Anyone else want to scream 😱 about prices

[Cupcakeicecream]

Anyone else feel like screaming 😱. The smart meter is now the enemy. I'm constantly topping up the meter. Yes it's prepayment they won't change it I've tried and tried. The budget just keeps getting tighter. It's hard to find cheap food no offers things constantly out of stock. You need a bank loan for just to buy toliet roll 🙄 I don't have the heating on constantly I try to just heat one room with a heater. Radiators are barely on an hour here and there to keep away damp. Dryer needs to be used in in emergency since the house is colder so clothes aren't drying properly. I use an airer and it's constantly raining and windy to use the washing line. Food budget is through the roof food is smaller and more expensive and always out of stock honestly what a joke.

@Applesandcarrots Illegal immigrants don't get any funds or access to services.

According to the Migration Observatory, illegal immigrants are more likely to be people who have overstayed a visa than to be people who have entered the country illegally. Other illegal immigrants are often people who have not stuck to the conditions of a visa. For example, the government may have granted them a student visa, but they have taken up employment.

So these are people who are working in the 'Black Economy' ie: people who operate entirely outside the tax and regulatory system.

Even though they do not claim any benefits they defraud the government of tax revenue and NI contributions.

Even though they do not claim any benefits they defraud the government of tax revenue and NI contributions.

They still most likely cost us less than people here who have access to services and pay nothing in.🤷🏻

Not saying I agree with overstaying etc, just pointed out that illegal immigrants don't have access to services. Contrary to popular belief.

I was priced out of Tesco and the like years ago. I already shop in Aldi, Lidl, Heron Foods etc. I already rely on value brands, yellow stickers, Olio, Good to go, community fridge etc. I already batch cook, use an air fryer and slow cooker and bulk out meals with lentils etc. I already use charity shops, Freegle etc. My little boy has had one pair of new shoes in his life and that was during lockdown when charity shops were closed. I already sit under a blanket in the evenings. I flush the toilet with bath water. What are the likes of me supposed to do? When you’re already on the breadline there’s nowhere to go. I think the only suggestion on here I haven’t tried is skipping meals. And yet I’m still aware I’m lucky and do have a roof over my head.
Desperately hoping we can get rid of the Tories as soon as possible and that Labour actually act like a left wing government unlike in 1997. They’ve got a big job on their hands though after years of Tory cock ups.

100% agree

It’s called The Company Shop, if you Google it it should come up, been around years.

@Mmarmite When things are so difficult for you, are you able to increase your hours at work, apply for a promotion, switch jobs? Could you take on bar work, waitressing, shelf stacking in the evenings/weekends? Do you have skills for a side hustle, such as selling on Etsy or eBay? Just suggesting these things as DS2 works in a cafe in addition to his main job (£15 an hour) and DD on a post uni gap year does online tutoring (£50 an hour) and Deliveroo (variable, but in the region of £30/£40 for about 3 hours in the evening and sometimes free food). I hope your situation improves for you and your little boy. 💐

Thanks thriftyhen. It’s two little boys, one still at nursery part time, and I’m a single mum so weekends and evenings aren’t possible. I do try to sell stuff on eBay but to be honest I’m shattered in the evening and can’t always bring myself to sorting through, photographing, listing etc. But I need to get back on it!

@Mmarmite eBay is good at this time of year with people buying for Christmas, so hope you can make a bit of extra cash to tide you through the winter months. x

Who says illegal migrants dont get any benefits???... the NHS is a benefit we've paid for and they haven't.
I take it if they were injured or had a health emergency, they wouldn't be left lying in the street?
Channel migrants are given a warm room, meals, healthcare (they can see a GP whereas we can't )....and spending money. Clearly a lot of benefits costing us money that could be spent on our own.The shouldn't be here and aren't invited.

I wonder if we would be treated so kindly if we invaded their countries. No! Women would have to shroud up and shut up!
Makes me sick of Southern lefty, elitists and traitor lawyers facilitating these uninvited incomers.
Look after your own first like the ex servicemen sleeping rough. This year there won't be ANY hotel rooms available to them

I'm sick of living on vegetables and lentils, I fancied something tasty for a change. I feel like I'm living in a medieval monastery with all the vegetable stews we've been having.

