How you all getting on with COL?

[ACookedChicken297]

thats it really how you all getting on with col and have you changed much since col started

For me mortgage increase difficult as my salary £30k but still spending less than I earn (just!)

bump

i think you’re asking how people are coping with the continuing rise in the cost of living.

white goods are relatively cheap but food had risen in cost a lot.

we are fortunate ton have paid off our mortgage last year

Every time I go to the supermarket I do a few sharp inhales. Also going out for a meal. We don’t do it much as I just don’t think £100 plus for a family of four in a big standard chain place is reasonable.

But these places are heaving round us so clearly not everyone thinks the same as me!

yes cost of living thats what I meant thx

Living the dream 😢

We dont eat or drink out any more. Still luckier than most.
Cook a lot at home. So do DC.
I did a no buy last year, not just for cost alone. Bought very little this year too.

I went from cooking from scratch every day of the week, to having to do 2/3 frozen meals just so I could afford my shopping. So yeah - not great!

We used to eat out regularly, but don’t at all anymore.

Stopped buying treats like Pringles etc because they are too expensive.

Never buy alcohol now.

Think twice about taking the children places and look for best value.

Avoided putting the heating on during the winter. Glad it is Spring/Summer now.

my food waste is virtually zero now. We eat out less, maximise offers, have downgraded brands here and there.
For us, food is definitely the area that has increased in price the most.
ly pay hasn’t increased anywhere near inflation but
it’s been a healthy kick up the backside. I don’t feel our quality of life has reduced drastically so we are very fortunate that paying attention to detail with spending is keeping us going.

I stopped
takeaways
significantly reduced alcohol
eating out
no food waste
cheapest of all foods at supermarket
rationing heating for only coldest part of winter
disconnected ariel cancelled tv licence tv is crap anyway
on a water meter and taking short showers using little water

Horrendously but I’m a single parent so that is probably why it’s hitting so hard. About to qualify as a nurse and have just been told my placement providers are on a recruitment freeze, so after studying and working 2000+ hours unpaid, I’m unlikely to have a job at the end of it and no idea how I will make ends meet.

Depressing but this is reality for a lot of people I suppose. I wish I didn’t bother training at all

Doing OK because we have had to live as frugally as possible due to life circumstances - both now only work part time on NMW because both manual workers over the age of 60 and finding full time too much

We dont have extravagant lives and the mortgage is paid so that gives us leeway. We drink at home and take time about with friends to host. I scratch cook every meal. We dont waste food at all . We dont eat out now unless it's a brekkie or an odd cheeky KFC or if we go to the city - Wetherspoons . Use free days out, senior discounts - half price Tuesdays at the cinema - and if we are pushing the boat out and eating out - tea time or lunch specials

Its not a bad life as we have a work life balance and we do have to time to look for discounts, yellow sticker shop , travel by free piss poor PT

If we were younger, we would find it harder

We used to eat out quite regularly, have a takeaway maybe once a week. We no longer do either unless it's a special treat and if we go out with the kids I plan it either before or after lunch, or take a picnic for a day trip.

I actively avoided a lunch out with friends as I just can't justify paying so much just for 1 lunch for the 4 of us. We have also had some work done on the house we are now paying for so not able to save much of a security cushion.

Eating out has got so expensive for quite basic food - just not value for money anymore although if we do go out everywhere seems very busy

I'm a single parent with one child.

I used a 0% interest credit card to retrain and I qualified in my profession just after the cost of living crisis hit. My reason for retraining was so I'd have more money which would mean financial stability, putting money into savings each month for emergencies, and perhaps a one week holiday each year. I knew I'd easily be able to clear the balance of the credit card within the 0% period. I was so excited!

And then the cost of living crisis hit!

Then my rent went up £368 per month, yes really! The cost of my train tickets to work went up. My electric bill went up. Council tax increased. Food prices soared. I took out more credit cards. I had no choice, I needed to pay my priority bills and feed myself and my child. I earned "too much" for benefits but my rent was like a crazily high percentage of my income even though I didn't live in a particularly affluent area.

So I moved house to the cheapest place within reasonable travelling distance of my child's school and my workplace. It took ages to find somewhere as I was competing with couples and friends living together. The debts carried on accumulating.

My new rent was £100 per month cheaper but I, of course, had moving costs to pay. Plus the standard one month rent up front plus 5 weeks rent as a deposit. That had to go straight onto a credit card.

So now I have loads of credit card debt that I'm making minimum payments for because that's all I can afford, I just keep shuffling them around so each one is always 0% interest. I'm left thinking what was the fucking point?

Food prices continue to increase. I heard water bills are about to increase significantly.

What the fuck are we supposed to do? I've done all the "right" things to improve my situation, as I'm sure plenty of other people have too.

I'm so angry!

To be honest we do everything on your list except 5, 6 and 7. We eat out for special occasions.

1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 are basic common sense, even for people not affected.

I can’t believe the prices in the supermarket
We never, ever have takeaways
We have red meat once a week
I don’t buy expensive skincare, just basic stuff
If my husband is out or away I don’t make a proper dinner - I just have something like porridge with a banana.

its the mortgage and food I am finding difficult and running a cheap car all the costs for it add up

@PerkyGreenCat sounds tough i hope your situation gets better soon

Mostly I now don’t go to tescos etc - pretty much exclusively Aldi due to tescos obscene prices. Feel like I’ve been mugged if I ever do go in.

Switched my home insurance to save money, switched electric tariff to save money.

I don’t buy any clothes new as the prices are - again - outrageous. Nobodies child had a very average dress for £80. £80 !!! Genuinely disgusting.

I bought a nicer one on vinted for £8.

Other than that not a lot as I have a reasonable amount of disposable income due to low mortgage and no kids.

I feel like life is very boring now :(

The free nursery hours have helped us but with our jobs if DH gets a promotion it never feels like we have any more money. It just goes on price increases.

I'm still struggling to get my head around the new prices of food and everything really, so I'm definitely overspending thinking I have more than I do. Bus journey costs here are insane. I don't go out as much. Have a lot more debt than at the beginning but I'm resolved to start scratch cooking and taking packed lunches out soon. But that's a struggle as a single mum with ASD child to find the mental space to sort out. We probably spend more time at home than we did before just because of the cost of even grabbing a sandwich out. I've moved to a better insulated place which helps with bills.

@Welikebeingcosy yes food is crazy i feel every time i go to a shop they increase the price from when i was last there inflation in past few years has been crazy

I think we’re doing ok, lucky enough to be able to pay the mortgage off with savings when the rates started increasing, so now we’re topping those back up. Like pps we have massively reduced going out for dinner - the 4 of us went to a chain restaurant with Tescos vouchers yesterday, couldn’t believe that a 2 course meal cost £126, and nothing fancy at all! We also rarely get a takeaway. I also buy less treats in the weekly shop, but that’s probably a good thing.