Discontent #9 food, energy, transport, cost of living, society etc

[Folkevermore]

It’s fine for my kids baths but takes so long to run as you aren’t adding any cold! I had a bath the other day and it was ok but I like to be boiled luckily it’s just the baths not showers

I feel your pain, if a bath doesn’t turn my skin bright red the water isn’t hot enough for me

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

It’s fine for my kids baths but takes so long to run as you aren’t adding any cold! I had a bath the other day and it was ok but I like to be boiled

Same! I love being poached alive in a bath - what’s the point otherwise?! I hope this doesn’t become mandatory for all homes else I’ll be forced to find a black market plumber to reinstate my supply of the good stuff.

 

[Jc456]

It’s regulations now that new build bathrooms have to be fitted with anti scald valves which stop the water going above about 40 degrees so how would that be unsafe if it’s a regulation it is annoying and I want it adjusted but need to get a plumber to look at it, they aren’t allowed to remove it only adjust

ETA Just seen it’s for water tanks not combi boilers!

Ugh I have one of those, think mines set higher but it's too cold for me! Plus they put the overflow really low so the water barely covers me

 

[IngressUK]

The ulez is getting scarily close to me. I'm a little bit further down the m3. My car is old 2 litre petrol so I'd have to buy a new one.

It's just another tax on the poor. Just like road tax. I have an old car so I pay really high road tax. But if I could afford a new one, I'd get cheaper road tax. We all use the same roads we should all pay the same tax.

Howard Cox of the Fair Fuel Campaign is planning to present an objection to the ULEZ extension to the Transport Minister and get the issue raised in Parliament.

He is utterly furious at the way Khan has ridden roughshod over the public consultation and gone ahead with the plans, despite the majority (60%) objecting to an extended zone.

Let's hope this does some good.

 

[Piff paff puff]

For anyone that needs extra help there's also this from Iceland:

You can apply for credit (Interest rate is 0 ) and pay back the amount from 10 a week.

Shop at Iceland using our Food Club Card

Choose To Pay In Flexible Weekly, Four-Weekly, Monthly Or Fortnightly Payments. Get what you need on finance from UK's No.1 Flexible Credit Provider.

www.fairforyou.co.uk

Could used to do this unofficially from the corner shop when i was a kid. It was called tick

 

[IngressUK]

Could used to do this unofficially from the corner shop when i was a kid. It was called tick

Wasn't it called Nick.

 

[candyland_]

I don’t think it’s a good idea - because you might get extra money now but you’ll still have to find the money for next months food shop alongside the money to pay back last months food shop. If you’re on the border of poverty any debt can cripple you

It’s a ridiculous idea.

 

[IngressUK]

It’s a ridiculous idea.

Would the better idea not be to allow people to build up a credit balance for a rainy day. Akin to a Christmas saving scheme.

For example, if your shopping came to £40 but you only had £30, you could pay the remaining £10 owed using the credit balance that had been built up.

Or could be used for a full shop, if enough credit balance had been accumulated.

 

[Lalla]

Howard Cox of the Fair Fuel Campaign is planning to present an objection to the ULEZ extension to the Transport Minister and get the issue raised in Parliament.

He is utterly furious at the way Khan has ridden roughshod over the public consultation and gone ahead with the plans, despite the majority (60%) objecting to an extended zone.

Let's hope this does some good.

I really hope it is stopped.

It's not even just the people within the ULEZ who are affected, it's all those living just outside it who work or have children in schools, or family members, or attend GP or other medical care within the zone. Even just a trip to the supermarket!

My son used to work in a local company with lots of people from the Medway area who drove in each day. They'll all now end up parking a mile from the office to avoid the ULEZ and walking the rest of the way! I'm sure there will be many in similar positions.

The charging zone made sense for central London, but the further out the less sense it makes. Areas like the one where I live, with no Tube stations, are not particularly well served with public transport. Often there's no alternative but to drive for many journeys.

 

[IngressUK]

I really hope it is stopped.

It's not even just the people within the ULEZ who are affected, it's all those living just outside it who work or have children in schools, or family members, or attend GP or other medical care within the zone. Even just a trip to the supermarket!

