Cost of living crisis 2022 - what have you cut back on?

[elsiegee40]

Political comment has been removed from this thread. Others of you are sailing very close to the wind. Please respect EduGeek’s rules

 

[paulkerton]

Who knew how many of our goods came from the Ukraine? Judging by the price in Cushelle 32 packs (49%) and Kodak Alkaline batteries (75%) it's not just wheat they supply us with.Neither says made there, though...

 

The major metals that come out of Ukraine are Manganese, Zinc, Lead and Lithium.

 

So that's most of your battery technologies affected in one foul swoop.

[Sonic007]

Started to fill up the car at Costco now as petrol is cheaper there.

[DalekSec]

Started to fill up the car at Costco now as petrol is cheaper there.

 

Didnt even know we had Costco in the UK let alone that they sell fuel!

 

All fuel prices are pretty much the same around here now. 192.9 for Petrol 199.9 for diesel..

 

I started using tesco for petrol after.... 6? years or not using supermarket petrol stations but now they always tend to be cheaper by 1-3p depending on the weather.

 

Had a few months of being in the red, for first time in my life (own fault for buying an engagement ring!) sold a bunch of old bits on ebay and now back in the black comftablly thank god!

[CHiLL]

The Asda near me has been hovering around the 186.9 mark now for a few weeks and it was still that this morning when I filled up. I should be thankful that I only have a 43L tank, so it doesn't cost a small fortune to fill.

[chazzy2501]

no smart meter, hadn't updated values in a while and decided that now the price is super high, I'd update it!

 

Just me, little cottage..

 

[StevieM]

Going from a monthly DD of £42.50 to using over £300 of electricity per month?! That can't be right, surely?!

 

I'm still on a fixed tariff until the end of December, so I've not been affected by the price increase...yet! If things really have gone up by that much, it'll be extra layers and lots of candles this winter.

[mavhc]

Just change the DD, it's only an estimate so you're paying the same amount every month, if you have savings then just pay for what you use when you use it, and install insulation

[LeMarchand]

Oh no! Even Maccy D's are putting prices up: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62317453

[mikeprice]

Oh no! Even Maccy D's are putting prices up: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62317453

 

It's the end of life as we know it!!!

 

Mrs mikeprice is threatening to change to chicken leg ends

p.s. I pay for it so I don;t know why she is bothered!!!

[2ilent8cho]

Going from a monthly DD of £42.50 to using over £300 of electricity per month?! That can't be right, surely?!

 

I'm still on a fixed tariff until the end of December, so I've not been affected by the price increase...yet! If things really have gone up by that much, it'll be extra layers and lots of candles this winter.

 

Since you are on a fixed tariff I'm guessing you are paying around 16p a kWh? Standard Variable is capped it around 27p kWh now, but is going to go up by around 63% in October so between 45p and 50p a kWh I'm expecting. So thats around 3x your current price, so I find it strange they have increased your DD to more like 8x your current cost. So unless you don't have gas and electric is used for heating and hot water too I would say the DD has been overly increased.

Edited July 27, 2022 by 2ilent8cho

[FN-GM]

I have an eBay store and noticed the impact on the bottom line. The number of sales are down and what has sold is mostly cheaper items.

[Dos_Box]

I have been thinking about the best way to keep the house warm this winter and I think I may be using candles in the living room to raise the temp by a couple of degrees meaning I can have the heating on a bit lower (thinking 16-17 degrees).

 

And then I read this - https://heatertips.com/how-many-candles-do-you-need-to-heat-a-room/

 

I suppose I could use them to offset the room temp, but as it says in the article, you need a lot of candles to heat a room just from those alone.

My big fear is that, with all the stars aligning in such a bad way this year, we shall have a bad winter. I hope not but as the saying goes 'we are due one'.

[FN-GM]

My mate has an open fire and burns pallets from work. Probably going to be great this winter.

[hardtailstar]

I have been thinking about the best way to keep the house warm this winter and I think I may be using candles in the living room to raise the temp by a couple of degrees meaning I can have the heating on a bit lower (thinking 16-17 degrees).

 

And then I read this - https://heatertips.com/how-many-candles-do-you-need-to-heat-a-room/

 

I suppose I could use them to offset the room temp, but as it says in the article, you need a lot of candles to heat a room just from those alone.

My big fear is that, with all the stars aligning in such a bad way this year, we shall have a bad winter. I hope not but as the saying goes 'we are due one'.

You can get a special foil matting to go behind radiators to direct the heat back out into room.

 

We just used normal foil and that seems to work too.

 

I'm now buying clothes that have no labels etc on them. Just plain t-shirts from Amazon instead of labeled t-shirts.

[Rob_D]

I'm now buying clothes that have no labels etc on them. Just plain t-shirts from Amazon instead of labeled t-shirts.

To be fair, I rather like the amazon basics (or amazon essentials as they're called now) jumpers.

[TechMonkey]

I have been thinking about the best way to keep the house warm this winter and I think I may be using candles in the living room to raise the temp by a couple of degrees meaning I can have the heating on a bit lower (thinking 16-17 degrees).

 

And then I read this - https://heatertips.com/how-many-candles-do-you-need-to-heat-a-room/

 

I suppose I could use them to offset the room temp, but as it says in the article, you need a lot of candles to heat a room just from those alone.

