Cost of living #3

[nightshade]

Its so versatile too, you can have some in sandwiches, some in salads and by the third day, the rest in a curry!

Yep got the last of it in a curry tonight, but also have stock from putting the carcass in the slow cooker, so that will go in soups as well

 

[TamsinValencia]

2 Litre bottles of Dr Pepper are like two pounds now, although that doesn't sound like a lot I remember when they were like £1.60. I'm going to be spending so much.

 

[nightshade]

2 Litre bottles of Dr Pepper are like two pounds now, although that doesn't sound like a lot I remember when they were like £1.60. I'm going to be spending so much.

Yeah I stopped buying brand names except for the occasional Coca-Cola but that's usually just a can with a takeaway. Bottle of lemonade is still pretty cheap.

 

[Plasma]

Thinking of buying a whole chicken and saving it to eat throughout the week or for lunches.

Here in the states, my dad buys a whole rotisserie chicken from CostCo and can use it for 2-3 meals. For only 5 bucks, it’s a good deal.

 

[November]

@Plasma Sheesh! Cheapest?!?! What kinda bills do you have down under where that’s cheap??

Well now you'll get me started! haha. Australia is notoriously expensive. Our cost of living has always been higher than US/UK, and even higher in WA, just due to the high demand and transport costs of getting anything here. If youre lucky enough to have a full time job, you're fine, even minimum wage is decent. If you do not have a job, and cant get social housing, look forward to a life well below the poverty line. Everything is more expensive when you're poor.

I lived in a tin shed during my 20's, it got over 50C when the sun was up. Running the air con over summer was $400+. I couldn't get a rental anywhere else because I was in and out of hospital (and work) so much. At least these guys didnt always charge me rent when I wasnt actually in the shed. (It was not a legal dwelling). I moved a few times after that and each home was so poorly designed, with very old appliances (air con units from the 80's cost more to run than modern ones, but they are super cold!). Even the, almost brand new, unit in the city was so horribly designed. No tree shade or green space, white reflective bricks and dark tile roofs. Gas hot water and cook top which was extremely expensive for connection fees alone. It cost a heap in electric bills to keep below 40C inside (plis the housemate who ran the kettle 20 times a day haha). It had a huge new air con unit and it didnt work nearly as well as the tiny wall unit i have now. I just can't tolerate heat anymore, so moved to literally the coldest place in the state.

This home is very well designed for the summer. Who ever built it really put thought into it. Its a 1940's fibro cottage, aka glorified tent. When I have windows open I can have a lovely breeze go through the house on mild days. It gets the morning sun on the front of the house over the bedrooms, the blistering afternoon sun hits the patio, so the house is well shaded. The thick curtains came with the place (PS never wash these.... I made that mistake and they are not as thick as they used to be hah).

Its on stumps so the wind gets underneath to cool the place off as well (aussie homes dont tend to have basements). Unfortunately this whole town is turning into a salt lake, while it is rock hard and dry in summer, the water table comes up under the house in winter, so its sitting on a big puddle. The thing I would change is the placement of the wood fire. I would have put it in the middle of the house as its on the edge (where the original chimney would have been) it struggles to heat the bedroom. My bedroom is 10C at most when the fire is blasting. Firewood cost $1800 last year. So the cooling does seem cheap to me!

 

[Fuffy]

I recently had to quit my job, so now I'm newly unemployed while these price hikes are going on...at least now I will be able to study without interruptions to get a much higher paying job in a couple of years.

 

[November]

I have only had the multicooker a few hours and I love it already! I have also dropped it already. Seems ok tho.

I like that its just a little machine for my little serves, it seems such overkill for me to run my big oven for one. All I have done today is carrots and asparagus in the air fryer. Turned out ok, probably need a bit longer. I didnt want to waste any expensive food while I am still learning how to use it.

I wanted to make a cake in it but couldn't find the base of my cake tin and have run out of baking paper so I just made the cake in the microwave instead.

Now I need to add carrots and baking paper to the shopping list! I feel like this is gona make life easier for me, certainly gona make cooking easier for me!

 

[TriBel]

I have only had the multicooker a few hours and I love it already! I have also dropped it already. Seems ok tho.

I've had mine for about 2 weeks. It's out of the box and I've glanced at the instruction book but then my motivation ran out so it's sitting on top of the box in the lounge. I'm gonna move it to the dining room and then it's only one step away from the kitchen. I did look at silicon bowls and parchment paper on Amazon but stopped short of ordering them.

My big problem is - I don't really like food. Yesterday I had a baked potato with cottage cheese and a scone - and only because the cheese needed using and the scone was going dry.

 

[November]

I like food, I just don't like cooking! The fact I dont have to stand over it the whole time is a big plus for me.

We still have a hot chip shortage here so Im hoping some potatoes come tomorrow in my order to see how they go in it. Also wondering if an air fry type stir fry would work. Might try with leftover turkey and frozen veg later. Maybe I can cook pasta on the rice cooker setting too.

Its quieter than the exhaust fan over the oven. Definitely not as hot as the oven either.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

I have only had the multicooker a few hours and I love it already! I have also dropped it already. Seems ok tho.

