Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Choosing between heating and eating

145 replies

Hunger1987 · 27/05/2022 21:23

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

OP posts:
Villagewaspbyke · 28/05/2022 22:39

Hunger1987 · 27/05/2022 21:43

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

The price has gone up due to global demand issues. While we might all want to be able to just have whatever we want all the time, that’s not real life.

Villagewaspbyke · 28/05/2022 22:44

CupidStunt22 · 28/05/2022 22:07

Then you're not one of the people choosing between heating and eating are you?

Show quote history

Yeah absolutely. No one in the uk who is genuinely poor is putting heating on in June.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 28/05/2022 22:52

Yeah absolutely. No one in the uk who is genuinely poor is putting heating on in June.

FFS, I was replying to a comment about putting the heating on. I have not claimed to be poor (and I’m not saying I’m rich before I’m jumped on for that, I’m definitely not!) and it’s not a regular occurrence!

Antarcticant · 28/05/2022 22:59

Yeah absolutely. No one in the uk who is genuinely poor is putting heating on in June.

It's May, not June. Some parts of the UK have a low of 4 degrees tonight.

For the record, my heating is off and I'm huddled beneath dressing gown, 2 fluffy blankets and my nice warm cats.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 28/05/2022 23:02

Now if I had a cat who would sit on me I wouldn’t have to put the heating on @Antarcticant!

Antarcticant · 28/05/2022 23:24

Keeping the Dreamies in the coffee table drawer has a very positive influence on their choice of relaxation place, @PinkSparklyPussyCat Grin

Ameliarosethistle · 28/05/2022 23:48

Being adequately warm to prevent flare-ups of arthritis etc. is not a luxury, no matter what people say. We live in an incredibly wealthy country and people shouldn't have to be cold.

Antarcticant · 02/06/2022 11:07

@Normando91 Just wanted to update that I got one and you are absolutely right. It's cooking stuff in less than half the time of our oven and at a much lower overall wattage!

Malissa · 25/05/2023 17:50

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ as spam.

Tinkerbyebye · 25/05/2023 18:20

Oo look another bash the Tory thread from an op who obviously doesn’t understand global issues

BakewellGin1 · 25/05/2023 18:22

Not at the moment I'm not no. Turned heating off beginning of March and it won't go back on until October.

I'm stocking up on tins, rice, pasta etc during Summer ready for winter.

Littlebluebellwoods · 25/05/2023 18:25

The fuel increase is global and the French pay a shit ton more tax. So can do caps. It isn’t the tories fault. The same issue would exist under any other government

BungleandGeorge · 25/05/2023 18:40

If it was January you may have a point but it’s the end of May and the temp in Edinburgh is a high of 19 and low of 8 today! Nobody should have their heating on so no need to choose between heat or eat

Throwncrumbs · 25/05/2023 18:44

Smart phone or food….hmmmm!

flapjackfairy · 25/05/2023 18:49

this thread is a year old !

DontEatCheeseSandwiches · 25/05/2023 19:09

I think some of the problem with the cost of gas is that the current government shut down the UK's gas storage based in the North Sea due to costs to repair, which used to store up to 70% of our gas and so we could buy when the price was low and buy enough for several months. Now we only have storage for a couple of days worth and have to buy frequently at a higher price, coupled with unforseen events like war in the Ukraine. So electricity is higher too.

I've cut back on gas to the point that I only shower once or twice a week, and it's tricky getting my boys in the shower, so that works well currently! I use a halogen worktop cooker thing, switch stuff on standby, sit in the dark or use a torch, boil the kettle once and put the rest of the water in a flask. Other than turning off my fridge and freezer and games consoles in the evening, there's nowhere else to cut back. Well, to be fair, I have thought about just doing cold food over the summer...

I'm on low pay self employed - every time the interest goes up it's like another nail in my micro biz coffin. I've started looking for an employed job but I've been working for myself for so long, I can't get a work reference, which is proving problematic. I'm struggling now. Caught between a rock and a hard place currently, which I'm sure alot of other people are in.

tuvamoodyson · 25/05/2023 19:31

peachgreen · 27/05/2022 23:10

Embarrassing amount of Tory defenders on this thread. Yikes.

Just different opinions 🤷‍♀️

tuvamoodyson · 25/05/2023 19:37

Minimalme · 28/05/2022 07:32

I never put my heating on, cook over a candle, sleep in coats and visit the local library if we feel hypothermia setting in.

Do I win?

No…I don’t have a candle.

mauveiscurious · 26/05/2023 13:44

Hunger1987 · 27/05/2022 21:36

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

Germany has plunged into recession, France economy is a basket case. Food was very expensive there last week.

The whole of the developed world is feeling inflation.

This is not just a UK problem

Let's not forget Labour's Liam Byrne's note "There's no money left"

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread