If things get tougher?

DdraigGoch

Just a quick heads up on thermals - if anyone has an Aldi near them. Brecon Aldi are selling off ski thermals for 4.99 a set of long sleeved top and long johns .... £4.99 a SET!! I've got two, and my OH will be getting a set too for when he has to go out and clear the drains in the rain!

Sammy, what size are you in wellies? I've got a perfectly new pair here that my DD's grown out of, only worn 5 or 6 times [and they were REALLY expensive] so since you're not that far away ..... and PinkFairy goes past here once a week anyway .... maybe we can work something out?

hope that helps
DG

ps [edited in] I've just rediscovered this site https://www.nea.org.uk - wonderful to find someone on OUR side for a change! Aaaaanyway, I've just found something out and I have to both celebrate and have a bit of a rant, so you've been warned..

Having spent over 10 years trying to go green and get some sense out of "energy saving" sites and officials, and slowly nearly losing my tiny mind in the process, I discovered from the NEA that there really is a section of the community in my situation and that there is an official term for our type of housing......


HTH




Hard To Heat

You just couldn't make it up, could you?!

>>Hard to Treat Homes sub-group Home

People are significantly more likely to be fuel poor if they are living in 'hard to treat' homes. These are properties that cannot be brought up to an appropriate standard of energy efficiency with the currently available cost-effective measures. They include: older properties that do not have cavity walls; homes that are not connected to the gas network; many blocks of flats, particularly high-rise construction. In each case, the most cost-effective energy efficiency measures - such as cavity wall or loft insulation, or gas condensing boilers - may not be suitable. Hard to treat homes therefore require higher investment and more technically challenging improvements.<< I fit ALL of the underlined bit! and they missed off loft insulation and cavity wall insulation - don't have either cavities in the walls [well, not official ones!] or any loft space, we live in it!

Now I'm extremely lucky, my OH has a job with a decent wage for a rural area and I'm not in debt, yet, but it's been only a matter of months [about 20] since this was not the case and I still consider myself incredibly blessed and fortunate .... bearing all that in mind, it's a bit of a surprise to find myself officially "in fuel poverty" since we spend well above 10% of our actual income on fuel, just for heating, never mind lighting!

Warning..... [rant] I seriously think that if I, who am fortunate, am in such a position then the government truly doesn't have a clue of how bad things are for many, many people in this country. Or am I wrong?

I don't think that the government can actually do anything useful about this oncoming recession, and I think it'll be as bad or worse than the 1990s, but I really do wish they'd at least face up to the fact that many people honestly are working their tushes off and getting nowhere, instead of sitting in heated offices pontificating on how we've all got to switch off the lights and boil less water in our kettles. WE ALREADY DO ALL THIS! Where do we go from here? [large and loud rant just deleted from here, it gets me sooooo cross, as you can tell ] Sorry - [/rant]

rant mode off now....

[Deleted User]

what AWFUL weather. It hammered down again all through the night. No real warning as such but there is a warning for friday and if you live in a flood risk area then maybe do your homework today. I just cannot believe how much water is coming down, the ground is absolutely sodden and cannot take any more

I am going to do the weekend shopping today as tomorrow I will be standing with my nose pressed to the window yet again. So bloomin frustrating

jamanda

We are trying to get in the garden to salvage the "crops". If this rain keeps up we will need a boat to fetch the apples, not a ladder.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

It poured down here too and we had a howling gale.It was freezing too.It was so cold that for the first time it made me realise just how we are going to struggle in the winter.Preparing for winter did'nt seem too bad and was ok when the temperature was 20 degrees but last night realy hit home.

jamanda

Yes - we aren't playing at it now reality is looming. Might have to share DH's new thermals

merrymadwoman

When warned last recession was on it`s way, I cancelled all book clubs, paid off catalogue:cool: debts and got prepared. Dont know what else to do this time. Already eat little meat ,buying cheapest fish instead but have found POUTING FISH from Morrisons to be really awful and kind of gluey, :rolleyes: even the cats turned their noses up. I wear jumpers, keep the heat down to minimum. Use the dishwasher when full after reading it is more economic. Not always being able to hang washing out side for health reasons, I have a TD for absolute emergencies. I dont get out a lot so my children got Sky for me, smallest package, could not get on with freeview. I have a Merrymaid ceilng rack which takes a whole washload and is a Godsend but one seeming luxery is a dehumidifier which keeps the place from getting damp. They dont come very cheap but are worth having if your house gets damp and do not take up much space.Have loads of wool and am currently trying to make my many offspring agree that home knitted gifts will be fun and also like the idea of all giving each other a gift from our own home,a kind or recycling , [not things won in school fete.:p or tombola.:o ] as I heard some South African families do now a days.
I get as much use as poss from free bus pass. Biggest problem at mo is how to get the three cats [ all rescued] to eat less fussily
At 70 I have grown up in days of rationing, brought up 5 happy kids with little to spare, been hard up due to careless partner and weathered the last bad period but feel so sad I have to spend the last years hard up, wondered whether to will my body to research after I go and blue the funeral fund:rotfl: just kidding of course
Your posts are heartwarming and helpful and I only have one thing to say..get the wellies Sammy. you are worth it.:A Try the charity shop first and if they dont have any, ask to have them put by if they do come in

[Deleted User]

welcome merrymadwoman. A lot of people are in this together, the important thing is not to feel that you are struggling alone :grouphug:

annie123

merrymadwoman wrote: »

[not things won in school fete.:p or tombola.:o ] as I heard some South African families do now a days.

I dont see it as a problem to give away something that was won as a gift. I have done it many times also passed on unwanted gifts to someone I knew would like it/value it more than me.
And I'm not south african cant see what thats got to do with it

[Deleted User]

I am thinking about fuel for my storm kettle and there isn`t a dry twig anywhere locally. Doh, if we ever get 3 dry days then I will collect a big bag full and put is somewhere dry, just in case. I see that my shredder is quite full too and I`ll be keeping the shreds to get the storm kettle going, just in case of course

I did a shop in T today. Blimey the cost of tinned tomatoes, I mean napolina ones. I should have stocked up on them last year. I put my crocs on deliberately and sure enough had to wade out to the car as the heavens opened yet again. The clun river is very close to being as high as I have ever seen it. I feel as though I want to hibernate at the moment, I just need a load of prickles on my back first

merrymadwoman

Hi Annie, The lady who frst spoke about the recyling of gifts to me just happened to be South African and said her whole family were very poor.
I dont mind a gift from the tombola so long as it does not turn out to be something I contributed but that has caused some laughter in the past. Things ARE hard for all of us who cannot increase our earnings but I think the families with children are being hit the hardest as they need good food and decent footwear and they are constanlty growing.. It feels so good to be in touch with like minded people and I can remember [ just!] things called hay boxes in which one could cook a casserole:o . We need free or cheap good school dinners for all our kids and a little dream from a wrinklie?, free TV licence at 65 instead of 75 would be super:T