Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => This 'n' That => Topic started by: CLKD on February 03, 2022, 06:36:31 PM
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Apparently are rising. Apparently those with gas or electric heating can get assistance to spread out payment. Nothing at all about us who rely on oil, a wood burner or wood pellets to heat the house >:(
Again, that Starmer chap is slagging off the government of the day as though it's not a World Wide problem !!! conveniently forgetting that heating is bought on the forward market!
Also the cost at the pumps hasn't come down, despite the crude oil price in November dropping rapidly. That never got passed to the consumer! Cynical me - is it due to the government getting a good dollop of tax out of drivers?
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I can’t bear feeling cold so will heat the house whatever. We have oil central heating.
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I'm the same. I did the cold when a student ;D.
Why aren't oil users getting a discount etc.?
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We have gas central heating and a wood burner in the lounge too. I hate feeling cold so Ive always had the house as warm as I like much to OH's dismay ;D Our monthly payment for gas and electric has now been doubled to £260 from 1st March so I'm putting on another jumper instead. I feel so sorry for those of my friends who are on benefits or trying to manage on a state pension. Some retirement if you're in a cold house.
Taz :-\
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Is that Direct Debit Taz? We pay for our oil prior to delivery but electricity is taken monthly. We can hope for a very hot Summer so that we can save towards next Winter! We try to buy oil if we have space when it's cheaper. Logs will be ordered next month ........ I suppose we could wear woollens as synthetics don't trap air to keep us warm.
Knitting anyone ;D
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Looks like it's time for us to get used to living in cooler houses again. When I was young we had thicker clothes for winter. For years I've struggled to find them except in specialist outlets. Most fashion, particularly for women, assumes it's 30 degrees.
M&S do a lovely warm Marino long sleeved vest - only for men though. Can you tell I live in a fridge, otherwise known as a stone farmhouse? :)
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Hello ladies.
The cost of living increases will not effect us or our adult children but what about the less fortunate?
The rise in energy prices has been managed better in other countries so we don't necessarily have to suffer these consequences. The gas providers were not consulted on the Govt's scheme which they can't implement as it's too complicated. To add insult to injury the loan is only for a portion by of the increase and will be repaid by being added to future bills!
I remember the fuel crisis in the 1970s when putting on more jumpers worked fine for us because we were young and fit but my mother worried terribly about how my grandmother would stay warm.
I hope something can be done to help those in need asap.
Take care ladies.
K.
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The benefits of a hot flush!!! OH in a fleecy jacket, me in a Tshirt ;D
When it comes to thermals and stuff I usually buy mens. I find it's better made, probably because it's not targetting fashion, and also longer.
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When I was a wee girl, I would stay at my Nana’s for most of the school hols she did not have much and her house was heated only by 2 paraffin heaters, used to scare me witless when they were on but she would tuck me up in a eiderdown duvet and I would be snug as a bug in a rug. I slept better there then I did at home but the mornings were a bit 🥶. I do sleep better if the bedroom is cold though. It is going to be tough, I worry about my mum who is on a state pension and has to choose between running a car or heating her home.
I keep telling my DD to switch off lights as she has no concept of the cost. Tough times ahead for all especially the less fortunate.
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Fuel increases will affect all of us because food costs will rise.
What I object to the most is that everyone will pay back even if they don't receive a loan - surely that is theft? If a Bank suggested taxing everyone even if they didn't take out a loan :-\
This is all about the goverrnemtn of the day rushing through 'going green'. Cutting off coal powered stations B4 making sure that other sources are reliable, affordable and sustainable. Bit like care in the community: if it's on paper it works >:( and we know what happened to that idea.
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Been thorough cost of living hikes before. I remember my dad installing electric storage heaters, when the prices of fuel were hiked up, when I was a child. He could only afford to heat 2 downstairs rooms. The house was freezing and getting out of bed in the morning was horrible particularly as I had eczema. Ice inside the windows. Mould grew in cupboards in winter. Yikes! I had asthma as well! We have oil central heating now, but I think we will be in a better position financially than in my childhood. I wouldn’t wish my family’s experience on anyone and we weren’t living in poverty.
