Discontent #8 food, energy, transport, cost of living, society etc

[Purrrrrrr]

Where I used to live had power cuts every winter . It’s not as bad as people think . Just keep a torch handy , battery operated candles or normal candles . Have a camping stove for making tea , hot chocolate etc .You can buy cheap stoves with gas on Amazon or camping shops . Just keep the widow open a wee bit when using .We played board games with the kids so they actually enjoyed the power cuts as we all spent time together playing games under candle light . The kids loved going about with a torch .If it’s going to happen just be prepared with a torch handy so you can see where things are .

Like everything the anticipated thing is worse than the actual thing.

 

[pixxyy]

Iceland have risen the Tango price to £7.75 a crate so all the other Supermarkets will follow.
I know a couple here arnt fans of people who stock up but think i'm going to as still £7 on Tesco for this Week

 

[Polythene Pam]

It also makes me cross when Gen X’ers call me a Boomer and tell me how lucky I’ve had it. I’ve worked bloody hard to pay off a mortgage and save, only to see the state pension age slink ever further away, while workplace pensions shrink and final salary schemes are discontinued, and living costs spiral. Interest rates have been low for most of my adult life, so saving isn’t rewarded, and now that I really need the NHS, it’s knackered. I don’t FEEL lucky….


No, I’ve checked, thanks. 40 years of tax and NI and I’m entitled to bugger all.

I think it's all relative. I'm a millennial (born 1988) we are officially the first generation to be worse off than its parents. We were the first to accumulate masses of student debt and then graduated into the great recession and have faced wage stagnation and insane house prices ever since. It is a hard pill to swallow.
Meanwhile my boomer mother bought a house in 1998 and sold it for literally double the money in 2002!!! That will never happen again.

You’re right, we have been fortunate with property, and I had an (almost) free university education, but I’ve worked hard all my life and sacrificed a lot too. I’m too young to be a WASPiE but like many, my retirement planning was absolutely stuffed by pension changes. Just making the point that it’s not ALL beer and skittles if you were born in the sixties! Still. Am living a simple and happy life now.

I expect a lot of my generation will still be renting when we eventually retire.... Retirement ages creep up for us all! I am fortunate to have a lot of help from family and am on the ladder now but a lot of my friends aren't.
I guess people think you have it easy as you had no student debt and cheap houses. All of the other problems you mentioned are universal.

Do we actually think there will be blackouts? Allegedly it's a worse case scenario.
It doesn't really impact me considering I'm quite happy to sit under a blanket and have lanterns and stuff. But I understand that it would be difficult for others.

If Liz Truss says it won't happen, it probably will.

 

[Codiaeum]

I think many people don’t realize how much devices that are on can cost in the long run. I get putting the tv on for some background chatter, but it really adds up over time. Running it two to three hours a day will cost about 35£ a year, but if you think about it, that’s way less than what many people have it on, especially without watching it. Reducing the number of hours could really cut down here.
If putting it on for company, the radio might be an alternative for some hours, its a lot cheaper. I often put it on for some nice back chatter and especially to have some noise if I’m alone for longer. I love quietness, but it gets old after a few days!

 

[shadowcat5]

I think many people don’t realize how much devices that are on can cost in the long run. I get putting the tv on for some background chatter, but it really adds up over time. Running it two to three hours a day will cost about 35£ a year, but if you think about it, that’s way less than what many people have it on, especially without watching it. Reducing the number of hours could really cut down here.
If putting it on for company, the radio might be an alternative for some hours, its a lot cheaper. I often put it on for some nice back chatter and especially to have some noise if I’m alone for longer. I love quietness, but it gets old after a few days!

If I WFH I put a podcast on through my laptop and let it play as the laptop and internet are on anyway

That said, there are some things that I just can’t skimp on. I mostly shower at the gym but when I shower at home I can’t not have hot showers. I’ve tried reducing it to warm but I just can’t do it. I am happy to wash my clothes on cold, don’t have a tumble dryer and I use LED bulbs but that is something I just can’t let go

 

[Codiaeum]

If I WFH I put a podcast on through my laptop and let it play as the laptop and internet are on anyway

Yep, this! If it’s on anyway , no harm done, but it’d be pretty wasteful if you worked on your laptop and then put on a TV you don’t really watch at the same time for the sake of chatte.

