Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is it now the norm not to.switch heatimg on / choose between heatimg amd eating?

108 replies

neesbees · 26/02/2022 22:20

Not on any benefits .
Retitired public sector. Both work.part time to top up pension .

Food prices up., petrol.etc.
A friend came to our house unexpextedly today. ( wealthy , doesnt work) I could tell she was cold and rushed to put heating on for her.
(. I wear dressing gown all.day over clothes so keep warm)
Felt mortified that she was cold in my house.
It caused me ponder.. we just cant afford the heating on much now unless we have guests for.their comfort.
As posr grad level ex.profs in public service role for 30 years we never expected to be making such.choices and often helped people in our jobs who did..and it made me wonder if how we now live is the norm now for average in the middle folk..?
Ie we make choices between heat or eat.. only put heating on when guests arrive etc..

OP posts:
Original poster
neesbees · 26/02/2022 23:06

Mrsmch123 not keen on it myself !

OP posts:
GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 26/02/2022 23:08

@Viviennemary

I have no idea what you spend your money on. I like to be warm

Well aren't you fancy. I spend my days either in front of the fire, with a hot water bottle and wearing a dressing gown.

Yes, I am freelancing but I have yet to be paid and Universal Credit won't pay me as I've declared that I'm working. But somehow the electricity company doesn't understand that.

How patronising.

I hope you enjoy your heat and food.

Original poster
neesbees · 26/02/2022 23:10

Thinking about this its not just rhe heating.. its the increase in food and fuel prices.. ie eroding standard of living ..if was just the heating then it may be more managable but the combo has its effects.

OP posts:
Original poster
neesbees · 26/02/2022 23:11

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy
Re the comment.. i know! 🤣

OP posts:
Iggly · 26/02/2022 23:12

I have no idea what you spend your money on. I like to be warm

Some people don’t have very much money.

I listened to LBC radio the other day when they had Jack Monroe on. Other people rang in to share their stories and it was heart breaking. A family with a trainee teacher as a parent, didn’t earn enough to buy food and put the heating on.

Instead of doubting, just listen and understand that actually things are shit for so many people.

NotEnoughCheese · 26/02/2022 23:17

@Viviennemary we all like to be warm 😂 what a silly comment

Ariela · 26/02/2022 23:30

We don't have the heating on much - but I am very aware that our house has forever been far far colder than other peoples. We throw on a jumper if cold. Most other people seem to swan about in a Tshirt.

hookiewookie29 · 26/02/2022 23:56

I work as a childminder so I'm at home all day. Apart from the hob and the fire, everything in my house is electric including the heating. If I need the heating on all day then I'll have it on all day. My husband has health issues which are made worse by being cold. But I refuse to sit in my own house, wearing coats, hats and dressing gowns to keep warm!

Bubblesandsqueak1 · 26/02/2022 23:57

Low income family here i have mine set at 19 if it drops below it comes on and to be fair I buy alot of reduced food so that helps keep heating on in winter but its tight

Bagelsandbrie · 27/02/2022 00:04

Low income family here - dh works full time but Ds (9) and I are on the highest rates of disability benefits. We have the heating on for 2-3 hours a day and that’s it. We can’t afford any more than that and we will probably end up further in debt than we already are when the heating prices increase as our fixed rate ends in April. I’ve currently got Ds at home 24/7 as he’s medically signed off from his specialist school with anxiety. (We are waiting to hear about a new placement) and I have chronic long term disabilities including lupus and they suspect my kidneys are failing so I’m due to have a kidney biopsy in the next couple of weeks- dh will have to take unpaid time off work to care for me and Ds, which isn’t ideal as he hasn’t been in this new job long but we have no one else to help - no other family, no friends.

We already shop at Aldi. We don’t do anything fancy. We don’t have days out. No holidays. I have £9 left of my overdraft to last till Monday when we get our next lot of tax credits.

People just do not understand what it’s like. And we are lucky we have one of us in full time work!

Northernsoullover · 27/02/2022 00:21

I said to my parents yesterday. Much as it's horrible to be so strict with the heating I know I have been heating my house too much in the past years. Ok, so we haven't really had a cold snap fortunately but I should have bought my fleece hoodie a lot sooner. I'm managing with 4 hours heating atm and it was previously on for 6 - 7 hours

MaggieMooh · 27/02/2022 00:33

We’ve all got used to having ridiculously warm houses. People have their thermostat on 22-23 degrees all the time! Mine is set to 18 degrees for 12 hours a day then it goes down to 14 degrees for the other 12 hours overnight. We’ve been advised that our combined bill will soon increase from £150 per month to £250 per month for a 4 bed house.