My son used to work in a local company with lots of people from the Medway area who drove in each day. They'll all now end up parking a mile from the office to avoid the ULEZ and walking the rest of the way! I'm sure there will be many in similar positions.

The charging zone made sense for central London, but the further out the less sense it makes. Areas like the one where I live, with no Tube stations, are not particularly well served with public transport. Often there's no alternative but to drive for many journeys.

It can also be expensive to use public transport.

Where I live, a one day Travelcard into London is £28 - before any Railcard discounts.

With a railcard, this is £18.45.

I usually visit London on a Sunday. Before ULEZ I used to park near Ravenscourt Park in Hammersmith. I would then visit a local business for something to eat and drink before catching the tube at Hammersmith Station to go elsewhere in London.

Since ULEZ phase I, I've had to switch to parking in Ealing, doing the same there - stopping at local businesses en route to the station for onwards travel.

With Phase II coming in, I'll just simply visit London a whole lot less.

I won't even be able to park my car at an Underground station with a car park, such as Osterley or Hounslow West, as I'll get stung with the £12.50 a day charge - on top of parking charges.

It has also been said that some businesses will close as a result of this policy extension, with other businesses passing on the increased costs to customers.

It really is a self defeating policy. Air quality will Improve over time without intervention, due to Improved technology. Penalising people is not the answer, as it always ends up penalising the poorest of society more.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

It can also be expensive to use public transport.

Where I live, a one day Travelcard into London is £28 - before any Railcard discounts.

With a railcard, this is £18.45.

I usually visit London on a Sunday. Before ULEZ I used to park near Ravenscourt Park in Hammersmith. I would then visit a local business for something to eat and drink before catching the tube at Hammersmith Station to go elsewhere in London.

Since ULEZ phase I, I've had to switch to parking in Ealing, doing the same there - stopping at local businesses en route to the station for onwards travel.

With Phase II coming in, I'll just simply visit London a whole lot less.

I won't even be able to park my car at an Underground station with a car park, such as Osterley or Hounslow West, as I'll get stung with the £12.50 a day charge - on top of parking charges.

It has also been said that some businesses will close as a result of this policy extension, with other businesses passing on the increased costs to customers.

It really is a self defeating policy. Air quality will Improve over time without intervention, due to Improved technology. Penalising people is not the answer, as it always ends up penalising the poorest of society more.

I don’t have a developed viewpoint on ULEZ tbh but with the v true impacts you’ve listed off I can’t help but wonder is there any long term view or strategy around what London should be now or should become?

I was lucky enough to be born and raised in London at a time that was comparatively significantly more accommodating for working class families, and location alone gave me so many privileges. But I don’t see the same for low income or WC children living there now the divide between rich and poor is just shocking, kids are dying and getting unwell in seriously tit housing. Sorry that’s deeper than the highstreet but the same applies - I worked in Soho and walking through there early in the morning it’s just a complete shithole, the American candy shops are shitholes ruining what’s meant to be a premium real estate to attract tourists into the country?! Most borough highstreets are either gentrifying mini chains or C+P pop up concepts or yet another box park style monstrosity, or tit nail/hair salons, betting shops and charity shops. Office working is dead thankfully. But all of the above warrants a rethink on how to make London work for ppl that actually live and work there rather than existing purely for the benefit of investors??

 

[IngressUK]

I would also advise anyone who uses the train and hasn't yet done so, to get a Railcard - if there is one available in your area of the country.

You can pick these up for around £30 a year, or cheaper on apps such as Trainpal - which is currently offering 50% off.

I got a new Network Railcard in mid October and it has already paid for itself. Any journeys made now are savings in my wallet against the full fare.

Splitting tickets is also another good tip.

A full fare to Birmingham from where I live is £64.40. With the use of split tickets, I've managed to get this down to £26.90 at the weekend - over a 50% saving!

 

[masterone]

I would also advise anyone who uses the train and hasn't yet done so, to get a Railcard - if there is one available in your area of the country.

You can pick these up for around £30 a year, or cheaper on apps such as Trainpal - which is currently offering 50% off.

