How is the cost of living crisis affecting you?

[BristolEcho]

I thought this deserved its own thread. Things are really starting to feel tight at the moment. We are lucky as recent job changes have seen my wage increase, and we managed to save during the lockdown, but my partner is unwell so is on PIP and ESA.

Got a letter today to say that our rent is going up by £50 p/m taking it up to £800 for a one bedroom flat with garden. Our landlord is kind of okay and we were expecting a rise, but it's obviously a lot. On top of this we have definitely noticed our shopping is going up pretty quickly along with the energy prices. Lots of other things expected to go up too in the coming months.

Must admit I'm getting a bit concerned about the future and we'd be utterly fucked if I was still on minimum wage. I'm not really sure we will be able to continue living in Bristol if the rents keep going up, but as we don't drive it will be hard to move outside as all my work is done in the community.

 

[danny la rouge]

Yup. I’ve just looked through the weekly shop and it’s a 25% increase on this time last year, and that had already risen on the previous.

Gas and electric bills rocketing. 125% increase on this time last year.

Petrol soaring.

Wages? Not so much.

Christ, it’s grim.

 

[Looby]

We’re quite worried. We’ve overstretched ourselves so we’re in a worse position than we need to be.
Our rent has just gone up 30 quid a month. It’s been the same and below market rate for many years so it’s fine to go up but awful timing.

Not quite sure what the impact on our gas and electric will be because our fixed rate has just finished but it won’t be good. Feels like a bad time to be permanently home based.

I’m also paying back a tax underpayment next year so that’s another 60 quid a month down.

Things could get sticky and I might have to think about a second job.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Just got a fresh council tax bill. Somehow, despite Sunak giving us all a discount, it has gone up.

Broadband up, electric up, petrol up, food up, wages still shit. There will be a lot of near-identical posts on this thread no doubt

 

[Elpenor]

I’ve not really chosen the best time to halve my wages by going down a few levels but I’ve done it for the right reasons.

At the moment balancing the books each month is tricky. I have decided to use my Nectar points to pay for petrol and shopping to give me a breather for a bit. I’m hoping to buy a house later this year which will mean my mortgage is half my rent. That will help a lot if it comes off as will my job going permanent and getting sick pay etc.

My rent is quite cheap but for the area but still 40% of wages, once I factor in the other direct debit bills I’m left with 30% of my pay.

Feel exceptionally grateful my electricity is fixed until April 2023. My car is 13 years old but I hope it can keep going for at least 5 more years as it’s still quite low mileage.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I thought this deserved its own thread. Things are really starting to feel tight at the moment. We are lucky as recent job changes have seen my wage increase, and we managed to save during the lockdown, but my partner is unwell so is on PIP and ESA.

Got a letter today to say that our rent is going up by £50 p/m taking it up to £800 for a one bedroom flat with garden. Our landlord is kind of okay and we were expecting a rise, but it's obviously a lot. On top of this we have definitely noticed our shopping is going up pretty quickly along with the energy prices. Lots of other things expected to go up too in the coming months.

Must admit I'm getting a bit concerned about the future and we'd be utterly fucked if I was still on minimum wage. I'm not really sure we will be able to continue living in Bristol if the rents keep going up, but as we don't drive it will be hard to move outside as all my work is done in the community.

Try to negotiate with your landlord. That's a 6.67 per cent increase, which is above the rate of inflation.

How long have you lived there? What was the rent when you moved in? Have you had any previous rent increases?

Some landlords put up the rent by a little bit each year, so there's no big shock increase. Other landlords don't increase rent often, or at all, for their tenants, which means that over the course of a few years, the rent falls below market value for the area. How does £800 compare with market rent for the area?

I'm guessing you've got a landlord who hasn't increased for a while? If they've had to refix a mortgage, they might've had to bring your rent more in line with local market rents in order to pass lending tests.

How's your relationship with your landlord generally? Are they a good landlord who carries out repairs promptly and does maintenance? Do you do minor jobs around the house yourself? Lots of good landlords will give more leeway to good tenants who look after the place, perhaps willing to keep rents around 10 per cent less than the market rate if the tenant is a good one who pays regularly, on time, and looks after the place. Better the devil they know, rather than dealing with a void period and the coin toss of whether they will get a good or bad tenant next.

Work out what you can afford, maybe try offering £25? Say you're keen to stay, but it's a big jump, and what with other price increases, etc, it would cause difficulties.

Btw, what type of property is it? Is it fairly modern and relatively energy efficient? If it could do with some work in terms of cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, double-glazing, etc, then because your partner is in receipt of benefits, it might be possible to get energy efficiency home improvement grants - yes, even on rented property. So that might benefit your landlord too, if they can get their property improved at no cost to them. And of course it would help counter the increases in energy costs.

