Cost of Living #6

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Father's day coming up and my dad wanted a particular brand of the shirt, so I ordered that and they still had Christmas ones on offer, so I've ordered that too to put away. Might as well make a start on Christmas while I can.
 
Morrisons had noodles on clearance, 10p a pack of the bacon ones. Normally 50p, so I got 4 packs and may go get more.

My internet is going up in price from next month, so I need to work out when my contract ends and then look for a better deal. It's going up £3 a month, but it'll probably go up again before I can switch, as I think I have another year yet on the contract.
 
Cabbage is $7.90 😂 Im going to see if I like brussel sprouts this decade. I havent in the past but I can get 400gms for $3. Should last longer too cos they are wrapped in plastic.

Doing a big shop this weekend because now I have room in the freezer. Got cheap fuel the other day, funny that its cheaper on the road than in the towns! 175c per litre, cheapest I have seen all year.

Thought about starting the fire today , but I need to clean behind it and cant manage that today. Im so relieved to have the heater as an option. Im so spoilt by it already!!! My electric bill was about $80 more than usual. The credit hasnt applied yet, still cheaper than buying wood.
 
Well, life is really kicking my ass lately.

Two weeks ago by truck was stolen and has not been recovered.

I’m spending almost $150 a week just getting to and from my main one job. As for the other ways I make money on the side? Impossible to do without a veichle. And it’s too hot to walk or bike to work.

Thinking about renting a car next week, which is $40 a day. It’s expensive but if do that I can do my side hustles. I’ve asked around to borrow or rent a car with no luck.

And, as I had mentioned, I have been looking for a roommate for months now with no luck. Everyone who seems interested keeps bailing out. I’m becoming pretty desperate. I’ve even offered to lower the rent in exchange for yard work.

If my truck isn’t recovered, I’ll have to figure out how to get another car. I’m not sure how I will do that though, as I don’t make enough to save, for cash or for a down payment, and regardless I doubt my credit is good enough to get a loan.

I’m trying to save where I can and have been going to the food bank regularly to supplement my food budget, which is helpful but the selection is limited. At least they have dog food which is helpful.
I hope everyone is doing better then I am now.
 
November
November
Oh no, thats terrible about your truck!
HowiMetdaSlayer
HowiMetdaSlayer
can you take a bus or subway?
NotASlayer
NotASlayer
Well, that sucks.
Have a look at car share schemes, there might be someone who can help you even if only part of the journey.

I'm on the hunt for a new job, I've applied for a few but nothing yet, hopng to get something within the next month or so. So that I'm in before my holiday in September.
 
HowiMetdaSlayer
HowiMetdaSlayer
good luck!
nightshade said:
Have a look at car share schemes, there might be someone who can help you even if only part of the journey.
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Car share? Like Zipcar? Or are you referring to something else?

I’ve looked into it, and the cheapest it seems I can rent a car from a company is about $40 a day.

@HowiMetdaSlayerThere is bus service, but it’s limited. Firstly, it only runs every hour. I can take the bus to work, but not home from work. Also, the stop a mile walk from my house and it’s very, very hot, like 100. Last time I tried to do that I ended up feeling very ill.

I’m a bartender and work nights. By the time I’m off work it’s way after the bus is running.
 
Id warn to be careful with renting a car. A single scratch or dent could end up costing a LOT. Make sure you read the fine print.

Do they still have Taxis anymore? Or is everything uber now? Walking in heat sucks.

Losing the car is a big fear. Its probably one of the worst things that can happen when you're living alone, already struggling and a long way from anything (or anyone youre friendly with). I really hope things improve for you soon @Joan the Vampire Slayer
 
The annoying thing with cars is that most of the time you do not need them, so you are paying for all the times when you do.

I really need a part of a car that turns up five minutes after I decide I need it and I only pay for that bit when I use it.
 
I saw a big banner drive through town "RIP small towns" and other dramatic banners along the highway when I went driving the other day. I don't think town will die if delivery keeps getting better, as it is. Its so much easier (and cheaper) to live here now than it was pre covid, but its annoying it was ever so hard in the first place.
 
@Joan the Vampire Slayer You may have already looked into these, but just in case, utility companies will often give reductions on bills, and there are programs that will help temporarily pay your mortgage/rent. That might help take a little of the pressure off. Good luck and take care!

NotASlayer said:
The annoying thing with cars is that most of the time you do not need them, so you are paying for all the times when you do.

