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

[enjay]

I've not recorded a program since VHS was a thing, just get stuff from the internet now

 

Similar. We recorded onto DVD-RW (!) and then Sky+ to store seasons up so we could binge them, now we just stream everything. We've cancelled Sky and bought a Roku stick with NowTV every month, and NetFlix and Disney+ subscriptions on rotation (using Tesco Clubcard rewards for the Diney+), plus GCN+ for cycling stuff.

[MartinT]

My TV is not that new, about 8 years old. can only record the channel it is watching as far as i can tell.

 

Buy a Roku for it, watch everything on the internet?

 

I haven't recorded anything in years.

[nicholab]

I feeling very cross that I did not go with a 5 year fix 2 years ago. I properly would be able to weather out the storm. Looks like I will have to reduce my savings.

[BOOT]

Never had a fixed rate, never had savings either. I'll be eating worms when this rate goes up.

[BOOT]

Rate hiked. 5% now. Taking my mortgage to.... 18.5%

[sigma]

Rate hiked. 5% now. Taking my mortgage to.... 18.5%

 

*Jawdrop*

[Norphy]

Rate hiked. 5% now. Taking my mortgage to.... 18.5%

 

Holy hell. Is there not an ombudsman or something that you can contact to look at this? That's beyond the pale.

[Dos_Box]

Rate hiked. 5% now. Taking my mortgage to.... 18.5%

 

You really do have my sympathy

[bigstan48]

I've reduced my internet connection speed and landline package with Virgin media.

(I would like to get rid of the landline but the other half would like to keep it!)

[Kitkatninja]

Haven't cut back at the moment, however I have increased my workload on my second job...

[enjay]

What I think we're spending doesn't match with what we're actually spending, so I think it's time for another deep-dive of our receipts, maybe I've just under-estimated how much our food shop has gone up.

[LeMarchand]

What I think we're spending doesn't match with what we're actually spending, so I think it's time for another deep-dive of our receipts, maybe I've just under-estimated how much our food shop has gone up.

 

I've noticed lots of stuff going up by 25% in one jump.

[MartinT]

I've reduced my internet connection speed and landline package with Virgin media.

(I would like to get rid of the landline but the other half would like to keep it!)

 

I went with Three broadband, increasing our speed, and removing the landline phone too.

Costs went down.

[enjay]

I went with Three broadband, increasing our speed, and removing the landline phone too.

Costs went down.

 

We've currently got "old school" copper broadband and a landline phone we don't use. It would be cheaper to get fibre, but we're trying to move house so can't commit to a 12-month contract.

[StevieM]

We've currently got "old school" copper broadband and a landline phone we don't use. It would be cheaper to get fibre, but we're trying to move house so can't commit to a 12-month contract.

Plusnet offered had really good deal to renew my copper broadband, last year, but when I applied it wasn't available. When I called customer services, they told me that they couldn't set up a new contract for copper as fibre was now available in my area. It was only a couple of £ more for the cheapest fibre option, but I begrudge paying it as I hardly use it.

[mikes]

Yeah I think they are decommissioning fibre links now. We changed our broadband and they would only sell us fibre to the prem packages, so we had the new fibre box installed in our house. Not that I'm bothered it is a better link after all. I read the copper links are being decommissioned or abandoned in 2024. As for me I've cut down on sweets and junk food, probably a good thing for the lil belly I've got developing anyway

[enjay]

I read the copper links are being decommissioned or abandoned in 2024

 

It's the end of 2025, I believe. I really hope we've moved by then anyway!

[enjay]

As for me I've cut down on sweets and junk food, probably a good thing for the lil belly I've got developing anyway

 

We've cut back on our takeaways, and when we do still get them we're favouring the cheaper ones - the local chippie costs about £12 for the two of us, but £15 at the Chinese will get you portions so big they cover dinner the following night too! We sometimes do hybrid fish and chips, where we get nice oven fish from the supermarket then chip shop chips - much cheaper, and still feels like a treat.

[Andrew_C]

A single large chips from our chippie would feed a family of four, possibly for two meals. And they freeze - warmed later in the oven or air frier.

[elsiegee40]

It's the end of 2025, I believe. I really hope we've moved by then anyway!

 

Moving to fibre requires excavation of next door’s front lawn. We have a corner plot with a shared drive and no front garden. I am loathe to pay more when are happy with the speed we have and really don’t want to upset the neighbours

[enjay]

Moving to fibre requires excavation of next door’s front lawn. We have a corner plot with a shared drive and no front garden. I am loathe to pay more when are happy with the speed we have and really don’t want to upset the neighbours

 

Do your neighbours have fibre yet? My parents are in a similar situation; when their neighbours' garden was dug up for fibre, they had an extra conduit and pull cord laid, meaning when my parents do switch over to fibre, there's no more digging involved.

[StevieM]

Moving to fibre requires excavation of next door’s front lawn. We have a corner plot with a shared drive and no front garden. I am loathe to pay more when are happy with the speed we have and really don’t want to upset the neighbours

Perhaps your area hasn't been upgraded yet. Once it has, you should be able to get fibre from the telegraph pole in the same way that your copper does currently.

 

(That was another reason I was loathe to have it installed. My house had just been retro-fitted with external insulation and rendered and it looked amazing. Now it has two small dents where the ladder was pressed against it, a dirty smear further down and a thick black fibre cable running down it.)

[Rob_D]

Perhaps your area hasn't been upgraded yet. Once it has, you should be able to get fibre from the telegraph pole in the same way that your copper does currently.

(That was another reason I was loathe to have it installed. My house had just been retro-fitted with external insulation and rendered and it looked amazing. Now it has two small dents where the ladder was pressed against it, a dirty smear further down and a thick black fibre cable running down it.)

No telegraph poles around here. For us, they could blow the fiber down the same conduit as the old copper line. But I've had a couple of friends upgrade and their conduit had been built over or somehow disturbed so the new fiber couldn't be run through.

[elsiegee40]

Do your neighbours have fibre yet? My parents are in a similar situation; when their neighbours' garden was dug up for fibre, they had an extra conduit and pull cord laid, meaning when my parents do switch over to fibre, there's no more digging involved.

 

Perhaps your area hasn't been upgraded yet. Once it has, you should be able to get fibre from the telegraph pole in the same way that your copper does currently.

 

(That was another reason I was loathe to have it installed. My house had just been retro-fitted with external insulation and rendered and it looked amazing. Now it has two small dents where the ladder was pressed against it, a dirty smear further down and a thick black fibre cable running down it.)

 

They brought fibre down our road last summer. We have no telegraph poles. Our elderly neighbours have no interest in fibre.

[Wubbalubbadub]

We've currently got "old school" copper broadband and a landline phone we don't use. It would be cheaper to get fibre, but we're trying to move house so can't commit to a 12-month contract.

 

If you move house, your supplier will just setup the equivalent service at your new house.

 

If they can’t supply the equivalent service then they have to let you leave your contract free of penalty.

 

I used to pretend I was moving house back in the day to get out of contracts early. Sadly they have caught into this and you have to prove you’ve actually moved! [emoji23]