NB: the law is supposed to be changing in around 2025, iirc, and all rented property will need to be at least C-rated for EPC.

So you could potentially say to your landlord that although you can't pay a huge jump in rent, keeping you as a tenant could be beneficial in terms of getting necessary building work done.

I'd just go with the more straightforward '£50 is a lot, can we agree a more affordable increase' line though before mentioning other stuff. But research that anyway, as it might help keep other bills down.

 

[BristolEcho]

Thanks AnnO'Neemus I'm quite tired so can't respond in full, but this is our 2nd rise in 6 or so years and unfortunately it's still below the local market rate and we wouldn't get anything near as good for this price. This area of Bristol is becoming really expensive, and generally he has been pretty good as far as everything goes with the flat. His reasons were due to some government increase in fees (have to check) but we know he bought it 20 odd years ago for stupidly cheap so we expect he's raking it in along with the his other properties.

If it went up again then I think we'd push back more. The flat will need a good a spruce up when we leave, but he has just put in a new fence which we are happy about. Going to see if he will allow us a dog too, though I hate asking him like he's my Dad or something!

Good shout on the energy stuff.

 

[campanula]

Ah, to my surprise and joy,I am going to get a state pension this year. (had thought I had to wait another year till I am 67)..which actually represents something of a payrise compared to the last couple years of living on UC. And, I will have ALL my rent paid instead of having 25% bedroom tax docked. In truth, I have become quite skilled at living on fumes cos I don't go anywhere or do anything which costs money, don't have to look after the offspring and even my hobbies/interests are pretty much free(ish), so when my pension, bus pass and Housing Benefit increases kick in (just at the start of the colder part of the year), I am still going to probably be ahead, even after food and fuel costs...and best of all, I won't have the fucking DWP breathing down my neck if I step out of line and earn a bit of extra cash (which I obviously manage to do or I would bloody starve/freeze).

 

[weepiper]

Single income household in a just-above-minimum-wage full time job with two kids at home and one away at university who comes home most weekends. Gas and electric up, food/grocery costs up, council tax and NI contributions up. Universal Credit staying the same, wages staying the same. Not paying bus fares for two kids to get to and from school every day anymore as of the beginning of February because they get a free bus pass now which has really helped because that was minimum 27 quid a week. Presently forking out 60 quid a week on a tutor to try and get my middle boy through his Higher exams. I could really do without that tbh but needs must. I'm managing but there's no savings, I'm still chipping away at credit card debt which is down to about 900 quid now, I haven't been out of the country on holiday in 7 or 8 years and there's never any money for fripperies. But that's how it's always been so kind of used to being poor.

 

[Infidel Castro]

I had been frozen on a salary for a while as I was top of the band for my type of role. However I was promoted last year which was timely given the fallout of Brexit, Covid and Russia. We'll be alright here I'd say, with two salaries. Our biggest payment is the mortgage which is high, but artificially so to try to get it paid off by the time my partner retires. Fortunately I have incremental and progression in role increases coming this year which should stave off inflation. Unfortunately our council tax banding takes us out of the discount (how the fuck we're Band E is beyond me, its a classic terrace house). In reality I think we're lucky in every regard and I hope we stay the right side of just about comfortable. My sisters on the other hand will feel the pinch a bit more. Luckily one is teamed up with my mam so there's resilience there. My other sister has just about enough capacity to cope by the looks. Fingers crossed, and I hope the squeeze isn't too great on the denizens of this forum. The last five years have been insane.

 

[cybershot]

I consider myself lucky in that this will only really effect my disposable income rather than seeing me start to struggle. I’ve always been pretty savvy with getting the best deals possible especially when it comes to utilities and filling the car up at supermarkets, especially as I’m a single person income. But the increases are eye watering. So many people are going to be pushed into choosing between food and heat. I think it will really hit home next winter, especially after the October energy price cap that will replace this incoming one and it could be even worse than the April one.

I change jobs in may. So nice timing. A £4K pay rise followed by a £10k rise over the next 5 years due to how pay spine and increments work so I at least know my income should increase over the next 5 years but the reality is apart from this big jump in may it be disposable income will even itself out or decrease.

I’m in a good position but for many others it’s going to be very grim.

 

[marty21]

So from today, gas and lekky bills will rise enormously - meaning people will have to stop paying as much for other stuff, like going out , food, technology, books, cinema, etc - meaning all those producers will take a hit too. Haven't heard much about how this will affect employment in those sectors.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Council tax up just shy of £300.

Diesel for the car, £1.74 this morning, £45 barely made the needle move.

Everything in the shopping basket up 10p here, 20p there.

NI up today.

Frau Bahn estimates ~£7-8k a year worse off at least, tax paid money.

