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

[smellsofbiscuits]

I'm with Octopus and inherited a smart meter with this house. It has now broken and I've been waiting three weeks for an update regarding a repair. Thing is I quite liked being aware of how much energy we were using. Does anyone know of any alternatives I can use to keep track of our usage?

I'm aware I could do it myself reading the meters but I am shite with numbers. Don't trust myself to get it right

 

[Pesky Tarian]

I'm with Octopus and inherited a smart meter with this house. It has now broken and I've been waiting three weeks for an update regarding a repair. Thing is I quite liked being aware of how much energy we were using. Does anyone know of any alternatives I can use to keep track of our usage?

I'm aware I could do it myself reading the meters but I am shite with numbers. Don't trust myself to get it right

We changed providers and our smart meter became defunct. I downloaded the Loop app. Not sure it's accurate to the penny but will give you a rough idea.

 

[Jc456]

So I’m generally a Tesco only shopper and tend to stick to own label but looking to switch to Lidl or Aldi because the price increase week on week is just becoming a joke. Which do people use / prefer out of the two and why?

I prefer aldi. The fruit and veg is better and also better variety than my local lidl. I don't often do a full shop there though so it probably actually costs more.

We changed providers and our smart meter became defunct. I downloaded the Loop app. Not sure it's accurate to the penny but will give you a rough idea.

I downloaded that, I'm not sure it's accurate

 

[Kim Mild]

I'm with Octopus and inherited a smart meter with this house. It has now broken and I've been waiting three weeks for an update regarding a repair. Thing is I quite liked being aware of how much energy we were using. Does anyone know of any alternatives I can use to keep track of our usage?

I'm aware I could do it myself reading the meters but I am shite with numbers. Don't trust myself to get it right

Do you have / is there an an option to sign up for an online account? The meters in our house are apparently smart meters but we've never had a display unit. Is the display unit broken or the meters in the wall?
I'm with Bulb and I can see the usage the following day online.

 

[smellsofbiscuits]

Do you have / is there an an option to sign up for an online account? The meters in our house are apparently smart meters but we've never had a display unit. Is the display unit broken or the meters in the wall?
I'm with Bulb and I can see the usage the following day online.

It's the display unit that is utterly gubbed. Octopus confirmed it was an issue with the tech during some lengthy online conversations as they seem to have given up on replying to emails now. I gave a manual reading last month and all seemed well with the meters, thankfully.

We changed providers and our smart meter became defunct. I downloaded the Loop app. Not sure it's accurate to the penny but will give you a rough idea.

Oooh I'll give it a look. We're just back from being away so the washing machine has been going like the clappers this weekend Has got me twitchy about our bill due next month.

 

[Blond3g1rl]

Download the bright app. Does the same as the smart meter display in your house

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

I'm with Octopus and inherited a smart meter with this house. It has now broken and I've been waiting three weeks for an update regarding a repair. Thing is I quite liked being aware of how much energy we were using. Does anyone know of any alternatives I can use to keep track of our usage?

I'm aware I could do it myself reading the meters but I am shite with numbers. Don't trust myself to get it right

There’s a third party app (that iirc was like £3.50 years ago) that is brilliant, if your smart meter itself is working just not the display this might be perfect? Worth a go as you can always get a refund on tbe App Store.

 

[coconochanel]

I prefer Aldi as Lidl never seems to have all the produce.

 

[Potatopotaato]

Only on page 6 at the moment but reading this as was sitting in a cafe with the other half... 2x omelette and chips, a tea and 2 cans, £24! Just pointed out to him that's £100 a month on omelettes if we went every weekend...
They are usually full when we go but today was just us and one other table, hoping it's just the bad weather and not a sign of the times as they're a lovely bunch in there and we've been going there 15 years now

 

[jackolantern]

Nipped into the COOP for a few bits and the prices were so abhorrent I left. People used to say beans on toast was a struggle meal and I doubt many could even afford that now. It's bleeping immoral.

 

[maharini]

OH and I went out for a lunchtime bacon sandwich and a couple of caffetieres of coffee at one of our fave coastal haunts yesterday after walking the beloved pooch on the beach. Astonished to be charged £32, which is this week’s ‘frugal’ budget for all our meals next week, Monday to Sunday. Lovely bread, localbacon, two generous coffees each, nice service, a lovely place. The sandwiches were £11 each. Maybe we just didn’t notice before….

