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

LadyHarriet

greenbee said:

Sadly some people don’t realise that before they move to the country. We’ve had people asking the parish council to put in street lights and pavements, complaints about the lack of mains gas and drainage (which tends to come up in the house purchase process…), sheep being too noisy, tractors driving too fast (limited to 27mph on roads, they’re just big and noisy) or too late at night, mud on the roads, cows and sheep making the village smell of cow and sheep… it’s entertaining 😎 Oh, and complaints about washing on the line making the village look untidy, as well as cars parked in the centre of the village spoiling the look of it…

Amazing, isn't it, that the words LPG or Oil-fired CH don't ring a bell wrt mains gas, especially when those details, including whether drainage is mains, private, or shared, are on the estate agent's details, along with the Broadband speed! There are seven new properties that have been built in our little hamlet, with price tags in excess of £650,000 - all with ASHP & Solar, but while at one end of the hamlet, we are on mains drainage, there is none where they have been built and it is highly unlikely that it will ever arrive there, either!
The council has just turned down a planning application for five new (and distinctly UN-affordable) houses on a field in our village on the boundary of which are the livestock barns belonging to a long-standing family cattle and sheep farm. We knew that it wouldn't be long before someone who bought one of these places would want to have 'mitigation' measures in place - impacting further on our friends' livelihood, so their decision has been welcomed. What swung it was the report from the Environmental Officer who conducted 'sniff' tests and concluded it was entirely unreasonable for the applicant to claim that people buying property in the countryside would accept 'countryside smells'!

London_1

Florenceem said:

 

Frenceem said:

Thanks - I am going to Ald. tomorrow - first shopping for 16 days.

I meant to go yesterday but decided to go today I have checked out the prices between tescos and Aldis and stuff thats price matched in Tesco from Aldi's I will get in there to get my loyalty points but the stuff from aldi's if cheaper I will get first They are almost opposite each other do no extra effort to go to bothIt will be my first shop this month and I have a careful list written out of what I need and I'll stick to it if I can .

London_1

Well, done all my shopping in both stores ,and have more than enough for about three weeks at least. Bought a few extra things that wern't on the list but it saves me going ou for anything at all now bought extra fruit and veg and Leeks were on offer in Aldi's so next weeks soup will be leek and potato plus I bough a large Flora light soft marge as it almost tastes like butter and tescos off was £2.50 for a kilo instead of £3.80 so I've made a good few savings today and my baking stuff is topped up as DGS henry will be home from Uni for a few days over Easter and he loves some cake and HM biscuits. But searching around I think I've probably saved around £10-12 between the two shops, but the prices are really noticable now.Every single item has increased in price ,some only by 3-5p but the normal tin of Birds custard powder that I buy has gone up since three weeks ago from £1.25 to £1.60 in Tescos so I shall make rice puddings and semolina puds for awhile instead as I have plenty in my store cupboard. But I bought nothing for the freezer as I am determined to get it defrosted . Normal totals in first big shop of the month is around £35.00 odd but today spent £44 27 but I did stock up on a good few things for the pantry as well plus quite a bit of fruit and veg as wells hopefully it will be the other side of Easter at the least before I need anything else   

GaleSF63

greenbee said:

OrkneyStar said:

greenbee said:

OrkneyStar said:

littlemoney said:

@OrkneyStar I try to wash on days I can put the washing on the line. If the sheets stay a little longer the bed so be it. There's a good strong wind today but frequent snow snowers have made it impossible to think about doing a wash. I didn't want anything damp in the house especially as it was only 12 degrees indoors this morning and damp air feels colder.

If I go based on weather/weather forecast alone then I could probably predict what days to do more washing, and get it at least well aired (if not 100% dry) - the problem is that I live in a farming community and slurry spreading can put a spanner in the works! I know they have to do it, and I appreciate our hard working farmers, it's just that I have a sensitive nose and really cannot wear clothes or use towels, bedding etc with even a whiff of slurry on it! I often hang it out if I will be about to run it with it the minute the slurry smell appears!