Mortgage interest rates are going up too. Do you remember interest rates going up to 15%?
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We bought our first place when interest rates were 15%, and had to go through vigourous interviews to be allowed to borrow anything. So different to today!
I was born and brought up in a house with a single coal fire. I think I was about 10 when we got central heating but my parents always favoured cold bedrooms so they didn't even put a radiator in their bedroom :o , so even then we had the ice on the windows.
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We bought our first place when interest rates were 15%, and had to go through vigourous interviews to be allowed to borrow anything. So different to today!
I was born and brought up in a house with a single coal fire. I think I was about 10 when we got central heating but my parents always favoured cold bedrooms so they didn't even put a radiator in their bedroom :o , so even then we had the ice on the windows.
I was brought up in a house with a single coal fire, do you remember when it had gone out overnight :o we didn’t have central heating until we moved house when I was 15. We didnt know any different it was how people lived, when I stayed with my gran we used to make toast by holding the bread on a fork in front of the fire :) or we put a whole potato on the fire to cook :) she used to give me a ceramic hot water bottle wrapped in a blanket to go to bed, all happy memories :)
We bought our first house when interest rates were at the peak in 1989, all my wages went to pay the mortgage :-\ then negative equity hit the housing market.
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We bought our first place when interest rates were 15%, and had to go through vigourous interviews to be allowed to borrow anything. So different to today!
I was born and brought up in a house with a single coal fire. I think I was about 10 when we got central heating but my parents always favoured cold bedrooms so they didn't even put a radiator in their bedroom :o , so even then we had the ice on the windows.
I remember it even higher than that. 26% I believe.
We only had coal fires in the kitchen and lounge. No central heating. My parents did not get central heating until many years after I left home.
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Dad would get up first to light the fire in the lounge. Then we would leap out of bed, scrape the ice from the inside of the windows to see how many layers were required. Hot home made foods.
Wellies standing by the back door for wet weather. Fires in the council house bedrooms were lit if someone was very, very ill :-\. Lots of woollens : hats, gloves, mittens, socks, coats or Macs. Anyone remember those plastic hats that folded into a pocket and Macs similar ..... for emergencies when out and about?
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Dad would get up first to light the fire in the lounge. Then we would leap out of bed, scrape the ice from the inside of the windows to see how many layers were required. Hot home made foods.
Wellies standing by the back door for wet weather. Fires in the council house bedrooms were lit if someone was very, very ill :-\. Lots of woollens : hats, gloves, mittens, socks, coats or Macs. Anyone remember those plastic hats that folded into a pocket and Macs similar ..... for emergencies when out and about?
One of our 3 bedrooms (council house) had a fireplace but, like you, I can only remember Mum lighting a fire when I was ill. That wasn’t very often as Mum always prided herself that we were “as hardy as wild ducks.”
When we came down for breakfast mum would have our coats and hats and mitts warming near the fire. I used to put my clothes under the eiderdown to keep them warm.
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We currently pay £140 per month for gas and electric. The gas is quite cheap, it's the electricity that's so expensive. Just don't know why. Our 2 year fixed deal ends in March and the renewal with eon is quoted at almost £350! I did a comparison and
cheapest was Scottish Power 2 year fixed deal at £260. It's a worry for sure.
Ariadne xx
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Lovely to see you Ariadne >wave<. Hope that you and yours are OK!
I'm not going to be cold for anyone >:( ;)
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We currently pay £140 per month for gas and electric. The gas is quite cheap, it's the electricity that's so expensive. Just don't know why. Our 2 year fixed deal ends in March and the renewal with eon is quoted at almost £350! I did a comparison and
cheapest was Scottish Power 2 year fixed deal at £260. It's a worry for sure.
Ariadne xx
I think the Money saving Expert (forgot his name), is suggesting to go with the variable rate, instead of the fixed deals.
