How to Get Through The Tough Times The Old Style Way.

Pitlanepiglet

Ceridwen, as many have said 40p a mile isn't a lot when you factor in brakes, tyres, servicing, depreciation etc. etc.

My diesel car costs 17p in fuel alone (135.9p per litre/35 mpg). Last week I spent £800 on a full service, new front disks/pads and some other bits and pieces. I reckon my car, which is old, costs me £1500 per year to run on average (actually last year you can add £1k to that as it blew a turbo), that's £150 per month and based on 12000 miles per year that's 12.5p per mile so including fuel my car costs are 39.5p per mile. That's without allowing for depreciation or finance charges (my car is paid for and is old enough that there is very little depreciation. Now clearly anyone with a newer car may pay less in upkeep but will also then have to factor in depreciation.

We had this discussion in one of my voluntary roles where one of the guys who has a lease car through his employer, so only pays fuel and tax on the fuel, says at every opportunity that we should get less and that we are making a profit! He might be, the rest of us are struggling to keep our vehicles on the road

I'm not working at the moment and we are seriously considering having to get rid of one of our cars, as we live rurally this would be a real problem and would seriously impact on my ability to get a job. I don't know what we'll do but £150 to run my car is more money that we can realistically afford. We've got our heads in the sand at the moment but we will have to face this soon.

lostinrates

Pitlanepiglet wrote: »

I'm not working at the moment and we are seriously considering having to get rid of one of our cars, as we live rurally this would be a real problem and would seriously impact on my ability to get a job. I don't know what we'll do but £150 to run my car is more money that we can realistically afford. We've got our heads in the sand at the moment but we will have to face this soon.

DH and I have always had only one car rurally....but he commutes weekly by rail. We've also done it with him commuting daily somewhere closer and it was possible, but did involve some preplanning and juggling.
He wrote our (only) car off a few weeks ago in a strange way its been incredibly liberating....having an OS freezer and cupboard contents means never having to pop out for food...sometimes it means you can't have what you fancy though! I've now got a borrowed car for a few weeks and felt a bit silly at first because I was only using it twice a week, I really had eliminated all the spare ''fat'' off car usage.

I'm not convinced we shouldn't sell rather than repair the write off, its a land rover, and buy a more modern four wheel drive that has less towing capability but is still possible to use around the farm but nicer for longer journeys and less thirsty.

Its a big shift going to one car rurally but so is much of OS living today. Its iportant to note that while it is INCREDIBLY liberating it is a not quite a NEED. (I think it can be compared to having central heating, its HUGELY beneficial and considered a need by any...but actually we can survive without it)

modern_millie_2

Ceridwen, petrol prices/car running costs are a big issue for us at the moment - I think we will soon have to go back to one car. Every school day, I travel 12 miles dropping off and picking up DD for the college bus - no alternative. From next month, I will be travelling 3-4 days per week in the opposite direction for work - 22 mile round trip, for about a 4 hour shift, not much above min. wage. OH does not travel every day (self employed ) but often travels 20 - 30 miles a day on about 3 days per week.
Before our daughter went to college, we did manage with 1 car and I occasionally got the bus to work - takes at least twice as long and may have to wait 1-2 hours for a bus on the way back. Our plan was to have 2 cars for the next 18 months until dd is finished college. I suppose it would make sense for me to change jobs, but I enjoy my work and at this stage don't want to move.
As you can guess, we live in the sticks but I can see us moving before too long because transport is increasingly expensive.

anguk

Winchelsea wrote: »

anguk - me again - I like your sig if it's what I think it is. My schoolgirl Latin tells me it's "while I breathe, I hope". Nice one.

Your Latin is much better than mine! I saw it tattooed on Lucas's body in Spooks and wondered what it meant, I had to google it. I've always tried to look on the bright side of things and always believed that things will turn out all right in the end and I'll cope so it seemed like quite an apt signature for me.

Pitlanepiglet

It's a difficult one, I don't "just pop" anywhere anymore as fuel costs make it unwise and I do a six weekly online shop so I've done all of that already to reduce costs.

I do have to travel 10 miles each way to one of my voluntary roles which I could do on the bus if necessary. The other local one I could walk to and from (2 miles each way but with pavements). Our joint voluntary role we do together most of the time so we could use OH's (newer) car.

OH is now working 3 miles away, there is no bus service there and it's on the side of a main road with no decent walking route in between. I can take him there and back if necessary but he's working 9am - 9pm a the moment (business start up) and there is a chance that his job will move to somewhere a bit more out in the sticks.

I am unlikely to get a job in my profession locally, it's likely to be c. 30 miles away and we don't have any decent public transport.

I've been looking at perhaps getting scooter or moped which we could both use locally - part of that problem is that I'm 5ft 3 and OH is 6ft 2 and I suspect we're going to struggle to find something that we can both ride!

I dunno, realistically my car is costing us too much money to keep given the usage it gets but I'm not ready to deal with the prospect of being without a car.

bertiebots

If there is a car around that only costs 19p per mile to run can someone show me where it is please, please ,pretty please!!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Mine costs a minimum of 50p per mile (and no its not a 4x4 -its a 1.4 ltr small estate:eek:)

I am absolutely dreading my car insurance renewal this year due in may..and after the European ruling regarding gender and not allowing it to be used a s a risk factor in calculating cost I fear next year is going to see insurance across the board rocket even higher. Hmmm wonder how we are supposed to pay for that little gem of a decision:mad:!