 

[Northern northener]

Does anyone use a meal planner they can recommend I am think of trying one to maximise what I can get and not waste food.

My neighbours recently commented about my food bin going out mainly coffee grinds to be honest, as I have never seen theirs out. My composter is full and I was like what do you do with veg peelings? They alway have frozen veg. Not keen on some frozen veggies. Although I may get some tinned as son is limited with what he eats and no point buying bags just for myself.

Just a quick side note for anyone interested but coffee grinds are a good source of nitrogen for the garden and slugs hate it. Not too much just a handful sprinkled around or added to compost.

 

[BaxterBillions]

OH and I went out for a lunchtime bacon sandwich and a couple of caffetieres of coffee at one of our fave coastal haunts yesterday after walking the beloved pooch on the beach. Astonished to be charged £32, which is this week’s ‘frugal’ budget for all our meals next week, Monday to Sunday. Lovely bread, localbacon, two generous coffees each, nice service, a lovely place. The sandwiches were £11 each. Maybe we just didn’t notice before….

Ooof, how many slices of bread - two per sandwich? A fiver a coffee? The service had better be more than "nice" at those prices. I had a couple of Aldi bacon butties done in my air fryer and I think the total cost would come to a quid at best.

 

[maharini]

Ooof, how many slices of bread - two per sandwich? A fiver a coffee? The service had better be more than "nice" at those prices. I had a couple of Aldi bacon butties done in my air fryer and I think the total cost would come to a quid at best.

I’m as shallow as a puddle and will go
a long way for a log fire and nice ambience. We’re used to just doing what we like, spending what we like, not really noticing. But like a previous poster said, we’d probs do that 3 weekends in 4. That’s almost £100. I think we need to look at new treats….

 

[Littleelf]

Yesterday we went out to a local dairy farm which sells ice cream - me hubby 5yo and 10mo, 3 ice creams one for each of us except the baby and one tub of ice cream to take home....£26 the ice cream was very nice but duck me I almost fell over when she told me what it came to

I booked pumpkin picking for us next week as my 5yo wanted to go during half term, it is literally the only day out we are doing on half term because....just to get in was £12 doesn't include price of the sodding pumpkin.

I have a big food shop coming from tesco, nothing special really just a few extra snacks and things for lunches as 5yo in on half term and she will eat and eat and eat....£156.

I'm at a loss really of what to even think about it anymore. At this rate I'll be feeding the kids as usual then having beans on toast for my evening meal every night just to keep costs down. I have never thought so much about what I am spending especially on food.

 

[Snowjoke]

Paid £7.60 for 4 buns from the bakery the other month. Never again!!!!

 

[LyraBalaqua]

I’ve temporarily stopped shopping at Aldi because of the middle aisle, I’m a sucker for stuff I don’t need and the general prices are on the up, like every other supermarket.

I’m doing Home Bargains for household and some cupboard groceries ( the ready curry sauces are excellent) and then the fresh food I need from Marks/ Ocado. It’s already working out cheaper but it is just the mr and me.

 

[Millennial Pink]

Spent nearly £18 for two breakfasts and two coffees in Morrisons today. Never again. I'm sure supermarkets cafes used to be some of the cheapest places to go for food, but their prices have been jacked up with the rest of them. Terrible quality and grubby seating area, too.

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

Its so crap that people are having to consider giving up little treats and pick me ups.

I always get myself a drive through coffee either before I do my weekly shop or after it for surviving it. Its my little treat and I look forward to it.

It makes for a bleak and brutal existance when you can have nothing to look forward to. Very difficult to carry on.

Its understandable that prices are going up as businesses are having to meet the financial demands we as individuals are having but its a scary prospect if noone can afford it anymore.

 

[maharini]

I think treats will be more about experiences than things you can buy. Today we took a flask of hot blackcurrant and a sticky bun each and did some leaf kicking in some woods 5 or 6 miles away. We found a lovely garden centre we didn’t know about, but didn’t spend anything - just looked!