Families live beyond their budgets

Last week came the news that more women are in work than ever before.

I’m not surprised when you look at all the things that families pay for these days. The money has to come from somewhere.

Parents often have a car each, as well as satellite TV, foreign holidays, mobile phones, laptops and rows of ‘must-have’ fashions in their wardrobes. If you took all these items off a family’s budget, the need for another parent working might evaporate, or at least be drastically reduced.

A large proportion of us baby-boomers went home to a parent after school.

And I’m sure that these days there are many women who would rather not work and instead prefer to be with their children. Shouldn’t we try living like this again, spending more time together?

There are many things that help people live within a budget, such as charity shops and libraries. They’re there for a good reason.

Maybe we should all get used to this kind of life.

We all might have to soon anyway – post-Brexit! Peter Bryant, Ramsgate