Finance thread 2022.

[Stive Pesley]

Bought some stuff in Wickes last week and the woman on the till said that everything was going up by 10-20 percent after the bank holiday

The biggest problem comes when employers don't increase wages to counter inflation. 

I predict crime will increase as more people get forced into desperate actions

 

[Ram-Alf]

I live on my own so here goes, My big shopping is done at Aldi was £30/£40 per fortnight, Now £40/£50 per fortnight all food stuffs have risen imo, I have an Asda close by where I top up with milk, Fresh fruit/veg and sundries that can be another £10 per fortnight, My fuel is the same as most...but...I'm now retired so the car gets very little use now, Tops 20miles a week. 

Utilities I have now signed up for another British Gas fixed price until July 2023 at £112.05 a month...when It was £34 per month before, If there's another hike in gas/elec in October I'm OK.

What I've started to do now is look at the food that's being priced cheap as they're near sell by date, Buy these and freeze them, Never done that before, Having a Smart meter fitted in July so I can keep an eye on usage.

Not had a holiday away for 3 years, Decided if I'm going away it'll be a few days away somewhere?‍♀️

 

[cstand]

15 hours ago, ariotofmyown said:

Just get a better paid job and/or work harder.

Gave this advice to my daughter three years ago only problem was she wasted all the extra money on her work shy boyfriend.
Only about 10k down the drain that’s all before she realised her mistake.

 

Edited June 4, 2022 by cstand

[cstand]

I always use Martin Lewis https://www.moneysavingexpert.com also get great advice.

[Ewe Ram]

I shop smarter. There’s very few things I see as essential, like milk, tea etc and the rest I’ll buy what’s on offer. Someone I know has been buying and storing tins etc to try and beat some price hikes. Went to the cinema and didn’t have snacks, they’re not essential. Going to wear my summer stuff from previous years too rather than buy new. Non of this is particularly bothering me, I’ll just do it. Getting upset about the rising cost of living isn’t going to change it. 

[Bob The Badger]

Tickets to live comedy events have gone up considerably. I still get emails for events in the US and they seem to be about 50% higher than pre-pandemic and I've been surprised over here ho much events have been.

The logs for our wood burner have doubled in the last 6 months.

All our local takeaways have issued new menus with prices seemingly having gone up almost 20% across the board.

I heard an interview with some bigwig for an association of chip shop owners on the radio this week say that they expect about 20% of chippies (there's currently 10,500 in the UK) go under in the next 12-months.

I've no clue if he was just trying to gain sympathy, but they probably deserve it as are having a torrid time with the price of fish and oil going through the roof at the moment. As he said, fish and chips have traditionally been seen as a cheaper option and that's no longer the case so their customer base is eroding.

I suspect we're only just getting rolling on this and the people saying it's not so bad compared to the 80s won't be thinking that for too much longer.

 

[Gritstone Ram]

2 hours ago, Bob The Badger said:

Tickets to live comedy events have gone up considerably. I still get emails for events in the US and they seem to be about 50% higher than pre-pandemic and I've been surprised over here ho much events have been.

The logs for our wood burner have doubled in the last 6 months.

All our local takeaways have issued new menus with prices seemingly having gone up almost 20% across the board.

I heard an interview with some bigwig for an association of chip shop owners on the radio this week say that they expect about 20% of chippies (there's currently 10,500 in the UK) go under in the next 12-months.

I've no clue if he was just trying to gain sympathy, but they probably deserve it as are having a torrid time with the price of fish and oil going through the roof at the moment. As he said, fish and chips have traditionally been seen as a cheaper option and that's no longer the case so their customer base is eroding.

I suspect we're only just getting rolling on this and the people saying it's not so bad compared to the 80s won't be thinking that for too much longer.

 

The Chinese I go to for a takeaway have stopped giving the 15% discount for takeouts. I suppose the thinking is you may as well eat in and have a few drinks too and keep the place busy.

[ariotofmyown]

7 hours ago, Bob The Badger said:

Tickets to live comedy events have gone up considerably. I still get emails for events in the US and they seem to be about 50% higher than pre-pandemic and I've been surprised over here ho much events have been.

Stewart Lee tickets still seem reasonable, but he doesn't use ATG venues. Unlucky The Man.

[cstand]

On 03/06/2022 at 23:52, Gritstone Ram said:

Without making it political does anyone want to point out any major price rises or reductions to help us. 
My main one is Petrol Diesel up from around £1.40 to £1.80 which is around 30% increase. I haven’t worked out the gas and electricity because it makes me feel sick.

One bit of good news is I’ve managed to get an extra 6 miles / gallon which has softened the blow. I wonder if that cheap Russian diesel wasn’t that economical.