@miceonabranch that's fine to want to eat different things but lentils and vegetables csn be tasty. I make this a lot in winter since I found this recipe. It's a vegetarian lentil cottage pie it's really tasty and a always make two at once so we have one for thd next days dinner.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=wubJRqiapwc

That recipe is 5 or 6 ingredients and up to 20 different kinds of flavouring!

Now I'm furious! Young and not so young people are complaining about spiralling costs and how hard it is to make ends meet, and yet last night they were out there with hundreds of pounds worth of fireworks!

I rest my case!

Yup. Guy at work always complains about no money spent 300£ on fireworks, what an abs waste

@SallyB392

I live on a poor, deprived state. Let me tell you there was no reduction in last nights garden fireworks. Baffles me.

Estate rather

Well this thread has been derailed by anti-poor/immigrant rants 🙄

But I came here to say that I joined Olio, TGTG, looked in Morrisons at their grab bags. But with nut, legume, egg and soya allergies we simply can't benefit. We can eat lots and lots of cheap wheat - but most of the cheapest products also contain soya or other legumes. (I know if you're coeliac you can't have the cheap biscuits either which sucks, I'm just highlighting our particular situation)

I've bought higher welfare produce for years - including organic - but I can't stretch 400g of meat further than the 8 portions it already does in a stew or pasta sauce. I've already compromised on eg cheap ham for sandwiches, absolutely the cheapest oven chips rather than making our own carbs (but of course only on nights I'm already using the oven). I bulk out our higher welfare meat dinners with grated veg but if one more person suggests adding chickpeas, lentils or soya instead I will fucking scream because WE CAN'T.

I find myself feeding my children the protein (especially Aldi's cheapest tinned tuna or mackerel) and eating the cheap, unfulfilling carbs myself when I'm inevitably hungry.

Thanks for the info on Aria toilet rolls.

Sending hugs, I have been/am there and remember too well feeding my son then having leftovers of his or just crap to make sure he could eat all week
Be kind to yourself! You are an awesome mum and the thread de-railers just don't get it/don't care ( extreme whiff of toryness ̶o̶r̶ ̶s̶h̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶c̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶! )
keep the faith X , not easy when you are trying your best already and none of it is your fault!
Things absolutely HAVE to change and soon! X

apologies, appears my strikethrough did not work 😱

Talking about immigrants again😁
Check out our shops. Any from asian to EE, any world food type shop, can have really good value items so if you have any near, go in.
Even though the prices there are rising too, some things are still amazing value.

Is also if people have the time encourage as many of you as possible to get community fridges set up.it can take some logistics at first so needs commitment but iv e watched how they've worked and benefited and it looks fantastic each time I've seen them.
If anyone needs the links I can give them.

I chanced upon a shop in a town a few miles from where I live the other day that did fill a bag (for life type) for £3 or two for £5, meat, veg, fruit, tins the lot. Everyone welcome.
Another place saving food from land fill.

Our gas and electricity has gotten ridiculous. We have a smart prepayment meter too, and electricity has been bad for a while (£120pm, mostly due to the washing machine and dryer being on all the time), but gas over the summer was obviously cheaper as the heating was off aside from hot water (£20pm approximately). We’ve just put our heating on, a couple of hours first thing in the mornings and coming up to my DC bedtime in the evenings, and randomly for an hour here and there in the day when we’re home. I have it on quite low, just to keep the chill away, and we’re all just putting thicker layers on. This month, our gas has gone up to £118!
We’ve had the cost of living thing put onto our electricity meter (£66pm), but it’s barely making a dent. I can’t remember it being like this in the past couple of years, and we had the heating on constantly as we had a very young child. It shouldn’t be this hard.

My adult DS uses this app from time to time. The nearest one is at a local BP garage (M & S outlet) which is about two miles away. He has come back with some quite good stuff! Usually what he doesn't want, I can use for something, so nothing goes to waste.