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

[nicholab]

Not had to as most of the expenses come out of my account (on more than Mme LeMarchand) and neither of us are big spenders.

 

Is the spend from a joint account or their "own" money? If the latter, is it worth broaching? If the former, is that/week and for how many?

 

Everything from a joint account and CC with me as the primary account holder but i arranged the pot for DD bills (Monzo) so I spend the most.

 

I am thinking or rearrange the system when we get some money so she gets a pot and that is hers/house keeping.

Edited September 29, 2022 by nicholab

[LeMarchand]

Everything from a joint account and CC with me as the primary account holder but i arranged the pot for DD bills (Monzo) so I spend the most.

 

If that's £200/week for two, I'd say HOW MUCH??? That said, I do the odd bit for someone who is having to claim after he made some bad financial decisions and doesn't see why he is being questioned over his food spending, which is around that level/person.

[HarryMonkey]

Save on buying bin bags by using the charity bags people are always putting through your door

 

Haven't had one of those through the door for years.

[LeMarchand]

Haven't had one of those through the door for years.

 

We get one or two a month, normally from charities you've never heard of and quite possibly aren't legit. The few times in the past that we've bothered to put them out they've not been collected.

[LeMarchand]

Thermostat is set to 18°. Heating came on this morning.

 

[enjay]

Thermostat is set to 18°. Heating came on this morning.

 

Our heating has has been on for a few days. The living room was 15C when I got up on Tuesday.

[Dos_Box]

Our heating has has been on for a few days. The living room was 15C when I got up on Tuesday.

 

I know

I've had to break out the jumpers and fleecy tops for indoor daytime use.

I'm a bit of a weather spotter and from what I can see so far, the winter forcast is leaning towards a cold and dry winter, which will mean lots of ice and possibly snow. It also means light winds, so expect wind power not to be working at its best.

I do hope for some now though and as my house is west facing and we get our wind from there (off the Irish Sea) I can expect the house to stay a little warmer due to the heat not being wicked out by 50mph winds.

 

Oh, and I also use the charity bags for putting rubbish in, mainly when doing tidying and emptying things like room bins etc.

[mikeprice]

Save on buying bin bags by using the charity bags people are always putting through your door

 

They are great for some things - better than bin bags because they are stronger than the basic bin bags

 

 

But the do have ventilation holes in them so they are no use as bin liners or anything else where leakage can be a problem

 

been there - done that

[enjay]

But the do have ventilation holes in them so they are no use as bin liners or anything else where leakage can be a problem

 

Empty the kitchen bin, still in its bag, into them then go round the house emptying room bins into it, as they're not generally very messy. They're quite big, so good for when clearing out kids' bedrooms!

[MartinT]

Also we got heating oil and the tanks been filled so that a massive expense in one go. I would rather fill it as needed but the cost is like to go up.

 

Much as I don't like the huge heating oil fill-up (the last bill was £2300), you get the best rates by filling from near-empty as the suppliers don't like doing top-ups.

[nicholab]

Much as I don't like the huge heating oil fill-up (the last bill was £2300), you get the best rates by filling from near-empty as the suppliers don't like doing top-ups.

 

I find this hard as a was used to DD. Also we don’t get the support gas users get also in NI we only get rubbish energy company for electricity octopus is not here.

Edited September 30, 2022 by nicholab

[southhamster]

Had to run the heating this morning for the first time this year as it was quite unpleasant - lounge was 13 degrees. I found setting the boiler c/h temp to 45 has saved a fair amount of oil and unless it's wet, windy and below about 5 degs the house is warm enough. Luckily Mrs. SH and I both don't like it too hot, but I admit to a hot water bottle on a cold evening!

[LeMarchand]

There are air fryers etc in the Prime Early Access Sale, e.g.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08XC4JH7Y

 

Obviously, use 3Camels or similar to check how good a "bargain" you're getting.

[nicholab]

We just had our oil boiler serviced and on the next heat of the hot water it taken half the time. So it worth getting a service done ours cost £65.

[LeMarchand]

Bought one of those plugs that give you a good idea about how much electricity each device is using. So far I've been pleasantly surprised by most of the devices I've tested, apart from the PS4 (Pro). I'll be sticking to the Virgin V6 for Netflix and Prime!

[XiJ]

I got a Shelley EM for Christmas. Fitted it in the fuse box to monitor total use. Now I cry every time we cook in the oven and/or the fryer. Even boiling the kettle and hoovering (rarely happens) is frightening!

 

But it does allow me to monitor when we use things and think about how we can reduce even further. I’ll be getting some smart plugs to integrate into home assist ant schedule to power off at night etc.

