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

Actually i am very aware of the wages and welfare in Spain having Spanish family. So have been in Spain over different crisis. Everything is relative so their standard of living might Lower but so is food. There were no shortages in the town i was in.

The point was that prices have not rocketed like they have here. As explained petrol is extortionate but the government are issuing vouchers when people pay for their fuel.

Electricity is expensive they don't use a lot of gas in majority of houses, no central heating gas hobs. However it was affecting people who are running air conditioning - considered a luxury.

Costs are affecting me but my flights are rebooked from 3 cancellations so only spending money - which was cheaper than living here for a week.

I think there is more to it than just blaming a world food crisis. Brexit is having a huge impact. We all want to import cheap food as we can't produce it here. I mean chicken from Thailand!!! Our consumption simply cannot keep up with demand. These are issues driving up prices too

Their inflation is just under half of ours currently that helps

But how is it the tories fault for a global rise? How is Boris to blame for Austria and Germany considering rationing gas or America going into its fuel reserves?

It's a global issue. And one that has been helped along by Russia. You want someone to blame. Blame Putin.

Have a read of this - www.wired.co.uk/article/global-energy-crisis-price-rise-solution
Suggests that the energy price cap shouldn't be in place, as that's keeping prices high.

Some threads are saying we don't need to use heating so much .we don't have ours on atm.however some people old or poorly or just chilly mortals may need theirs to be on .it's hard with only 2 days to use an oven .I grew up before ch was a thing .when the boiler broke we had no heating for 3 weeks! Don't want that again.we seem to be going backwards atm in a way .the government has listened and the 400 pounds will help .they do need to do more though

I pay for my gas and electricity by direct debit, however, I only pay for what I've used. There was no way I was agreeing to my dd rising from £100 a month to £180 a month, especially when I was in credit. My bill was about £65 this month, so I've stuck some of the difference between that and their request for £180 into my savings account. I'd prefer it to be in my bank account rather than theirs. With the money I'm saving, it'll take some of the strain off over winter. This works for me, but I know it wouldn't work for everyone, and I'm aware that I'm in a fortunate position to be able to save some of that difference. I suppose I'm just posting in case there is someone who is paying a ridiculous amount in dds and hasn't thought about doing it this way.

In May it isn't a choice between the two. No-one is going to freeze to death, but you have to eat.

I'm not well off, but I'm not struggling either, so I know I'm fortunate. But my heating is off now, and will be off until the autumn. Yes it can get chilly, but it's perfectly possible to put more clothes on.

In Mumsnet world there are people who think showering twice a day is normal and it's minging if you don't wash your towels every time you use them. I didn't grow up in a world like that. We couldn't afford to have baths every day (and it wasn't the norm anyway) and central heating was a luxury. Im not saying we should go back to that world, but there's a balance somewhere in the middle.

Thanks for the recommendation @Normando91 - I will check it out.

No, because it’s May!?

It's 12°c where I am right now in the North East. Don't have the heating on but the house is chilly! My mum has hers on for a bit this morning because she's disabled and really feels the cold (and no, adding more layers doesn't help her!)

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

Bully for you. Depends on where you live. It’s been freezing here.

We had snow in April this year! It's been very chilly.

If you're genuinely in a position of having to decide between heating and eating, having the heating on in late May wouldn't even be a consideration, surely? You'd use blankets/layers and feed yourself and your family?

We don't struggle financially but we haven't had the heating on since the end of March as it's just too expensive to justify - I don't say that to be competitively cold or frugal, though I'm sure I'll be jumped on for it anyway 😉

Obviously the current prices are ridiculous but even when they were much more affordable, I've honestly never lived in a house where the heating has been on past March/April time. Growing up I was just told to put on a jumper or use a hot water bottle if I was cold and the heating wasn't on! Isn't that normal? lol.

I mean, it feel cold but you're not going to freeze to death in the UK in May because you can't afford the heating. Surely it's common sense to prioritise having the heating on in winter?

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

We haven’t had the heating on for ages

I think our government have failed to invest in renewables, and got rid of our gas storage, which was shortsighted. They have failed to address stagnant wages.Austerity was a mistake, and labours manifesto of investment and green new deal would have put us in a much better place.

food prices are definitely rising in Paris. Dunno about comparative speed compared to the UK but our food was always a lot more expensive. I can't get over how cheap food is when I come back to the UK.

Ive noticed rising prices for: bread, milk, butter, flour, yogurt, cereals, pasta

Yes, I noticed cost of food when I lived there. It was really offset by much lower property taxes, fuel and car insurance for us, though.

I cannot fathom heating on in almost June. There's really no need.

And before I get jumped on, I am in North Scotland with a house fronting the north sea so pretty high up the cold stakes. We have our windows open too

There is a lot the Tories could & should do. What they have done this week is just to stop us talking about their criminality.

I think this is very true. You see threads on here about people washing (and no doubt tumble drying) towels after one single use, or showering multiple times a day which is entirely unnecessary and horrific for the environment. It will also become exceptionally expensive, so people will need to reset their expectations about what is 'reasonable'

I live in Spain. The food price raises are steep BUT the government has stepped in on gas, electricity and fuel with realistic cap to help the population. That's the difference.

I’m always astounded by people who turn their heating off by date. My heating is on a thermostat. I set it to around 18/20 and it comes on automatically if it needs to maintain that temperature, whether it’s June or January. This is the UK, we have absurdly erratic weather and everyone knows it!

But y’all use a calendar? That’s….illogical!

Yes, I have reduced my heating so we can still eat. I have also reduced my food intake in both quality and quantity so we can still have some heat. It sucks. And while it is a global problem, the Tory government are managing fairly poorly, because they care about money more than people.

I cannot fathom heating on in almost June. There's really no need

Again it depends on where you live. I’ve worn gloves in July and known it snow in June. 1976 l think.

@Pollydonia thank you, I can see how easing costs elsewhere helps with food prices.

@luckylavender
Agree 100%