*Remembered. Martin Lewis.🙄
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We currently pay £140 per month for gas and electric. The gas is quite cheap, it's the electricity that's so expensive. Just don't know why. Our 2 year fixed deal ends in March and the renewal with eon is quoted at almost £350! I did a comparison and
cheapest was Scottish Power 2 year fixed deal at £260. It's a worry for sure.
Ariadne xx
I think the Money saving Expert (forgot his name), is suggesting to go with the variable rate, instead of the fixed deals.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/02/energy-bills-set-to-rocket-for-millions-as-ofgem-confirms-new-pr/
*Remembered. Martin Lewis.🙄
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Ah, thanks Tax. I remembered right.
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Fixed can tie someone in for years ::). Variable costs, like stocks and shares, may well alter weekly.
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We're about to order our fertiliser, it's nearly 3x the price it was last year. There will be many farmers who drastically reduce the amount they use and therefore grow less food so the price for that will go up too. Most arable farms have no muck and rely solely on artificial fertiliser. We reckon we almost double our acreage by fertilising and it gets muck too.
They reckon nitrogen fertiliser feeds have the people on the planet. We can only feed 60% of our population with it so presumably 30% without. What are the rest going to live on?
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MayB the crap that the government wants to import from the US? Chlorinated chicken anyone? MayB more expensive food will = less thrown away ? All eaten at one sitting so not 'extras' going into the bin :-\
Years ago animal/poultry feed was basically fish meal >:( which had a characteristic odour. I remember MinL cooking a turkey that stunk of fish .......... >:(
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And who knew they were feeding their cows on infected human brains from the granges? Hence BSE. The bag just says x% protein.
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Who thought *that* was a good idea >:(. And don't get me started on prophylactic AB use.
What happened to cows grazing outside, being brought inside twice a day for milking then walked to the next field overnight until morning milking? That was walking 2 miles by our house from the farm to the fields great entertainment for us little'uns ............. keeping away from the splashes of course ;D
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The supermarkets have driven down the price of milk so much so the only way to make a living is to have so many cows there isn't enough land for them within walking distance of the farm. You'd be surprised how many places there are where only youngstock and sometimes dry cows go out.
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People demand cheap food. Instead of eating better quality food and buying less.
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Lovely to see you Ariadne >wave<. Hope that you and yours are OK!
I'm not going to be cold for anyone >:( ;)
Hi CLKD, yes were fine thanks. Hope the same for you 🤞😊
Ariadne xx
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We currently pay £140 per month for gas and electric. The gas is quite cheap, it's the electricity that's so expensive. Just don't know why. Our 2 year fixed deal ends in March and the renewal with eon is quoted at almost £350! I did a comparison and
cheapest was Scottish Power 2 year fixed deal at £260. It's a worry for sure.
Ariadne xx
I think the Money saving Expert (forgot his name), is suggesting to go with the variable rate, instead of the fixed deals.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/02/energy-bills-set-to-rocket-for-millions-as-ofgem-confirms-new-pr/
*Remembered. Martin Lewis.🙄
Oh really Taz? But does that mean that 2 months after you've opted for it, the supplier can hike it up as much as they like?
Ariadne xx
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I think it's because fixed rates are above the government cap. Just about all variable rates are now at the cap so they can't increase them except when the cap goes up.
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Why is EO paying for .. "He said he was "very surprised and very touched" when utility company E.On told him they would pay his bill". ??
His display is to raise money for charity. However: surely all these lights take from the grid what the rest of us could be using :-\ ? An potential added strain to the over all electricity supply? Surely energy companies should be advising consumers to use lights sparingly? I will put my 2 strands in the tree on from 20th -26th and again New Year's Eve. Where as they usually go on around the 18th until the 5th Jan..
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We went into the city yesterday. Couldn't believe how hot it was in some of the shops still.
