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

otb666

We were both made redundant which was a win for us in severances and DB pensions But a shame to start retirement with so much penny pinching we thought we would be more comfortable  but wit the pandemic and inflation its stay at home and feel safe mode only.  Luckily kids have done university agreed with 20k costs per child above.  We still have one at home but after eventually getting a good job we are supporting him as know he will move out as soon as he can.  I saw a programme about cost of living crisis and felt very sad for the struggles families are going through and thankful really we are not with children now Its such a crazy situation for them Glad i fixed fuel in jan til feb 24 my DD went from 80 to 120 to 185pm

Flugelhorn

Prudent said:

Pixiekazza said:

I don't think I could afford uni now - seeing how my friends' kids struggle to decide if uni is affordable and worth it is really sad. The government's expectation that parents are responsible for supporting adult children is awful. My Mum couldn't have supported me financially, and I wouldn't have expected her to. I supported myself by working, and paid rent to her during the hols. I still ended up in my student overdraft by the end of my course, and in debt to the SLC. Great way to start working life!

It is so very much tougher now. The halls in my old uni are over 50% more expensive (relative to inflation) than they were when I was at uni. Even in the mid-1980s though my dad had to contribute quite substantially to my grant. So there has been a long-standing expectation that parents will support adult children. I think his contribution was well over 50%. He hated parting with money and my mum used to swear he looked ill when he gave me the cheque for his share.  I do remember that he could claim back the tax from the government through the deed of covenant scheme. I did work through the holidays as well to contribute.

Yes parents could give money to their adult children via Deed of Covenant in the 70/80s - they had to sign up for 3 years (I think) and promise to give the money regularly - they could then claim the tax back on the money they had given. My father only had to contribute once £100 out of the £3K but still did the 3 year thing.

Spendless

Just been to a well known budget store for some cleaning supplies as we'd run out. I was shocked at the prices tbh. Items that you could always get around the £1 mark, now you were lucky if you found them for  £1.49, most were £1.99. Yes I know bicarb and white vinegar but this was at Mr S's request for a quick fix before we go away. . 

ZolaBuddy

Just heard that our one and only Chinese takeaway in the immediate area has had to close its doors for good.
Seems people are cutting back on relatively expensive takeouts.  Add to that higher heating costs for the shop means a non-profitable operation, and so they have gone out of business 

OrkneyStar

Just popping in to say thank you to those of you who replied to my question about biscuits and things which we could bring back from our trip, it's appreciated that folk took the time to reply. Our trip was good, we ended up staying off island a bit longer than initially planned (long story) but it was nice to get home and appreciate our own beds too. I hope we're all hanging in there in the tough(er) times and that folk are still finding little joys in among all the worries!

OrkneyStar

ZolaBuddy said:

Just heard that our one and only Chinese takeaway in the immediate area has had to close its doors for good.
Seems people are cutting back on relatively expensive takeouts.  Add to that higher heating costs for the shop means a non-profitable operation, and so they have gone out of business 

That's a shame, for them and customers. We rarely eat Takeaway but we do get a chippy from the mobile van - it's really cheap for what it is but I expect they will be putting their prices up soon, they'll have to I'd think. We'll still support them when we can.

joedenise

Went shopping this morning to Lidl and the UHT milk I always buy has gone up by 9p a litre and the tinned tomatoes by 3p a tin.  As I always buy at least half doz tomatoes and a doz milk it adds up!  Fortunately I have a bulk fund budget which doesn't all get used every month so at least the money is there for these rises.

These are definitely things I won't be cutting back on as they are staples - we don't use fresh milk at all now and a lot of what I cook includes tinned tomatoes.

Slinky

Thanks for the info about tinned toms joedenise, I'll chuck in a few extra tomorrow. A huge amount of what I cook has tinned toms in.

Spendless

ZolaBuddy said:

Just heard that our one and only Chinese takeaway in the immediate area has had to close its doors for good.
Seems people are cutting back on relatively expensive takeouts.  Add to that higher heating costs for the shop means a non-profitable operation, and so they have gone out of business 

I'm expecting several casualties like this, both take out and eat in places. I've not gone back to the frequency I ate out at pre pandemic. The experienced hospitality staff gone, some places still having reduced menus add in price rises and it doesn't appeal as much. 

I noticed tinned toms had gone up when I last shopped in Aldi. Can't remember by how much. I bought their cheaper version but I can tell the quality isn't as good. Maybe all right if you're throwing into a curry or chilli, but wasn't quite the same on a sausage sarnie earlier. 

[Deleted User]

We all have our ‘can’t live without’ items that is making it easier to weather this financial s... storm being created with the rising cost of living. It got me thinking, what are your top 5 items that make keeping spending low, whatever that may be on, far easier?

I’m not talking about huge things like woodburners. Just the smaller things that make a big difference. Mine are:

1. My long handled dustpan and brush. I so rarely have to hoover nowadays, thus saving electricity.
2. My heated blanket. Genuinely wouldn’t be without this now.
3. Not an item as such, but my local library. As a voracious reader this is my lifeline. Also lovely people to chat to whilst there.
4. Thick thermal socks. I wear two pairs of socks all through autumn and winter.
5. My slow cooker. Again, I couldn’t be without this now. 
6. I’ll sneak one more in - good quality washing up gloves. Makes doing the dishes (thus saving the electric from running the dishwasher) much less of a chore.

What are your essentials? Let’s give one another a boost 😊😊xx