I like that its just a little machine for my little serves, it seems such overkill for me to run my big oven for one. All I have done today is carrots and asparagus in the air fryer. Turned out ok, probably need a bit longer. I didnt want to waste any expensive food while I am still learning how to use it.

I wanted to make a cake in it but couldn't find the base of my cake tin and have run out of baking paper so I just made the cake in the microwave instead.

Now I need to add carrots and baking paper to the shopping list! I feel like this is gona make life easier for me, certainly gona make cooking easier for me!

The big benefit of one of these cookers is you can place it outside so it doesn't add any heat to the house.

 

[Nix]

Rent just gone up by £70 - That's a lot for me
Gas & elec going up again soon
Food bill up
Taxi's up!!

 

[November]

The big benefit of one of these cookers is you can place it outside so it doesn't add any heat to the house.

Bye bye hot smokey summer BBQ's, hello quiet and swift air fryers! This one would probably be big enough to feed a few too. That's gotta be more consistent than a BBQ, less oily as well.



I did roast baby potatoes tonight. I didnt expect the preset bit to be right, so I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it up and my potatoes were perfectly done! I smushed them, added turkey, spring onion and cheese and put them back in for a few minutes. Dinner done!

One major thing I have noticed already, is that I am full quicker and I suspect this is just because I am more aware of my body. When I have been on my feet cooking, I tend to zone out because it becomes too painful, but I sat down while the machine did its thing, so I wasnt in the usual cooking brain space. When I got stuck into dinner, I realised I had loaded my plate too much, I was full less than halfway through! Typical of me, I finished what was on my plate and now I am too fat to move. I'll know for next time. I still have a lot of leftovers as well.

 

[nightshade]

Rent just gone up by £70 - That's a lot for me

This is my worry, the rent being put up. At the moment I'm able to afford it but it would be hard to manage if it was any higher.

I've over spent on food again this month, because I didn't meal plan and bought stuff that I just fancied instead of eating what I have in.

I have spent quite a bit on the allotment this month too, but that should be it for a few months, unless I buy some compost next month.

 

[November]

The allotment is an investment 😉

Do the low-cost cleaning tips of yesteryear still cut it today?

From vinegar to raw potato, natural everyday staples are tested to see if they can replace high-price brands

www.theguardian.com

I read this article (not much help tbh) and couldnt remember if we had talked cleaning products here or not. I just make my own with half a cup of vinegar, tablespoon of dish liquid and water in a spray bottle. This works for mould and cleaning the stove top, sink and benches. But be careful with vinegar as it is acidic and will ruin marble benches and eat away at chome etc.

I do use the antibacterial wipes for cleaning up after meat and stuff thats germy, but my two re-used bottles filled with dishsoap and water, do the trick for the rest of the kitchen, bathroom and spills.

 

[nightshade]

I got given a bunch of cleaning supplies last year, the dissolve in water tablet type, so I'm using those up and that's saved me money. However before that I had looked into homemade ones, but the one thing I can't live without, cleaning wise, is bleach.

It used to annoy me that my brother was lazy with buying Christmas gift, always some kind of shower gel type of set, but now I always use a bar of soap it's quite nice to have something different to use, makes it more of a luxury shower!

 

[November]

Oh man, life is so much easier now! The air fryer has cut down on my dishes BIG time. Even deciding what to eat has become easier cos I choose the things that can go in the air fryer 🤣 I am going to try broccolini in it for dinner 😀

My neighbour brought some tomatoes over this morning (delish in the airfryer!) And we had a chat. He picked up an angle grider off the side of the road in the city. Brand new and someone was throwing it out! He said people dont appreciate what they have, and I agree. Its a bit frustrating at the moment watching the news stories of people saying they're gona lose their homes with rising costs yet wont give up booze, travel and eating out??? Those luxuries aren't even an option for the majority of people in the world.

I was watching Space invaders (reality show) the other day, looking for organisation tips, but all they were doing was throwing out 3/4 of the stuff! What a waste of money. I have been called a hoarder before but I dont think its true, especially seeing what those people keep, I am just not going to throw out money. If it's something I need to buy to have again, its just throwing money away.

 

[Taake]

Rent just gone up by £70 - That's a lot for me
Gas & elec going up again soon

I still don't know what my rent is up with... it is usually announced right before Christmas (what a gift!) but this year the landlord and the committé for renters couldn't agree on the percentage so it's gone to court and now I've no idea where it'll end up, only that I won't just get a higher rent, but will have to pay it retroactively. Beurk.

 

[nightshade]

I still don't know what my rent is up with... it is usually announced right before Christmas (what a gift!) but this year the landlord and the committé for renters couldn't agree on the percentage so it's gone to court and now I've no idea where it'll end up, only that I won't just get a higher rent, but will have to pay it retroactively. Beurk.

At least if you know its coming you can somewhat plan for it, but if its just announced to you that it's going up by this amount then its harder to find the money for it.

I need to plan March finances, what extras I need to buy, cat litter and compost are the main ones on the list.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

will have to pay it retroactively.

Oh that sucks. Rent going up, yeah, that makes sense but paying for it retroactive is just wrong.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Is it legal for rent to go up retroactively? If you have signed up to a contract, they have to abide by it for the time it is in force.