I’m thankful it seems to have been quite a mild November where I live, so the heating has only come on sparingly, so far.
The Winter of Discontent #2 Food, energy, transport, jobs, housing etc
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The only gas we use is heating and water (shower is electric). We've got 1 TV and the kids have a light on at night. We've not got a drier or dishwasher
Yep our electricity has rocketed too, not using anymore than normal but can see it increasing every week.
It’s the “free fall” aspect that causes the anxiety, I’ve tripled the amount I’m paying (I was underpaying before to be honest as I was broke) if it goes up again (likely) and goes over £100 per month it will start affecting my “spends” aka money for food, clothes, travel that is left over after bills paid. I know it’s going to be a recession-type period anyway, everyone will be scaling back but it just feels a bit grim and also uncertain. I’ve survived a few previous recessions but they didn’t come with a pandemic.
Charging phones/ laptops/ tablets must use a lot of energy because when we first moved in we had no broadband for a over a month so we weren't online as much when we had to use mobile data and we didn't use as much electric.
Boiling the kettle makes your smart meter go into the red zone all by itself. I can have all my lights on, two freezers, fridge internet etc and only 2 green bars showing. pop the kettle on and it's fully in the red, Showers, water heaters, etc use much more than anything else. and even if you have GCH from a boiler then its normally needs electricity to work.
I drink loads of tea so that's me screwed
I keep thinking about my ex, he drank so much coffee I had to use an old tile to keep the switch of the kettle down as he would want one after the other all day every dayI drink loads of tea so that's me screwed
If anyone worrying has their paper bills look at the kWh, also suggest getting a smart meter so you can keep track.
We’re with Octopus and electric went up about 60%, gas 90%. Our gas is 6.04 p/kWh, electric isn’t shown I’m guessing cos it’s variable? Looking at my smart meter app it varies between 7-11p kWh so you guys are right, it’s ended up more expensive.
We’re with Octopus and electric went up about 60%, gas 90%. Our gas is 6.04 p/kWh, electric isn’t shown I’m guessing cos it’s variable? Looking at my smart meter app it varies between 7-11p kWh so you guys are right, it’s ended up more expensive.
I have often wondered what the pandemic would have been like if it had hit ten years ago. Even just WFH - ten years ago, my office was almost entirely based around desktop PCs. You had to specifically request a laptop and getting one was like winning the lottery. We had almost no videoconferencing software, and nothing on our own computers. I remember that we had just two meeting rooms in the entire office that had VC capability and actually using it was incredibly complex and unreliable. It was a different world and you just wonder what would have happened.
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Exactly. Busniesses, schools and unis are lucky that software such as Zoom and Teams were ready to use straight way, 10 years ago it would have been a different story.
I’ve noticed my petrol doesn’t seem to go as far now it’s switched to E10. I only do about 70 miles a week but the half a tank I filled up about 10 days ago is almost gone, and I have a 1ltr engine.
Me too! Might have to buy a flask!I drink loads of tea so that's me screwed
Apparently oil is baack down in price again but of course now 148,9 for a litre of petrol will be the new normal.
I know I sound like a whinging old lady taking about price increase i was boring husband earlier.
We on week before pay day grocery run down which means eating random crap in freeze and cupboard. Making some interesting creations and kids moaning that we have no good snacks.
I live near a high street thats full of food shops and charity shops.
I'm often passing on way back school runs so I always pop in see whats reduced or on offer.
Started in lilds which many things gone up this week
Hardly any crisps,juice or 22 p noodles.
Morrisions no value juice at all.
No samosas
No size 6 pullups which are cheaper than aldi.
No reduced just brought 50p savers choc mouse.
But have feeling speaking to cashier that they maybe discontinued their savers range as no savers dishwasher tabs either.
Got dishwashers tabs from pound shop and couple bits b and m..
But then went in ALDI and depressed myself.
They do sometimes price match lidls on certain items but noticed last few weeks I few things they cheaper than lilds.
No 22p noodles
No own brand squirty cream only anchor £1.59 which is more expensive than tesco express even!
The kids like it on hot chocolate.
Noticed last visit regular beer gone up fro £2.79 to £2.99.
Hardly any juice again.
Frozen berries gone up 10p was £1.39 now £1.49.
Sausage rolls up 15p was 85p now 89p.
3p increase in own brand red crisps 55p so still 10 p cheaper than lidls. Wonky strawberries were £1 now £1.25.
I imagine few things increased but those are things I regularly buy and noticed.
Between poor availability and price rises every I honestly feel like I'm getting much less for my money these days.