 

[pixxyy]

I think many people don’t realize how much devices that are on can cost in the long run. I get putting the tv on for some background chatter, but it really adds up over time. Running it two to three hours a day will cost about 35£ a year, but if you think about it, that’s way less than what many people have it on, especially without watching it. Reducing the number of hours could really cut down here.
If putting it on for company, the radio might be an alternative for some hours, its a lot cheaper. I often put it on for some nice back chatter and especially to have some noise if I’m alone for longer. I love quietness, but it gets old after a few days!

I use my laptop as my tv so instead of 2 separate lots of electric it's just the 1.

 

[Izzyt88]

I think it's all relative. I'm a millennial (born 1988) we are officially the first generation to be worse off than its parents. We were the first to accumulate masses of student debt and then graduated into the great recession and have faced wage stagnation and insane house prices ever since. It is a hard pill to swallow.
Meanwhile my boomer mother bought a house in 1998 and sold it for literally double the money in 2002!!! That will never happen again.


I expect a lot of my generation will still be renting when we eventually retire.... Retirement ages creep up for us all! I am fortunate to have a lot of help from family and am on the ladder now but a lot of my friends aren't.
I guess people think you have it easy as you had no student debt and cheap houses. All of the other problems you mentioned are universal.


If Liz Truss says it won't happen, it probably will.

I was also born in 1988 and 100% agree and relate to all of this. A lot of millennials work just as hard as generations before them but haven’t been able to get on the property ladder as easily, acquired far more debt for the same level of education, wages that are far behind the rate of inflation and who knows when we’ll reach state pension age! That’s not to say ‘boomers’ had it easy, every generation faces their own difficulties and everyone’s personal circumstances are different no matter their generation, but it’s true that many didn’t face the issues we and those younger than us now do.

 

[Jc456]

I think many people don’t realize how much devices that are on can cost in the long run. I get putting the tv on for some background chatter, but it really adds up over time. Running it two to three hours a day will cost about 35£ a year, but if you think about it, that’s way less than what many people have it on, especially without watching it. Reducing the number of hours could really cut down here.
If putting it on for company, the radio might be an alternative for some hours, its a lot cheaper. I often put it on for some nice back chatter and especially to have some noise if I’m alone for longer. I love quietness, but it gets old after a few days!

My TV only uses 63w so only costs around 2p a hour so not too bad

How accurate is that loop app? I've done 2 loads of washing this morning, it looks low to me

 

[Polythene Pam]

I was also born in 1988 and 100% agree and relate to all of this. A lot of millennials work just as hard as generations before them but haven’t been able to get on the property ladder as easily, acquired far more debt for the same level of education, wages that are far behind the rate of inflation and who knows when we’ll reach state pension age! That’s not to say ‘boomers’ had it easy, every generation faces their own difficulties and everyone’s personal circumstances are different no matter their generation, but it’s true that many didn’t face the issues we and those younger than us now do.

Absolutely, every generation had its problems and struggles for sure. But when you see the graphs that show houses used to be 3/4 times the average wage, and they are now 10 times the average... Its hard to ignore.
Lack of access to safe, sanitary and stable housing has so many knock on effects, private renting is pernicious and guess who the landlords often are? Boomers that snapped up houses cheap in the 90s! Of course they are not all bad, etc etc, but it does stoke generational tensions.

 

[Yel]

I do think there needs to be some sort of public information stuff so that people know what energy saving tips are actually legit. I think there's quite a lot human energy wasted doing things that save virtually no energy.

My smart speaker can be playing for over 12 hours a day and not even use 1p of energy at today's rates.