Incredibly lucky in that my work is actually ahead of pre-pandemic levels, travel industry being one of the hardest hit for the past two years so these don't hurt us so much, even so am being acutely aware of the costs of things now and scaling back spending where I can, much more likely to fix stuff myself rather than getting someone in, that kind of thing, so there's a knock-on with that...

 

[wtfftw]

.

 

[pinkmonkey]

I’m managing but I’m lucky because I’m settled in a low key modest lifestyle living off grid. But even though we’re off grid we cannot escape everything. Moved off permanent mooring in London and up North (still onboard) to be nearer my aging parents. The move cost a few grand in lost income, (didn’t work for 4 months) repairs, diesel etc, but I don’t have a permanent mooring up here and that’s saving me over £500 a month on what it used to cost me. We’ve got solar panels so life is a bit cheaper now we’re in Spring as they’re working well enough to not need to run the engine. but my solid fuel this winter was about £300 a month, that’s going up because the fuel merchant is having to spend more on their bills. It went up about 5% in October and then another 10% this month. It’s other stuff - I’m trying to buy things now as they’re going up every week. For instance sacrificial anodes were about £20 each now they are £85 and I need 6 to be welded on when we dry dock in September. I need new lithium batteries, our battery bank needs replacing, they were about £800, now I just checked and they are £950. I’m getting them now, I may not be able to afford these things if they go up anymore. I haven’t bought diesel for the boat since it’s gone up either. My parents are rattling around in a big house and I’ve persuaded them to get rid of a fridge and a fridge freezer and defrost the main freezer in the house, I’m still worried about how much their bills will be, but they’re lucky that (unlike me) my brothers earn a lot and can help them out. I don’t earn much though, I last went on a package holiday in 2012, my friends have been on several but I just don’t have that kind of money (not that I really care though, I’m happy). We run a car, we don’t really go out, we do live lean. So, I’m more worried about my parents circumstances than my own.

 

[pinkmonkey]

So from today, gas and lekky bills will rise enormously - meaning people will have to stop paying as much for other stuff, like going out , food, technology, books, cinema, etc - meaning all those producers will take a hit too. Haven't heard much about how this will affect employment in those sectors.

I think takeaways and restaurants are going to suffer. That’s gonna be the first thing to go, I reckon.

 

[MickiQ]

View attachment 317417

Council tax up just shy of £300.

Diesel for the car, £1.74 this morning, £45 barely made the needle move.

Everything in the shopping basket up 10p here, 20p there.

NI up today.

Frau Bahn estimates ~£7-8k a year worse off at least, tax paid money.

Incredibly lucky in that my work is actually ahead of pre-pandemic levels, travel industry being one of the hardest hit for the past two years so these don't hurt us so much, even so am being acutely aware of the costs of things now and scaling back spending where I can, much more likely to fix stuff myself rather than getting someone in, that kind of thing, so there's a knock-on with that...

From £56 to £485 ?? Surely that is a mistake? Seriously how the fuck have they come up with a figure like that? What did you do in March open an interstellar wormhole in your back garden?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

From £56 to £485 ?? Surely that is a mistake? Seriously how the fuck have they come up with a figure like that? What did you do in March open an interstellar wormhole in your back garden?

I think that's to make up a shortfall in the final 2 months of the year, but fucking hell all the same. Their initial annual estimate is an extra £1000 p/a, which again is still, fucking hell!

 

[NoXion]

I'm guessing that general inflation has eaten up the pay rise I got last year. Electricity costs have gone up by about 30-50% according to the letter sent by my supplier, but I'm still waiting to see how hard they really bite. Although I don't think I've got it as bad as others, I'm still very annoyed at the prospect that any increase to my income has effectively evaporated. I got an extra grand this month, but that's a one-off thing.

Inflation is a fucking scam.

 

[Louis MacNeice]

Have noticed a significant drop in parcel deliveries. We were talking about this at work and reckon it could fall off a cliff...which is very worrying as over the past four decades this country's governments seem to have increasingly bought into the notion of consumer lead recovery (as opposed to state backed infrastructure for example).

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

 

[Sasaferrato]

I’ve not really chosen the best time to halve my wages by going down a few levels but I’ve done it for the right reasons.

At the moment balancing the books each month is tricky. I have decided to use my Nectar points to pay for petrol and shopping to give me a breather for a bit. I’m hoping to buy a house later this year which will mean my mortgage is half my rent. That will help a lot if it comes off as will my job going permanent and getting sick pay etc.

My rent is quite cheap but for the area but still 40% of wages, once I factor in the other direct debit bills I’m left with 30% of my pay.

Feel exceptionally grateful my electricity is fixed until April 2023. My car is 13 years old but I hope it can keep going for at least 5 more years as it’s still quite low mileage.