My big fear is that, with all the stars aligning in such a bad way this year, we shall have a bad winter. I hope not but as the saying goes 'we are due one'.

 

I've seen some guides for a terracotta pot candle heater that have supposedly been quite effective. Usual warnings about open flames and caution, but could be something to look into?

A quite good investigation of the claim is here. Seems to be it is great for concentrating the heat, but you would need 56 to generate enough to heat a whole room, plus they are known to go pop if you use too many candles as the temp gets high enough to vaporise the paraffin wax.

[jmak]

Be aware that candles are paraffin wax. For every litre you burn, you'll release about a litre of water, so you'll need to watch out for condensation on the cold walls (presumably if you're using candles to heat the room, the walls won't be roasting hot). It's not normally an issue if you burn a candle, but if you're burning enough to noticeably heat the room, it's a bit different.

 

Also be aware that if you're burning things inside anywhere other than a fireplace with a chimney, all of the products of combustion will stay in the room for you to breathe in. (Even in a fireplace, quite a lot of pollution comes into the room).

 

I know heating is becoming unaffordable, but burning stuff indoors isn't brilliant for your health.

Edited July 29, 2022 by jmak

[nicholab]

I finally got through to sse airtricity and now have a 15% discount applied. The electricity companies are rubbish in NI they are only open normal office hours. Also they apply a DD bi monthly!

 

Has anyone looked at the cost of smart radiator valves? So you can control room individually. So no heat in the bedrooms during the day and heat downstairs. There starting to get worth the cost!

Edited July 30, 2022 by nicholab

[mikeprice]

It all goes to show that the best thing to do to keep a room warm is to insulate it

 

no point in burning more and more candles (virtual or real) if the heat goes out through a window

 

The design concept of through rooms and open spaces also gets a bit less desirable when you have to heat the whole room rather than a small living room with all the humans and pets in it plus the telly

(and a laptop on Edugeek of course)

[paulkerton]

I've just ordered myself an electric overblanket to reduce how much heating I put on, if any. Guess it'll be cheaper when its 20 degrees+ outside than when it's 0 degrees outside!

[Rob_D]

I've just ordered myself an electric overblanket to reduce how much heating I put on, if any. Guess it'll be cheaper when its 20 degrees+ outside than when it's 0 degrees outside!

How much power does that use though? (I guess a lot less than heating the whole room)

I just have a 10tog "winter blanket", it's like sleeping under a giant pillow.

[Andrew_C]

Has anyone looked at the cost of smart radiator valves?

 

I've had the TRVs fitted, and am working up to some 'Smart' heads. Just need to work out what the best strategy is.

 

I've gone for Drayton Wiser as a system, principally because the smart TRVs are better priced. £couple of hundred gets you the starter kit.

Edited August 1, 2022 by Andrew_C

[E_G_R2]

The Mrs has been bulk buying

[LeMarchand]

Have recently got into Groupon. If you have the storage space, they do some surprisingly decently loo roll at £12.99 for 45 rolls.

 

One I noticed myself doing today is that, if part of a meal needs the oven, I'm trying to do the whole lot in there. Many veg can be roasted or braised* in the oven.

 

Other ones I've always done (kitchen based as I've just done lunch):

 

 

• *I you don't have stock, use gravy granules to make a thin gravy, or use Marmite (great way to use those bits stuck to the sides at the end of a jar - swill some boiling water around). Warning, the Marmite option won't need salt!
  
• In summer, if you have a garden, any water you use to wash veg can go on it. If you have a big enough garden, get a composter/pile and add any veg scraps to compost.
  
• In winter, depending on the smoke/smell situation or if you have pets/kids who may do themselves harm, use the heat from your cooking to at least add heat to the next room. Leave the oven door open after cooking, too.
  
• Don't over buy because it's on offer unless you know it will be eaten before it's no good.
  
• Get a 2 or 3 tier steamer and most veg that needs boiling or steaming can be done on one ring.
  
• If you do a weekly shop, glance over your fridge/freezer/cupboards for stuff that needs using up and try to buy accordingly to use those items up.
  
• Compose a rough menu for the week based on your purchases.
  
• Stir-frys and frittatas are great ways to use up leftovers. If you don't have a suitable pan that will go top-to-grill to finish off the latter, you can do the whole thing in a baking dish.
  
• If you are a "brand fan", do try cheaper alternatives. Sometimes there is a marked difference, but often it's slight or non-existent. I really can't see why anyone would by branded pasta unless it's a shape you need (have yet to see "own brand" pappardelle).
  
• If you're cooking potatoes or pasta shapes (in particular) and especially in summer you can cook extra for one meal and use the rest in another. Pasta or potato salads are dead easy to make. Cooked potatoes can be sautéed or used as wedges/roasted or mashed (or bubble and squeaked - most cooked veg will do, not just cabbage).
  
• You know those recipes with that one expensive ingredient that you're unlikely to use again? Try it without or substitute.
  
• Don't be afraid to experiment! sometimes it won't work, but I find most of the time it does. I once fancied trying eggs in hollandaise sauce (which I'd never had, but sounded nice) but it all sounded like a lot of faff and figured mayo had most of the ingredients so I cobbled together something with mayo, lemon juice and a bit of butter and mustard for colour. When I treated myself to Eggs Benedict while on holiday some time later, I found I'd made something that tasted pretty much spot on.