 

[Codiaeum]

Well the TV thing came fro here: https://www.idealhome.co.uk/property-advice/how-much-electricity-does-a-tv-use-299917

 

[Yel]

Well the TV thing came fro here: https://www.idealhome.co.uk/property-advice/how-much-electricity-does-a-tv-use-299917

I wouldn't give these kind of click bait things much attention. There's been so many shockingly awful articles from publications that are supposed to be reputable.

Papers like the independent have inflated energy usage by 500% in their articles.

Unless something creates heat (heating, hot water, hair dryer, oven) then it probably doesn't use much energy.

There's so many different TV technology types and these clickbait articles always use the least efficient and use their max energy consumption as their average in often shockingly awful maths.

 

[OwlAtTheMoon]

I know prices are going up exponentially atm but I still shudder when I see how fast they're increasing. The tesco toilet rolls we buy have shot up to £10.05 from £8.60 just since last week, and only a few weeks ago they were £7.50. Insanity.

 

[pixxyy]

I know prices are going up exponentially atm but I still shudder when I see how fast they're increasing. The tesco toilet rolls we buy have shot up to £10.05 from £8.60 just since last week, and only a few weeks ago they were £7.50. Insanity.

The ones we used to get were I think £10.40 earlier on Tesco, We now do who gives a crap ones which I was ok paying higher prices as sustainable.
Way it's going they'll end up saving us money

 

[Chocolategoggler]

Energy supplier handing out free electric blankets - how you can get one

Electric blankets are a cheaper alternative to keeping warm rather than switching on the central heating, which now comes at a premium

www.mirror.co.uk

Octopus are doing this.

 

[Jc456]

The ones we used to get were I think £10.40 earlier on Tesco, We now do who gives a crap ones which I was ok paying higher prices as sustainable.
Way it's going they'll end up saving us money

The who gives a crap ones last so long! I ordered a box before the 2nd lockdown and lasted us about 10 months

 

[pixxyy]

The who gives a crap ones last so long! I ordered a box before the 2nd lockdown and lasted us about 10 months

Yeah i'm that person who uses to much loo roll & even then a roll lasts me around a Week. Box lasts me & Mum around 6 Months.
They've gone up a few pounds but worth it as last so long & super soft

 

[Purrrrrrr]

I do think there needs to be some sort of public information stuff so that people know what energy saving tips are actually legit. I think there's quite a lot human energy wasted doing things that save virtually no energy.

My smart speaker can be playing for over 12 hours a day and not even use 1p of energy at today's rates.

People get carried away. I'm on a couple of money-saving groups and to be honest, people are spending pounds to save pennies. Anytime someone posts a new money-saving gadget you get a whole line of people saying "ordered" Some even replacing washing machines that are not old and already economical to run for the latest one that might save a few pennies more.
I've unfollowed the groups as it seems common sense is out the window and some people getting into debt because they are scared of the rising cost of amenities.

Also most of us live in the UK not alaska we are not going to freeze into solid lumps in our homes Most here had parents / grandparents who grew up without any heating but the one fire in the living room, no fitted carpets none of these amazing fabrics that keep you warm and yet are light.

 

[Polythene Pam]

People get carried away. I'm on a couple of money-saving groups and to be honest, people are spending pounds to save pennies. Anytime someone posts a new money-saving gadget you get a whole line of people saying "ordered" Some even replacing washing machines that are not old and already economical to run for the latest one that might save a few pennies more.
I've unfollowed the groups as it seems common sense is out the window and some people getting into debt because they are scared of the rising cost of amenities.

Also most of us live in the UK not alaska we are not going to freeze into solid lumps in our homes Most here had parents / grandparents who grew up without any heating but the one fire in the living room, no fitted carpets none of these amazing fabrics that keep you warm and yet are light.

I'm 34 and grew up without central heating upstairs in my house, and old sash windows that rattled and let all the cold air in. It's not that bad honestly.
I agree people are spending too much really. I was looking into getting a dehumidifier or heated airer but everything I read said it's not worth it if you already have a tumbler dryer as you won't save enough to justify the extra cost.