Choosing between heating and eating

[Hunger1987]

What a terrible government induced state we find ourselves in.

we have turned our heat off and hoping that until September we won’t need to turn it on again.

are you choosing right now between heating or eating? It’s a bloody disgrace

I don't understand. There is a global fuel and food crisis so, awful as the Tories are, this isn't their fault. It's warm so no heating is needed at the moment anyway, it's an environmentally damaging waste of energy. And speaking as someone in poverty it's never a choice between heating and eating but a compromise between the two.

Kind of not the point but I don’t get why your heating is on in late May. We don’t have our heating on April-October.

rainyskylight mine has been on today. I'm in Scotland and it's really cold and windy.

This!

Why the f are you needing your heating on?? Even the Scottish highlands are reasonable right now.

I mean this with the utmost respect but it is their (the tories) fault. France has capped the rise in energy costs at 4%. Even if we could manage 20% that would be better than the 40-50% people are experimenting. Don’t let them off the hook.

amp.theguardian.com/business/2022/jan/14/france-edf-cap-household-energy-bills

Oh I dunno, we lit our log burner yesterday as I was super cold even in a big jumper doing housework..

We always had a rule that heating went off at Easter or 1st April if Easter was late them turned back on at Halloween
now I’m not quite as strict but it’s nearly June!!!

All the heating saving tips are fine but this is not a race to the bottom. If my house is cold then I should be able to put the heating on without anxiety about incurring a 50% plus bill

Its not really a choice, you can live without heat but not without food

Things are going to be very difficult for many people but this particular question you can ask in September.

We rarely have our heating in from may to sept anyway as it doesn't generally get cold enough
There is a worldwide issue with prices its not exclusive to this country
And some countries may of capped but you have to look at the bigger picture such as average wages , what was there price anyway , do they have a welfare system
Plus we are getting some money towards which brings the percentage down
No we aren't choosing between eating and heating just cutting non essentials out

We rarely have our heating on in April (never in May and we'll string it out as late as we can in October) to save cutting back on bills, nothing to do with the Tories. At the moment it's warm, so unless you've got a medical condition or are in an exposed area, it seems an extragance to have it on, so shouldn't be deciding between heating and food. We are low users though, partly due to past life, and I have to say I really don't envy some going into late November/December.

The energy picture in France isn't quite as rosy as the 4% price cap would seem to show www.google.com/amp/s/reneweconomy.com.au/france-pays-the-steep-cost-of-inflexible-and-ageing-nuclear-as-electricity-prices-soar/amp/

I think there's a whole generation of grown ups right now (myself included) who have just fully realised that having the heating on luxury. Having hot water for a bath or shower 1-2x a day, is a luxury. Running the tumble dryer regularly is a luxury. It has become our societal norm to heat our homes hotter than it is outside 10+ months a year, always have hot water on tap and live to a certain level of 'hygiene' that is unsustainable without incurring an unaffordable energy bill as a result. Societal norms will shift, maybe not back to a weekly bath for the whole family to share and ice on the inside of the windows, but it will change.

If you are literally at a point where you are choosing between 'eating and heating', I'm intrigued to know how you are posting on mumsnet? Surely if you're so poor you can't afford food then you also can't afford wifi and a device through which to access it?

Unless of course you're not actually starving and this is just a poorly concealed Tory bashing thread...? 🤔

I’m mean, I always turn my heating off early April and won’t turn it on again until at least October, maybe November. Energy prices suck, but at this time of year you shouldn’t need the heating on.

@Obbydoo Quite.

I don't understand this. Second hand phones are a one off expense, say £40, and you can tether your phone with a cheap contract, under £20 per month. Some kind of internet is close to necessary, these days, for banking, job hunting and applying for benefits - so it's not really a luxury. Costs of food and heating are quite a bit higher than £20 a month at the moment.

I pay £10 a month for my phone with more than enough data to use mumsnet. Its an old phone, no longer in contract. I guess if I was really unable to buy food I could save myself that £10 a month but on this day and age, its not really an option to not have a phone at all

Surely if you're so poor you can't afford food then you also can't afford wifi and a device through which to access it?

Internet is an essential these days - universal credit is administered online, kids homework is handed out online, lots of people are wfh...etc etc.

See i don't get this global crisis i have just returned from Spain and could get everything. Things have gone up there but nothing like here. Electric is but has always been expensive and they are receiving help from the government with petrol

I'm in the scottish borders and was cold enough to put the heating on today.

Do you think I should be cold and exasperate my neurological condition? Burn/cut myself doing everyday mum things? Nah, thought not. Judge yourself, not others.

I use this rule also.

Oh, stop with this. Internet is an absolute necessity these days, especially for anyone who claims benefits as it all has to be done online, or anyone who has kids.

And the Tories deserve a fucking bashing 24/7.

That's interesting @Onthedowns . I wonder why we are so hit by price rises here and they are less affected in Spain. Food prices, fuel, energy, council tax all going up hugely here.