How will you make savings to pay for energy bills.

PamelaJ1

volver I interpreted merlots post differently to you. As I see it she considered buy a TV for her bedroom. In this day and age, before this hike in power costs, a not unreasonable thing to do surely?
She decided against it.
Now with the higher costs of fuel she is reconsidering. Could be that she then saves on heating? A sensible idea surely?

That's how I interpreted it as well. I can see how it makes sense and would be cheaper than having before the heating on in the evenings.

You are so easy to wind up, volver. The overreactions in some of these posts are just mind blowing. Apparently I am victim blaming, inciting hate, calling people scroungers, even inciting 'death to the enemy'. I never said any of those things! ?

What about the Poorhouse? I understand that was a good way of showing these people what's what.

Tsk tsk, alcohol, to the stocks with them.

I can't believe some of these posts. They must be a windup, no?

My son, who pays the utility bills (as he lives with me) was reading on his info from the supplier that it isn't so much the amount used that is going up, but the standing charge to get the gas / electricity to your home that has doubled in price per day !
So even if you try and cut back on how you use it, you will still get hammered!
We thankfully had our windows replaced yesterday so I am hoping that will make a big difference with at least the heating needed as the original ones had been put in 2006 and even though they were supposed to be double glazed, the seals had gone on all and Ted Moult's feather test would have failed - I had to go round taping up several to stop the draughts!

volver

I heard on the news last night that people are asking not to have potatoes from the foodbank because it costs too much to cook them. If you can't cook potatoes, quite possibly you can't cook porridge either.

Let them eat cake, eh?

Teachers are saying that children are coming to school hungry. So these families that can't afford a pack of porridge oats and two mins in the microwave, presumably the parents don't ever drink coffee or have a bottle of wine or a can of beer in the house. All those things are expensive and feeding your children comes first, right? Yet I'm sure the sale of alcohol won't be going down even if the sale of porridge does.

merlotgran

volver

Apologies to the person concerned in advance, but I'm trying really hard not to comment on the post that considers cutting down to be buying another TV for the bedroom.

A rather judgmental post but comment away. It doesn’t bother me one jot. I have always lived frugally and wouldn’t dream of splashing out on a small TV for my bedroom without weighing up the cost against that of keeping a sitting room warm enough to be comfortable on cold winter evenings.

If I’m going to be wearing layers of clothes and using an electric heat pad on my arthritic knees, I might as well be in a warm bed.

But that's why I hesitated merlotgran, because of course its entirely up to you what you do with your own money.

But we see posts complaining about how the young today are nothing like us, they don't know how to economise, they're bringing their children up badly. So perhaps people will see how unfair it is to criticise people that they think are being profligate and not feeding their children, but how older people buying TVs is quite all right.

Its double standards, and I don't mean from you.

Urmstongran

Yesterday on the news was a single mum, saying she was worrying about the bills. The camera panned to her hand as she was turning the heating dial down. Her hot pink long acrylic nails took centre stage we both noted.

BINGO! No doubt she had "the latest mobile phone" and a flat screen TV. Why are some of you turning on the victims of the cost of living crisis? One thread you are wittering on about the necessity of little treats such as a nice coffee in an independent coffee shop, then on the next thread you demonize a young woman for painting her nails.

volver I interpreted merlots post differently to you. As I see it she considered buy a TV for her bedroom. In this day and age, before this hike in power costs, a not unreasonable thing to do surely?
She decided against it.
Now with the higher costs of fuel she is reconsidering. Could be that she then saves on heating? A sensible idea surely?

50% increase on my energy bill; 3% increase in pension.
So far, I've turned either off or down the thermostats in all rooms and 'sacrificed' a subscription to the Times digital edition. I'm now checking direct debits to causes I've espoused over the decades though would be reluctant to give up some of these.

Franbern it is now so much simpler to look at our neghbours, different age groups, different cultures, etc and blame THEM for the problems we (and they) are experiencing
Weird thing to say. Who on this thread is blaming any of these groups for the problems we are facing? Please quote where this appears. This thread has taken a very strange course.

Chestnut

NotTooOld I guess there will be lots of advice on how to save money, and that might not be a bad thing. Many younger people have no idea how to economise and probably spend on luxuries thinking they are essentials. Their very first priority should be to feed and clothe their children, so I get very angry when I hear of children being sent to school hungry with no breakfast, that is pure laziness. It costs next to nothing to fill your child up with a bowl of porridge and that should be more important than anything.

