Cost of living crisis

[Hunga Munga]

They've started selling mini microwave meals 👀

I saw a sad little microwave pack of 'beef slices in gravy' for 91 pence this very day . Not actually the worst idea when you think on it . Make up your veg fresh and cheap , then buy the expensive bit ready to go . Still feels a bit sad though .

 

[Bop]

I saw a sad little microwave pack of 'beef slices in gravy' for 91 pence this very day . Not actually the worst idea when you think on it . Make up your veg fresh and cheap , then buy the expensive bit ready to go . Still feels a bit sad though .

Those beef slices in gravy microwave packs have always upset me a bit, it's way better to get your own gravy and pick up a pack of beef slices in the fridge section. Next to the ham packets.

 

[Stake fodder]

Movie tickets will be only $3 for any showing, any format, on Sept. 3 in many US theaters.

Coming to a theater near you: $3 movie tickets for one day

NEW YORK (AP) — For one day, movie tickets will be just $3 in the vast majority of American theaters as part of a newly launched “National Cinema Day” to lure moviegoers during a quiet spell at the box office.

apnews.com

 

[nightshade]

All month I've been worrying about how much my water bill will be, but no post from then, no email and I always had it in February and August, so I logged into my account, nothing to pay. They had changed it to once a year, but with everything going on there's no way I can afford a full year bill in February, so I've switched it to a monthly direct debit.
I need to save every bit I can for the car insurance and mot, as I completely wiped out my savings when I bought that.

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

Those beef slices in gravy microwave packs have always upset me a bit, it's way better to get your own gravy and pick up a pack of beef slices in the fridge section. Next to the ham packets.

That's not beef... haven't you noticed all the missing pigeons?! 😱

 

[nightshade]

That's not beef... haven't you noticed all the missing pigeons?! 😱

It was horse instead of beef a few years ago, so wouldn't surprise me if something else was mixed in.

After work today I'm going to write a list of what's in the cupboard and freezer, and then plan my food shopping list.

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

It was horse instead of beef a few years ago, so wouldn't surprise me if something else was mixed in.

You say that so casually! How did you know it was horse meat? 🐴

 

[nightshade]

You say that so casually! How did you know it was horse meat? 🐴

It was a big scandal here, they were doing tests on beef products and it was horse.

 

[Plasma]

It was a big scandal here, they were doing tests on beef products and it was horse.

At which point I imagine you jumped with glee, being such a big horse meat connoisseur yourself

 

[Hunga Munga]

So my foray into civilization was instructive . Asda are kicking Morrisons and Tescos butt for value round here . Managed to spend a fiver in Morrisons ....and there was still cute little deals on small packs of stuff . I like that about them . Treated myself to a £1.60 black pudding for cooked breakfasts 😀 .

Turns out my local Tesco is a very limited store . No wonder the delivery range is so underwhelming .

Won £14 on my scratchie . Drank passable coffees and a terrible pannini . Stuffed full of goodies so it was filling ....but well undercooked . Couldn't find anything I wanted for a little gifty , so it was a pretty frugal outing . Not tried the new saw yet but it looks the part .

Tried out that Freevee (formerly IMDB) without Prime for the first time . Yeah it's a pretty decent free streamer , ad breaks are short and unobtrusive , well pleased . If Netflix has to go , there's enough there on Freevee to keep me interested .

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

One thing I WON'T do without is YouTube Premium. Having no ads is such an amazing thing! It's worth the $11.99 per month. Amazon Prime is nice to have as well...and now that I'm working again, I'll be able to buy a few more things. Seriously going to try NOT to spend much on those fun chemicals. 😈

I've been depriving myself of a lot of things because I've been SO broke. Hopefully I'll be able to budget my new income well!! Because I'm sure working my butt off to earn it!

A new microwave is definitely a priority. I really HATE the old fashioned way of cooking food. It takes too long!!! I end up grabbing a cheese sandwich while I'm cooking so I don't die from hunger. 😅

 

[Hunga Munga]

I've had some lovely touches on Prime , it's by far the least annoying way to get stuff delivered . There's an awful lot of 'fake' deals on ours that just glitter without saving a dime though . I think you need quite a good standard of living to really feel the benefit too . As a streamer I think they're red hot in the UK market at the moment .

 

[nightshade]

Im waiting for them to offer me another 30 day free trial then I'll watch a few bits on there. I don't watch much in summer but do in winter.

Well September is here, and I've done a bulk buy shop on ebay for the cat, he'll have enough dried food and cat litter for the rest of the year when it arrives.

Tesco order is done, and all I should need to get for the rest of the month is a few fresh bits. It's a mix of branded, tesco brand, and budget brand items. Some items I knew would be cheaper at aldi so I left them off, but overall I'm in budget and should have enough for this month and leftovers rolling into next month. Which in theory will bring next month's shop down in price.

 

[Hunga Munga]

A big tree that fell onto the back of another tree has shifted a few feet over the summer .It was just out of reach and insanely dangerous , so I trimmed a bit so they could slowly fall naturally . Now I can trim a bit more ...hopefully it'll be on the ground before winter ...but it's all safety work and firewood regardless . There's a lot of wood there but there's a good chance it'll be quite rotted once I get my hands on it so only doing it as a side project .

My side project paid off ! 🙂 Dropped a lump of tree trunk , about the same weight as Metdas new car , safely onto the ground . There's still another piece to come out but this was the widow maker length , tons of wood just perched in the air on spindly branches .

Used my new chainsaw to take it down to a sensible length , then switched to a long reach pruning saw so I didn't get crushed 😀 . Had to adjust my plan on the fly when it came down funny but still did it safely . That's a lot of wood , already rolled a load down to my fence line and threw it over . If the rain stays away I'll be back up there when the saw is charged .

