It suddenly feels that the everyday things in life are getting very expensive…it feels like its costing a small fortune to live a no-frills existence these days.
What have you had to think twice about buying / reduce consumption of / or cut out altogether? Speaking to a neighbour who has brought herself a heated throw
Hi
Heated throws are great, effective and very cheap.
The rest of things have to be the reduced counter or special offers.
Lidl weekly offers on fresh veg and buy potatoes and cook them yourself.
I agree kazz everything’ seems so expensive.
I have always been price aware but even more so these days. I have given up on brands …I buy whatever is on offer and for everyday stuff and cleaning materials I shop at cut price supermarkets such as ALDI and LIDL its amazing how much you can save doing that
I shop around for bargains in shops and on the net …it really annoys me if I buy something and then I see it cheaper elsewhere…must be the Yorkshire in me 
I agree Kaz I try not to use the car as much . I shop in Aldi but I’ve noticed prices are rising . I never buy convenience food I enjoy real cooking . I buy a pack of 10% mince and splt it into 3 . Each portion cooked with fresh vegetables gives me three days meals . I buy chicken thighs at a very reasonable price and there are 6 so another 3 meals . I’ve thought of putting a small amount of my Isa into a 3 yr account but am worried in case I may need it in an emergency and the small amount of interest is minimal anyway
I think our quality of life is going to get tighter.
One tip to save repeatedly boiling a kettle, buy a 1.5/1.7litre stainless steel flask, fill your kettle to the max, then use the flask for your hot drinks all day…
A very good tip about filling a flask, primus. I have my own, which keeps hot water quite well during the day, and which I always took when doing car boots. Good for coffee, not so for tea later on, but I will bring downstairs to use. Another flask I have is a much bigger one, where the top is pressed to release the water. This was given to me one Christmas by my friends. Might use that too.
As I mentioned in good morning thread and chit chat, I have not driven my car now for 12 days, in a bid to save petrol. Also it means I can’t buy and carry a load of (un-necessary) shopping. I take my sholley on the bus either to Tesco or into town, so I can get bread and milk, or when visiting the library (and I don’t have to check up on parking time, or spend on that either. That adds £1.50 for 2 hrs parking.)
And by taking the sholley I can only balance a basket on the top and when that’s full, then that’s enough shopping.
I have a full freezer, and in the week I bought a 2 kg bag of spuds in m&s for 73p. I haven’t been to any of the other shops where I spend a lot of money on unwanted rubbish, like The Range, b&m, home bargains. Stocked up on more dog biscuits in a local pet shop the other day. I just need to check on her wet food, see if I need to buy more. Though there is plenty upstairs, I do alternate the flavours, so might need to get some. Because of the packs there is always more chicken and beef than anything else.
If you buy all of your needs in the high street supermarkets, than I will agree with you. I still pop in for a loaf and milk etc, but for some time my family has been buying in bulk from the large cash-n-carry on the city’s outskirts and then dividing up as per the list. My youngest daughter takes her sister (next door to her) in one of her husband’s large sprinter vans to the c&c for later dividing up back at the yard. The only problem time was when everyone had to fill every cupboard space up with loos rolls which had a knock on effect for the suppliers.
So with the above in mind, what about forming a buying group to save a considerable amount of money?
Oddly enough @Longdriver I already do this with my sister & BIL three of my nieces and their partners and my nephew who is in supported living with Autism and we bulk buy and split it; last year my neighbour one door down joined us as he lives alone mentioned this to the afore mentioned neighbour who has just brought the heated throw and she said what a good idea she has two daughters so they may take that on board
However I would not consider myself on the breadline in fact far from it but the prices are def going up.
We have 2 stainless steel vacuum flasks but they don’t keep the water warm very long. We don’t fill the kettle up too far, just what we need at the time.
Yes, that is sensible. But the kettle takes maybe about 2 minutes - a tiny fraction of a kWh. There are bigger issues. Keep the heating to the lowest setting you can tolerate and avoid it at night. Taking a shower rather than a bath saves energy. Use the lowest setting for your washing machine. Don’t use a tumble dryer - a drying rack needs no power or, even better, use a clothes line. Check that your windows are draft free. Walk to the shops rather than drive.
I’m sure there other things I have missed…
Swimmy, l couldn’t find an electric blanket/throw to buy anywhere locally.
Then l read my energy supplier Octopus have 5,000 electric blankets to give away to customers.
l applied for one as l have been freezing cold as l am cutting back on my energy consumption as it’s going to be very expensive.
I received an email to say, they will send me one within 10 days.
I have to say, l am so pleased l was put with Octopus when my previous supplier went bust. Octopus seem to really care about their customers and are always nice when l contact them.
Hi
Well done you Art.
I got my throw from Amazon.
You tube is full of easy cheap meals, Jack Monroe is very good, as is Gok Wan.
My electricity usage has really gone done after following all the tips especially about turning things off and not leaving them on standby.
The fishtank remains though, it is not very cheap to run, but it is an awful lot cheaper to run than the Marine Tank.
I only wash up once a day, not after every meal etc.
All in all, life may be different in many small ways, but very easy to adapt to.
So very much of this is 100% down to the gross misgovernment by the present god-awful government. Johnson only had one job to do and that was deliver BREXIT. He has totally failed. Dealing with covid - another failure. Now “Princess nut-nut” grossly failing to deliver a sensible reduction in green house emissions and resulting in huge added taxes to energy costs with that prat Rishi Sunak trying to manage the UK rather than being a responsible member of the government. We want a government for our country, not a bloody management team with the people just being a resource to be exploited. Never in a month of Sundays would I have ever voted against Conservatives but this lot abandoned Conservatism starting with Campbell and it’s just got worse. Now? Anyone BUT conservative - and that hurts me. I feel totally disenfranchised. Time for a general strike if not a very early general election. Johnson-the-liar HAS to go and most of the Conservative MP’s and 1922 Committee with them.
