Qvc cost of living winners and losers

[Toril]

When I moved to this house in November 2009, it had single glazed windows which were draughty to say the least. In the December I had the loft fully insulated so it had more insulation than necessary. I enquired about wall insulation, but when they came to check it turns out that they were already insulated. In March 2010 I had all the doors and windows replaced with double glazed ones. I was the first in the Close to have this done and over the past few years all the other 11 houses followed suit. The exception is my 82 year old neighbour who still has the original single glazed ones so we’re all keeping an eye on her as winter approaches.

I have a gas fired combi boiler which seems more efficient than the gas boiler plus immersion heater I had in the previous house. Like boffy, I turn everything off if it’s not being used. The only exceptions are the top set tv box, the fridge and freezer, the Smart meter, the router and my two Alexa gadgets.

I’m not sure what else I can do to save energy but, as I said earlier, my bills aren’t too bad at the moment.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Anyone watching Second Hand For £50 grand? Holy sh*t the money being spent on second hand by people. Rolex £41,000. 100,000 on a hand second Hermes bag

Although like very expensive cars they actually appreciate in value unlike Ruthless and other Q offerings.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Our house is terrible for heating, oil and food are our biggest outlay and our electricity DD has trebled since this malarkey started.

Because we are open plan with vaulted ceilings. (like a barn) the roof insulation is not great and you have to heat the entire house at once. lovely to look at but a bugger to heat and a total waste of useable space.

 

[SisterBliss]

I was sceptical but we can't do without it now. It was the one on Q that was the TSV, does pressure cooker and has the "probe" lol. I think it's the Foodie 9. It was over £300 I know that much but cost per use (as they say) it has more than paid for itself. When I got it and thought it was too complicated, I bought a cookbook off amazon specifically for this machine written by a guy in the UK and I never looked back. We hardly ever use the cooker now.

CC

Do I need one, Candy? Is it huge & looks messy on the w.top? Can I hide/store it inside the oven? Is it expensive to run? Will it attract dog hair?

 

[SisterBliss]

I`m half expecting a leaflet drop telling us how to make a Woolton Pie or 101 uses for a tin of corned beef. I jest but on a serious note the energy companies must know there are going to be many many people who simply cannot afford their energy bills and no matter how much they try to cut back. A £ will only stretch so far and as much as they can send lots of letters, umpteen phonecalls or threats of debt collection, they will have to jump through hoops to be able to disconnect you.
They can`t force entry into your house without applying for a warrant and they can`t force you to change to a pay as you go meter even though they try to make out that they can and as long as you can show them it`s financially impossible to clear your current bill before the next bill is due, then they have to allow you to carry debt over as long as you are paying what you can and sticking to the monthly/weekly agreement.
No doubt it will be a massive worry for many but those they class as vulnerable ie people with young children, the elderly and those who are disabled or housebound will have extra protection against disconnection.

What is Woolton Pie?

 

[Vienna]

What is Woolton Pie?

Woolton pie came about in WW2 when rationing meant there was little available meats, fats, cheese, eggs and sugars. It was a meatless pie made from whichever veg was available and with pastry made from wholewheat flour with little fat in it or topped with mash potato.

 

[SisterBliss]

Yes, no gas in the house, it's an old stone cottage. However, we do have a log burner (cost of logs is a lot) which we will be using a lot more and that heats water. We'll have to see how it pans out but I can't be paying hundreds of pounds a month for electric because I just don't have it. More jumpers will need to be bought!

CC

My CH is gas - operated by an electric switch. everything else is leccy.

 

[Patsy]

Do I need one, Candy? Is it huge & looks messy on the w.top? Can I hide/store it inside the oven? Is it expensive to run? Will it attract dog hair?

Got our Ninja foodi 9 in 1 at the end of July and it's now stopped working.
Amazon website wasn't much help as it was over 30 days since delivery. We phoned Ninja who said we would need to get back to Amazon and gave us a code.
Phoned Amazon customer service and we can't use the code as they don't have any in stock. Told us to take it to the post office but told them no too bulky to carry and you can't park near.
She then said she would arrange for a parcel pickup from home by RM. It is 48 hours tracked,has to be with them by Monday (12th) and no one has turned up to collect it. This means we have to wait in tomorrow and they are on strike Thursday and Friday so no idea what will happen.
Why Amazon can't pick up parcels when they deliver them is a mystery.

 

[SusieSue]

I've worked since I was 16 and 49 years later I now work full time in a shop and I am only just over the threshold for any help with rent or council tax.

I know people who have never worked a day in their lives who have more disposable income than me because they get their rent and council tax paid for them and they are looking forward to the extra benefit cost of living payment that's to treat themselves to something essential, like another tattoo.

 

[maymorganlondon]

I've worked since I was 16 and 49 years later I now work full time in a shop and I am only just over the threshold for any help with rent or council tax.

I know people who have never worked a day in their lives who have more disposable income than me because they get their rent and council tax paid for them and they are looking forward to the extra benefit cost of living payment that's to treat themselves to something essential, like another tattoo.

It's extremely frustrating that working puts you at a disadvantage compared to those who haven't worked.
I'm all for a safety net, but I don't understand why we have a system which actively discourages people from working... particularly when working is better for most people's wellbeing and mental health. It would likely save the NHS a considerable amount for prescription medication for depression and other conditions.

