The cost of living... what can we do?

I think you will find a microwave uses more power than a kettle. Both require the same amount of energy to heat the water but the microwave also has a light and a rotating motor-driven plate plus less efficient circuitry.

 

Although the microwave comes in handy if you forget about your brew and it goes cold.

 

If I use the electric clothes washer I want hot water for denims and towels so I run the faucet next to the washer, into a flower pot until the hot comes through. I do the same with the dishwasher. Both machines have electric water heaters in them and since my water heater is gas, it works out cheaper this way.

I also use a foot operated clothes washer for small loads.

My sun oven uses zero electricity and replaces my slow cooker. Everything outside other than a radio is power by solar panels.

I hate baths and always shower so I didn't sacrifice anything to save there.

I'm always looking for items on sale or clearance. I had to drastically reduce my meat intake. Far too expensive!

I think my biggest gardening savings this year will be recycling my potting soil, collecting seeds and overwintering tubers, rhizomes, bulbs, well, anything I can get my hands on.

 

Join a local authority subsidised gym. They're open from early in the morning til quite late at night, they're heated, they have showers and toilets, and it's only about 50 quid per month. Just go there all day use the house just for eating and sleeping in.

I could be joking, or I could be serious. I'll let you all decide which it is.

 

Take advantage of the supermarkets discounts for orders placed online for new customers.
Sainsbury's £15 off a £60 spend for example, Tesco did have a £10 off on a £40 spend but it was click and collect and was for new and existing customers. I know people who have used these codes numerous times by having multiple email accounts, Maybe worthwhile registering to one of these voucher code sites.

VoucherCodes - Exclusive Discount Codes & Vouchers

I rarely use our local Morrison's now, but if I do it tends to be later in the day, all the cooked meats and other perishables are priced down. I always shop by units, so when I see 500g of Lurpak at £4.50 and 750g at £5.25, then you know what goes in the basket. Supermarket's have a habit of changing there layout, that is designed so you end up spending more trying to find what your actually wanted. Eye level, means buy level, this is where the supermarkets make the biggest mark ups. Discount and lower mark up goods tend to be on the bottom or upper shelves.

When I have to take my daughter to Newcastle hospital for one of her check ups, I always check out the market for groceries, some good buys to be had. When we were there in July 3 x 400g punnets of strawberries for a £1

 

I hope you're joking Clueless. Even if I wanted to use a gym £50 a month is a lot of money for a pensioner. Then there's the cost of fuel for the 28 mile round trip every day. Also, abandoning the house means no housework, no diy and no gardening being done. It's cheaper to stay at home.

 

This puts the dampers on the governments push for electric cars. The initial cost of the cars are out of most peoples range and now with the electricity price rise, I can see sales dropping.

 

Agree, I did and posted a calculation on what it cost me for a round trip to Newcastle in April. If memory serves me right it cost me about £28 something for a 208 mile round trip, was just over 18L of fuel. We are 1.599 for unleaded x 18L = £28.78 divided by 208 miles = 0.138p per mile. Now if electric is going to cost 0.52p per kWh and you get 4mile to the KWh = 0.13p per mile, parity.

I doubt there will be any free charge points in the not to distant future, but they will still feed us with EV's are cheaper and sales of EV's continue to rise.

 

You're funding electric cars for people that can afford them. As an I. As is everyone else. Some electric companies offer special tariffs for people that have electric cars. Some of the tariffs, when I last checked, were as low as 8 pence per kWh. I've just jumped on a new fixed tariff, at 59.9 pence per unit. Over 7 times as much as for electric car owners. Some places allow charging for free. The energy companies aren't giving away free electricity. Guess who pays for that.

Basically, those of us that can't afford to fork out 40k for an electric car are subsidising those that can.

EDIT. I stand corrected. I've just checked again. Octopus with their Tesla tariff is 45p, still a lot less than the 59.9p which is the best deal I could get.

 

Always used to be the public library on cold days and you could sleep. Not sure there are any left though.

 

Just a thought and mainly for winter: if you use a cooker or any electrical item the waste energy is as low grade heat which goes to heating the general house there by reducing heating system usage.