What a cheery thought for the coming winter

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UK faces its worst economic crisis in 60 years. How bad do we think it will get?

when life stiffed us and dh lost his job, we sold the house, cleared all debts and now live in rented housing. Those debts were our responsibility.

so I do not see why we should pay our taxes for someone else to get to keep their house frankly, we'd rather have liked to hang on to our own.

i believe 100% in scial security but that beggars even lily arsed liberal my belief!

the rents here are not rising; as people need to move away for work (or when they graduate- rich kids parents buy them houses) and can't sell they lease instead- so loads out tere but jobs are getting hard to come by now instead, local paper has gone from 7 pages to 1.

This isn't anything new though. I worked for the CAB a few years ago, they had people going in with thousands of pounds worth of debt and the cards kept coming. They should have said no, we all knew that but they didn't. The media and shops push so much into their faces that they just caved in. Not everyone is as strong willed as you expat. They should say no but they don't. We live in a consumer society and they joined in. Whether they could afford to or not was left until it was too late for some. I don't blame any of them for being sucked in.

exactly, JARM, almost all the 'news' about the credit crunch is about homeowners.

erm, so what about the rest of us?

i haven't noticed our bills getting any lower.

It was all about car drivers so maybe we are next on the list.

we'll be living in our car if this keeps up much .

well then xp at least you'll own your 'home'

praying for a winter warm enough to do layers over heating as windows not insulated at all so v v costly

amen to that, peachy!

dunno where all these places are where people are running round in tshirts and barefoot in winter, but they aren't in Scotland.

My plan for winter is hot water bottles, thick jumpers, wooly socks and fingerless gloves if necessary!

I am going to try my damned hardest not to put the heating on at all, or if I have to, put it on for an hour and then off again.

I plan on buying a shed load of candles over the coming weeks to use instead of lights at night (when kids in bed obviously)

I have started turning everything off at the plug at night (bar fridges and freezers) and if not in use during the day.

Wish I could get rid of the car really as it is such an expense, but with hospital/doctors appointments virtually weekly at the moment, it has to stay. Praying DH will qualify for his Mobility Supplement of his War Pension so he can get a mobility car - at least then the only cost will be fuel.... sad state of affairs when Im sat here praying for that so that we have an extra £100 a month for essentials like food, gas and electric.

'I plan on buying a shed load of candles over the coming weeks to use instead of lights at night (when kids in bed obviously)'

Get to an IKEA. I do the same thing and have never seen them as cheap in bulk as they are in there.

Ikea is 60 miles away.... but might be worth the fuel if they are dirt cheap!

they are SO cheap. they really, really are.

it's a loooonnnggg way for us, too, and we have to use a ferry, so we only go once a year.

i've got a list now, because they also have a lot of lovely, cheap as chips stuff to use as gifts for neighbours, nursery teachers, the ladies in the surgery, DD1's therapists and HV, etc.

It is all scary though...and that is for everyone... I mean everything has been more expensive here alreay, compared with other European countries...and now this, sigh!

I've been knitting fancy woolly socks to wear this winter! Everyone is going to get them for pressies too.
I already have hot water bottle. We leave the heating off at times when we would normally put it on. We put less water in the bath for the kids and try to be in the shower less (combi boiler). I have marked on our kettle the actual level for 2 mugs of hot water so we only boil as much as we need.
We are moving in a few weeks to a smaller house (our existing one is only 2bed already!) but it will be really warm cos its mega insulated and a more efficient boiler. It has a coal fire and theres a huge park and woodland just across the way so I'll send the kids out for kindling. Then huddle round that in the evenings - I've got my grans old toasting forks out ready
I only bake now if I have other stuff to put in the oven.
I get candles in our pound shop.
We are moving in October and by Xmas I will be a fully qualified Scrooge.

DanJARMouse - Ikea's only just down the road from us, and we'll be down your way next weekend again if there's anything you want picking up and bringing down.

i'm going to use the space heaters the landlords left in the loft.

have to heat the girls' room - it's damp enough in there as it is.

and our room, because we'll be sleeping with DS, a newborn baby.

riven, would you not qualify for help with heating bill...or is ther no such thing...like similar with pensioners getting help towards it...admittedly am clueless about these things...

Riven are you renting?

Are they UPVC windows, we took the facings of the frames and filled the gap between window frame and wall with expanding foam and refitted the facings after 3 days, we immediately felt a difference.

If renting your landlord should do it as not expensive to do.

that don't seem fair riven

My father is a miser doesn't believe in central heating, thinks it's healthier without. Can well remember the ice on the inside of the windows & having to dress in front of the gas fire in the living room. Brrr!

Hope it is a mild winter. If it's isn't, I do genuinely wonder if we'll have ppl dying of the cold again?

Heated, I remember that too. Also getting dressed under the covers before I got out of bed!