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

I think it is a worldwide thing. Certainly it is awful here, frightening what you have to pay here for basic food. Whether it is these stupid wars that countries get involved in or whatever, who knows ?

Interesting what some people consider essential and others do without or cut back on.
I look back over the years and I still have the books on how to cut back left from previous recessions.
Delia's frugal food and feed your family on £5 a week.
Must look them out again.

Many have stopped insurance, dental plans, haircuts, heating, social engagements, entertainment, car and halved food budgets so dont worry you have a way to go yet.

Martin Lewis says your car insurance should be 16% cheaper on renewal, good to hear somethings going the way right way for a change.

Wessex water is going up in april by around 19%.

My metered water bill is around £270 pa. Average Wessex metered for single person household is around £430 pa. I do have two columnar water butts at home, storing a total 660 litres. I spent the extra because these butts last and look good, I have had my money back via water saving

I have 600 litres storage on my allotment, cheap water butts in 2 rows

Insurances have gone down and I have 3 year fixes from this year. Saga. So far so good

However everything else has gone up and I am grateful for my large stash of hobby items, such as my spinning fibres, generally bought from 2012 to 20121 and would now cost a fortune. Good personlised blends like cashmere/silk/merino. Wool knitting yarns bought from an indie business in Devon. I have a mountain of beautifully folded fabric stash, linens and the like, again bought over very many years.

All of this is being used as and when, I don`t buy any more and I am saving a fortune wrt present prices. They turned out to be good investments, although I admit to being impulsive at times, buying them helped me with endorphins, which I needed then

I have a new allotment and will be producing most of my veg for 2/3 of the year, all will be organic. I buy organic all the time so will be making considerable savings, once I have produced enough to cover my set-up costs. I have spent a lot on new raised beds and structures but all essential considering I am 77 now and want to have easy pottering in my 80s

No gym membership for me, I cycle, cheap exercise and the allotment is a green gym too

I cannot avoid buying certain items like tea, milk, chocolate and am glad to be almost vegetarian, also liking vegan foods.

Horses for courses as always. Anything using energy in any way ie importing, heating glasshouses in winter etc is bound to have gone up. That includes building materials and anything made from metal.

Council tax is unavoidable, I pay £220 pm for 10 months of the year, single discount included but the positive side is that my new build is very energy-efficient and I pay octopus £92 pm

Jaxjacky

Her name isn’t Dennis 🤣🤣🤣

Is it Denise 😂

Her name isn’t Dennis 🤣🤣🤣

My Dennis just gave me a packet of antibiotics when I needed them

A dentist should not issue a NHS prescription for a private patient. I know this as I had a dentist who did it, not for me as I was a NHS patient, and he couldn't work as a dentist for a couple of years. Not sure if it was just us NHS patients he couldn't treat but I had to find another dentist.

Private dentists can’t issue NHS prescriptions for private patients, regardless of their age, or at least, they shouldn’t. The water is muddied if those dentists also do some NHS work though, because their NHS patients are entitled. It’s hard for the pharmacists to know which is which when that’s the case.

Casdon no idea, I assumed that it was free as I am of an age that my prescriptions are free.

GrannyGravy13

theworriedwell

We can't get an NHS dentist so pay for that. DH needed antibiotics for an infection so dentist gave him a prescription. If it had been from doctor or NHS dentist it would have been free but as private it cost £24.65. Fortunately we could pay it but on top of paying the dentist it is alot.

I have a private dentist, he gave me a prescription in December, took it to the chemist and didn’t have to pay.

A private dentist should not issue private patients with an NHS prescription, and would be in trouble if reported.

My supplier, Southern Water, has just announced a 46.7% price rise as it continues to pump more and more tish into the sea and waterways.

Still, I expect the shareholders are happy.

theworriedwell

We can't get an NHS dentist so pay for that. DH needed antibiotics for an infection so dentist gave him a prescription. If it had been from doctor or NHS dentist it would have been free but as private it cost £24.65. Fortunately we could pay it but on top of paying the dentist it is alot.

I have a private dentist, he gave me a prescription in December, took it to the chemist and didn’t have to pay.

my house insurance was due end of january...it was actually £1 cheaper than last year,,,that's a first. and in two weeks time,,,I'm so excited ,I can't wait...I will be 80...and I have an extra 20p in my pension...wow..

We can't get an NHS dentist so pay for that. DH needed antibiotics for an infection so dentist gave him a prescription. If it had been from doctor or NHS dentist it would have been free but as private it cost £24.65. Fortunately we could pay it but on top of paying the dentist it is alot.

Get some water butts! Free water for the garden!

I reckon I must be pretty abstemious generally with water use. I ripped out the bath when I bought the house and so it's showers only for me now.

Though I do water the garden the quickest/easiest way for me - ie get out my hosepipe and there it is done 5 minutes later. Though, being Wales, I don't have to do it that often - as it rains so much here.

Allira

Are you on a water meter, CariadAgain? If not, it's definitely worth applying.

Thanks - the house was already on a water meter when I bought it. I've been used to one previously - as I'd swopped my last house over to one when I read that I'd save money that way.

Don't be put off, either, if you're told the water company can't fit one for some reason.

They should put you on the average rate of usage for a single person on a water meter.

Absolutely, Allira. It definitely saves money if you are careful with water usage, as we all should be anyway.

Are you on a water meter, CariadAgain? If not, it's definitely worth applying.

I'm anticipating being charged noticeably more for Council Tax come the next bill and am in one of the two dearest water authorities in the country (ie Welsh Water) anyway and that's due to go up a lot too.

Defo not a happy bunny at that - especially as I'm paying a single person rate of Council Tax and this is an area where single/childless people get very little for our CT.

Car insurance for both my OH and me went down by about £100 each when we renewed in January.

My concern is we will have people leaving care and education jobs because they simply do not pay enough to live off