House just been valued

Maisie11

Vouchers are a fab idea. I guess this government is !!!!!footing around with actually giving out something that can ONLY be spent on what it is meant for. I also think they are scared of saying that some elderly people choose to spend their money on something else or choose not to spend it at all on heating. Not a great vote catcher. There was some crackpot scheme a little while ago - not sure whether it went ahead whereby they were going to giving pregnant mums £250 to buy fruit and veg. Not vouchers but £250 cash!

lostinrates

LillyJ wrote: »

Whilst at uni I did a temp job for Social Services. We had a case of an old lady who died of pneumonia because she couldn't "afford" to put the heating on. She had been living that way for months on end, and was barely eating anything warm so as to save on gas. The malnutrition ultimately contributed to her death.

She had no next of kin, and when the police went to her house they found £23,000 in cash in the wardrobe, kitchen cupboards and under the bed.

I think this might be my future.

dudleyboy

Maisie11 wrote: »

I do think the elderly have an issue with things like heating. A friend of mine's mother wears 6 layers of clothing as opposed to putting the heating on and expects other people to do the same. I dont agree that LillyJ's story is rare. I think there are lots of old people with a fair bit of money saving for the grandchildren, rainy day etc. My grandmother had lots of money around her house, under mattresses, in storage tins etc. We could do with the government tackling this issue in more detail. It is not always the case that old people cannot afford to put the heating on - it is that they choose not to.

I'm with your friend's mother. I regularly walk around at home not wearing any socks and if I get cold I put socks on, not the heating. The same goes for wearing a jumper. I think we've all become spoiled by modcons and live in a throw-away society that is shameful when you see how others elsewhere in the world have to live.

I'd rather wear 10 jumpers than give a penny more to the greedy energy companies. It's got nothing to do with not being able to afford the heating (of course we can) we just choose not to put it on. It's a lifestyle choice. Of course, it's only September so we'll see how things are a few months from now...

But why do you suggest that the government should be tackling the issue of how people choose to live? Surely 6 jumpers is doing the same job as central heating?

Personally, I think our grandparents' generation have the right idea. They used to sew torn clothes, not stuff them in a bag for "the poor" to repair and wear, and then go out and buy something new. They used to knit because often making your own clothes was cheaper than buying. They used to live frugally because they grew up during the war / post-war where every penny mattered and resources were rationed, not squandered.

Of course, I'm not suggesting we return to those ways (I for one don't fancy living through a world war and I'm pleased I'm not living in other countries - such as those we're currently invading :mad:) but I think the attitude presented here by some just shows how reliant and superficial we've become.

And I dare say it'll be our complete undoing.

carolt

Well said, dudleyboy. Personally, I have to admit I often put the heating on, especially if I'm working at home, as well as the jumpers, but your way is both more moneysaving and more environmentally friendly.

To Maisie11, I've personally never come across the type of old person you describe, and was a bit offended that you were suggesting my parents were some kind of crackpot misers. No idea why some people with money should choose to live without essentials such as heating. I think you misinterpreted my comments about being frugal - ie not wasting money unnecessarily on things they don't need/want = the ethos of this site - with pointlessly 'saving' money on essentials they do need.

Not sure why someone would do that? Clearly if there are old people choosing to freeze, one hopes social services would step in.

Maisie11

I am not suggesting your parents are anything of the sort. There are tons of old people to whom heating is seen as a luxury, something to save on. LillyJ worked at social services and states old people not putting on the heating but having a fair bit of money is not uncommon.

A fair majority of elderly people have an 'issue' with spending on heating, their choice obviously but they shouldnt die because of it..... That's why vouchers would work rather than just giving out the cash

Dithering_Dad

Maisie11 wrote: »

I am not suggesting your parents are anything of the sort. There are tons of old people to whom heating is seen as a luxury, something to save on. LillyJ worked at social services and states old people not putting on the heating but having a fair bit of money is not uncommon.

A fair majority of elderly people have an 'issue' with spending on heating, their choice obviously but they shouldnt die because of it..... That's why vouchers would work rather than just giving out the cash

I have to admit that I was also at a loss as to where you'd said that carol's parents were 'heating misers'.

I interpreted your comments as a generalisation and I'm sure that the type of elderly people you mentioned do exist, though I dare say that if we were born into the aftermath of one world war and then lived through another, we'd probably have a different attitude to saving and 'making do'.

I clicked thanks on carols post due to her remarks about the social services stepping in. I also would hope so, but I guess that unless social services are made aware of the issue, there is nothing that they can do. Actually, unless the elderly person has obvious mental or physical problems, there is still very little they can do if the individual insists on saving money on essentials - it is after all their money and their choice.

moanymoany

Absolutely right DD - if the people will not put their heating on and are not certifiable there is nothing anyone can do.

When my mum first moved into a sheltered flat I had to scrape candle wax from all over the place. The warden told us the old boy who lived there used candles to save the electricity! He had become too infirm to live alone and had gone into a home.

The mind boggles, infirm chap and candles!

My mum always had her heating on as I promised her that if she was short I would pay it. I never needed to. I also made sure she wore warm clothes and she loved jogging bottoms - the chaps ones from Primark are very warm and comfortable and I bought her lots of pairs.

Dithering_Dad

moanymoany wrote: »

Absolutely right DD - if the people will not put their heating on and are not certifiable there is nothing anyone can do.

When my mum first moved into a sheltered flat I had to scrape candle wax from all over the place. The warden told us the old boy who lived there used candles to save the electricity! He had become too infirm to live alone and had gone into a home.

The mind boggles, infirm chap and candles!

My mum always had her heating on as I promised her that if she was short I would pay it. I never needed to. I also made sure she wore warm clothes and she loved jogging bottoms - the chaps ones from Primark are very warm and comfortable and I bought her lots of pairs.

I would have thought it'd be cheaper to run one of those energy efficient lightbulbs than to use candles. Clearly much safer! :eek:

I have a torch that I keep in my car's glovebox for emergencies that has an LED for a bulb and you shake it to generate the power. I can see myself now in 50 years time, wrapped in a few blankets and myopically reading a library book by the light of my 'everlasting and battery free' torch.

moanymoany

lostinrates wrote: »

I agree whole heartedly, but not all people share a common purpose. For many the freedom is heating and mod cons-whether they be dishwashers or tumble driers, for others its travel, for parents its often their children: the purposes are many and varied, no necessairly right or wrong (although it can stringly be argued some choices are more ethical than others.)

Amy - who started the 'Tightwad Gazette' says that her idea of frugality is to stop spending money where you don't need to and it is not important to you .... so that you have enough money to spend on what you really want.

Because what you want is not the same as what I want is unimportant. There are many ways in which I'm frugal, but it doesn't bother me because it means I can do what I enjoy, leaves us more 'fun money'.

slipthru

Dithering_Dad wrote: »

I have a torch that I keep in my car's glovebox for emergencies that has an LED for a bulb and you shake it to generate the power. I can see myself now in 50 years time, wrapped in a few blankets and myopically reading a library book by the light of my 'everlasting and battery free' torch.

Will it not take you an age to finish the book though.