The Winter of Discontent #3 Food, energy, transport, jobs, housing, cost of living etc

[Onetwofour]

Also worried about the energy/food situation. It won't be nice. Restocked food - for now no shortage where I live. Restocked medicaments as well as I need immunosuppressants and China might get paralyzed with lockdowns because of the omicron surge. Did the same in Feb 2020 as everything looked like it will get crappy - I was right at that time - hope this time I am wrong.

It's snowing today but won't turn on the heating - I am also ready to rationate if needed - always careful with my electricity consumption (but that was before the energy market instability - grew up with a mother with strong environmental convictions).

I feel lucky to have family living in the countryside - I know if things turn dire I will still be able to get food from there.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

For anyone struggling with the Octopus website a) their deadline is actually the 2nd! And b) the app was working fine for me yesterday good luck

 

[Jc456]

For anyone struggling with the Octopus website a) their deadline is actually the 2nd! And b) the app was working fine for me yesterday good luck

E.on you can upload up to a week later, you select the date of the reading when you submit

 

[Blonde_moment]

My energy bill went up early March by £35 a month. My fixed deal had ended on 31st Jan. Will this have factored in the April rise does anyone know, as they will have forecast ahead for the year? Or am I going to get a further increase again now?

 

[Yel]

I'm kinda regretting giving accurate meter readings over the last few months, should have let them carry on over estimating then give a real reading in a few months! So I wouldn't worry if you haven't given a reading

It's 11 degrees in the house, struggling to type but refusing to put the heating on as in an hour the sun will be round to heat up to 15 degrees for free

 

[PumpkinKing]

Ugh, my electricity standing charge has almost doubled, up to 48.53p a day
I'm really lucky that my supplier hasn't increased my DD as at some point at the end of last year/start of this year my smart gas meter broke so when a new one was fitted the usage was back at zero so they refunded me what they had estimated (which i think was a lot higher than my actual usage).
The credit will maybe last 3 months but im still being really careful with my usage and no heating.
Definitely noticed food cost rises whilst shopping this week, talking to myself like "Well that's gone up 4p, they were Definitely cheaper last time" can see my weekly food bill reaching £90 if not more

 

[Northern northener]

Chickpeas (falafels, salad, wraps) (Spanish chickpea stew with Yorkshire puddings/garlic bread/crusty baguettes)

Brown lentils (shepherdess pie, green veg)
Red lentils (lentil soup/bacon, lentil spag bol)

Butter beans (Italian butter beans, butter bean white wine sauce with pasta)

Yellow split peas (veg soup)

Tinned sardines (sardine chilli rice)

mince beef (the usual but bulked out with lentils and extra veg and extra kidney beans for chilli). Buy higher fat content as it has more flavour and saves on using extra oil and is a bit cheaper too.

Eggs (omelettes Jamie Oliver recipe is best salad and chunky chips)

Broccoli stalks often get chucked but are the tastiest bit and will make fab blended soup with a potato for thickening and cheese for extra creaminess. Keep a veg bag of washed odds and ends of veg (eg celery ends) in the freezer at the end of the month do a pot of veggie soup.

Cheapest Tinned mushy peas, onion, bacon bits and stock cube for pea and ham soup.

Herbs and spices will make anything taste good. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, smoked paprika, chilli powder, cumin, black pepper, garlic granules I always have in stock. Growing herbs on a sunny window sill is very easy, also look into dividing bought herb pots for longevity. Stock cubes and Hendersons relish to add flavour to things.

 

[Doc]

No eggs in Lidl this morning. I know a lot of birds have been culled, so expect a shortage soon. Fresh produce in there and Morrisons looked awful quality.

Feeling quite pessimistic about things. It is going to be worse than anyone under 70 had known, I think.

I can’t remember who mentioned “right wing” and fracking but I’m not right wing and I support it to get out of this pickle medium term. The net zero policy is literally going to kill people because it’s all target and no plan.

The leadership in the West is utterly diabolical. Remember, DO NOT believe this is down covid and Russia. This has been coming for years.

