your fingertips. You can quickly and easily research which states have a low cost of living and lower bills. I strongly recommend Texas, has a great economy, plenty of jobs, low living expenses nearly everywhere (yes, there are some 'rich' cities but plenty of urban or rural areas that are very low cost) and there is no federal income tax here.

If you believe in SHTF, well, TX is self sustaining, it has everything: farms, farm animals, seaports, and oil. Get yer butt down here. You''ll die when you see the savings. On the off-chance you are already here, well, you're in the wrong municipality, find a better one!

You'd just fall over and die if you knew how low my mortgage was.

a reply to: Ameilia

Next year is my 50th an I will be doing a road trip in the US I really want to see the Smithsonian and Orlando,I guess I should go check out Texas

originally posted by: khnum
a reply to: Ameilia

Next year is my 50th an I will be doing a road trip in the US I really want to see the Smithsonian and Orlando,I guess I should go check out Texas

Please do. I'm not fabricating any of this, it really is cheap to live here and I live in an excellent middle class neighborhood. Our must pays: mortgage, electricity and water, are less than 1k per month.

Think for a second about much that leaves for "wants."

Our crime report for last month, which I just got today, included less than 20 "crimes." Crimes included: driving without a license, speeding, dog off leash, untagged wandering animals.

No murder, no assault, no rape, no robbery of any kind, NOTHING.

a reply to: khnum

Give them a few months things will settle down .. from a friend that lives there said it calm at moment but complaining no money because tourism dropped due the protests and now due the martial law .. throughout s.e asia cost of living pretty cheap aside from singapore bloody expensive there .. just avoid myanmar things bit touchy there yet .. and avoid cambodia starting to have problems there again too ..

originally posted by: Ameilia

originally posted by: khnum
a reply to: Ameilia

Next year is my 50th an I will be doing a road trip in the US I really want to see the Smithsonian and Orlando,I guess I should go check out Texas

Please do. I'm not fabricating any of this, it really is cheap to live here and I live in an excellent middle class neighborhood. Our must pays: mortgage, electricity and water, are less than 1k per month.

Think for a second about much that leaves for "wants."

Our crime report for last month, which I just got today, included less than 20 "crimes." Crimes included: driving without a license, speeding, dog off leash, untagged wandering animals.

No murder, no assault, no rape, no robbery of any kind, NOTHING.

I just moved to Texas last year, you are right, my cost of living is way lower than it was in Indiana.

Besides the winter is far more comfortable than Indiana's, and the people are much more polite on average.

a reply to: khnum

Here, with the current, um, president, it's just as bad. Literally everything costs more. Gas is well over double what it was, groceries that or worse, and utilities are through the roof. Worse, he said he planned to raise these costs, and people voted for him anyway! We went from managing alright to barely getting by, on basically the same pay. Military pay, which of course he's virtually ignored. He deserves raises, but we don't.

originally posted by: AkumaStreak

originally posted by: khnumIm getting sick and tired of the poor and middle class getting screwed to pay off the excesses and mismanagement in our local,state and federal governments like 40-50-60 billion God only knows how much broadband schemes when the whole worlds going wireless

So... what are you going to do about it?

And BAM, there is the real and best question.
Find a way to make your own!
Electricity, water, food, Etc.
Yes you can "make" your own water, it is slow as hell but it can be done.

a reply to: khnum

My home state of Queensland privatized water and electricity both were unmitigated disasters,since 2007 water has gone up 120 percent its due to go up 190 percent by 2017

The problem is not privatization, the problem is monopolization. If there were more water and electricity companies to compete with each other then they would be forced to have more competitive prices.

Since 2007 electricity has risen 94 percent,today the pricing commission today approved a further 13.6 percent increase on top of a carbon tax coming effective July 1

How exactly is electricity privatized in QL if there's a "pricing commission" which determines what the price is allowed to be? Right here is proof of how bad government controlled prices can be, they slap all sorts of stupid taxes on it and raise the prices as much as possible to get more tax income from it. Look at the price of cigarettes in Australia now, they said they are going to increase the price by a certain percentage every year for the next few years, for no reason other than they can because they have the authority to do that and they justify it with deceptive moral arguments.

Allowing the government to determine the price of anything is a very dangerous and risky road to go down, it's also extremely socialist and even communistic in some sense. Never the less, Australia has decided that is a good road to go down, and look where it has led us. Free market competition is always the best method for producing the lowest prices, regardless of what the government would have you believe, they don't have your best intentions in mind and letting the government set prices does not benefit society as a whole like they claim.

The government controls our money supply, and look how much money they print on a daily basis, it's simply ridiculous. In fact one of the prime reasons for increasing commodity prices, especially food prices, is the devaluation of the dollar. It's not that food is really getting more expensive at all, it's that the dollars you use to buy that food are becoming worth less every single day as they debase the money supply, but at the same time you aren't getting paid more, well not enough to keep up with inflation. That is the whole scam, and why your life gets harder every day.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

Im not being silly consider moving to the UK their soldiers are well paid and they get a pension,health benefits etc if I were a warrior Id be headed there.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

Food prices are compounded by Woolworths and Coles -2 companies having 80 percent of the market I shop at Aldi and IGA but will definately check out the new Costco that just opened but 60 bucks membership is a bit rich,these 2 companies have cornered the pub and liquor market and service stations and our government fair trade and trade practices agencies have done nothing,nothing to stop these 2 ripping it to us blind.

a reply to: khnum

There is more than enough supermarket competition to keep prices low, the single greatest factor contributing to rising food prices is inflation. This isn't just my opinion, this is a fact. It doesn't just happen in Australia, the US has the exact same problem due to their money supply being inflated. Remember a few months ago when Woolworths wanted to offer discounts on fuel, but the government tried to stop them because it was "unfair" to the smaller fuel stations who cannot compete with such low prices? That is a perfect example of how government interference in prices can result in higher prices and stifle business competition. So what if the smaller businesses have trouble competing, the ones who cannot find innovative ways to remain competitive deserve to go out of business, that is exactly how a free market is supposed to work and how it should work.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

It is a conundrum how money printed out of thin air and backed by nothing other than a government promise can actually loose value.

originally posted by: khnum
a reply to: ChaoticOrder

It is a conundrum how money printed out of thin air and backed by nothing other than a government promise can actually loose value.

The difficult thing to understand is not how it loses value, but how it has value in the first place. It essentially has value because the government says it can be used to pay taxes and it must be accepted by all commercial businesses as a method of payment. At the end of the day it's our sweat and blood that gives that paper value, which is a bit of a weird concept but that's how it really works. When they print more money they're basically diluting the value of the existing money pool.

For example, if there was suddenly twice as much gold on this planet, the value of gold would probably drop by half, simply because it would be much less scarce than it was before that extra gold appeared out of thin air. The value of the existing gold is diluted when that extra gold is taken into consideration. When they print new money they are essentially sucking value from the notes in your wallet, it's basically a hidden tax because the government and the banks get to spend that money first.

Don't move to America. Stay the hell outta here. Wait for Thailand to settle down.

For the poster who said they live off solar on the outback, just wait until they crack down on your off the grid type lifestyle. Its happening in various parts of the world as more and more liberties are being stripped so we can't make do like our ancestors without corporation intervention.

Don't move to America. Stay the hell outta here. Wait for Thailand to settle down.

For the poster who said they live off solar on the outback, just wait until they crack down on your off the grid type lifestyle. Its happening in various parts of the world as more and more liberties are being stripped so we can't make do like our ancestors without corporation intervention.