I'm pretty elated . Did safety work on it but never really expected to get at the good stuff . It's hundreds of pounds worth of heat , all ready to burn . 🙂

 

[nightshade]

Tesco arrived yesterday, freezer is now stuffed, and chicken is cooked for this week. There was a couple of things out of stock that I'll get later on, but not urgent so it can wait, I've got a small budget for extras so will be going to aldi for that.

Next up is to make sure I get all the laundry done so that when October comes along I start it with an empty washing basket.

Cat litter and dry food arrived as well, so he's now sorted for a while too, but I do want to get him a little something for Christmas too! Other than him I still have a few presents to buy but mostly are time sensitive ones, like food.

I got a 14 day free trial on ancestry, so I've set a reminder to cancel that before they take any money out.

 

[TriBel]

Just to reassure the UK folks a little . I've been paying the 52 pence/kilowatt hour since late spring . It's tough but still doable .

About 3 years ago, Scottish Power wrote to me to say they were reducing my direct debit to £18 a month because I was almost 3K in credit. I think they've upped it since but I've just checked and I'm still £400+ in credit (and I'm paying 84 a month). I'll manage - I have a financial cushion and the house (crap as it is) is paid for. I'm a frugal eater (food doesn't interest me) and I don't use a lot of energy (although the house is old and wastes a lot of heat). The lads both work and also have savings so unless the charity sector and NHS both collapse (which pessimistic me says is possible) they should be okay.

So - I'm not worried as such (actually, I am worried but it isn't justified). I'm more annoyed with myself for not moving onto a fixed rate tariff and I'm bloody angry that the UK seems to be in a worse predicament than other countries France has capped their rise at 4%. 6 million EDF customers in the UK are indirectly subsidizing the french government) and we're taking it lying down. According to the IMF "The energy crisis is hitting UK household budgets harder than any country in western Europe... The difference between the cost burden on poor and rich households is also far more unequal in the UK compared with other countries. I'm pretty sure MPs would focus if we stopped paying their 2nd home/office/stables heating bills. Why are we subsidizing Downing St. when Liz Truss is worth £8.4million (according to the Express)? You can add 2 noughts on the end of that if it's Sunak. That's a rhetorical question BTW. Rant over but only because it's all I'll get away with here. Let's just say I made a donation to the SWP in exchange for some badges!

Next up is to make sure I get all the laundry done so that when October comes along I start it with an empty washing basket.

I'm only half joking when I say I'm considering scrapping washing/drying and buying new clothes etc from Primark once a month. It's not the washing it's the drying. As it is I only wash about once a fortnight and I could probably go longer if not for towels and bedding.

I'm not stopping using the dishwasher. I rarely use the oven and I'm thinking of buying an air-fryer thing. I don't use the big TV - I prefer my laptop. I'm thinking of scrapping my internet provider and routing everything through a phone. I cancelled Sky and Netflix but renewed the latter for Sandman. I'll use up my credits and cancel Audible. I've also got 3 charity covenants that might have to go (but, snowflake that I am, I feel bad about it).

Other than him I still have a few presents to buy but mostly are time sensitive ones, like food.

I bought the eldest a pair of Docs (reduced from 149 to 99) a month ago and a game for his brother (also reduced). I'm trying not to go overboard this year. I still have a Xmas pudding in the cupboard and a turkey in the freezer from last year!

Heating is my biggest concern but I don't heat the two spare bedrooms and unless it's really cold I don't have it on for more than 4/5 hours. I've bought gilets and down jackets - I'll wear them in the house if necessary. If it's really bad I'll resort to my sheepskin flying jacket. Or buy a Shih Tzu and shove it up my sleeves like Mad Nad suggested. You can go and cuddle your mum's dogs.

@Hunga Munga - Chuffed about your wood!

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Does anyone else work at a restaurant and really appreciating the free meals you get?

 

[nightshade]

I have an air fryer, and I definitely recommend, and a slow cooker. Both use a lot less energy than an oven.

I don't do a huge amount of laundry either, but I have a habit of letting it build up then having loads to do, so I need to get on top of it, and as soon as I have a full machine full get it done, especially as its still so mild.

No tv license here, so that's one less, but also why I'm reluctant to get rid of Netflix. Charity is another I'm reluctant to get rid of, but I am considering calling them and seeing about reducing the amount I pay.

 

[Dogs of Winter]

I finally managed to organise my weekly shop and save a few quid on Saturday, and then proceeded to blow £20 on Sunday in a farm shop on home made cakes, pork pies and other goodies ! I have zero discipline when it comes to food treats

I wonder if torrent sites will suddenly start becoming more popular again. I know they never went away but its been a while since I spoke to anyone who said they still use them, and I cant imagine many people still paying for all the streaming services now

 

[Hunga Munga]

I highly recommend the Teppanyaki grills . It's quite juicy at 1400 watts but you're in and out in minutes . Just as happy making breakfast and toast as cooking a full meal . I will miss it over the winter 🙁 . Not being a total martyr about it though . I will cook in bits on the woodburner ...then plate up for the microwave .

Will have to do a fair bit of hot water on the wood stove too . I've got the stuff to make it easier . but it's still a lot of work .

At least we'll know pretty quickly what help will be available now for the UK . I could do with £1500 quid to keep business going through winter . I thought I was in a really bad state business wise but I read an article on the BBC and my petty problems are nothing compared to some firms . I think I made enough over summer to pay for winter but my savings have taken a knock and not been replenished . I don't even think they count as 'savings' anymore . They're just money I haven't had to spend yet to stay afloat 😀 .