[mikeprice]

I got a Shelley EM for Christmas. Fitted it in the fuse box to monitor total use. Now I cry every time we cook in the oven and/or the fryer. Even boiling the kettle and hoovering (rarely happens) is frightening!

 

But it does allow me to monitor when we use things and think about how we can reduce even further. I’ll be getting some smart plugs to integrate into home assist ant schedule to power off at night etc.

 

I have Hugo so I can see what the smart meter is sending to the energy company

 

I find I can spot where the kettle has been on in the mornings - which is scary!

[MatthewL]

My Amazon Prime is due to renew this week, £95 this time rather than the £79 I've paid since 2018 as 2017 was a free year. Last increase was from £49 in 2014 it would seem.

 

Is it worth it, I don't watch the TV, I initially got the trial to watch the new Top Gear back in the day then its renewed since and I've enjoyed the delivery side of things but more often than not I'm ordering enough for free delivery, I've made 28 orders in last 12 months so thats been £2.82 a delivery going up to £3.39.

 

Do I need prime, probably not, has anyone else cancelled this one?

[LeMarchand]

My Amazon Prime is due to renew this week, £95 this time rather than the £79 I've paid since 2018 as 2017 was a free year. Last increase was from £49 in 2014 it would seem.

 

Is it worth it, I don't watch the TV, I initially got the trial to watch the new Top Gear back in the day then its renewed since and I've enjoyed the delivery side of things but more often than not I'm ordering enough for free delivery, I've made 28 orders in last 12 months so thats been £2.82 a delivery going up to £3.39.

 

Do I need prime, probably not, has anyone else cancelled this one?

 

If you're not ordering much or watching much I'd cancel. I used to have a "top up" wishlist of stuff that I'd like but wasn't desperate for that I'd use when I wanted to push an order over £20. IIRC you could "save up" shows you want to see and then pay for a month and binge. Just remember to cancel.

[Roberto]

My Amazon Prime is due to renew this week, £95 this time rather than the £79 I've paid since 2018 as 2017 was a free year. Last increase was from £49 in 2014 it would seem.

 

Is it worth it, I don't watch the TV, I initially got the trial to watch the new Top Gear back in the day then its renewed since and I've enjoyed the delivery side of things but more often than not I'm ordering enough for free delivery, I've made 28 orders in last 12 months so thats been £2.82 a delivery going up to £3.39.

 

Do I need prime, probably not, has anyone else cancelled this one?

 

We love it, use it heavily, and wouldn't want to be without it. That said, if the numbers aren't working for you then you absolutely should not keep paying for it. I think that's the key thing here - I've never minded spending money but I like to think that the money is spent well. If that stopped being the case for Prime then I'd absolutely cancel it.

[mavhc]

I got a Shelley EM for Christmas. Fitted it in the fuse box to monitor total use. Now I cry every time we cook in the oven and/or the fryer. Even boiling the kettle and hoovering (rarely happens) is frightening!

 

But it does allow me to monitor when we use things and think about how we can reduce even further. I’ll be getting some smart plugs to integrate into home assist ant schedule to power off at night etc.

 

Concentrate on total use per device though, something that's taking 30 watts 24x7 is worse than 2000 watts for 20 mins a day.

[XiJ]

Concentrate on total use per device though, something that's taking 30 watts 24x7 is worse than 2000 watts for 20 mins a day.

 

Looking at you Sky box [emoji35]

[hardtailstar]

My Amazon Prime is due to renew this week, £95 this time rather than the £79 I've paid since 2018 as 2017 was a free year. Last increase was from £49 in 2014 it would seem.

 

Is it worth it, I don't watch the TV, I initially got the trial to watch the new Top Gear back in the day then its renewed since and I've enjoyed the delivery side of things but more often than not I'm ordering enough for free delivery, I've made 28 orders in last 12 months so thats been £2.82 a delivery going up to £3.39.

 

Do I need prime, probably not, has anyone else cancelled this one?

I cancelled my prime last year. I find that if you do enough searching of Amazon and not clicking on the first product then you can often get orders under £20 with free delivery. Or I bulk order stuff like personal hygiene stuff to take me over £20 for free delivery.

 

Usually it comes within three days.

 

For the TV I usually get the free trials and binge watch. I then make sure I cancel it straight after I've watched what I wanted.

[enjay]

If you're not ordering much or watching much I'd cancel.

 

Prime Music is good, especially if you want to try out artists or genres. I've been getting into country music recently (please don't judge!), so have found it a good way to see who I like and don't like.

[nicholab]

I find prime films a complete rip off as most add a cost on. My credit card is offering 5 months of free apple service which I might do.