Try this site https://www.hypermiler.co.uk/hypermiling/hypermiling-techniques

Also combine as many tasks as possible when you go out in the car if you have time.
One day this week I will be going to the Lamp shed in Derby so will take items to the tip first, drive to the Lamp shed then do clothes shopping in Derby, then a visit to Currys, food shopping at supermarket then fill up with petrol last before returning home. 
 

As for days out use the Derbyshire wayfarer  for public transport £6.70 if you are over 60 all day travel any bus any train. I buy them from my local library or get people to buy them for me as gifts.  It’s a scratch card just make sure you scratch of the right date.

if travelling by train out of Derbyshire see if you qualify for a rail card. 
 

If you shop At Tesco use the reward points then redeem points x3 their value using vouchers for travel or hotels.

https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/transport-roads/public-transport/fares-tickets-passes/rover-tickets/derbyshire-wayfarer/the-derbyshire-wayfarer-day-rover-ticket.aspx

https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/reward-partners

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/National-Railcards.aspx

Edited June 5, 2022 by cstand

[cstand]

Just seen this. Instead of food going to waste you arrange collect at a reduced price. Worth a look
https://toogoodtogo.co.uk/en-gb/

[cstand]

Another good couple of websites

https://www.hotukdeals.com

https://www.waystosave.co.uk

Edited June 5, 2022 by cstand

[Bob The Badger]

8 hours ago, ariotofmyown said:

Stewart Lee tickets still seem reasonable, but he doesn't use ATG venues. Unlucky The Man.

Going to see him next Saturday at the Hall for Cornwall in Truro and he's doing back-to-back sets.

And yes, they were the cheapest I've bought.

Bloody commie.

[Bob The Badger]

14 minutes ago, cstand said:

Just seen this. Instead of food going to waste you arrange collect at a reduced price. Worth a look
https://toogoodtogo.co.uk/en-gb/

What a brilliant idea!

[Steve How Hard?]

What are peoples thoughts on smart meters? Constantly being harassed by my energy supplier to have one installed. What are the good and bad points of them?

Heard some stories of them creating more problems than solving them. Genuinely interested in what the good folk on here think of them. 

[Fullspizz]

29 minutes ago, cstand said:

Just seen this. Instead of food going to waste you arrange collect at a reduced price. Worth a look
https://toogoodtogo.co.uk/en-gb/

I briefly worked with the woman that set that business up. She is called Lucy Basch, is French and over the past 3 years the business has skyrocketed.

 

[cstand]

22 minutes ago, Fullspizz said:

I briefly worked with the woman that set that business up. She is called Lucy Basch, is French and over the past 3 years the business has skyrocketed.

 

 We always take a plastic container out with us if we go out for a meal, what we don’t eat we take home, what we don’t eat at home if suitable is given to my brothers chickens or my sons pet dog.

[Ram-Alf]

52 minutes ago, Steve How Hard? said:

What are peoples thoughts on smart meters? Constantly being harassed by my energy supplier to have one installed. What are the good and bad points of them?

Heard some stories of them creating more problems than solving them. Genuinely interested in what the good folk on here think of them. 

I was against them as like you say there were some horror stories, My Daughter had one installed and she says all is well, So I've booked to have one installed by British Gas in July.

What are the pos/neg, Positive no more reading and sending meter readings, Keep an eye on ho much we spend, Negatives...I'll tell you after it's been installed.

PS...I'm on an economy 7 meter with 2 readings for my electric...i've been told this could be an issue with installation ?‍♀️ 

 

[Tamworthram]

1 hour ago, Steve How Hard? said:

What are peoples thoughts on smart meters? Constantly being harassed by my energy supplier to have one installed. What are the good and bad points of them?

Heard some stories of them creating more problems than solving them. Genuinely interested in what the good folk on here think of them. 

Good question and will be good to hear what folk think although, you’ll always get a few horror/good stories that are not necessarily representative of the masses experience. I’m also getting constant reminders from my supplier but have, perhaps irrationally, resisted.

[Ram-Alf]

1 hour ago, Steve How Hard? said:

What are peoples thoughts on smart meters? Constantly being harassed by my energy supplier to have one installed. What are the good and bad points of them?

Heard some stories of them creating more problems than solving them. Genuinely interested in what the good folk on here think of them. 

Read this Steve...BG do not support economy 7 on Smart meters...I've now cancelled my installation ?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6251626/smart-meters-and-economy-7

[RoyMac5]

29 minutes ago, Tamworthram said:

Good question and will be good to hear what folk think although, you’ll always get a few horror/good stories that are not necessarily representative of the masses experience. I’m also getting constant reminders from my supplier but have, perhaps irrationally, resisted.

Why irrational? I've got one of the early 'usage displays' that BG gave out. It shows how much electric I'm using by sending a signal from the meter to the device to display. The supplier sends an email telling me to send a reading, the dial is numbers so easy to read.

Why do I need a smart meter? Of course we are all bearing the cost of the swap in our bills.