That title isn't hyperbole. A lot of the food in your weekly shop costs a lot more than a pint of blood. Mouthwash is the single most expensive liquid on planet earth, per millilitre. More than blood, more than oil, more than the tears of virgins. You remember when you were a student and you spent that week eating nothing but 4p noodles from Morrisons? Get used to that lifestyle, because you have a choice. You can either look like a competent adult and socialise with your new work friends far too often for after work drinks. Or you can eat like a normal human being. Lord knows you cannot afford both. Food is horribly expensive, even when you try to buy in meals and only buy things that are half price. The cost of living is a number thrown around by politicians who receive almost £500 quid a day just for turning up to Parliament, even if they're just fetching their coat and then they leave. The problem is, the cost of living was calculated by people who are paid well and securely by the government to calculate such things. None of the people involved really know the minimum amount a person needs to earn to live like a decent upstanding human. They certainly know what amount you need to functionally survive, to eat enough to not die and continue trudging through the disgusting monotony of existence whilst poor. But they expect you to never travel to see family or friends, never have a night in the pub, to forget what the inside of a cinema looks like. Sure you can exist, but you won't be able to live.