I got a new Network Railcard in mid October and it has already paid for itself. Any journeys made now are savings in my wallet against the full fare.

Splitting tickets is also another good tip.

A full fare to Birmingham from where I live is £64.40. With the use of split tickets, I've managed to get this down to £26.90 at the weekend - over a 50% saving!

Yes full fare comes up as an absolute rip off for me (adult and 3 kids from Glasgow to Manchester) if I split my journey it costs 1/3 , but apparently it's frowned upon. A friend of my husband was the one who put us onto it but he mentioned recently you have to be careful because @Manchester Picadilly the guy checking his ticket got really arsey about it more than a few times.

 

[Folkevermore]

Yes full fare comes up as an absolute rip off for me (adult and 3 kids from Glasgow to Manchester) if I split my journey it costs 1/3 , but apparently it's frowned upon. A friend of my husband was the one who put us onto it but he mentioned recently you have to be careful because @Manchester Picadilly the guy checking his ticket got really arsey about it more than a few times.

As long as your ticket is valid on the service you’re on, and you’re getting onto and off of the service at a location that’s listed in your ticket, they have no reason to be arsey and you’re doing nothing wrong by splitting tickets.
Not even sure why they would care tbh. It’s not like it personally affects them

 

[IngressUK]

Yes full fare comes up as an absolute rip off for me (adult and 3 kids from Glasgow to Manchester) if I split my journey it costs 1/3 , but apparently it's frowned upon. A friend of my husband was the one who put us onto it but he mentioned recently you have to be careful because @Manchester Picadilly the guy checking his ticket got really arsey about it more than a few times.

I have no issues with ticket splitting.

If the train operating companies were more honest with their pricing, you would be automatically paying the total cost of the split fare without the need to split tickets. Tickets are becoming more expensive through dishonest pricing in addition to the inflationary increases.

Another tactic is to increase the price in a certain direction. Usually services towards London on Southwestern Railway suffer with this. The same journey starting at the destination station in the reverse direction usually being cheaper.

For example, my local station to Twickenham is £10.55 return. If I started at Twickenham and travelled in the reverse direction to my local station, it is £7.90 - £2.65 cheaper.

I've only had one occasion where a ticket office staff member was a bit arsey, but it isn't my problem. I'm only concerned about getting to where I want to go for the most reasonable price possible.

Apparently ticket office staff are briefed NOT to advise and encourage split ticket fares - even though they are legal.

There are a whole host of websites and apps that now advise. Although some are better than others. Many of the apps lack a 'via' option, which can sometimes be crucial in obtaining the best possible fare.

The guy who works in my local station ticket office recently stated 'well done for doing your homework' when I purchased a split fare from him. It really depends on the member of staff, some are more jobsworth than others. Athough they have no right in being arsey at anyone over a split ticket. Staff that do can be reported.

(This is why I don't fully support the rail strikes. Some staff need booting out for the abysmal customer service they provide, not protected by the union for doing so, nor lavished with a huge pay rise for providing crap customer service - although I have encountered some good staff in my time, so not all are bad.)

It isn't illegal, nor breaking any railway byelaw, as long as you ensure your tickets are valid.

 

[fireflies]

My eldest 3 are teenagers now bit when they were small we never brought brand new washing machines/ driers
We used buy reconditioned off local ebay seller, market place more recently the last machine was 60 quid lasted a year.
We have had old machines repaired before but that's 70 to 80 quid cost usually.
When the last washing machine packed in as they all seem to go at once we decided get cheap beko washing machine paid 250 on very 9months interest free.
I regret buying a cheap machine.
It glitches a lot but it does have 28mins short cycle and then needs go on 10mins spin.
The beko condenser drier we also got very sale 4 years ago has kept tripping since we brought it.
The one at Old House dented vented from sofa project was better but we had a out house lean to utility then we currently have drier in the dining room plus fridge and freezer and kitchen we have washing machine, slimline dishwasher and under counter freezer.
2/ 4 freezer we brought new but cheap
2 one was free from a freind it ices up a lot.
Also 1 free off market place added this year as use freezer for reductions.
Our 2nd hand smells really needs some work that hoping can do soon as icebox keeps leaking.
Our current and last coffee machine both off fb market place and even took the last one to something called the repair cafe where people fix things for free.
The only thing we brought new when we did cheap update kitchen was hob/ oven and dishwasher.
My dad gave me some Xmas money in 2021 so decided buy new TV went to curry's.
Was gutted it died after just over a year.
Things just don't last.
We cursed with hoovers.
Had 2 Dyson in the past both awful
2 cheap argos ones.
A cordless lidls one which was crap.
My lilds kettle I think is 3 years old still works matching toaster broke.

