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

London_1

Just done my first shop of the month crikey hasn't the prices shot up I just got what was needed and a few odds and ends and no need now to shop until November 

I looked at the price of the Curiosly Cinnamon cereals as its my treat now and again, but at £4.00 a box thats definitely off the menu. I could have bought it but to me its just overpriced
 Luckily I don't eat a great deal of cereal, or for that matter much in the way of breakfasts but I do like the ocassional bowl

The butter Nordland in my local Aldis is now £2.29 in September (last time I bought some ) it was £1. 79 tter I know ,but a lot cheaper luckily I don't mind the Flora 'lightest' it is the nearest taste to light butter I know and in Tesco's its on a clubcard  offer at £1.75, so I bought some of that instead.

Heck sausages have increased by £1.00, I usually treat myself to Dobbies Glocester Old Spot as two are very filling at 90% pork and make a nice meal ,so they are in Dobbies at £10.00 a pack but even if you only have one with a mixed grill they are more filling than the commercial bangers. I like a sausage to taste of a sausage not of cereal and fillers

JackieO xx

Toonie

Like you Jackie I enjoy an occasional bowl of cereal, but possibly buy two boxes a year (usually a box of wheat biscuits in winter as I like it with hot milk and something to have with cold milk at another random point) but even the own brands are becoming pricey. I'll stick with my homemade granola and yoghurt and the occasional boiled egg and soldiers.

I'm quite fond of the Aldi Specially Selected sausages which are 95% pork, last time I got them they were £2.19 for a pack of six. Lidl do a similar version which is likewise high pork content and we're having those tonight with toad in the hole, veggies, and lots of gravy. The spares go into the freezer and get used at a later date.

IrishRose12

Hope it's OK to join in with you all, I've been a long-time lurker, but definitely starting to feel the pinch now.

We're one of the few people in our area who aren't on a meter to top up electric and gas.  We get billed quarterly, but put money off each week.  Instead of the usual £10 a week we've doubled it to £20 a week on each card.
We're trying our best to keep the heat off as long as possible, but with a vulnerable pensioner in the house it goes on.  I resent the fact my mum has worked from the age of 14 to 65 years of age, and now in her 80's is afraid to put her heat on, it sickens me TBH.
We've got the electric blankets on at night and we have invested in a heated throw for downstairs for when it gets colder.  We did get some good news this week in that our Electric company announced it was dropping it's bills by 10% from next month.

Grocery wise, we have started to cut down on what we are buying purely because I begrudge paying the higher prices now.  I'm hoping it will help me not use my mouth as much and help me lose a bit of weight lol.  I can but dream!
We're eating from the cupboards and freezer more; we're finding that a big freezer shop from Iceland keeps us in good meals for a good while.  That mixed in with homemade dinners and freezing leftovers we're not doing too bad on that front.  We've a good stock of the likes of Bolognese, chicken curry, chilli, soups etc.  We're starting to see how much food waste we had before, and how it's saving us time and money in the long run. 

Regarding the cash conversation, we're a cash only household.  Always will be.  We like to see what's in our purse/wallets and if the money's not there, we don't buy. 
Cash is King.  We were listening to a friend of ours who used to own 3 shops.  They had to close, and the main reason was the costs for the use of cards. 

It also means we can keep track of our money; very, very seldom do we buy online; we prefer to go to stores and support business in the area to help keep them open. Be it the corner shop or the Primark in town, every foot in the door helps   

And as has been said, it would mean losing the tradition of car boot sales, honesty boxes, charity collections etc.
There are a few card only establishments around us now, so we don't use them anymore.  We only support businesses that accept cash. We don't like the idea of the government being able to track our spending habits etc. 

We also still have piggy banks in our house for the children, they get a weekly pay in cash, and it's put into their little piggy bank, and they enjoy counting their money every now and again and saving for certain items. For the likes of birthdays, Christmas etc money be it £5 or more in a card also excites children too. But we're not a family to encourage dependence on technology either.  There's no mobile phones or tablets here for the kids. 

Regarding the homeless issues, we don't give cash to anyone we come across, unfortunately a lot of the people we come across are drug addicts and I don't wish to encourage that addiction. 
We donate cash and items to our local homeless shelter once a month, along with food donations to the local food bank. 

RobM99

"We're eating from the cupboards and freezer more; we're finding that a big freezer shop from Iceland keeps us in good meals for a good while."

10% discount for old folk (like me) on a Tuesday at Iceland, also Food Warehouse. Take ID though (Bus pass etc). With their "£3.75 each or 2 for £6" that becomes £5.40 for two!

