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

Rosa_Damascena

It suddenly feels that the everyday things in life are getting very expensive...it's costing a small fortune to live a no-frills existence these days. 

What have you had to think twice about buying / reduce consumption of / or cut out altogether?

London_1

I've cut back on meat consumption, and eat a lot more veggie meals.Cut back on shopping trips to the supermarket and am running down my freezer stuff Only been to get essentials once this month and I'm pleased that I still have a good bit of my food budget cash still in my purse I have to go once more before the end of the month but I haven't a great deal to buy Using up lots of stuff in the cupboards I had forgotten about as well.  

I've also cut back on using my car as much becauseof it and the mileage this month is the lowest for ages, not even used a quarter of a tank
JackieO 

getmore4less

We bargain shop so have not really noticed yet.

M&S still doing ok on discounts.
Waitrose has got a bit stingy.

Fuel has gone up but we don't do a lot of miles

Beer is still £2 a pint.

wondercollie

Fuel has gone up roughly 50 cents a litre in the last year.   I have no real option but to drive to work.  When you need to be at work before the buses start running you don't have a lot of choice.

Rosa_Damascena

getmore4less said:

We bargain shop so have not really noticed yet.

M&S still doing ok on discounts.
Waitrose has got a bit stingy.

Fuel has gone up but we don't do a lot of miles

Beer is still £2 a pint.

I dropped by Tesco last night on my way back from work - usually shop at Lidl and Aldi - and I couldn't get over the prices of everyday stuff. The bargains were swept up in seconds, it was like watching seagulls fight over chips 

Which made me realise just how difficult it is for people to make ends meet.

YorksLass

We're keeping our heads above water but it's definitely getting harder.  With every grocery shop I see prices going up or the contents getting less and there's a distinct lack of own brand value stuff.  Tbh, I'm not sure what else we could cut down on but, if push comes to shove, then we'd have to somehow.

Fortunately, we're not fussy eaters and don't have any food allergies or specific dietary needs which makes things easier.  We've cut back on red meat and have fish/chicken more (although fish can be expensive), have more F&V and salad, use pulses to pad meals out and virtually everything we eat is cooked from scratch.  I do a meal plan every week based around what I already have in and, if there's something needed that I haven't got, can usually find a substitute.  If not, it will go on the shopping list and even then I shop around for the best value for money.  Portion control and using up LO's also come into the mix.  I use the main oven as little as possible (I have a MW, SC and air fryer) but, if I do have to use it, then I'll fill it up with hm scones, jacket spuds etc for the freezer which is my best friend for batch cooking.

Any cash left in my grocery budget at the end of the month (even if it's only a couple of pounds) gets ring-fenced and saved for emergencies.  Loose change goes into a jar and gets banked once a month too.

We keep a very close eye on how much gas/electric we use but, as pensioners at home most of the day, do need to keep warm - especially DH who is 80 and has limited mobility and emphysema.

Since retiring, we think very carefully about parting with any cash and definitely have a make-do and mend attitude.  We realise though that there are many others far worse off than we are (often through no fault of their own).  With that in mind, I always put something in the food bank collection box when I go to the SM - any donation, however small, can make a difference.  I just hope I'll always be able to do that rather than being on the receiving end.

CapricornLass

We're ok at the moment, but there is definitely less left over at the end of the month!  My food bills have gone up £10 ish a week since last year. Unfortunately I have multiple food allergies, so I can't always swap easily to cheaper alternatives..  I batch cook and cook from scratch too.  I also buy big packs of meat and split them down for the freezer, and I've done that with a whole salmon as well.  Meat portions have got smaller over the years, and OH will at least eat some vegetarian meals, so that helps too.  Keeping to a plain diet, without lots of fancy ingredients helps.
We are trying to use the car much less, and virtually never in the village, unless we are on route to somewhere else.  I am also trying to keep the use of gas down, and even use less than I did last year.  So far, I'm winning, but only just!  Like YorksLass, we are pensioners and at home most of the time

joedenise

Another pensioner couple.  We're managing at the moment but definitely stretching meals with lentils and pulses and eating more veggie meals.  As we are at home most of the time the heating is on quite a lot but have reduced the thermostat by a degree; really don't think we can reduce it further.

Food shopping is definitely more expensive and unfortunately we live quite a way from the SM so have no choice but to use the car.  Our nearest is 8 miles away but prefer to drive in the opposite direction to use Lidl and Morrisons and Sainsbugs when we stock up with beans as we like their beans better than the Lidl ones which we used to have but found they were getting more and more sauce in them so not really good value.

I use my air fryer and Remoska as much as possible as well as the microwave.  I have a SC but don't really like the way it cooks meat other than when I make things like chilli, curry or savoury mince.  Also use it veggie chilli.

I'm definitely getting worried about the increases coming up in April and then again in October as there are no fixed deals available at the moment that are worth signing up to.  Hopefully once the utility companies know what the price cap is going to be there might be some fixed price deals worth looking at but we'll have to wait and see!

Rosa_Damascena

The cost of living a basic existence is ridiculously high. I added up the regular bills, insurance etc - no great luxuries - before housing and travel costs, and consumables: it's nearly £5k, that's before you even step out of the door. Average monthly rent is over £1k, how do people on the national minimum wage manage?!

Brambling

Rosa_Damascena said:

Average monthly rent is over £1k, how do people on the national minimum wage manage?!

In many cases they don't! Average rent prices here for three bedroom house is £1550 making it impossible to save to buy and social housing as scarce as hen's teeth.  TBH I've heard trying to buy here is almost impossible too with EA only arranging open houses and some asking for sealed bids within two hours of viewing and then giving you one chance to increase your bid even if you are the highest bidder

I've worked from home since March 2020 additional household bills aren't covered by what I'm saving on petrol it's just as well I have a supply of thick woolies!  Unfortunately as a single person household some bills are always going to be the same as multiple households.

TheAble

Brambling said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Average monthly rent is over £1k, how do people on the national minimum wage manage?!

In many cases they don't! Average rent prices here for three bedroom house is £1550 making it impossible to save to buy and social housing as scarce as hen's teeth.  TBH I've heard trying to buy here is almost impossible too with EA only arranging open houses and some asking for sealed bids within two hours of viewing and then giving you one chance to increase your bid even if you are the highest bidder

When the interest cost on the same property is probably only £4k a year as well. A combination of central bank and government policy of money printing and rock bottom interest rates forcing asset prices higher and higher, it's no wonder people are struggling.