I agree. I think the main reason the companies wanted us to have them was to save having to pay meter readers! But bringing them in was rushed and not thought through. I've lived in my house from new (8 years) and in that time I've had 3 gas meters and 2 electric meters, either because they stopped working or weren't the right sort for my provider. As for the in-home display, I've given up! Even if they work, after a couple of days you realize it's just a waste of an electric socket!

Blimey ...😳

I've seen the receipts for UK private health care, the vast majority could only afford it with insurance which will generally not cover...pre-existing conditions, genetic conditions, pregnancy & childbirth and may not cover hrt or lifelong medication like thyroxine/insulin/asthma medication etc

We do have an electric car but that’s usually only £2-3 a charge . But yes, we’re a family of 4 adults so likely a lot more usage than you !

Only because there's no broad insurance coverage. In countries where there is, risk and input is spread more evenly. Here in the UK we get the worst of both worlds - pretty awful public health and super expensive private.

I think it depends how much tax you pay.

I pay £40 in pet insurance for my two girls for vet cover. £17.50 pcm for their flea treatments and vaccinations.

I pay about £25k per annum in tax plus eye watering NI contributions. Some of that goes towards the NHS.

In addition I pay £250pcm for private health insurance because I no longer have any faith in the NHS.

My vet answers the phone promptly, can see my pets on the same day in an emergency, and are always unfailingly polite.

Doesn't this make you realise what a bargain we get with the NHS? Private medicine and private prescriptions can be astronomical.

And Vets

I really wish i could replace my modern washing machine for a twin tub, they use less water, and i could do a whole weeks worth of washing in a morning.

I live alone. If something is on I know its on and I want it on. I don't actually spend 100 a month on electricity and when the central heating isn't on, I don't spend 100 a month on both fuels together....makes me think your pre smart bill(s) must have been MASSIVE

I’ve saved 100s (about £100 a month) by having a smart meter and taking advantage of flexible day pricing .
but even without the flexible pricing I would likely have saved money as it helps you understand the high usage items . Not everyone is as interested/focussed on it as me though!

My colleague proudly boasted they’d spent £33,000 on their wedding…they’re a perfectly normal couple, but the wedding was huge. It’s just one day!

They've stopped saying it now but they used to be touted as "money saving" as though your power usage would cost less if you got one....which is of course not true....the other thing is that I looked into the small print and what they were actually saying was that having a smart meter COULD reduce your energy bill by UP TO 4% ie might not save you anything

definitely smart meters, also post warranty insurance on things like kettles washing machines etc, most subscription boxes as you only ever like 25% of it at most, funeral plans, net zero ( basically offloading our carbon footprint to some 3rd country so if instead of using North sea oil we import oil or its products the footprint is where it is mined so it helps us meet target!!!)

i don't think I have anything against smart meters themselves 9 apart from them not seemiong to work too well) but what is ridiculous is a target for every home to have one and the cost of this going on to peoples' bills.
I can't see it's at all eco to remove perfectly functioning meters and replace them with these.

£13.5 BILLION!!!!!!! it's costing

oooooo yes!!!!

Smart Meters.

I'm getting on a bit, so see through most scammy type stuff.. never been to Uni, don't run a car, (use Ubers) my jeans are George at Asda, pay my bills direct debit so I never have to be bothered with anything, downsized my house to a 20 yr old one with neat little gardens & a great heating system / insulation, won't have a smartphone so I don't get pestered, furniture is neutral colours & I love it as much as the day I bought it, some is inherited so I love that for the memories.

Never been to a gym (my worst nightmare!) I eat when I'm hungry, mainly plain stuff, most of the time, shop online as the delivery charge is cheaper than going out, & most shops (of the few that are still around) all sell the same stuff. I don't live rurally but there are many canals, rivers & parks around, you don't need to go far for a nice walk.

I've never been out of the country - which IS a slight regret - maybe too late to start now, but the UK is wonderful when we get nice weather. Kids aren't at school any more, I found that one of the most stressful things, all the letters, asking for this, that & the other. We got rid of netflix (I never liked it anyway.)

I don't iron, haven't for years. Basically, I don't do much, & that's just how I like it!

yes. I think a lot of people don't understand what the mobility benefit actually is! Its money paid as the mobility componenet of DLA for people to use as they please. They can use it to access the MOTABILITY scheme but they don't have to. https://www.motability.co.uk/how-it-works/

This is why utility ware was designed.
The 60's were the beginning of fast fashion, cheaper clothes and often poorer quality in the name of consumer economics. My folks were both capable clothing makers and when I was little my mum often made mini me copies of the latest designs, mostly so when I wandered off she could point to her own outfit and say, 'she's wearing an outfit like this.' 😁For similar reasons she made matching jumpers for all of us 😂

Our furniture was inherited, made by my grandpa or 'recycled', friends with matchy matchy furniture were scathing about our mismatching oddments...made of cedar, oak, mahogany, beech......but not fashionable.

I don't have rose tinted glasses for the past or the present.

I’m always intrigued when people complain about council tax. How else to finance local services?

I take your points but must add that motability cars are NOT 'free' to the user.
Additionally, there are strict rules about who can drive them & a mileage limit.
You pay ALL of your higher motability benefit every month (so around £400).
Most cars also require an upfront payment of some £1-4K. Not refundable.
The car can be taken back at any point if you have DWP reassessment which decides you no longer 'need' it.. At the end of the 3 years it's taken back.
It's a car leasing scheme. It is most helpful for those who need adjustments to the car (ie foot steering paddles etc) but some of these are being 'taken back' by the Govt. through rogue reassesments (if you needed steering paddles before as you have no hand grip (or no hands) how would you suddenly be 'cured'.

Some use the mobility benefit to lease a car. Others use the mobility benefit to pay for taxis, etc. What does it matter how an individual spends their mobility benefit if it means getting around is easier,?

Definitely agree about mobility cars - I drive a perfectly good 18 year old car. Why can't mobility cars be refurbished 10 year old cars (new brakes, tyres and a battery)? Why should I drive in an 18 year old car whilst paying taxes to pay for someone else to drive a new one? I accept they may need a car but they certainly don't need a new one!

Not everything in the past was good quality! People put up with it because it was a) what they could afford and b) all that was on offer.

I know my dad has told me about the horrifically cheap clothes available to buy when he was a teenager in the 60s. Cheap material, badly fitting but that's all there was. Or the shoddy furniture, not everyone could afford a quality wood table, for example, so you had the cheap stuff that you had to keep for 20 years because you couldn't afford to replace it. It wasn't about valuing quality, it was necessity of keeping what you could buy for as long as possible even if it was crap because you couldn't afford to buy again.

It's like people glamorising armed forces uniforms from WW2 - the UK uniforms were awful dross because the materials weren't there. All the stuff people wanted to get were US army uniform because that country could afford the proper material.

So maybe the glamorisation of the past is another scam. Constantly used to tell people "we did so much more with less back then, it was good quality and lasted well, young people these days are.so wasteful" when the reality isn't as rose tinted.