Our local farmers now use the village FB group to flag up activity such as late night harvesting and slurry spreading... we have a lot of recent arrivals in the village who have tended to complain in the past about tractors, mud, smells and noise. The advance notice and information on what they're doing and why seems to have worked well. 

I don't see that happening here tbh, farmers have better things to do with their time I think! I have never complained about the farmers doing their job, just the reality that a slurry smell on my clothes, bedding etc turns my stomach. I realise it's one of the down sides of life in a beautiful place!

Sadly some people don’t realise that before they move to the country. We’ve had people asking the parish council to put in street lights and pavements, complaints about the lack of mains gas and drainage (which tends to come up in the house purchase process…), sheep being too noisy, tractors driving too fast (limited to 27mph on roads, they’re just big and noisy) or too late at night, mud on the roads, cows and sheep making the village smell of cow and sheep… it’s entertaining 😎

Oh, and complaints about washing on the line making the village look untidy, as well as cars parked in the centre of the village spoiling the look of it…

A few years ago tourists complained about a yellow car parked in a Cotswold village spoiling their photographs!

Yellow car blamed for 'photobombing' village of Bibury - BBC News

Yellow car owners join rally in support of 'ugly' car - BBC News

Onebrokelady

My friends daughter has just moved out of a development of flats that used to a hospital, they were not allowed to dry washing outside anywhere on the development,she put an air airer out on her patio once to dry baby clothes and one of the neighbours reported her 🙀

Tahlullah.H

Cat litter today has gone up 20p a bag.  The cat may have to go!!

Mothers dual fuel bill notified today - £300 per month.  Not sure how she will afford it on her pension!  Oh well, nobody is sent to prison for not paying their bills anymore.

YorksLass

We live in a block of maisonettes with a communal drying yard for our washing and, whilst I don't mind sharing it with neighbours, I do mind when light fingered so-and-so's help themselves to my stuff!  The yard is on the opposite side to our property so I can't see what's going on out there.  I now put my airer out on my patio outside my living room so I can keep an eye on it.

A tip to save on energy if you use an electric oven - if you're doing something like a casserole you can turn the oven off 10-15 mins before it's finished as the oven will hold its heat for some time (as long as you don't open the door).  I wouldn't try it with a sponge cake or Yorkshire puddings though.  

Florenceem

London_1 said:

Well, done all my shopping in both stores ,and have more than enough for about three weeks at least. Bought a few extra things that wern't on the list but it saves me going ou for anything at all now bought extra fruit and veg and Leeks were on offer in Aldi's so next weeks soup will be leek and potato plus I bough a large Flora light soft marge as it almost tastes like butter and tescos off was £2.50 for a kilo instead of £3.80 so I've made a good few savings today and my baking stuff is topped up as DGS henry will be home from Uni for a few days over Easter and he loves some cake and HM biscuits. But searching around I think I've probably saved around £10-12 between the two shops, but the prices are really noticable now.Every single item has increased in price ,some only by 3-5p but the normal tin of Birds custard powder that I buy has gone up since three weeks ago from £1.25 to £1.60 in Tescos so I shall make rice puddings and semolina puds for awhile instead as I have plenty in my store cupboard. But I bought nothing for the freezer as I am determined to get it defrosted . Normal totals in first big shop of the month is around £35.00 odd but today spent £44 27 but I did stock up on a good few things for the pantry as well plus quite a bit of fruit and veg as wells hopefully it will be the other side of Easter at the least before I need anything else   

We spent today in Ald. and apart from milk will be okay for 2 weeks now. I bought extra baking bits too. Going to do a double mix for 2 tray bakes for SA.

boultdj

Tahlullah.H said:

Oh well, nobody is sent to prison for not paying their bills anymore.

Bum! There goes my retirement plan.........

London_1

Tahlullah I think it would be a darn sight warmer there plus three meals a day, and no council tax to pay but I'd miss my family too much  

£300 .00 is an absurd amount to want for heating and thats before the next rises in October !!!