"We don't like the idea of the government being able to track our spending habits etc."

I'm not worried that Liz Truss might know I spent £3 on a soda and lime in a pub. If she really wants to know, I'd be happy to tell her.  Remember "Bill Gates has put chips in coronavirus vaccines to track us all?" - said people with a £1,000 phone that tracks their every move!  Plus you could open a basic account (I have) and use that when necessary, just put (say) £100 in. Having said that, some pay-at-the-pump don't accept them (worth knowing after a gig at 01:00 on a Sunday morning! You can view statements on-line (as you probably know).

I agree with the tech' thoughts though, but a mobile can be handy when out - Google Maps has been my friend more than once! (I can get lost in my own bathroom).

YorksLass

Liz Truss has today said she will implement the pensions triple lock - we'll see but I won't be holding my breath.  

We've had the first £60-odd reduction deducted from our October DD so it remains in my bank account, but I'll be ring fencing it each month and not spending it on anything else, since the Government has decided to pull back the 2-year EPG to just 6 months.  Future energy price predictions aren't looking good.

In the meantime, frugality continues.  

linz

Just been to drop off my soft plastics at the co-op and came back with 4 x Warbutons brioche buns (20p), some Jus Roll puff pastry (94p), a bag of carrots (29p) and some beef mince (£2.50). Will have home made burgers this weekend with the mince and rolls and i'll make a chicken & veg pie with the pastry and some YS chicken I already have in the freezer and some home grown potatoes for mash/chips

ladyholly

YorksLass said:

Liz Truss has today said she will implement the pensions triple lock - we'll see but I won't be holding my breath.  

We were watching PMQs today when this was announced. From Jeremy Hunts face as she said it he was not expecting it. It was  fleeting but could be seen. However as everything else has done a U turn who knows?

slm6002

I was watching for his reactions too - was almost the look of 'Oh another mess I need to get you out of' kind of look.

RobM99

He could look like a dog's bum for all I care as long as he pays up.

IrishRose12

RobM99 said:

"We're eating from the cupboards and freezer more; we're finding that a big freezer shop from Iceland keeps us in good meals for a good while."

10% discount for old folk (like me) on a Tuesday at Iceland, also Food Warehouse. Take ID though (Bus pass etc). With their "£3.75 each or 2 for £6" that becomes £5.40 for two!

"We don't like the idea of the government being able to track our spending habits etc."

I'm not worried that Liz Truss might know I spent £3 on a soda and lime in a pub. If she really wants to know, I'd be happy to tell her.  Remember "Bill Gates has put chips in coronavirus vaccines to track us all?" - said people with a £1,000 phone that tracks their every move!  Plus you could open a basic account (I have) and use that when necessary, just put (say) £100 in. Having said that, some pay-at-the-pump don't accept them (worth knowing after a gig at 01:00 on a Sunday morning! You can view statements on-line (as you probably know).

I agree with the tech' thoughts though, but a mobile can be handy when out - Google Maps has been my friend more than once! (I can get lost in my own bathroom).

I've never believed the conspiracy theories regarding the vaccines, this rubbish about chips being put into our bodies etc. We all have our vaccines, get our flu vaccines every year as we are a vulnerable family so anything to keep us healthy, safe and alive is good for us here.

I don't like being forced to do things I don't feel comfortable with, or actually I don't like being forced to do anything at all..... that includes being forced to depend on technology and the internet.

Cash has been the method of payment for generations, going back to the 30 pieces of silver and gold.  It hasn't done any harm all these years, it certainly won't do any harm for the future, I'll be using cash for as long as I'm alive.  And no, I don't want the government knowing how much I'm spending at the pub, at the petrol station or in Tesco's.  

I like to see my money, hold it in my hands and control where it is going.  No risk of cards being skimmed, accounts hacked etc.  
As for my mobile phone.... it's very rarely used; location is never turned on and it most certainly wasn't £1,000.  I can't afford those types of phones, and I don't need fancy bits and pieces.  basic and simple is all I need.  As long as the schools can contact me in an emergency, or my family can contact me while out and about that's all that matters.  The good old house phone works perfectly fine every other time. 

I also don't do online banking, all banking business is done in the bank itself, or at the post office. Money is taken out of my account once a week at either the bank branch or Post office, whichever I'm nearest to, and that money does me for the rest of the week.  Same as the OH. We're in our late 30's but cash is our payment method.  
We did try online banking but weren't fans of it.  We prefer to help keep people in jobs and prefer face to face communication instead of useless "robotic advisors" online