Is the 'credit crunch' affecting your life?

[LyraSilvertongue]

There's been so much in the news about the credit crunch, rising food, petrol and utility costs etc over the last few months.
But is it really affecting your life?
Personally I haven't seen much of a difference. I don't use the car that much and I buy lots of special offers in Sainsbury's the keep costs down.
Who's really been affected by the current state of the economy?

the rent thing- our house isn't mortgaged (their young kids inherited it, we're renting until they come of age or we move), and our landlady id lovely so rises are always proportionate.

We're lucky in some ways - about 4 years ago when the interest rates were REALLY low I suggested to dh that we got a fixed rate mortgage for the rest of the term, which we did, got a good rate, and that finishes in a year's time which will be lovely (we have crippled ourselves till then, paying it off as fast as we can). No credit cards or debts.

But our electricity/gas bills recently doubled, the food bills have shot up, and I can't afford to use the supermarket anymore. Petrol is a killer - we have a diesel car and it costs nearly £70 for a tank of petrol.

yes mercy, but if you're already in a house thats not an issue- lots of peolpe i know just get the hb paid to the, landlord never nows.

Plus, just because one of you loses a job doesn't mean there's no other income (or in our case, second job for dh) so often hb is a top up iyswim

Yeah, see, once you're in the place, you can apply for HB if you lose your job and the landlord won't know.

We're lucky enough to not be affected, but if it had happened 2 years ago we would have been significantly impacted, as we were living in London with a huge mortgage on an overly-inflated-price property.

Feel for you Riven. Have read some of your other posts, you can only do your best and you sound like a great mum x

thanks for translating exp- was feeding Bas and typing badly lol

But if you have to move home? If you only have one income?

Rent goes up each year and HB doesn't always cover the full rent where I live.

riven, I've just seen your post. I'm sorry to hear that

How old is your dd?

HB amunts vary. Here rents are quite 'low' as a national average, being far from London (South Wales) so one income likely to cut it tbh

Fortunately not struggling,but am def shopping more carefully and trying not to use the car as much.Have really noticed food and diesel going up.
Would like to move also but putting it off for now.

Message withdrawn

I think dh will hasve to up job search locally- if peyrol hots £2 it simply wouldnt add up on £20k pa for his commute. not with bridge tolls over a fiver a day as well.

the only way i feel i am currently being affected is not driving over 60mph at all, ever

a few months ago i always did motorways around 75mph ish...

i cant believe how much furtehr 1 tank of petrol is taking me byt not going above 60

i highley recommend anyone who hasnt tried it does

we have had to sell our car (an ancient jeep) for peanuts as we couldn't afford to run it anymore. Because we got bugger all for it, as no-one else could afford to run it, we have had to use the very last of our savings to get another car.
This means, I cannot afford to learn to drive, or subsequently get a car for me, thus inhibiting my power to earn any more money (my current job is walkable).

So now we have no savings.
We were hoping to move this year to a better school area - no chance of that now, so ds is destined to go to a school currently on the threatend with closure list.

As for winter and fuel bills, I don't even want to think about it....

We have downsized our lives dramatically over the past few years - there ain't much further we can go, and bugger all to show for it, now the savings have gone.

And yet I know, that compared to many we are very fortunate!

that's what I keep thinking fmf. things are tight, and will get tighter but at the end of the day we have clothes, shoe food on the table & will/can make do. Just hope DS doesn't go thru one of his shoe growth spurts again. still as you say, we're fortunate, theres always someone worse off that us.

yes it really is and it is making me feel sick

oh god yes, ds1 has gone up a shoe size in 4 months!

I cannot keep up with their appetites, either!

I've noticed food go up. Not so much fuel since we both work very, very locally. However, have taken to driving much more carefully and slowly and have noticed that so have lots of other people. Was driving at 60 on a non-busy motorway and not really being overtaken much.

We're very lucky - have no debts, no credit cards (not had them for years now) have a mortgage that could be almost paid off if re-jigged finances.

we're lucky last time was last sept but prior to that every pay day he needed a new pair.

We've relocated 3 mths ago (for DH's job) so have moved into a rental house. Our house is on the market - 8 viewings in the first 2 mths including a second viewing from the sole proceedable buyer but zilch in the last few weeks. Ironically, we had all the viewings prior to a 5% drop in the asking price which just goes to show how 'dead' the market has become. 3 of the couples were 'very interested' but had to sell their house (time wasters IMO). Will be taking it off the market and put it up for rental instead and 'ride' it out for the next 12/24 mths. Shudder to think how many others are forced to go down this route. As far as I can tell, there is still a dearth of decent unfurnished family houses for rent, at least in our experience.

Yes I can't sell my bloody house so we can't move. Well we will have to so we will be paying out for a mortagage and rent.

dp is also noticing rising diesel prices. Our shopping bill seems to have gone sky high but I am not that great at watching at what goes in the basket so it could be me.

We are also clearing all debt and when we sell the house putting the money away. Planning to save every penny we can as a secrity blanket - savings all went and some debt left over from being a SAHM. We will be renting for at least a year.