A winter of very expensive heating and little food?

Some people do not seem to understand the difference between choice and not being able to act of your own free will. This is the position many will already be in. What do they do? It is also the postion many more may be in when furlough goes.

It seems as if some relish war-time conditions. I suppose we shouldn't be supprised. We've see the "we want our childhood/youth back brigade" telling us it was all good for everyone before, haven't we. Now what good came of that I wonder?

mouse44

During the war, I believe, food was rationed so that everyone had a fair share.

Some food was rationed but I think that some things like carrots were not.

www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-rationing-in-the-second-world-war

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolton_pie

No food shortages in Cheshire I've also managed to get everything I wanted. Have noticed a very few gaps on the shelves, but have access to numerous supermarkets within easy reach, perhaps if you live in the sticks it might be a different matter.
With regard to heating our homes I always wait as long as possible before putting the heating on and puts extra clothes on if I'm cold that's the eco friendly way rather that heating full blast.

PippaZ

Callistemon

GillT57

Good grief, I see the gruel and six layers of cardigans crew are at it with relish. Good luck if that is how you want to exist, but I don't. Neither do I want foolish people telling me that it was all great during the war, it wasn't. Why are some people so delighted about the drastic drop in living standards which so many will face? I am not certain as to whose "fault" all of this is, but it certainly isn't mine

I have experience of getting dressed under the bedclothes because there's ice on the inside of the windows.

Remember those days?

Not really.

Just because that happened then does not mean we have to welcome it back just because the government can't do its job.

That was my point!

Anyway, if you didn't experience that then you were lucky and I don't want my DGC or anyone else to experience it if at all possible.

But it never hurts to be prepared.
I remember the Winter of Discontent as well.

Don't worry, Bozzer says

"it will be OK and things will get better when the market sorts itself out".

Why something so important is left to 'the markets' to sort out I'll never know - sometimes governments need to intervene in important matters that affect every aspect of the economy and peoples lives.

Pinkhousegirl

Hello from France. No shortages here.

Well good for you. Over the last few weeks my family, friends and I have managed to get everything we needed . Also our local shops, two butchers, bakers, two general stores, and a new restaurant have all been well supplied with no problems. Have recently seen heavy goods from Netherlands, Germany and Poland, as we live near a massive port. Those that live away from me have also said they’ve had no problems. Depend what you want to buy possibly.

Yes Callistemon I do remember those days. My parents vowed to make life better for us and they did. I tried to make life better for my children tio and I just don't understand some on GN who say it never did them any harm. Oh yes it did, it made them lack compassion and understanding of how difficult the coming winter is likely to be for many people. I fully expect a few posts admonishing people for having children they can't afford to feed properly and keep warm.

trisher

Please sir I don't want to go back to wearing my dressing gown, pyjamas, a pair of tights, gloves and a wooly hat when I go to bed could I possibly have some more reasonably priced fuel?

But some people already do that in winter because they are afraid of the energy bills, not sure if that comment was meant to be funny.

Shandy57

The lack of CO2 for stun guns in the slaughter house is very disturbing, I fear we will be returning to medieval methods.

I’ve just heard a former slaughterman on the Jeremy Vine Show saying that they also use electric stun guns so could use those.
Glad Ive never eaten meat.

Please sir I don't want to go back to wearing my dressing gown, pyjamas, a pair of tights, gloves and a wooly hat when I go to bed could I possibly have some more reasonably priced fuel?

During the war, I believe, food was rationed so that everyone had a fair share.

When I was a student I slept in my duffel coat. (I did, really)

Never did me any harm, today's teenagers don't know they're born. Happy to get a rotten turnip for my tea, I was.

I had a conversation just after Brexit with a younger colleague, telling him that people had forgotten how bad it can get. We may be about to find out, I guess.

Callistemon

GillT57

Good grief, I see the gruel and six layers of cardigans crew are at it with relish. Good luck if that is how you want to exist, but I don't. Neither do I want foolish people telling me that it was all great during the war, it wasn't. Why are some people so delighted about the drastic drop in living standards which so many will face? I am not certain as to whose "fault" all of this is, but it certainly isn't mine

I have experience of getting dressed under the bedclothes because there's ice on the inside of the windows.

Remember those days?

Not really.

Just because that happened then does not mean we have to welcome it back just because the government can't do its job.

GillT57

Good grief, I see the gruel and six layers of cardigans crew are at it with relish. Good luck if that is how you want to exist, but I don't. Neither do I want foolish people telling me that it was all great during the war, it wasn't. Why are some people so delighted about the drastic drop in living standards which so many will face? I am not certain as to whose "fault" all of this is, but it certainly isn't mine

I have experience of getting dressed under the bedclothes because there's ice on the inside of the windows.

Remember those days?

Nannashirlz

Ring your supply and ask about winter fluel payment you get 150 pound to help towards your cost as long has you on benefits. I also have a electric throw cost pennies to use. If you too scared to put heating on. Sometimes we have to make a choice between eating and heating. I struggle last winter think put it on twice too scared incase goes that high and don’t have money to pay it.

It's £140, not £150. It should be automatic for those with certain benefits. You can also apply for it as a means-tested benefit. If you are of pension age, you would need to be quite close to the Pension Credit level. There are calculators you can find on Google (other search engines are available). These might flag up something you haven't thought of.