Local corner shop has 4pints milk for £1.09 and its £1.15 now in lidls / aldi and £1.30 Morrisions/ sainsbury /tesco.
We on week before pay day grocery run down which means eating random crap in freeze and cupboard. Making some interesting creations and kids moaning that we have no good snacks.
I live near a high street thats full of food shops and charity shops.
I'm often passing on way back school runs so I always pop in see whats reduced or on offer.
Started in lilds which many things gone up this week
Hardly any crisps,juice or 22 p noodles.
Morrisions no value juice at all.
No samosas
No size 6 pullups which are cheaper than aldi.
No reduced just brought 50p savers choc mouse.
But have feeling speaking to cashier that they maybe discontinued their savers range as no savers dishwasher tabs either.
Got dishwashers tabs from pound shop and couple bits b and m..
But then went in ALDI and depressed myself.
They do sometimes price match lidls on certain items but noticed last few weeks I few things they cheaper than lilds.
No 22p noodles
No own brand squirty cream only anchor £1.59 which is more expensive than tesco express even!
The kids like it on hot chocolate.
Noticed last visit regular beer gone up fro £2.79 to £2.99.
Hardly any juice again.
Frozen berries gone up 10p was £1.39 now £1.49.
Sausage rolls up 15p was 85p now 89p.
3p increase in own brand red crisps 55p so still 10 p cheaper than lidls. Wonky strawberries were £1 now £1.25.
I imagine few things increased but those are things I regularly buy and noticed.
Between poor availability and price rises every I honestly feel like I'm getting much less for my money these days.
Local corner shop has 4pints milk for £1.09 and its £1.15 now in lidls / aldi and £1.30 Morrisions/ sainsbury /tesco.
I was doing my food shop online. Tesco double strength squash 1.5ltr was £1.00. Now its triple strength for £1.75! 75p increase! Madness. My food bill is £110. Gone are the days when my food shop was £80! 
This is not boring, it’s interesting I think. I’ve noticed my weekly trolley load at the supermarket is getting dearer but I’m getting less for it. I’m a creature of habit so I mostly buy the same things every week (except toiletries and household supplies that I don’t necessarily need to rebuy every week). One that really surprised me was in Sainsburies this week I could not see the value brand 9 pack of toilet rolls which usually around 1.90. The space they usually occupy and the price label were gone, and now there is only the branded stuff or the more expensive Sainsburys branded ones, so the price difference between what I usually buy and what I had to buy was about 1.50 more. I’ve noticed recently some of the value stuff have disappeared and so you have to buy the more expensive ones, like food bags, kitchen foil. It may be a production/distribution thing though, maybe they will come back.
Maybe because of shortage hgv lorries the cost transport higher so they decided to get rid value ranges that have less of a profit margin.
I'm creature of habit and my kids generally eat and drink the same things.
Cleaning and toiletries I buy every other month or every quarter mostly home bargains and wilkos I find cheapest.
Don't shop at sainsbury much so notice their rises less although think their own brand cereal gone up to £1.20 as kids dislike aldi and lilds cereals .
If you have kids finding the coop and Iceland frozen £5 meal deal handy.
Spent £20 today small top up snacks for weekend,packed lunches stuff as well as nappies/ cheese / milk I only wanted to spend £15 and that was shopping around.
I seldom online shop but might start again.
Used to love my supermarket to compare baskets but don't think its around anymore.
Over the years I've noticed it is always the budget range that is out of stock . At times, I've wondered if management have withheld the cheapest goods so that customers have to buy a more expensive version to boost their takings . I used to work at an independent business that used a similar tactic on a smaller scale.
I don't like to scrimp on food items, but due to the price increases I've definitely cut back a little. I also realised that I probably spend too much on crap food. It may actually be a benefit to my health for me to cut back and only buy the necessary foods, rather than all the luxuries.
Anybody else eat beans and legumes? I buy the tins and jars of them, ranging from red beans, black beans, chickpeas, etc, and along with them tinned tomatoes. These are so useful for making a quick and simple meal.
Just chuck them in a pan with tinned tomatoes, and simmer for about 10 mins, add in some easy chopped garlic and even some tomato ketchup for added zing and taste. Really nice.
Anybody else eat beans and legumes? I buy the tins and jars of them, ranging from red beans, black beans, chickpeas, etc, and along with them tinned tomatoes. These are so useful for making a quick and simple meal.
Just chuck them in a pan with tinned tomatoes, and simmer for about 10 mins, add in some easy chopped garlic and even some tomato ketchup for added zing and taste. Really nice.
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