100% agree with you, everyone can afford some porridge oats to feed their children. Been there done that, always but always children were a priority, sadly not the case for some

volver

Apologies to the person concerned in advance, but I'm trying really hard not to comment on the post that considers cutting down to be buying another TV for the bedroom.

A rather judgmental post but comment away. It doesn’t bother me one jot. I have always lived frugally and wouldn’t dream of splashing out on a small TV for my bedroom without weighing up the cost against that of keeping a sitting room warm enough to be comfortable on cold winter evenings.

If I’m going to be wearing layers of clothes and using an electric heat pad on my arthritic knees, I might as well be in a warm bed.

I've been round the house, unplugging anything that I think is using power. Phone chargers, laptops. I think I might see if I can afford to over pay on my DD now, because next winter is going to hit hard.

Recently newspapers have been covering stories about how people intend to economise and I couldn’t help noticing one family in particular. They mentioned, amongst other things, turning their heating down.
Mum, dad and all the children were wearing tee shirts. How hot must their house be to be in summer clothes in winter?
A significant saving there if they just all put a jumper on.

There has also been talk about how much electricity is used by keeping tvs and gadgets in general on stand-by mode.

I do agree with the point made earlier that our generation should be better able to economise as we had to be frugal when we were first married with interest rates at 17% at one point.

Hyperbole vintagejazz.

Apologies to the person concerned in advance, but I'm trying really hard not to comment on the post that considers cutting down to be buying another TV for the bedroom.

I do too.

Imagine if it was the elderly or the retired that were being bad mouthed and reviled in that way. We would all be up in arms. And not all retired people have worked. Many of our number on here were stay at home mums.

But for some reason, it is OK to pick on women that have been abandoned by men. They're seen as scroungers and greedy. When as we all know, the greedy are those in the seat of government. Who are clawing back the money they've given away to mates from the tax payer. So we're paying twice.

Put the blame where it is.

Nah, I agree with DaisyAnne.

Slippery slope.

DaisyAnne

Chestnut

NotTooOld I guess there will be lots of advice on how to save money, and that might not be a bad thing. Many younger people have no idea how to economise and probably spend on luxuries thinking they are essentials. Their very first priority should be to feed and clothe their children, so I get very angry when I hear of children being sent to school hungry with no breakfast, that is pure laziness. It costs next to nothing to fill your child up with a bowl of porridge and that should be more important than anything.

I see we have someone "defining the enemy" yet again. This time it is "younger people".

Younger people are not our enemy, nor are they a group of "others"; somehow different from us. They do know how to economise and how to prioritise the essentials. They are no different to any other generation.

This is a strange group to hate as we brought them up. The poster also doesn't seem to know much about the household economy of the poorest. It does cost something to fill a child up with a bowl of porridge. When you have nothing left and cannot make what you get stretch further, hostility and prejudice towards you are not helpful.

Some people always have to have a group against whom they can encourage others to discriminate. This "othering" has led to the terrible deaths of the "defined enemy" in the past. Why do people still do it?

That's a bit of an overreaction. Chestnut didn't express 'hate' for anyone. Disagree with her opinion if you wish, but why do it so bitterly?

And your last paragraph is really out of order.

I bet the dads aren’t eating every other day.

volver

Did anyone listen to that single mum on LBC yesterday? The lady who broke her heart on the call in, who talked about only getting one meal a day and just eating her children's leftovers? The lady who talked about what a failure she felt, how guilty?

Should be compulsory listening for those who like to indulge in a bit of victim blaming.

Yes, I read an article about a mum who eats every other day, trying to just see it as a diet she's on. Does it to try to make sure her child can eat.

You should be able to get the money for the cost of running the recirculator back from the government Greyduster. We did when we had to have one in the house.

Sorry if I'm telling you something you already know.

I am going to throw a tea towel over my smart meter. This hike in electricity prices has neatly coincided with DH going onto 24 hour oxygen. The recirculators eat electricity but you can’t put a price on keeping someone alive and I will do that if it takes every penny we have. We will recoup some of it, but until we do, I don’t want the cost of our energy to be in my face! I don’t use the oven much these days, but use the slow cooker a lot and am toying with the idea of getting an air fryer oven as they seem to be more economical.

Did anyone listen to that single mum on LBC yesterday? The lady who broke her heart on the call in, who talked about only getting one meal a day and just eating her children's leftovers? The lady who talked about what a failure she felt, how guilty?

Should be compulsory listening for those who like to indulge in a bit of victim blaming.

Chestnut* and Urmstongran have been catching similar items on TV to me I think. One young lady suggested she cut down on wine the other mentioned her Sky subscription.
This is unfortunate and undermines the real difficulties some families face.