In my last post I mentioned that I had taken out a new fix for energy. Prices are going up on June 1st by a predicted 13%. Wow....that is going to adversely affect lots of people on a low income, isn't it. We will need to make further economies in order to reduce the bills. Our DD has increased from £97.53 to £108.03 from June 1st. As we have an old TV (at least 12 years old) I'm guessing that it's not particularly energy efficient, so we have begun to turn it off after we have watched the 6pm news and putting it back on at 9pm for the dramas we like to watch. It's never on during the day either. We either go out, do the gardening or read instead.
Some time ago, I talked about the PeakSave scheme for British Gas. We had half price electricity between 11am and 4pm on Sundays which I tried to make full use of. Was it worth the effort?
In around 18 months I have saved £55.98. Not a fortune but better in my pocket than that of British Gas. The new plan will allow me to make better use of the offer because of the longer time slot. I can begin washing earlier in the day and do things like put on the breadmaker, slow cooker, fill the oven maybe. I'll work it out.....
The washing machine insurance is also increasing in price from £7.99 to £8.99 per month from June. We toyed with the idea of cancelling it but, after checking the cost of a replacement integrated machine, it will be safer to carry on paying. I can't manage without a machine.
Although we have had a reasonable increase in our pensions this April, there's no getting away from the fact that we are on the old state pension which is less than the new rate, and so the increase is less too. A huge chunk of it has gone on increased rent already. We were also shocked by how little food we got in our recent delivery from Sainsburys, just 2 tote boxes and they were nowhere near full. It looked pathetic spread out on the worktop AND it cost £52.08 😒
I really need to evaluate what I'm spending on non-food items.....
Are you noticing a difference in outgoings too?
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Thanks for popping in. Stay safe and well wherever you happen to be,
Angie 💗
Everything costs so much more doesn't it? My supermarket shop last week was £92 for two of us. No meat with that as we use a local butcher for our meat and eggs. A lot of what I bought will last us for two weeks but I will have to top up fresh fruit and veg. We too have a lower energy deal on Sundays and overall not earth shattering but better in our pockets than the energy provider. We did have white goods insurance but when we looked at things, we had never had a reason to use it on any item going wrong and the money for them was better saved in case of emergencies, it was dead money just going to the insurers. We do think it's a bit of a con. Remember reading an article somewhere saying companies made a huge profit on these type of insurances as modem appliances don't go wrong often. Both my husband and I are slightly worse off with the new pensions as we both have Civil Service Pensions and the new State Pensions increase takes us just over the tax threshold so we have to pay tax and now worse off. Ho hum! Stay cool it's too hot for me. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteYes, Sue, you don't get much for your money these days, do you :(
DeleteIt's awful how the govt are clawing money back from pensioners who have worked, paid into pensions in order to be independent in retirement, and not be a drain on the system by claiming benefits, and now are penalised. It's unfair.
Re white goods insurance: I kind of wish we'd never taken insurance out on the washer just put money aside instead as 4 years on we would have had a savings pot for repairs.
Stay cool, Sue, it's too hot for me too!!
Food seems to have got very expensive, well everything has. As we are in a very efficient new build with solar panels our energy dd has dropped twice since we moved here. But OH filled the Fiesta up today £72 worth. We are very fortunate that OH receives a Civil Service Pension as well as our state pensions, but we are finding spending more on less. Could you change to a cheaper supermarket, although I know Sainsbury's goods are excellent. Take care. Xx
ReplyDeleteOur new build is efficient at keeping heat in but not cooling off afterwards. Some houses on the development have solar panels but, sadly, not us.
DeleteGosh, petrol is still very expensive isn't it. We are limiting journeys at the moment to conserve fuel but the excessive heat means we are not feeling deprived. It's far too hot to venture far!
Re the cheaper supermarkets: Aldi & Lidl are a bit further away and we do have to have deliveries as I can't carry heavy shopping, especially as my back has 'gone' again :(
Stay cool! xx
Our electric is going up as well, not as much as yours this year but there are raises for the coming the next few years. Like you we will be thinking of ways to save on that.
ReplyDeleteI am glad we are now getting nice enough weather to hang things outside. That should help save a bit over the summer and fall. With it being lighter out I get to have the lights off a bit more as well.
Food prices just seem to keep climbing and fuel prices are crazy high. No end in sight it seems.
God bless.
As you say, Jackie, no end in sight at the moment :0/
DeleteWe had smart meters fitted just before Christmas - not really by choice though! I've gone back to paying for what we use as the amount they wanted monthly was far more than what we paid originally, eg. They set the direct debit for £170 a month & last month our usage was £150. This is still high - there's just the 2 of us. The only thing that is putting it up is the fact that we have the hot water on all the time (not a combination boiler). We don't use the heating at all as we had a wood burner fitted 3 years ago to try and keep costs down.
ReplyDeleteWe too have a smart meter but it does make us a bit paranoid sometimes about switching things off. A DD of £170 a month does sound excessive for a household of two energy savvy people, doesn't it.
DeleteOh yes I am noticing a massive increase in outgoings at the moment, although most of it is due to the bungalow renovations, which hopefully one day this year will end ... phew!!
ReplyDeleteWhen we got 'free electric' for a few hours at a time once a week we checked on the amounts we had saved, it was literally pence, even though we dashed around like maniacs charging all battery appliances, doing washing etc etc. We decided it really wasn't worth it. When we move our solar panels will cover all our electricity needs, with hopefully, at this time of year especially, enough to sell back to the grid as well. We never take out white goods insurance, we've always found it more cost effective to have a credit card with enough of a limit on it to replace white goods when needed, and also to cover vet bills as we don't take out pet insurance either.
I wish we hadn't started paying insurance now as 4 years on we've not claimed and we would have been better off saving the money for emergencies. A bit late now I suppose :(
DeleteYay! to solar panels. I wish we had some...
When they quote prices increases for energy it's always for people who have gas and electric. No telling what the oil price will be by the time I need more - no prediction for that.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I didn't bother with the TV fee for watching the French Open tennis as all Brits are out I think. And I didn't go to the WWII day at the Heritage railway - too hot and ditto the Suffolk Show today - Saving a fortune!!
I did shopping photos to share again for the month - great excitement for food-shop-fans!
Ooh I know oil is a contentious issue, as it's so very expensive. Liquid gold....
DeleteI love shopping photos!
Hi Angela,
ReplyDeleteHow's the card making going?
I know everything seems to go up so fast.
If your appliance insurance thingy is with Domestic & General, phone them and tell them you want to cancel and you might find they will leave it as is and also fix it at that price going forward.. I've just done that with our cooker insurance.
I know its only £1 a month but it's better in your pocket than theirs!
Thanks for the tip, Kim, I might try that. Every little helps, as they say!
DeleteI did reply to your email message the other day. Did you get it?
Re the card making: I'm still going strong, 221 so far in 2026 and they are still selling faster than I can make them! My back 'went' yesterday morning so I'm a bit stuck this week. It will be a week or so before I can sit comfortably again, I daresay :( so I probably won't manage a crafting session until next week. It annoys me when my back won't let me GET ON with things...sigh...I keep taking the painkillers and hoping for the best.
How are you, Kim? Are you well? xx
Everything is so much more expensive these days. Even essentals are taking up more of the budget. It is hard sometimes to find even a small corner to cut, but still we try.
ReplyDeletePrice increases are a thing here, too, Angie. But, since my daughter moved back home, she's been helping with the bills so that helps. :)
ReplyDelete