I am not surprised to hear that some of the young people today have serious debt problems.

It is so easy to buy online with a bit of plastic and a ‘must have now’ society exists.

People slavishly following fashions and companies take advantage of this trend and life is becoming ever more costly.

My generation did not have what we could not afford and often saved weekly pennies in a clothing club to buy essentials, which were passed down from child to child.

Inflation is rampant and the division between the rich and poor will become ever wider as long as rises are by percentages.

You cannot equate percentages. Two per cent of a small amount will never equal two per cent of a larger amount.

We only had pay rises on merit, if the employer could afford them, which encouraged us to try even harder.

Nowadays pay rises are expected annually and across the board regardless, so prices have to rise to pay for them - cost rises lead to pay rises.

Decimalisation seemed the starting point, it was quite stable before then.

“Only five pence a pound, the stallholder was crying out and people were buying, thinking they were getting a bargain.

When I pointed that this five pence was really one shilling in old money he said “you don’t have to buy them”. It seemed to escalate from then on.

What is the answer? I do not know. How can you encourage people to live within their means in this push-button society?

Mrs W E Taylor

Leasgill