How come so many of you lucky people are getting on with the gardening...its still far too cold here in chilly west yorkshire!! I am just a little bit jealous! Nothing really starts growing till may!

mardatha

Honda 90 is dead easy to drive and cheap to run and does 60mph. Or even a scooter.

mardatha

Nothing growing up here either - just snowdrops and crocus. Gardening is freezing ! I think in the old days they maybe wore warmer clothes. I am wondering where to get old books on veg growing or allotment stuff ? Even wartime ones ?

anguk

ceridwen wrote: »

Has anyone here turned down a job/resigned from a job because the petrol was costing too much for it to be sustainable?

Not a job but we've had to rethink how DH gets to hospital for his dialysis, he has to go 3 times a week and it was costing us about £20 a week which is a big chunk out of our income. DH has always preferred to drive himself there but after the latest price rises surprised me by saying he was going to go by patient transport now because it was becoming too expensive for the petrol. The Lifeline ambulance is in the area anyway picking up a couple of other dialysis patients so it makes sense for him to use it too, he actually now prefers it because it means he's not driving back through rush-hour traffic!

We've got a Motability car so we're lucky and don't have to pay for insurance, repairs, services etc. but (despite what some people may think) Motability cars aren't free we pay about £50 a week for the privilege.

gailey_2

ceridwen wrote: »

...and on a Tough Times theme...'twas useful to find that little "addition" to Googlemaps "directions" of the cost of petrol involved the other day.

Guess that doesnt concern anyone getting "mileage" on cars used for work purposes - as I've just spotted a query on the Jobs Board re costs of getting to work. In that thread someone pointed out that HMRC allows 40p per mile "mileage" for first 10,000 miles and 25p per mile thereafter. As we worked out on here - petrol actually costs 19p per mile for a "standard petrol user" car and therefore those on "mileage" are making a profit from this (unless they personally chose to have a "heavy petrol user" car).

What about folks who don't get "mileage" and have to spend a substantial part of their income on petrol to commute to and from work? How are you faring now? Has anyone here turned down a job/resigned from a job because the petrol was costing too much for it to be sustainable?

That was point the other day. Im sure inland revenue tax milage at 40p amile.

However most companies I have worked for and hubbys company dont offer anywhere near that.

Hence why hubbys claiming a tax rebate from hrmc for last 3years.
I think its the difference between 40p and what the company gives him multipied by annual milage which in hubbys case was£1000 a year:eek:.

Hubbys company do give him some travel money within his salary

Just checked his payslip and on average month just too and from work he gets £78paid in travel.Extra for meeting as and conferences.

Not sure how much hespaying for petrol atm as mostly goes sainsburys or fills up in wales as sometimes pennycheaper.

He travels approx62miles aday each way/5days a week.
To fill his bmw it costs 72pounds a tank which lasts a week.
so monthly workmiles is 1240miles a month thats just work not going anywhere else.

Cost of bmw a month =£288 a month so minus travel allowance £210 extra to pay.

cost of nissan micra roughly= £26pounds to fill a tank lasts 4days fills up 5times in a month much more affordable £130 so£52extra to find.

But depreciation to car a fair point paid 5half grand for bmw just over 5years ago and soldfor 600quid.

services think our cars jinxed as last few years cost us least £1000 a year inrepairs.
Normally needs least one new tyre a year at cost of 70quid!
Needed new battery few months ago andthat was 75quid.
We dread the mot.hubbystried servicing at diffrent timeto makemot seemlessworsebut stillhigh.

Its expensive to tax £240 ayear Ithink.
Insurance-sure thats bit high too as think its group10.
Been nagging hubby to get rid for years but havent been able to afford it up until now.

We just fortunate he gets free bridge costs worth 3grand ayear as know lots of people travelling both ways for work which dont get bridge costs paid.
Harder for welsh as fewer jobs over there as cousin travels cardiff -bristol by train aspriced uppetrol,bridge and citycentre parking as wasent worth it.

Theres no way hubby can use public transport as no direct links and would take forever.He does try tocar share more these days.


My advice is

shop around for petrol-we collect points at sametime.
use clubcard cc to pay collect clubcard points at same time,gotosainsburys garage and collect nectar also.

Try use car less use localshops,take bus ect.
Hubby prefer totakes bus tocity centre avoid stress and parking.
some supermarkets offer free bus.

Car share whenever you can or carefully plan your time and journeys so if you going to specific area you go to everything you need to go to in that area.

Drive slower saves feul.webeen trying to carry less in boot and not totally fill car so no added weight.

chose and research your car carefully make sure you know true costs of running that model and if its right for you.

Weathers getting nicer could you cycle?

I still misss my vespa was so cheap to run with monthly petrol costs of 40quid,15quid annual taxand 200insurance!

Nice and sunny here today but cold.

Think might try make a scarecrow be fun for eldest.

worrying today that im a secret hoarder after watching tv programme yesterday.Im desperatly trying to declutter and organise but not fast enough for hubby:(

Going to try do a litle bit of binning stuff today.

todays mail said food/petrol going up whats new kind of expected it as inflation keepsrising.
Anyone know date of actaul budget sure its this month.

We need to do big food shop but going totry holdout until15th hubbys pay day.
Not sure where to go this month.
hubby hates asda,we normally go sainsburys.
definatly need lidls and farmfoods.
But wondering if should try morrisions again as need to stock up on storecupboard items.

They building new aldis near me which should be good as lidls,morrisonsand aldis willalbe next door to each other so can do all 3.
On retail park i do lidls 1st before sainsburys spend less money that way.:D

Discovered bristol has foodmarket on sunday other side of city not had chance to go yet.Todays friday butchers outside pub but ok for meat at moment.

Hope everyones having good day.