I spent a month’s wages yesterday

[Wagnest]

Had to have some work done on my car which I’d been putting off since January.

Had to do a food shop,

Gave one of my dc £20 to help out.

That’s it - practically a month wages in one day. Most months are pretty tight already but the car issue wiped me out. It’s scary and I don’t know how people manage :(.

@Wagnest

Yes to the car parts! The mechanic showed me the pipe he was replacing - it looked like a glorified alan key and yet cost so much!

This may not be applicable to you but if your car is not in warranty currently you can use "aftermarket" parts. I took a few years off my career job and worked in a garage and was blown away by the cost difference between a genuine part and an aftermarket part. You can't use aftermarket parts if your car is in warranty as they will insist you use genuine but if you have an older car I would go for aftermarket. They are the same generally but just not made by the manufacturer and therefore costing £££'s. It could be the difference between genuine set of brake pads being £100 and an aftermarket pair costing £40. Just thought I would add that in case it helps anyone.

Its crazy atm I just had to go around aldi with the calculator on my phone so I didn't go over the £40 food shop bill for 3 of us that until I get paid next week that is my account empty due to increased bills God know how we will manage come winter also no saving left as covid knackered our finance's

@lightand

Any hints who? I just don’t understand this crypto/digital stuff enough. I have a friend who says he now retire as has been trading for last 5 years but it just doesn’t add up to me.

Do you mean authoritarian states would like crypto? As in they give each citizen just enough for their needs?

it seems to all come back to world economic forum. Plus some individuals. I dont know all the ins and outs.

crypto is not the same thing at all as digital id.

crytpo may indeed end up getting used by some governments.

But digital id is a whole other ball game. Whether crypto is used or not

A friend has 100k in crypto currency. He is highly intelligent and understands it all so well. How he makes money in it is beyond me ... He is very well off good business two cars large number of properties. Goes on holidays abroad every two months or so. How the other half live!

We were considering buying a house this/next year. Hilarious. Now our food shop has upped by £25pw in a month, our energy bill has soared despite no longer using heating, all of our bills have increased, animal food is more expensive... it's hard.

@Wagnest

I would take on an extra job if I could but current job is shift work. Makes it difficult to find anything to fit. Plus, I know this sounds pathetic, but I’m always tired as it is. I’m in my late 50’s, widowed, have 4 dc (3 of them still at home), volunteer in my spare time. I thought life might have been a bit easier by now but the opposite seems to be true,

You can't take another job because you volunteer. Err ok.

How old are DCs that live with you? Maybe time for them to step up.

[quote Bootothegoose]@latriciamcneal

I'm going to assume the condescension is not intentional in your post.

But I thought, as has EVERYONE ELSE has, that whilst we are working full time, paying our dues and living well within our means that I wouldn't have to tell my primary school aged children that if their hands are cold during the day they need to put fucking gloves on because we've already had the heating on that morning and it's not due back on until bedtime.

That's in addition to the multiple layers of clothing, socks, slippers and dressing gown we've been wearing round the house this last week and again we, we are in positions of privilege. It is so much worse up and down the country.

It's insanity and Rishi Sunak has the audacity to sit in parliament and smirk when his peers are informing him of the suffering of the people of this country.[/quote]
This exactly. We’re hard working people on good wages. I’ve had to take on a second job too and just like you, we’ve had to wear extra layers and feel cold to our bones inside our home. I’ve had to go up to DS when he’s been in bed to try to find extra blankets and a hot water bottle to make him warm enough to go to sleep. It shouldn’t be like this.

@TheRealityCheque not just because I volunteer. Because my full time job is on a shift pattern, because volunteering takes up one of my 2 days a week off - difficult to find something that fits. I have looked.

My dc help as far as they can.

This is me every month, salary goes in and it’s out again once I’ve paid everything.

It’s crazy isn’t it? All the little increases are adding up! Some of them don’t make sense though as surely people will just cancel? So the hairdresser has gone up from £35 to £48…citing gas and electric etc, fine, totally understand but I probably just won’t go now. Would it not be better to have 10 customers going regularly at £35 then 3 customers going regularly at £48? Or are there enough wealthier folk around still willing to pay that it doesn’t matter? Genuinely interested in the answer to this!

All I know is the walk in unisex barbers is always busy. £3 dry cut for my fringe and £8 full dry cut. I go monthly. Whereas £35 hair salon. Nice people but dead quiet. I have stopped going to the salon owing to price hikes in gas and electric. I have also noticed they have lost their beautician upstairs nobody hiring the room out so again lost revenue for the hair salon.

I agree, I don't know how people are supposed to cope with these ever rising costs. I'm very lucky that DH is a mechanic so we don't pay labour and can often source cheaper parts through his network but our cars are still so expensive to run with the crazy fuel costs and road tax hikes. We need the cars so no option to get rid. We've had the heating off completely for this last month. I have Raynauds so am suffering with the cold but just keep wrapped up and try to keep moving around. I can't see things improving any time soon.