What gives?

spinynorman

Well I think this crisis is driving me bonkers!
I bought an electric car 18 months ago, so fuel not a problem. I have my own charger but generally do much fewer miles now I’ve been working from home for the past 2 years (and beyond, now that the council I work for has closed my office and we work a ‘dispersed working model’ now) So whenever I can, I use a free charger for my car - so no petrol bills.
I’ve been researching solar panels with a battery set-up, as that was 5% VAT but now probably 0% VAT. Expect prices to go up and availability for this to go down so it’s difficult to budget for.

All my household lights are now LED. I have a cheap rate electricity period for charging the car - works from 20:30hrs so leave microwaving/cooking oven/dish washing/laundry/showering till then.  

Realised I drink lots of tea during the day and use an electric kettle for that, which costs 3 times what the gas costs per KWh, so bought a stove kettle for boiling water during the day.  Even though I have LED lighting, considering using a candle lantern and making my own candles!

Like everyone else, use trolley site to keep track of food prices and buy the cheapest available, without compromising on quality.  Going to bed earlier can also save a few pennies.

Other than that, it’s make do and mend for clothes, cut down on the everyday showering, looking to grow my own veg in the garden and might even get the gas turned off and capped to stop then charging the daily rate. Did everyone know that most companies will go on charging the day rate for gas after you ask them to terminate the service? You must ask them to either stop charging you or remove the meter and cap the gas line to get them to stop. Amazing.  Would need to find some effective heating though, so looking at wood burner - which would be a problem as I’ve had my chimneys removed, or perhaps a sealed electric oil radiator and just heat the room I’m in.  Honestly, it’s like going back to the 60’s when I was a kid and used to use paraffin heaters or later on, a gas fire and putting 2 bob into the cash meter! How times have changed.  Good luck to everyone who’s problems are more severe than mine.  I just consider myself truly lucky that I’m still in work, unlikely to be sacked at a moments notice or be bombed out by the Russians…

Tranboy

If you're going to use the oven fill it up, bake up a load of potatoes and meat then freeze what you're not eating that day. With milk I always buy filtered as it lasts so much longer so always gets used up.

JIL

I always buy the aldi filtered milk, I buy 3 or 4 at a time and store them in my garage fridge. It stops me popping out for milk that is never just milk. 

I thought it was a bit extravagant having 2 fridge freezers, but its been really helpful. I use the fridge for packed lunches, soups and salads made for work lunches.  Storing the aforementioned milk. 
And I have a couple of freezer drawers with lunch size portions of leftovers and another drawer of posh bread bought at half price and sliced, with single muffins, cakes, hot cross buns etc. 
It really does help and I think pays for itself.

Spendless

I've often suggested this on the special occasions board as a present. It prolongs the life of a razor blade. Just about every bloke I've ever met complains about the cost of blades. Price on their website is in Euros, but a quick look at amazon says they're around £25. You'd get the investment back, but as said I buy them as birthday/xmas/father's day presents for the menfolk.

https://www.razorpit.com/

I too buy Aldi filtered milk. a few at a time as I also have an additional fridge, no room for a 2nd freezer unfortunately. Using the 2nd one to put work lunches in is a good idea - thanks.  

MovingForwards

@Spendless my OH has got one similar to that and it definitely makes a difference with reusable razors. I can't remember when I last changed the blades on mine as it's still going strong. On disposables you can get another couple of uses.

I've not had my hair cut in nearly 2 years, dye it myself but make the packet last for two sessions.

I started dyeing my own brows and lashes, only mixing enough instead of loads as I always thought the salon was excessive. I pluck my brows instead of having them threaded. I was paying £25pm and not being totally happy with the results, I'm now spending £7 a year and am happy.

Veg and herbs I grow a lot of my own and am slowly mastering all year round supplies with winter hardy, freezing and storing produce. I've got fruit bushes and planted some fruit trees last year. Paid for with a mix of income and vouchers from people. The garden was the first thing we started on after buying to get it up and running.

Weekday meat is from the supermarket, weekend meat is from my local butcher on paydays.