There were summits held in 2020 about power outages, so expect that to happen imminently. None of these events are a surprise to leaders, and while I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s planned… they’ve been definitely making hay at our expense in having the heads up.

 

[Doctor_Wibble]

No eggs in Lidl this morning. I know a lot of birds have been culled, so expect a shortage soon. Fresh produce in there and Morrisons looked awful quality.

Not to mention as one paper put it today, the Eggpocalypse...

Grain (and therefore feed) prices up, energy price ces up, announcement of egg prices due to go up a lot, inevitable result = panic buying.
Maybe not for the longer term stash but on top of that a lot of people will have been prompted to buy when they might not have done.

 

[Nora Fenn]

Not to mention as one paper put it today, the Eggpocalypse...

Grain (and therefore feed) prices up, energy price ces up, announcement of egg prices due to go up a lot, inevitable result = panic buying.
Maybe not for the longer term stash but on top of that a lot of people will have been prompted to buy when they might not have done.

So when egg prices rise so will the price of everything containing eggs.

 

[IngressUK]

Cigarettes went up in the last few months by 50p. They have gone up again by another 40p in the last couple of weeks. A 90p increase in less than six months.

B&H Blue were £9.50 about two months ago, then £10, now £10.40 a packet.

Other brands are even more expensive.

There is also reports saying that prices of a pint in the Pub are likely to rise by at least another 20p.

It is getting to be the case that going to the Pub will be a 'luxury'. I'm certainly not going to be paying over £5 for a pint of liquid on a regular basis.

Just to add:

It is pointless the Government cutting duties on items such as beer and petrol.

The savings are rarely passed onto the customer, usually just resulting in more profit for the businesses that sell these items.

When the 5p cut in fuel duty came in, most Petrol Stations in my area INCREASED their prices by 5p.

It should be an enforceable law that any cut in duty MUST be passed on. Otherwise the business should be fined for not doing so.

 

[fireflies]

No eggs in Lidl this morning. I know a lot of birds have been culled, so expect a shortage soon. Fresh produce in there and Morrisons looked awful quality.

Feeling quite pessimistic about things. It is going to be worse than anyone under 70 had known, I think.

I can’t remember who mentioned “right wing” and fracking but I’m not right wing and I support it to get out of this pickle medium term. The net zero policy is literally going to kill people because it’s all target and no plan.

The leadership in the West is utterly diabolical. Remember, DO NOT believe this is down covid and Russia. This has been coming for years.

There were summits held in 2020 about power outages, so expect that to happen imminently. None of these events are a surprise to leaders, and while I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s planned… they’ve been definitely making hay at our expense in having the heads up.

It was me I read up loads of it as quite a few tories and right wing media are against net zero and green polices were only recently pledge to the world.
It won't help us. It won't make energy cheaper as process is expensive to extract and can cause damage to land.

expert reaction to arguments about fracking for UK energy security | Science Media Centre

www.sciencemediacentre.org

There are no quick easy answers unfortunately.
I think Russia is working to weapons energy.
I think UAE are working with Russia.
Everything has knock on effects.
Wind/ solar and wave is where we should invest.
Nuclear power is long term.
But biggest issue is all UK utilities privatised and we let gas reserves run low.
Also we have an out of touch government that fails to see impact of sky high energy.
Rishi has just flown to one of his 12 homes in california for Easter and runs at least 4cars.

I fear its going to get really bad.


On a side note really worried about aldis
Coffee just gone up to £2.09 only changed to £1.99 few weeks back was £1.89 like forever. A
Availability in my nearest seemed ok but freind went to another branch nearby and said huge supply issues.
Went into lildls that opposite our aldi and 2nd day hardly any frozen .
Crisps also but limited.
Burgers and meatballs so pricy its cheaper to make my own.
But did get identical coffee for £1.99 before they price match with aldi brought 5 jars.

A shop called shaws that sells curtains has those big thick black blanket jumpers for 20 quid.

 

[Doc]

Cigarettes went up in the last few months by 50p. They have gone up again by another 40p in the last couple of weeks. A 90p increase in less than six months.

B&H Blue were £9.50 about two months ago, then £10, now £10.40 a packet.