There are other benefits you can claim if you are just above or on (under the old Pension) Pension Savings Credit. Also, if you are on a low income otherwise. They are, from memory:

*Council Tax Credit
*Low Income NHS Benefit (will help with dental costs, glasses, travel to and from and a few other items.)
*Rent or Mortgage help
*Warm Home Discount may be available from your company as described above. Conditions for qualification may vary from company to company.

I have asked GNHQ if we can have a Benefit heading on the forums list. If we could add those we know accurately, we might be able to help. I can remember finding out that I had missed a benefit for my mother when acting as her PoA. It wasn't means-tested so didn't seem to get as much publicity. Very few of the people in charities who help with benefits had heard of it. Although it was back-dated, there was a limit on that. She could have had it several years earlier - it would have helped to pay for her care at home.

If we put our heads together we may be able to help each other.

Good grief, I see the gruel and six layers of cardigans crew are at it with relish. Good luck if that is how you want to exist, but I don't. Neither do I want foolish people telling me that it was all great during the war, it wasn't. Why are some people so delighted about the drastic drop in living standards which so many will face? I am not certain as to whose "fault" all of this is, but it certainly isn't mine

The problems are mainly (not totally) Brexit chickens coming home to roost. Johnson will of course hide that under Covid. Serious problems were inevitable. Those of us who knew that during the Brexit campaign are not surprised. The country has been f**ked and the people are left with the consequences.

GrannyGravy13

I understood that CO2 is used in meat packaging and bagged salad etc to extend the fridge life of products.

I think - but maybe someone could confirm - that this is what it means when its says on bagged salad "packed in a protective atmosphere" (I used to think it meant the factory had candles and soothing music over the tannoy)

Ring your supply and ask about winter fluel payment you get 150 pound to help towards your cost as long has you on benefits. I also have a electric throw cost pennies to use. If you too scared to put heating on. Sometimes we have to make a choice between eating and heating. I struggle last winter think put it on twice too scared incase goes that high and don’t have money to pay it.

Theoddbird

Pippa I am saying that it is simple to make changes to the way we live. Hell's bells....nowt wrong with putting a cardie on to keep warm as we did when we were young. Making good soup is so easy as well. It is all about using what is available as our parents did in the war. You didn't hear that generation moaning...they just got on with it...they did not whinge about not having things.

Why do you think you are the only one who already put on a jumper (I'm not that keen on "cardies" but quite keen on coatigans)?

Many people will already be doing this and using hot water bottles instead of switching the heat on and rugging-up in general. They will also be doing all they can to keep their food bills down.

You are historically naive if you don't think people moaned during the war - of course, they did. They had no choice but to do what they could. We are not, unless I have missed something, at war.

These holier than thou posts do nothing to make anyone feel better about the situation.

The people on low incomes who get the Warm Home Discount of £140 in the winter are looking at a rise, apparently, of £139.

This government is taking money off the poorest in-work people - why? How will that help through difficult winter?

Hello from France. No shortages here.

Often the very oldest are the very poorest, particularly widows. I think we will all need to look out for them this winter.

I wish more people understood how little some people have to live on...

...and then we wouldn't have trite comments about putting on another cardigan and making soup.

Before I retired I was getting tax credits which entitled me to the warm home discount. I'm sure anyone on benefits is probably entitled to that though it has to be claimed so some may not know about it. I think I could have claimed it earlier if I'd known. The amount of tax credits I received was tiny. but it was the other things - like warm home discount - that really made the difference, including getting a new boiler when mine stopped working altogether!

The increase in NI doesn't start until the next tax year as far as I'm aware so won't affect people straight away. The lowest paid often don't pay NI. Unfortunately we will all have to pay for the costs of the pandemic which have meant that the government have been subsidising many businesses for many months with the furlough scheme and the increase in benefits as well. Personally I don't agree with removing the amount of the extra benefit, but the furlough scheme can't go on for ever. Many jobs will probably go when it ends and I guess unemployment, and therefore benefits, will increase too. People seem to think that the government coffers are a bottomless pit but sadly this isn't the case. We'll all have to tighten our belts, but I think there may be better ways to spread the cost while still protecting the most needy.

I volunteer at the local foodbank and I expect it to get busier as the next few months go by. Prices are rising for us all but not everyone can absorb the extra cost when they are living on the edge of poverty already. My income has increased slightly with retirement as I was on such a low wage, but I'm far from living in abject poverty. However I do have to be very careful with my spending, and I feel for those who live on even less than I do.

I once had a conversation with a cold caller who was trying to sell me life insurance which I'd already told him I couldn't afford. After his many attempts to convince me how affordable it was I told him what my annual salary was. He went very quiet, then said "How does anyone live on £xxxxx a year?" He never rang back! I wish more people understood how little some people have to live on and maybe they would complain less about their own situations!

Remember this

Dominic Minghella
@DMinghella
When the financial crisis was global, the Tories persuaded voters it was Made in Britain, by Gordon Brown. Nowadays they would have us believe every self-inflicted Brexit calamity is a worldwide problem. They took us out of the EU internal energy market. And ca-boom.