I really need a part of a car that turns up five minutes after I decide I need it and I only pay for that bit when I use it.
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That is what Zipcar does: you pay a monthly fee and have use of cars parked around town for a per-mile charge. But I think @nightshade was referring to informal carpool options.
 
nightshade
nightshade
Yes carpool type of thing, there's websites and apps that offer it.
Stake fodder said:
That is what Zipcar does: you pay a monthly fee and have use of cars parked around town for a per-mile charge.
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I had come across things that suggested this was something that was at least being developed, although I did not know anyone had got far enough here to do it.

It looks like it still needs a bit of work, but at least it is getting to the point where you are not paying to have a car sat around costing money for most of the week!
 
NotASlayer said:
I had come across things that suggested this was something that was at least being developed, although I did not know anyone had got far enough here to do it.

It looks like it still needs a bit of work, but at least it is getting to the point where you are not paying to have a car sat around costing money for most of the week!
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We've had several such companies rise and fall in the past decade or so. Zipcar is the last one left, and you rarely see the cars anymore. It might work better in a denser, more populated city, but then those have better public transit options, too.

I should add that scooter and electric bike subscription services seem to be doing okay, so that may be the future. But you can't take those 50 miles to the hiking trails or such.
 
Stake fodder said:
We've had several such companies rise and fall in the past decade or so. Zipcar is the last one left, and you rarely see the cars anymore. It might work better in a denser, more populated city, but then those have better public transit options, too.

I should add that scooter and electric bike subscription services seem to be doing okay, so that may be the future. But you can't take those 50 miles to the hiking trails or such.
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Yes, I think have seen bike ones here too. Looking at Zipcar, I would say the main problem is it isn't that much cheaper than a small car, if it even is. I might save a bit of money a year on local travel, but as soon as I need to use a motorway, I would need to rent a car and that would probably destroy any savings over the year.
 
November said:
I saw a big banner drive through town "RIP small towns" and other dramatic banners along the highway when I went driving the other day. I don't think town will die if delivery keeps getting better, as it is. Its so much easier (and cheaper) to live here now than it was pre covid, but its annoying it was ever so hard in the first place.
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I think that's what they mean by rip small towns, that because of deliveries you no longer need shops etc, so you lose the heart of a small town centre.

You no longer speak to the couple running the newsagents every morning because you look at the paper online etc.

I wish the hire an e bike type of scheme came in here, it would do great here for helping bring back tourism. Our town needs tourists to survive, but doesn't do much to encourage them to be here.
 
nightshade said:
I think that's what they mean by rip small towns, that because of deliveries you no longer need shops etc, so you lose the heart of a small town centre.

You no longer speak to the couple running the newsagents every morning because you look at the paper online etc.

I wish the hire an e bike type of scheme came in here, it would do great here for helping bring back tourism. Our town needs tourists to survive, but doesn't do much to encourage them to be here.
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No the banner was for the keep the sheep campaign. Farmers against the ban on live sheep trade. They are threatening to sell up and leave if the ban stays. It does mean less money and jobs in the region if that happens.

The general store doesnt stock enough food for anyone to survive on, the police tried to ban anyone living here without a car or a license because they would have starved. With grocery delivery, it means more people could survive in town. The oldies can get all their meals ready made now on aged care plans. At the moment there is not a single house for sale or rent (besides the pub), where as half of it was for sale when I moved here. Also, people just need houses where ever they can get them right now.

I dont think this town will die off because it runs on grain too, not just sheep. There is a lot of fear mongering going on here, which does get into the brain. Lots of catastrophising. Its big news every day.


Funny you mentioned the ebikes/scooters, they have them in the city here, I dont remember seeing a single one last night! So I wonder if they are still around or if it was just too cold for anyone to use them. There have been a number of accidents with them, and they often end up in the harbour. They could work in some places with a well behaved population. That city gets the cruise ship tourists, all of them are too old to use scooters. There definitely needs to be better transport options besides driving, I agree.
 
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E scooters are an odd one here, as unless they're in a scheme you're not legally allowed to ride them on the road or on the pavements! Of course people do, but every so often the radio does a feature where they go out with the police to tell people not to ride them.
 
November
November
Bizarre!
I looked up the escooters and it turns out the company has pulled out, so thats why I didnt see any.

@Joan the Vampire Slayer this is a long shot but are you in any of the catchment areas for this scheme? It came up on my google news feed.
www.theverge.com

Uber will pay you $1,000 to ditch your car for five weeks

What does it take to stop driving?
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com

I wanted to go to the pub tonight. Then I looked at my bank balance. I will not be going to the pub tonight lol.
 
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