Thought we'd have a ready cooked chicken today, only the two of us so it's the easiest way of sorting it out. Only got charged VAT on the chicken because it's warm. Is this what this country has come down to, charging pensioners tax for their food. Stop the world I want to get off.

Great, isn't it Bandy?
Not only that, all these deals we can get in Tesco's and the likes 3 for 1.....who wants three of anything when your a pensioner? 3 Cauliflowers, or 3 cabbages, we'd need 3 lots of toilet rolls too! We all need our five a day, but my goodness hasn't fresh fruit and veg sored in price ,since that little sale pitch came in? Tuna used to be cheap until people did the tuna /pasta dishes. Now we usually have to buy single tins at hike prices or packs of 4. Where does it end? No it won't because Watchdog tonight has come up with the fact we are all going to have to pay more for Flood Damage, whether you live on top of a hill or not. This should be on rant and it could be another long running thread!!

Oh yes, and I heard today that BT are putting their line rental up in January. They can't apparently undercut any of the other providors. What rubbish is that. So if they put it up, so will every other bugger.

I don't think it will be long before we see people on the streets in this country.

To be honest Granny I've always felt that any essential should not be Vatted, it's a rip off. Luxuries? Well that's up to yourself but essentials like food, heat, light and water having VAT on top really does grip my s...t good style. There's nowt we can do about though except cough up or do without. A pox on the lot of them.

Another thing is standing charges on gas and electricity.
I pay more on my gas bill for standing charges than for the gas I use.
We could make a list up up of the ripoffs, money for old rope, cash cows which guarantee companies money we have to pay for very little service.
1 standing charges
2 line rental (used to be telephone rental before folks could buy their own phones)
3 vehicle insurance (they can hike it up each year and you have to have it (enforced by the police)
4 road tax (enforced by the police)
5 TV licence

any more?

Exra charges for using your card, especially on dearer items. You're forced into it sometimes and also they're trying to make us a cashless society. Remember the banks cajoling everyone into havng their wages put into the bank instead of in an envelope because it was "free".