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

littlemoney

Just done a price comparision on this months gas and electricity usuage based on the rates a year ago and the current price cap rate. It's a 300% increase. Ouch.

Toonie

Sadly my Christmas morning began with a trip to the emergency dentist as I had a sudden onset of severe pain and swelling in a tooth which I've been referred for root canal but my teeth are tricky so need it at a hospital. Not really what I had intended for 9am on Christmas Day. I was prescribed antibiotics and told to make an appointment if they don't help and as I'm now halfway through the course, and they've not helped I've got an appointment tomorrow with my dentist to see if there is anything she can do in the meantime. Not expenses I had planned for at the end of the year, so they gone onto my emergency credit card. As will the food shopping I'm going to buy today as I'm really struggling with chewing, so I've made a list of yoghurt, bananas, potatoes, milk, and eggs. I'm finding that anything too acidic really hurts as well, so there goes my plan for beef ragu tonight. Will instead make cottage pie. I seem to be able to tolerate cold and sweet fine (I made up a pack of strawberry jelly which I was fine with), so might buy some angel delight or some such pudding type thing.

Florenceem

Our post arrived after Mr F went out - can see an energy bill.!

Rosa_Damascena

Florenceem said:

Our post arrived after Mr F went out - can see an energy bill.!

I have no such luxuries - submitted the readings yesterday and the bill was pretty instant online, it came to £310 for 31 days. Yes we've had a couple of very cold days in December, and I know this is nowhere near the sky high bills others have faced but I have hardly used the GCH. Enlightenment came overnight when I slept downstairs like a sloth and had a vague awareness of my boiler firing up - looks like it is kicking in overnight when the temperature drops. I've been relying on the thermostat set low and insulation to keep the place temperate, which by and large it has this winter (unlike last!). Looks like I need to get to grips with the timer function, which should be simple but strangely is far from intuitive. Time to RTFM!!!

greyteam1959

Rosa_Damascena
Your boiler will have what is called a frost stat, probably set at 5 degrees C
This is a safety device that fires up your boiler when the temperatures drops below 
5 degrees C.
It is to stop your boiler & pipework freezing up.
Although you should check your timer as you suggest.

Katiehound

I got my e-bill over the holiday, when I clicked on the link it took me to... 'the waiting room' because there was at least a 5 minute wait. Looks like the internet is imitating real life. needless to say I went back much later!!

My usage is a tad more than December '21... well, it was just a teency bit colder.

Florenceem

The energy bill that arrived was a statement of how much our electric was in 2022 and the estimate for 2023 - a £3.42 difference so I am very confused - how can that be if prices have increased so much? Not had the gas details yet.

YorksLass

Florenceem said:

The energy bill that arrived was a statement of how much our electric was in 2022 and the estimate for 2023 - a £3.42 difference so I am very confused - how can that be if prices have increased so much? Not had the gas details yet.

Our electricity usage in December 2022 cost double December 2021 and we'd used slightly less units.  The gas is the killer though (ours was 3 times as much as 2022, despite being careful with its use), so I hope you're not in for a nasty shock!

This week we're due a SM delivery (based on one a fortnight) but, looking at what we have in, I'm in a mind to not bother.  There's nothing especially urgent other than fresh milk and some salad stuff so, if I get that locally, I'll not be spending very much since I'll be limited by what I can carry.  That will be a good start to the New Year.     Like many others, my aim is to spend as little as possible this month and to use up what we have.

Today I've cancelled my annual Ancestry subscription before it auto renews at the end of the week, a saving of £119.  Although I find family research interesting and absorbing, I also enjoy other pastimes and have had to prioritise in order to stay within budget.  If they come up with a special offer that fits my budget better, then I might reconsider.

I've also decanted what's left of a refill bottle of general purpose cleaner into its spray bottle so that's another item crossed off the shopping list.  And I think the washing up liquid will just about last for the rest of the month.     Only a few pennies saved but it all adds up.

Rosa_Damascena

I have had a lovely day to day, and it has cost me nothing. It was in large part because the sun was out, and it was a beautiful day for a stroll along the seafront after some exercises. The mild weather meant I could open my windows when I got back, it smells clean and fresh and now of a scented candle. I did some batch cooking on Saturday with leftover veggies, the fridge and freezer are both stuffed so it will be a while before I need to do a proper food shop. Most importantly, it means I won't have to dedicate any brain space to what I should eat for January at least. 

I did a bit of sorting and tidying up to music this afternoon, and that was highly uplifting too. I could finally put my mind to this because the stress of the last 3 months at work has now been passed onto others. This evening will be dedicated to reading and catching up on iPlayer - a BH well spent .

linz

Happy New Year all.

Well much as I love Christmas, once it's over I can't wait to get the tree put away. I also tend to get bored and once NYE arrived I tend to want to go back to normal. Stayed in all day yesterday & spent nothing (hungover lol), today I've been on a walk to the co-op, Tesco Express & Sainsburys local, all in a loop to see what YS stuff I could find. I'm finding the discounts aren't as much as they used to be - maybe the supermarkets are seeing people buying YS instead? More often than not I'm probably paying more or less what the price would have been before everything started going up. Anyway picked up a pack of diced beef shin for £2.99 which has gone in the SC with a pack of 10p mixed veg. Pork belly slices (£3.15) and turkey breast steaks (£2.83) have gone in the freezer. Receipts scanned on Shoppix.

Came back and redeemed £7.25 from Prolific which almost paid for the shopping.