 

[stratobuddy]

I used to give debt advice and often managed to get debts written off.

But it did strike me that many of these people had got into debt by buying things that were far more luxurious than I could afford myself eg huge TVs and other luxury goods. Then they effectively got them for free when their debts were written off.

Knowing the debt system, I was very tempted to join them and buy lots of items for myself and never pay for them (but I didn't).

 

[candycane]

Do I need one, Candy? Is it huge & looks messy on the w.top? Can I hide/store it inside the oven? Is it expensive to run? Will it attract dog hair?

You don't NEED one and no, you can't hide it. It takes up a lot of room on the worktop and you'll end up spending half your life cleaning it (yes Mr CC, I'm saying you never do it). As it cooks faster than an oven I would say it costs less as it isn't on as long. It's too high up to attract dog hair, however saying that, Bryan's hair gets everywhere and there are often white hair garnishes on the food. I just pick them off, our house probably scores less than zero with dog hair hygiene .

CC

 

[maymorganlondon]

Got our Ninja foodi 9 in 1 at the end of July and it's now stopped working.
Amazon website wasn't much help as it was over 30 days since delivery. We phoned Ninja who said we would need to get back to Amazon and gave us a code.
Phoned Amazon customer service and we can't use the code as they don't have any in stock. Told us to take it to the post office but told them no too bulky to carry and you can't park near.
She then said she would arrange for a parcel pickup from home by RM. It is 48 hours tracked,has to be with them by Monday (12th) and no one has turned up to collect it. This means we have to wait in tomorrow and they are on strike Thursday and Friday so no idea what will happen.
Why Amazon can't pick up parcels when they deliver them is a mystery.

I’m looking at a couple of smaller devices. Lakeland do a small multi-cooker, at just shy of £60. I’m also considering the Instant Pot Vortex mini 4-in-1 air fryer for a similar price. I will have to bite the bullet and do a side by side comparison and make a decision!

 

[donna255]

I used to give debt advice and often managed to get debts written off.

But it did strike me that many of these people had got into debt by buying things that were far more luxurious than I could afford myself eg huge TVs and other luxury goods. Then they effectively got them for free when their debts were written off.

Knowing the debt system, I was very tempted to join them and buy lots of items for myself and never pay for them (but I didn't).

I will be honest and say when I got my first credit card it was like woo-hoo I can buy stuff when there was not enough in my bank account. It was set at a low amount £200 but all the same it was so easy to just spend that and think just pay the small amount each month. I did clear it at first each month, but then everyone one seemed to be throwing them at you, no real checks done to see if you could afford them. I had to go on a payment scheme, but did clear them in the end. Hence, now I only have a debit card the money is not there, you don't buy it. Store cards are even worse, so many of my friends had the Debenhams Store card, the interest was unbelievable. I had a friend who worked in Debenhams and remember her telling me at a staff meeting the store manager told them, "Your job might be at stake if you do not sell the store card." He even had a white board with how many cards had been pushed and successful by each member of staff who worked the counters.

As I said in another thread, M&S are out there pushing their credit card again in store. I was shocked.

 

[maymorganlondon]

Media saying many are now turning back to cash, as one it's gone you can't carry on spending. How true this is, I couldn't say... at the same time we have bank branches, ATMs and even post offices becoming more scarce than ever. So where are people getting their cash?

 

[donna255]

Many ATMs now charge for using them, and it was in one of the papers the other day that many more will be doing that. Banks seem now to want only one branch in each city centre, and that is it. Many more shops have the sign up 'Please use card payment', supermarkets are pushing the Smart Shop which you need to pay by card. The way prices are going up I cannot be sure I have enough money so use the card.

 

[May]

But slow cookers as I remember it is not a few hours but 5+. A friend bought one a few years back and ended up not using as it took so long to cook meals. When I had mine I did in the morning and went to work, came back after 5 pm and food cooked. She was doing meals at lunchtime and not cooked at 5 pm.

I used to love Slow cooker food but as I got older for same really weird reason my taste buds couldn’t stand the taste of it in there …for years never had a problem always loved slow cooker food … menopause I read can change the taste buds

 

[AndiK]

I used to love Slow cooker food but as I got older for same really weird reason my taste buds couldn’t stand the taste of it in there …for years never had a problem always loved slow cooker food … menopause I read can change the taste buds

Please do NOT mention this to QVC! They will smell the potential and be trying to sell off all the unsold food items with “Even if you thought you weren’t keen on horseradish and honey pies or banana and anchovy popcorn, if you’re a lady past a certain age, you might find you can’t get enough of either, so it’s worth trying these while they’re on 12 Easy Pays …”.

 

[Patsy]

Please do NOT mention this to QVC! They will smell the potential and be trying to sell off all the unsold food items with “Even if you thought you weren’t keen on horseradish and honey pies or banana and anchovy popcorn, if you’re a lady past a certain age, you might find you can’t get enough of either, so it’s worth trying these while they’re on 12 Easy Pays …”.

 

[donna255]

Something I heard this morning on the news. Prescription poverty. People halving their meds because they cannot afford to pay for their month prescriptions. Now of course there are the pre-paid forms, but they are not cheap to buy if you are trying to keep up with heating and food costs.

Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland all get their prescriptions free, only England you have to pay for them. I used to read on forums people ranting about how did Scotland, Wales and N.I get free prescriptions? It was explained because the devolved government decided they wanted to.