Am I alone in feeling punch drunk at the cost of living?

Oh yes it’s scary. I’m dreading the water bill ours is already £64 per month, think it’s going up another £20 per month from April plus we have some roof repairs that need doing 🙈

Do you have a water meter? If not, ask the water authority to install one.

Barleyfields Hi yes we have a water meter.

So do we Katy. It helps but I know the water bill is about to increase no matter how careful we are. We don’t have mains drainage here in the countryside, so a septic tank that we pay to have emptied about three times a year. Mains drainage would be much cheaper but, like mains gas, it just isn’t available. The cost of living in a rural area, with no public transport either. I don’t think the government has a clue about the cost of living in the countryside.

Shopping is hard to keep track of as it's moving so fast. I put some money on my Iceland bonus card and get a free £1 for every £20 I put on then I do some shopping on a Tuesday and get pensioner 10% off. Then I look at offers in Sainsbury's.

I redid insurance before Christmas and did quite well as my car insurance was on a 3 year price lock and house insurance wasn't too big a jump.

Our gas and electric DD has gone down as we were building up too much credit. I don't know what our council tax is going up to.

I also got my letter about pension increase in April which was nice.

Yes it's quite scary. We have what I always thought was a perfectly adequate income as it has always covered our needs. We don't spend much on things like clothes, don't drink or smoke and rarely eat out or have take-aways and have no dependents any more but there's not that much left when the bills are paid now.

On top of that we are now at the hospital a couple of times a week and paying £20+ per week for parking. A few weeks ago we also had a £110 taxi fare to one hospital and tomorrow there will be a £50 taxi fare to another one. Next week will be two more taxi fares - I've told MrA we can't afford to be ill any more so he's going to have to get better quickly or the medics will have to start coming to us 😄

TakeThat7

What's the reason milk and tea keep going up

What is the reason ANYTHING is going up? It’s absolutely everything from insurance to garden plants, dentistry to coffee …EVERYTHING! Why?

You are not alone and energy prices have gone up again and again in April!

I think labour are trying to bring in that anyone who watches Netflix, Disney plus, etc will have to buy a tv licence- so I will be cancelling our Netflix when they do - they can sod right off!

omg dont get me started! i even have to sell my house and try and find somewhere else i am bidding on housing association properties which terrifies me but, i just cant afford my house since my husband passed 6 years ago. i am gutted but i have to do it.

AreWeThereYet

Yes it's quite scary. We have what I always thought was a perfectly adequate income as it has always covered our needs. We don't spend much on things like clothes, don't drink or smoke and rarely eat out or have take-aways and have no dependents any more but there's not that much left when the bills are paid now.

On top of that we are now at the hospital a couple of times a week and paying £20+ per week for parking. A few weeks ago we also had a £110 taxi fare to one hospital and tomorrow there will be a £50 taxi fare to another one. Next week will be two more taxi fares - I've told MrA we can't afford to be ill any more so he's going to have to get better quickly or the medics will have to start coming to us 😄

Have you enquired re hospital cars? I gather there certainly used to be volunteer hospital drivers and I believe there still is. Don't know whether it's cheap (ie not paying for drivers time - but just for the petrol) or free. Think it's free?

Worth asking - ie instead of paying those taxi fares.

But we have to suck it up and never mention one of the main causes of those massive price hikes- and get over it! Go figure.

Skydancer

TakeThat7

What's the reason milk and tea keep going up

What is the reason ANYTHING is going up? It’s absolutely everything from insurance to garden plants, dentistry to coffee …EVERYTHING! Why?

Relax- it is clearly nothing to do with Brexit...

TakeThat7

What's the reason milk and tea keep going up

I hope the reason milk is going up is due to the farmers being paid a fair price.

Tea has a long journey here, all transport costs of have risen, and again hopefully the pickers (mostly women who work in back breaking conditions are getting a better wage along with more humane conditions)

Worth asking - ie instead of paying those taxi fares.

Thank you CariadAgain.

We have enquired but MrA isn't disabled enough. Apparently there aren't many of them in our area and they have to serve a lot of patients so they are quite strictly controlled and difficult to get.

I also wouldn't feel comfortable at the moment thinking someone else may need it more than us.

Barleyfields

Do you have a water meter? If not, ask the water authority to install one.

I did the calculations for 4 bed house, worked out I would be £19 better off for the metre, decided I wasn’t being a prisoner to my water usage for £19 quid.
I am careful with my water usage, turning taps off when washing my hair/ teeth- I do like to flush the loo when I’ve been- I know friends who have these meters & don’t flush the loo for wees & their cloaks have ended up smelling like a urinal.

AreWeThereYet

^Worth asking - ie instead of paying those taxi fares.^

Thank you CariadAgain.

We have enquired but MrA isn't disabled enough. Apparently there aren't many of them in our area and they have to serve a lot of patients so they are quite strictly controlled and difficult to get.

I also wouldn't feel comfortable at the moment thinking someone else may need it more than us.

Wondering whether you could put up an occasional request for one-off volunteer driver to help you on your local Facebook group? Offering to pay for petrol obviously.

That way someone who isn't a regular volunteer driver might offer a one-off lift as and when need be for the cost of their petrol being reimbursed to them?

I think - with the situation with insurance companies being the way it is - that it would be necessary for both driver and passenger/s to self-identify as "friends doing a favour" just in case (going from comment made to me recently during a conversation with boss of a local taxi firm recently). But that shouldnt be insurmountable - ie for someone living with an awful public transport set-up in their area and unable to afford taxi fares.

I wouldn’t do that. Official volunteer drivers are CRB checked. Would you get into a car with an unknown person who answered a Facebook ad?

Barleyfields

Big increase when I paid my road tax last month. Didn’t see that announced. Surely the ‘working man’ pays road tax unless he has enough money (and the inclination) to buy an EV?

Electric vehicles will be subject to toad tax from April this year.

‘Road tax’ of course, not toad tax.

AreWeThereYet we both volunteer for Good Neighbours, it’s a national scheme of volunteer drivers for medical appointments. The only criteria for registering is to be over 50, charges are minimal and all volunteers are DBS checked with the correct insurance on their vehicles.
It might be worth looking in your area.

I know the feeling ,having my grandson recently move in I'm shocked at the prices of items he needs ,it's hard making cuts especially with a toddler living with me

We are experiencing the same increases in all insurances in Germany as well. The biggest increase is in property tax, something which can't be avoided if one wants to keep one's home.

Jane43

‘Road tax’ of course, not toad tax.

😁 love that!

Why do toads cross the road?
To get to their breeding grounds in March of course

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-68573846#:~:text=Why%20do%20toads%20cross%20the,on%20UK%20roads%20every%20year%22.