We calling out gas safe engineer next week boiler still not working as pilot light keeps going out so waiting to pay day next week but if condemned may have go down British gas interest free route.

The Bristol clean air zone next week total disaster..
The city centre has 7 hospitals and few schools within the zone.
The machines are not working.
Our car we can't afford replace is 9 quid enter zone a day.
If we drive to Bath it's free as think only commercial vehicle there pay.
Will badly hit hospitality and retail at busiest time of the year.

I sort skimmed various news this week as been so busy.

But I caught sky news ofgem announcement new jan cap £4200 Easy to think ok we capped at £2500 then 3k April so doesn't effect me.
However how it works is the energy companies do get the £4200 as the customer pays the 3k and government subsidise the extra 1200 making it £4200 so no loss to energy companies at all.
The cap is average consumption so current £2500 but my current bill based on my current dd amount x 12 is £3200 now so guess could be 4k by April.
Ofgem are now changing cap quarterly instead twice a year.

But the important point sky made that I kept saying all along is energy price rises drive inflation upwards.
Food sector is so dependent on energy too so that's contributing to rise in food prices.
So it's possible Inflation could well rise in 2023 despite hunt saying its going down as food /energy os part of UK High inflation.
If Inflation continues go up then bank of England will keep upping interest rates. We in a doom loop I'm dreading when fixed Ends next dec.

Next winter be no £67 per month discount to soften the blow.
No pay rises inline with inflation
Rising energy bills
Rising food
Rising mortgage
No cost of living payments for us.
Rising bus fares perhaps 12 p litre added to petrol in the spring we only run 1 car which garage says is end of life and now we have avoid centre as much as possibly can to avoid 9 quid clean air charge we can't afford replace car right now feels like 1 big mess layers of crap expense with no light at end of tunnel.

 

[emmer_moans]

It just seems wrong that we can be charged such an amount to pass through such a zone, on top of parking fees, on rop of road tax, in order for us to go patronize shops and access services we need to live, yet we get moaned at for not supporting the highstreet enough. All this will do is drive more to buy everything online.

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

I only buy cheap Beko machines and absolutely hammer them. I do at least 10 loads a week. They usually last around 4 years before things start to go wrong.

Ive had friends with Samsungs/Hotpoints/Hoovers cost a good £200-£300 more than my machine last 2 or 3 years.

I just budget to expect it now, sadly. tit for the environment but thats how things are made

My Beko dryer is 7 years old, replaced a part last year and fixed it ourself for pennies. It doesnt get used as much as my washer though.

 

[Cantthinkofausername]

Would the better idea not be to allow people to build up a credit balance for a rainy day. Akin to a Christmas saving scheme.

For example, if your shopping came to £40 but you only had £30, you could pay the remaining £10 owed using the credit balance that had been built up.

Or could be used for a full shop, if enough credit balance had been accumulated.

Shops used to do saving cards and stamps for this purpose. I used to buy a £1 stamp a week. A lot of smaller shops used to run clubs especially before christmas, where you could buy larger items. I remember buying a new washing machine and jewellry for presents that way. Obviously you had to wait till you had paid the full amount, but it was interest free.

 

[pixxyy]

Shops used to do saving cards and stamps for this purpose. I used to buy a £1 stamp a week. A lot of smaller shops used to run clubs especially before christmas, where you could buy larger items. I remember buying a new washing machine and jewellry for presents that way. Obviously you had to wait till you had paid the full amount, but it was interest free.

Morrisons do that where you get a bonus when hit certain amounts. Just googled & they did it this year but you could only save til Oct 31st