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The shops are just as busy as they were last year and the coffee shops are packed
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Which has to be good. What annoys me (also) is the sliding doors where heat pumps out of stores as well as those companies that leave lights on all night >:(
DH thinks that EO are paying for that lights display as part of their company charitable donations commitment - I still don't that it's right!
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Why is EO paying for .. "He said he was "very surprised and very touched" when utility company E.On told him they would pay his bill". ??
His display is to raise money for charity. However: surely all these lights take from the grid what the rest of us could be using :-\ ? An potential added strain to the over all electricity supply? Surely energy companies should be advising consumers to use lights sparingly? I will put my 2 strands in the tree on from 20th -26th and again New Year's Eve. Where as they usually go on around the 18th until the 5th Jan..
As long as you use LED Christmas lights they will cost very little to run
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He doesn't appear that his are LEDs though :-\ .
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Our oil delivery this week is £300 less than that in December 8)
Logs will arrive next week, probably on the same day as the snow does ;D
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Well that’s good news CLKD👍…
My wee mum insists on paying her gas quarterly - we can’t get her talked round to paying direct debit. She likes to “see a bill” but the winter/last one was £700😲. She got such a shock, bless her. I had to remind her that the winter fuel payment (paid at the end of last year) pretty much paid for the big bill ;)
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Oil users don't get a cap on prices as do electric and gas properties.
It's a bit of a shock - monies go out without us seeing without having a paper bill! I can't understand why people in care get the Winter Fuel
Allowance :-\
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Do they CLKD? I didn’t know that 🤔
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I don't see why. 'they' know that Mum is in care and still her monies go into her Bank around November. ::)
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It's probably cheaper to dish it out to everybody than work out who shouldn't get it. Millionairs get is so I don't see why those paying for their own care shouldn't. Perhaps not those who are council funded or at her majesty's pleasure though as we're already paying thir fuel bill.
You need a word with you oil supplier CLKD. Ours always gives us the price per litre when we order it then leaves a delivery note with how much they put in the tank. There may not a price cap but you can order it in summer or when it's cheaper and there's no standing charge.
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Oil deliveries are not government capped as are electricity and gas! We get the amount per unit when we order as well as a delivery note. At least the oil company was honest and passed on the 'drop'.
We were never rationed when we asked for a delivery. DH dips the tank to make sure that we can get a full load into the tank. Years ago we were in a syndicate but that didn't work either ::) because not everyone used as much winter/summer so it wasn't green to deliver a small amount.
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Rationed? Ours has never been rationed. Our 1200l tank normally lasts a year.
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I hadn't heard of this either but a friend in the Isle of Man had his rationed for a month and some areas of the UK, especially Northern Ireland were
also affected. It didn't seem to affect our area though https://fueloilnews.co.uk/2023/01/distributors-act-swiftly-to-protect-heating-oil-customers-from-supply-shortages/
Taz x
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Just one tip re cost of living I got an internet discount I'd been emailed ...and more ...on a full priced pair of needed summer shoes in H*tter shop in town yesterday. It made a big difference and was worth asking for.
Anyone got any other tips ?
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Eat less processed foods, buy more fruits and veg.; as students we used to haunt the market stalls for 'odds and sods', boxes of stuff that was going to the tip. Said it was for our chickens :D
Turn up sauce/ketchup/squeezy bottles to drain into the lid. I get another 2 weeks at least from squeezies. Dad used to add a little vinegar to sauce/ketchup, give it a good shake and hey presto! another week of use. Also toothpaste: turn up the bottom and press the paste gently to the top. I've had 6 weeks more use out of my sensodyne tube 8). If necessary put a peg on the bottom to remind yourself to squeeze gently.
Scrub veg rather than peel: the skin is where the vitamins are after all. Any left over chips - keep in the fridge overnight to cook in the frying pan with a little olive oil for supper ;-). they crisps up lovely they does :-*
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Anyone got any other tips ?
Move to Bolivia it's so much cheaper than the UK :)
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That means flying ;D
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Anyone got any other tips ?
Move to Bolivia it's so much cheaper than the UK :)
;D