Luredbyapomegranate · 27/02/2022 00:59

@neesbees

Yes , we are supporting our ds as much as possible during his post grad, plus we live in a very expensive area ( prices inflated due to location.. hoilday place )
Well, if you are struggling with heating then I think you have to reduce or cut your contribution. I assume he is studying to increase his earning power, so he could take out a loan and pay it off later?

I know It might feel like a difficult conversation, but I suspect he’d be horrified to learn you are choosing to spend money on him rather than have enough for a decent standard of living. Lots of people are having to cut spending right now.

Kitkat151 · 27/02/2022 01:24

@Viviennemary

I have no idea what you spend your money on. I like to be warm.
WTF🙄. .....nasty comment .... but then you’re probably a very nasty person
Kitkat151 · 27/02/2022 01:26

I think you need to look after number 1 in these circumstances OP....I would be horrified if my MUm was going cold to support adult me...,I bet your DS would be the same

MintJulia · 27/02/2022 05:23

So you have state pension, public sector pension, plus you both work part time and you are having to choose between heating and eating.

No, you are choosing between heating and supporting another adult. That is not the same thing

FangsForTheMemory · 27/02/2022 06:01

I generally only put my heating on in the late afternoon and evening. When I'm moving about indoors, I don't feel cold.

Seymour5 · 27/02/2022 06:28

@MintJulia

So you have state pension, public sector pension, plus you both work part time and you are having to choose between heating and eating.

No, you are choosing between heating and supporting another adult. That is not the same thing

No mention of state pension anywhere bt the OP.

We are on a state pension, and I have a small occupational pension. Just enough to take us over the level for pension credit. 😐 DH is at home most of the time, and has a condition that means he feels the cold, so heating is a priority. We are fortunate that we have no mortgage, and our adult DC are financially sound, so need no help from us.

As a couple we have enough to get by, but I’m acutely aware that when there is only one of us, it will be a struggle. When our DC were growing up it took both of our wages to live. In the 80s, we were lucky to hang on to our house when interest rates were in double figures. I feel for single retirees, single parents, and households where disability and illness restricts earnings.

Polyanthus2 · 27/02/2022 06:33

I grew up in a home with one coal fire that heated the water.
So as long as that was blazing we were born.
Now everywhere has central heating throughout the house it's hard to just keep one room warm.

I would like to see advice on how much it costs to run one plug in electric heater in one room compared to heating the whole house. As surely that is the best move.

Svara · 27/02/2022 06:37

Lone parent family on a low full time income. Heating is on three hours a day at 16. Luckily we are young and healthy so we are not cold. The highest I've ever had it set to was 18, and we've adapted easily to turning it down.

I do think it has quickly become the norm this winter to not expect heating when visiting. When I have visited family members house the heating is not on in the daytime unless they are elderly.

Mirrorball2022 · 27/02/2022 06:39

Lots of people are already really struggling with that and there’s more to come sadly.

I think a lot of people who are ‘comfortable’ currently will be shocked at how our living standards are going to change/changing due to so many things increasing in price. Less holidays, take aways, meals/nights out, days out to expensive places like theme parks with the kids will often have to make way for the increasing bills.

Riseholme · 27/02/2022 06:39

@Polyanthus2

I grew up in a home with one coal fire that heated the water. So as long as that was blazing we were born. Now everywhere has central heating throughout the house it's hard to just keep one room warm.

I would like to see advice on how much it costs to run one plug in electric heater in one room compared to heating the whole house. As surely that is the best move.

I live in France and we have no central heating. Fortunately wood is quite cheap (€60 a cubic metre) and although it may not be good for my lungs I have my log burner on 12 hours a day in winter. It’s never cold in our living room and the bedroom is next door so we leave the door open to let the heat through. The kitchen is cold but I don’t mind that.
FourTeaFallOut · 27/02/2022 06:58

No. Most people aren't going cold. And most people are not choosing between heating and eating. The typical thermostat is set to 20c and most homes run their heating for 8 hours a day in the winter. But the number of homes in fuel poverty has and will further increase across the year, up to 6.5 million when the new cap kicks in.

CurtainTroubles · 27/02/2022 07:02

This reply has been deleted

Withdrawn at the user's request

UseOfWeapons · 27/02/2022 07:07

My heating comes on for an hour in the morning, and 3 hours in the evening, thermostat set to 18C for this, and 14C outside of these hours. If friends come over, they are warned it’s chilly in here, but most have a similar arrangement. They get a cuppa, a bit of cake, a cuddly blanket, and hot beanbag to snuggle up with.
I’m shopping carefully, but have noticed a huge increase in food prices, and I know my energy bills will be worrying when I have to submit meter readings in a few weeks. Just hoping I can manage to hang on until prices go down…if they ever do.

Swipe left for the next trending thread