Preparing for Winter V

Siebrie

I once read that in Belgium for a family with 2 children, the net family income needs to be around €2.200 for a 'normal' life. We make almost double that, yet I feel poor, because there is no track of the money streams. I have now started syphoning off money into 2 accounts my husband can't see, and that has helped. He spends if he sees it's there.

elljay

I never really understand fuel poverty as a measure of poverty.  Like others on here I keep my fuel costs down by using hot water bottles, thermal undies, thick curtains and the rest of it.  My neighbour has her heating on loads, including when she's out.  She's also borrowed an electric heater from me to keep her cats warm. No curtains whatsoever and doesn't bother with jumpers etc, she just turns up the heating or puts the stove on.  So she is in fuel poverty (greater percentage of her income goes on fuel) but I am not because I am frugal/careful.  Doesn't make sense or am I missing something?

elljay

Makingabobor2 said:

First time on this thread, and seems to be very informative and interesting. 
 Do any of you have much experience of that polythene type stuff that you use to insulate windows?  We put some on last year, on the glass panels of the front door into the porch.  Over the summer, the sun has mad it go a bit crinkley.  Do you know if it can be re-heated with the hairdryer to make it taut again?  Or will we have to buy some more?  Or does it still work ok even if its not taut?    TIA

I used to use that many years ago and yes, I just redid it with the hairdryer, several times actually.  As long as it isn't torn - and my children couldnt resist putting their fingers through it - it recovered.  I always removed it in the summer though.  Have just ordered some more as the children, now in their 40s, have hopefully outgrown this behaviour.  The cat and dog will probably love it though!

Laura_Elsewhere

@elljay I think it's basically that no method of categorising is going to be perfect but assessing the proportion of income that has ot be spent on fuel does a better job than most blunt instruments - obviously, you could actually gather precise data on exactly how much electricity and gas is used and the exact income and so on but that would be a huge amount of work for probably not that much difference at national or even local level. 

Yes, you and your neighbour are very different, but across a population the categorising is a reasonable balance between effort involved and results gained - not to mention that a lot of people would not be willing to tell the govt or charities about their precise electricity usage and household income, but don't mind saying "usage is in this bracket, income is in that bracket". 

London_1

perhaps folk being more mindful of the bill will help bring down global warming a bit as we will all be using less fuel

JackieO xx

MrsCD

I think the fact that we come onto this forum shows we're all trying to be careful with what we have, and I for one am grateful for like minded people, even may I say friends, who think in a similar way when those around think you're potty!

Laura_Elsewhere

London_1 said:

perhaps folk being more mindful of the bill will help bring down global warming a bit as we will all be using less fuel

JackieO xx

We live right by a primary school which has doubled in pupil numbers in the last 5-6 years and has not even got a drop-off zone, let alone anywhere safe for parents to wait to collect kids. As a result there is intermittent animosity as the school-run uses private residential parking, and the tarmac is now breaking up due to about 50 cars twice a day... and there's litter and noise and so on...

We've noticed this term, there's only about half the normal number of cars, and almost none of them are arriving early and spending 40 minutes parked with the engine running (we have asked them to turn off their engines when the fumes are going straight into our windows or onto my kitchen garden salads, but they "have" to have the engine running in order to play music other wise the children get bored waiting.... sigh...).

What was perhaps 7 out of 8 cars running their engine for 40 minutes or so is now maybe 1 or 2 out of 8... and a LOT fewer cars in general - apparently 90% of the children live within half a kilometre of the school and there are excellent footpaths and bridle-ways to it. 

So we hope that's a lasting change... 

Si_Clist

Laura_Elsewhere said:

... they "have" to have the engine running in order to play music other wise the children get bored waiting...

In the summer in this neck of the woods it's because they need to run the aircon to cool their precious little darlings, and in the winter it's because they need to keep them toastie warm - presumably so they don't go into thermal shock when they decant into a house that's 25°C throughout.

YorksLass

Our new fixed energy deal started this month and as usual I sent my readings in on the 20th.  Bill received and, even though I knew it would be higher than previously, it was still a shock to see the figures in black and white.  Think "How much?" in a strangled Yorkshire dialect.   Thanks to economising, we've used less units than this time last year but the cost is double last September.  Ouch.  I'm going to send another reading at the end of the month so the supplier will have the right starting point for the October EPG.  Our fixed deal is over the £2500 cap so I'm expecting a reduction in the DD.  If not, I'll be asking why.    

Today I took my usual weekly walk to the Co-op; spent £4-odd.  On the way there I donated two books to the Little Free Library and borrowed two for my winter reading pile.  Lovely walk there and back as it was sunny and very mild - so much so, I had to take off my jacket.  Still a fair few summer flowers around but I also I saw lots of holly/mistletoe berries, acorns and leaves beginning to change colour - autumn has arrived.

Next week is forecast to be dry but chilly here.  I have a selection of hm soups in the freezer for lunchtimes and tonight will pop a tray of hm cinnamon swirls in the oven to fill up the space while the fishcakes and oven chips are cooking.  The SC will be out tomorrow and Sunday for batch cooking of beef and pork mince from the freezer (bolognaise sauce, chilli and moussaka base).  Once that's done, I'll need to stock up on meat, chicken and fish but I can use some of the £26-odd left in this month's grocery budget for that.  

Laura_Elsewhere

@Si_Clist - yep, those two too, those two too...! 

The school run takes about 80 minutes as half of them turn up well before and half of them hang around for ages after... it does drive us up the wall a bit, and at times some nearby neighbours even had to call the police as school-parents got so aggressive... we try to keep out of any direct hassle and are just heartily glad if they are walking to school most of the time - the number of cars shot back up again when it was raining heavily one morning, suggesting it is a conscious decision.