General Chat

The increase in food costs is due to a number of factors. Yes, increases in fuel and transportation costs, but also grain shortages due to adverse weather - this also pushes up the cost of animal feeds. Another factor is the huge increase in planting of bio-fuel crops, taking over land that was used for food, yet another the massive demand for meat etc. from China as its economy booms and their diet becomes more 'westernised'.

Hi Anita,

You arent alone, I'm not sleeping at night for worry.

Caz xxx

Hello Anne and all others, just caught up with this thread. Interesting observations because it has taken a long time for folk to realise the cost of living. It is not sudden, but there comes a time when you think, cripes thats dear!! I'm not clever but I notice our shopping bills and when balancing at end of month, I notice our outgoings are on the increase. As most of you will know, Chris and I live in France and over the past 2/3 months the pound has been falling like a brick against the Euro and my Pension has suffered to tune of £60 this past month. I am not the only one obviously, BUT why, I thought Mr Brown had our country well budgeted. Well he bloody well says so!!
Our french baguette comes in at 250 grammes and cost 45cents in supermarket or 80cents in a bread shop, a 500 gram round loaf costs 1 euro 20 cents. Diesel costs are 1€ 20/35cents depending on where you buy it. Diesel is less cost than petrol here. We have not paid road tax on cars for the past 10/11 years, so what does the government do with all the money??
Too old to change my way of life, but to return to UK, no way , Derek in France

Someone mentioned yesterday a tip that might help the oldies,or over fifties.
It seems that there is a power supplier who will take a set amount over the year,and give the customeer all the extra power over a bad winter at no extra charge.
it might be worth people over fifty getting in touch with ,help the aged,or citizens advice for the information.
Myself ,i am tied up to british gas until april 2010 for which i am greatfull,but most of us 'ain't that lucky.Fred.

There was a thread of money-saving tips a while ago.
Can anyone find it? It might help a few folk.

Gwyn

The short reply is ,it won't,not while the power companies are feeding greedy shareholders and heads of companies with exhorbitent wages.The latest revelation that we sell cheap gas to europe over the summer because we can't store it,only to buy it back again in the winter at far higher prices only adds insult to injury.
This country now needs the peoples backing to go ahead with the new [clean] technology to again use our coal reserves with new age power stations,and go ahead with wing generators ,and water generators,that produce clean power,which will in turn make british gas ,and the others drop their prices or lose out.
No good whinging about turbines on your hillsides people ,and then complain at too high energy prices,the two just don't go together.
We have more and more turbines in our area,and you don't really notice them after a while.Fred.

I can't get over how much food has gone up, I suppose mostly due to petrol hike so delivery costs more, well that's the excuse anyway. Nearly £1.50 for a loaf of bread these days, what a scandal.
Lizx

We rarely use the tumble drier but dry washing on radiators etc. Only put enough water in the kettle to fill the cups with a bit left over to wash up cups and plates for non cooked meals, only run dishwasher every other day and run it on quick wash if no messy plates and pots. Don't leave things on stand by, except I have a habit of switching this on and leavving it while I go off and do things!

We are going to be hearing from N Power soon. because we were away all september and October last year they put our monthly payments down, but we have not been away all winter so now they will have to put them up again - we did try to tell them this!

Ann
Glos

oh my new one is not boiling the whole kettle of water because of cost and I cant lift a heavy kettle but still havent quite got it right and keep getting comments from hubby about needing a stepladder toget down to his coffee as not boiled enough water

I can remember pink parrafin used to go down the road to the shops and there was a filling bit by the petrol station put the coins in and went into the can.

The parafin heater was one with two burners on loved that heater.


Mum and dad moved out of that house a couple of years ago and never had double glazing they can beleive what a difference it makes in new house.


Pink
the number of times Steve has fallen asleep with tv on in bedroom and I have to get up and turn it off even though he is nearer the plug lol

yep , very good advise \pink, but I am guilty of leaving this thing on, when I,me off doing other things........................................

Anita, you aren't wrong babe. It is crippling a lot of people!

To save on electricity make sure you unplug everything that's not in use......... phone chargers etc. use electricity when left plugged into the mains.

Never leave anything on standby etc.

Hi Jean

I was born in 1963 but I can relate to some of what you knew as the norm......

For the first 23 years of my life at home, we had no running hot water - it all had to be heated up. We had no heating other than oil filled electric rads and a parafin heater in the bathroom - I remember having to walk from the little nursery near home with the can full of parafin ........

We had old metal framed windows which were rusting away with gaps in and the glass was cracked in many places or with tiny holes.

I can remember getting dressed for school under the bedclothes as it was too cold in my bedroom.

Finally Dad installed double glazing - central heating etc - and it was luxury - and then they sold the house and moved lolol

I got a safety guard for the fire,(with g/kids coming to stay), and wouldnt get rid of it now as its a great clothes drier!!

It is amazing how quickly the bills go up, but as a wartime child I remember how little we had then . I have so much more now, central heating, hot water, a flush toilet, radio and cassette player, cd player, television and meat any day I want it, not to forget my best gadget-the automatic washing machine. I had to bring home wood to fire the copper for washing, and we were still doing that when I got married. Oh, dont forget Running Water, what a blessing.So we dont have foreign holidays or new clothes when we dont really need them but we are so much better off than we used to be. I do not get apension as I never paid full stamp but my OH gets awar pension, which puts us alittle better off than basic so maybe thats why. Jean

Now see wot that Hayley's done to my thread lolol

gotcha so much for my Army education in the 70's ;-))))))))))))

Twizzle

Mc Anne

am still trying to teach hubby how to fold his estimates and invoices so their address shows in window of envelopes like pulling teeth at times I mean how hard is it. fold that up tpo there turn over fold that down to there and that bit over the top see simple

d x

you can put yours top right and theirs bottom left below your signature

No Twizzle

The addressee always goes on the left - think about window-envelopes :O))