Other brands are even more expensive.

There is also reports saying that prices of a pint in the Pub are likely to rise by at least another 20p.

It is getting to be the case that going to the Pub will be a 'luxury'. I'm certainly not going to be paying over £5 for a pint of liquid on a regular basis.

Just to add:

It is pointless the Government cutting duties on items such as beer and petrol.

The savings are rarely passed onto the customer, usually just resulting in more profit for the businesses that sell these items.

It should be law that any cut in duty MUST be passed on.

There has been a slow attack on pubs for a long while. I don’t think they’re wanted by those trying to engineer our society.

 

[Doctor_Wibble]

So when egg prices rise so will the price of everything containing eggs.

People will make do as far as they can and put up with anything but when cake becomes unaffordable? That's a national emergency, that's when the food riots happen.

 

[IngressUK]

There has been a slow attack on pubs for a long while. I don’t think they’re wanted by those trying to engineer our society.

Some Pubs don't help themselves either.

The cost of a wholesale pint of cask beer is around - or in many cases - less than £1.50 a pint. Yet some pubs charge £5+ for that beer.

Another example here:

Stella Artois Beer 4.6% Keg 10 Gallons

Stella Artois Beer Keg is premium beer brewed in Leuven, Belgium since 1926. Stella Artois is the result of hundreds of years of brewing expertise so it’s worth just a few extra steps to ensure the best possible tasting experience for connoisseurs such as you. Type: Lager Country: Belgium...

onlinecashandcarry.co.uk

10 gallons (80 pints) of Stella Artois for £99.99 wholesale. That equates to just £1.25 per pint. How much do many pubs sell that for? Well over a fiver in many instances.

I know they need to make a profit. But continually pleading poverty, whilst massively profiteering does not endure the goodwill of many.

 

[Nora Fenn]

People will make do as far as they can and put up with anything but when cake becomes unaffordable? That's a national emergency, that's when the food riots happen.

Pasta was my first thought but I’d definitely riot for cake

 

[Doc]

It was me I read up loads of it as quite a few tories and right wing media are against net zero and green polices were only recently pledge to the world.
It won't help us. It won't make energy cheaper as process is expensive to extract and can cause damage to land.

expert reaction to arguments about fracking for UK energy security | Science Media Centre

www.sciencemediacentre.org

There are no quick easy answers unfortunately.
I think Russia is working to weapons energy.
I think UAE are working with Russia.
Everything has knock on effects.
Wind/ solar and wave is where we should invest.
Nuclear power long term

Yes agree about nuclear long term. I used to be dead against fracking but I think to ignore the option is a folly medium term. I don’t think we can afford to be idealistic at the moment and I am sure a lot more will come to the same conclusion when reality REALLY bites next winter.

Wind/solar and wave don’t generate enough power and are expensive. Wind & wave turbines are horrible for wildlife and habitats, too. With economic decline I’m dubious if they’ll be maintained properly and unreliable at generating power to help support affordable pricing.

 

[IngressUK]

I'm also looking at switching to a rolling 30 day contract with the likes of Smarty, or Voxi.

These 30 day rolling plans are not subject to the same CPI+3.9% price increases that usual monthly plans are.

You are also free to leave after 30 days, not tied into a lengthy contract.

With inflation running at silly levels, who knows what next year's increases will bring!

The service is pretty much the same as you would get on a traditional monthly contract.

 

[Jc456]

I'm also looking at switching to a rolling 30 day contract with the likes of Smarty, or Voxi.

These 30 day rolling plans are not subject to the same CPI+3.9% price increases that usual monthly plans are.

You are also free to leave after 30 days, not tied into a lengthy contract.

With inflation running at silly levels, who knows what next year's increases will bring!

The service is pretty much the same as you would get on a traditional monthly contract.

I was with giffgaff until I needed to replace my phone £10 a month for 15gb

 

[pixxyy]

we have a pre payment meter and I can already see a big difference in price in my gas.
Since yesterday we've spent 3.51 and it was only on briefly.
Electric we tried the top up in advance tip so hoping that stays a normal cost for abit longer