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

@redstar I know that insurance differs from state to state in America and Canada. Here car insurance throughout Britain is based on the person and their age, the type of vehicle they drive, it's age and engine capacity. I'm not sure whether the insurance differs in accordance with emissions, or whether people that own electric vehicles pay less. No doubt someone here will put me right on that.

It is a legal requirement in Britain to have a vehicle inspection, what we call an MoT (Ministry of Transport) inspection, once a vehicle reaches three years old and every year after that. The only exception I know about regarding this inspection is the Isle of Man where I used to live.

 

@Sheal As far as vehicle inspection----brand new ones have to be inspected. We just got another car, brand new, a month out we had to get the "sticker" for the window. Guess I should not say "just got" its two years old now.
Yep, as husband and I aged , I was on the phone with the insurance company, getting anything off I could. We have "fleet insurance" because we have so many cars (don't ask) But our show car is under a special car insurance different than our "regular" cars.

Anyway, Yes, I am sure that the configurations of cost with insurance would be on some type of grid. For Example---- A 26 year old male buying a $100,000 corvette, would be different to insurance than an 73 year old female buying a $100.000 corvette. given both are same engine etc.
My car I drive is going on 19 years old, still works, gets me to the store and back , does well with snow. But, in an accident if it was really bad, it would be considered nothing. But I love my car, no one will steal it, LOL. And its just right for me to get around . My insurance it the bottom line cheapest now, hardly driving it, just 5 miles or so daily.

 

Haven't turned the CH off yet. Have you ?
Jenny namaste

 

We don't have central heating. It's been broken since we moved in 13 years ago. I keep planning to have it ripped out but other priorities keep getting in the way.

We have far infrared heating panels instead. They're basically super efficient electric heaters that work by heating up solid things like walls, furniture and people, rather than heating the air for it to just go up to the ceiling. We've had them for two or three years now, and having experienced them, I'd never go back to expensive, inefficient conventional heating.

 

@Jenny namaste mine is still running and I have no plans for turning it off in the near future. I refuse to be cold all the time. I do wear a light fleece jacket indoors to help. I have a very good thermostat which is programmed to turn the heat down low during the sleeping hours and times when I'm active because moving about keeps me toasty. Our temperatures are below seasonal averages and have been so for some weeks and that is adding to the cost of keeping comfortable.

 

Just Rayburn running and thats for cooking + a little heat
Log burn out a week ago + oil burner (EFEL) for heat went out 1 month ago but you can put some pans on top to cook if we wish

Curd oil is coming down but it's slowly coming down at the pumps, heating oil has come down alot also

 

My heating goes on & off when I feel cold/warm, whatever the cost I'm not going to feel cold.

 

I wish I could afford that option. It is a case of heating or feeding.

 

We have underfloor heating which we love as you don't get any cold spots. It is thermostatically controlled which means when our log burning stove is on it doesn't need to come on much. We mostly get free wood to burn so free heating, it also has an oven and hob so free cooking.

 

You have a car, I can't afford to have one now.

 

I mostly sit in my conservatory and I've only got one radiator in there still working, the others in the house are now all turned off.

I just turn that one on in the evenings by turning up the thermostat, the system I have is pretty old and I mostly use the thermostat as an on off switch.

 

The RAC and other motoring organisations are all saying we are being ripped off at the pumps, especially diesel, they reckon diesel should be averaging about 143.9p. My peat supplier from Ireland came to see me yesterday, he said 140.9p was the best he had seen in Ireland but the cheapest he seen traveling from Stranraer to West Cumbria was 155.9p

Crude oil was $69.35 today, in early May 2021 it was $65, according to the RAC in early May 2021 the average price for petrol was, 127.9 & Diesel was 129.9
GBP to USD is trading 10% less than it was 2 years ago but when you take in to account the 5p reduction in fuel duty, that off sets some of that.

Costco are 133.9 for petrol and 139.9 for diesel at their warehouse stores, so why aren't the big supermarkets matching them?

 

Shells profit up again