It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

euronorris

A small respite on the energy costs side. Ofgem have announced a 17% drop in the price cap come July! 🎉🎉

ladyholly

euronorris said:

A small respite on the energy costs side. Ofgem have announced a 17% drop in the price cap come July! 🎉🎉

Very generous I dont think as wholesale prices are, I understand from the news, similar to those is 2020.

YorksLass

It won't help us as we're on a fixed rate deal, come July we'll revert back to what we signed up for.  We'll be paying slightly more than the new price cap for the unit prices but slightly less on the daily standing charges, so one will cancel out the other.  On the plus side, we'll be using less gas as the heating is off.  Electricity usage is pretty much the same every month and I can't see any scope to cut that back any more than we already have.

Our fix finishes at the end of August but, as there are no exit fees, I could potentially ask to go on the SVR before then but I think I'll wait to see what happens.  I'm not looking to change suppliers, more hoping they'll come up with a better deal - not holding my breath though!     

My brain's had a work out today coming up with a meal plan for next week, using only what I have in stock, and I've managed it.    I've been doing this all month so need to stock up again and have written a provisional shopping list.  That may well change, depending on what's in stock and what the prices are.  

sammy_kaye18

Good afternoon all

Well had a nice surprise today - for the last week or so I have been receiving messages/texts from SSE about the last voucher we had towards out gas/electric since we are on a meter - that it needed to be used soon as it was due to expire. 
This winter we have been very cautious with what we have spent. 
We have managed to stretch the vouchers and the last voucher we put on was the beginning of March and was actually the February issued voucher and when we topped up we still had £7 of credit.
So today I figured we are probably down to the last few pounds on it so I should probably put the last voucher on and make use of it before it expires and I lose it altogether. So I went to grab our card out and realised we still have £20 of credit on there. I have topped the card up anyway but as yet have not put it onto the meter. 
It seems all our hard work over winter has paid off and we aren't using as much gas now (yey!) 

Now I'm busy planning ahead for the warmer weather coming in and ways for us to stay cool.
My sister thinks I'm mental but I would rather be prepared than having to face shops etc in stupid heat.

So, First purchase was a 2.5m tilting parasol that I can use in the garden to shade our deck - firstly so it gives me and the dogs shade, secondly because I suffer horribly with prickly heat and third so if I need to I can use it as a shade for the greenhouse as well in case of a heatwave! In case anyone's interested it was £35 on Ebay with Free P+P.
Husband brought an industrial fan from his work last year so staying cool inside isn't going to be an issue,
and I must invest in another dogs water bowl and look up what I can give them as cold treats on their sticky mats that's not peanut butter! (allergies) 
Also must look into ways to keep a black guinea pig cool. 

Pollie

Sammy-Kaye, you could try the following frozen: carrots; de-rinded & de-seeded chopped watermelon or peeled, cored and de-pipped chopped apple

Longwalker

@sammy_kaye18, home bargains have pet cooling mats at 3.99 at the moment. Best get them early instead of rushing about paying silly prices. Im lifting one tomorrow. Its not hot here yet but the pug is struggling already ( mind escaping through a hedge into a field of cows didnt help )

I popped into the Chicken Factory shop on the way past today and have managed to fill two freezer drawers with a variety of chicken packs for £24 - from organic thighs to chicken fillets in BBQ sauce and a lot of things in between. A good haul, enough to keep us going in chicken meals for a month or so anyways.

You guys are lucky that you have the choice of energy suppliers, I think we have two and for me to get any cheaper then I have, it will be monthly direct debit - would save a few quid a year but we prefer to pay quarterly and have done with it . Hopefully Ill be able to switch the CH completely off soon but its still ruddy baltic here, even though today the sun is finally out 

weenancyinAmerica

@sammy_kaye18 - I use cornflour for prickly heat rashes (corn starch here in the US). It works better than the medicine the doctor tried me with.

sammy_kaye18

Pollie said:

Sammy-Kaye, you could try the following frozen: carrots; de-rinded & de-seeded chopped watermelon or peeled, cored and de-pipped chopped apple

Luckily all 3 of my dogs love carrots so those will be a hit - never thought to freeze them! 

Longwalker said:

@sammy_kaye18, home bargains have pet cooling mats at 3.99 at the moment. Best get them early instead of rushing about paying silly prices. Im lifting one tomorrow. Its not hot here yet but the pug is struggling already ( mind escaping through a hedge into a field of cows didnt help )

Oh dear! They sound like they are a little mischief! I have 3 crossbreeds (a greyhound x saluki, a lurcher x whippet and a jack russell x chihuahua) the greyhound isnt even a year old yet and already the biggest so very much has puppy energy. Thankfully he is tan and white so doesnt attract heat as much. The other 2 are black dogs though so feel it much easier. I have gotten a cream coloured parasol in hopes of reflecting heat away and laid out an old duvet on our pallet deck for them to lay on which will be shaded when the parasol is open. I also found an old bird seed tub (think its a 5kg) that Ive put outside and refill with water everyday from the hose so they have drinking water outside and then their bowl inside too. I think I might invest in a few mats though to use with them. I even said to husband that our kitchen gets a lot of shade and has a lino floor so I might just wash it every morning so its nice and cool for them to lay on. I also have white blinds to reflect heat and Im considering some of the reflective window privacy stickers. 

weenancyinAmerica said:

@sammy_kaye18 - I use cornflour for prickly heat rashes (corn starch here in the US). It works better than the medicine the doctor tried me with.

Ive never heard of that as a treatment for prickly heat. Can I ask do you put it on as a powder or make it into a paste? Willing to try anything when it gets bad! I got given a cream by the doctor which took the itch away but inflamed it and it felt horrendous then. I suffer mainly on my shoulders and chest. 

weenancyinAmerica

@sammy_kaye18 - I just powder the cornflour on with a cotton ball. 

elsien

Is using corn flour not just the same principle as using non-scented talcum powder for those that have it in?