Even with the price of fuel, try and give it a fifty mile drive each week. Letting mine sit for a month in first lockdown cost me new discs and pads, which is a fuck sight more than a few gallons of fuel.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Diesel 2 months ago was £1.30-something, now it's £1.70-something. That's about an extra £50 per month, x 2 for a 2 car household.
My partner & I both do a DD into a bills account on payday which covers rent, council tax, gas, water, leccy, broadband; that's gone up by £85 each since Christmas.
Weekly household shop is at least 25% more than this time last year.

Public sector job. 2.25% "cost of living" payrise. In addition I've recently been promoted, which sees me move from the top of one pay band to the bottom of the next - in total about an extra £1,200 per year; so the net result is that I have more responsibility, a heavier workload, a tipping of the work/life balancing scales, and a reduced amount of money left over after bills and basic essentials.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

I think takeaways and restaurants are going to suffer. That’s gonna be the first thing to go, I reckon.

Takeaways often do OK in recessions iirc. Obviously for some people it's a luxury they can't afford and have to cut out but for a lot of people they save on bigger stuff (holidays etc) and spend on smaller stuff.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Ah, to my surprise and joy,I am going to get a state pension this year. (had thought I had to wait another year till I am 67)..which actually represents something of a payrise compared to the last couple years of living on UC. And, I will have ALL my rent paid instead of having 25% bedroom tax docked. In truth, I have become quite skilled at living on fumes cos I don't go anywhere or do anything which costs money, don't have to look after the offspring and even my hobbies/interests are pretty much free(ish), so when my pension, bus pass and Housing Benefit increases kick in (just at the start of the colder part of the year), I am still going to probably be ahead, even after food and fuel costs...and best of all, I won't have the fucking DWP breathing down my neck if I step out of line and earn a bit of extra cash (which I obviously manage to do or I would bloody starve/freeze).

I think that really is the best thing about retirement, your income is not at the whim of an employer or sadistic government employee.

 

[pinkmonkey]

Have noticed a significant drop in parcel deliveries. We were talking about this at work and reckon it could fall off a cliff...which is very worrying as over the past four decades this countries governments seem to have increasingly bought into the notion of consumer lead recovery (as opposed to state backed infrastructure for example).

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

I agree. I’m on a buying shit online ban til I’ve managed to buy my two big important purchases.

 

[bcuster]

...second guessing & rethinking driving my car. ...consolidating trips.

I am nearly a full vegetarian now; the price of meat, especially beef, is nearly out of reach...

 

[pinkmonkey]

Some good news from mum, partly because of the bills shock and also because we qualify, I applied for attendance allowance for dad, mum and I both care for him, he can’t be left for more than a few hours.

Dad feels the cold, he plays thermostat roulette with the thermostat, puts it in the toilet (the coldest room in the house) so it doesn’t switch off, then falls asleep, then one of us notices, (normally when the canary looks like it’s getting heat exhaustion) and we bring it out of there.

He’s been awarded £61 a week, it’s going to really help with these bills.

 

[weepiper]

I don't drive so the fuel cost doesn't directly affect me although obviously it increases the cost of everything in shops that gets delivered by truck. My gas/electric has gone from £56 a month to £128 a month and I expect it'll go up more. I work full time but only earn £18k and have two teenagers at home 50% of the time (shared care with their dad) and another away at university who comes home for the weekend often. I get Universal Credit on top but that's gone down 20 quid a week since they removed the pandemic uplift (yet we still appear to be in a pandemic ). I haven't had a pay rise in two years and not likely to see one this year. Groceries are noticeably much more expensive. I already don't take holidays, rarely do days out that cost money (cinema etc) and the last time we had takeaway food or ate out was last summer. I can keep a roof over our heads, food in the kids' bellies and clothes on their backs. But that's all, really. There isn't a lot of belt tightening to be found.

 

[pinkmonkey]

...second guessing & rethinking driving my car. ...consolidating trips.

I am nearly a full vegetarian now; the price of meat, especially beef, is nearly out of reach...

I cook for my parents using a slow cooker, but even the so- called cheap cuts are expensive, even also now Lidl. I’ve waited for deals at Iceland then I swoop and buy months worth at once and freeze everything. Then there was the time I bagged 22 chicken thighs in the tramps buffet for £5. It’s the only way. But then I started worrying about how much freezing and cooking things would cost.

 

[bcuster]

I cook for my parents using a slow cooker, but even the so- called cheap cuts are expensive, even also now Lidl. I’ve waited for deals at Iceland then I swoop and buy months worth at once and freeze everything. Then there was the time I bagged 22 chicken thighs in the tramps buffet for £5. It’s the only way. But then I started worrying about how much freezing and cooking things would cost.

"Deals" now are the regular prices from a year ago; the manager at a supermarket I shop at admitted as much...