General produce is from the supermarket, a mix of branded / non-branded, the points are saved up for Christmas.

Most of the things in our home are previously loved. My OHs family offer us first refusal on things they no longer want, we swap food items eg homegrown veg for jam.

I learned how to use the GCH timer and had that set to on / off for a few hours, whittling down in 15 minute blocks; it's now off. We only use ceiling lights in the kitchen / shower room, lounge has a lamp and main bedroom is a rechargeable reading light. Everything is switched off / unplugged at night, aside from router, freezer, fridge.

CapricornLass

The electric prices is the thing that worries me.  We converted to LED lights years ago, reduced the number of (electric)showers we take take to 1 a week with strip washes in between, run around switching off the radios/lights that my husband leaves on, and I'm trying to use the slow cooker and the microwave more as I cook a lot due to multiple food allergies.  Like everyone else, I batch cook, freeze meals and portions, and reduced the amount of meat we eat.  I grow fruit and veg in the garden and green house too.  We aren't self-sufficient, but it all adds up.  Unfortunately my husband's hobby is wood-turning, and it uses A LOT of energy. He is trying to be more mindful of what he uses, and he sells a lot of what he produces though, and he is going to upgrade his workshop so it has double glazing and thermal blinds next month, in an effort to keep it warmer.  Its already insulated.

The trouble is that it is hard to see where I can cut down further.  Neither of us have bought many new clothes at all over the past three years, mainly shoes and underwear, and we both wear our clothes to death..  We also live in a rural area, and although we are lucky to have a regular bus service (i.e., every hour) it doesn't go to where I need to go and its expensive, while the nearest train station is 10 miles away.   Hospital visits would take at least 3 hours on public transport to get there and back, with the time spent at the hospital on top.  What we are doing is piling up the things we need to get done in town, so combining hospital/shopping/meeting up with friends would be done all on the same visit.  I'm also using internet shopping far more.

The only real slack for us is to stop  entertainment activities - theatres/cinemas/pubs and restaurants. and trips out to visit places where we have to pay to get in - not that we did a lot of these things before!

Spendless

Teenage daughter also dyes and plucks her eyebrows, was no alternative during the lockdowns and she too had  previously had results she'd paid for she wasn't happy with. Buying a decent pair of tweezers for her has been well worth it. Can't do eyelashes as she suffers from blepharitis and daren't risk a reaction. I bought her some quite expensive magnetic eyelashes but she messed up so they no longer work (I suspect she didn't read the instructions!). I can't afford to replace. Once she's earning these are the sort of things she can pay for out of her own wages. 

timehastoldme

Spendless said:

I bought her some quite expensive magnetic eyelashes but she messed up so they no longer work (I suspect she didn't read the instructions!). I can't afford to replace. Once she's earning these are the sort of things she can pay for out of her own wages. 

If they have lost their magnetism they can be remagnetised by running any other magnet along them in the same direction a few times. 

Spendless

timehastoldme said:

Spendless said:

I bought her some quite expensive magnetic eyelashes but she messed up so they no longer work (I suspect she didn't read the instructions!). I can't afford to replace. Once she's earning these are the sort of things she can pay for out of her own wages. 

If they have lost their magnetism they can be remagnetised by running any other magnet along them in the same direction a few times. 

It works via magnetic eyeliner, so I'm not sure that  would work?. She cleaned them incorrectly, despite me telling her to check the company's website for dos and don'ts! 
They're from here. https://lolaslashes.co.uk/collections/all?cmp_id=9924495558&adg_id=99964149585&kwd=lolas lashes&device=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwuYWSBhByEiwAKd_n_gFf7XByXgtv7Wur89LIdP7FmmpveQLqFwlG2CVRc4vvOPDk9iz0fBoC1vMQAvD_BwE

timehastoldme

The eyeliner has something iron in it, and the magnet in the lashes attach to the iron the eyeliner, so if they're not sticking, it might be worth seeing if the magnet in the lashes still works or if the eyeliner is the bit that needs replacing.