Cost of living crisis/kWh Measuring Contest

It’s a bit of a trek

It's a wooden floor, I'd love to carpet it but we have a 9 month old so carpet would get ruined pretty soon. 

www.theguardian.com/business/2022/feb/10/the-rise-in-global-inflation-the-hit-to-living-standards-across-the-world

Wish I had 99 cent pizza.

I had a 25p pizza just now (reduced). It didn't feel like I was exactly living the dream when I ate it tbh 😃

Just a thought about the 200 quid bill "help"

I'm currently living as a lodger, I don't pay bills directly as my landlords take care of that, I just pay my rent to them.

They will get 200 quid taken off their bill.

When I move out, hopefully to get a place of my own, I get the impression I'm going to be hit with the surcharge.

This will also go for anybody who moves out with their parents. Anybody households that consist of housesharers who moved on to get their own places will also be hit.

It's just a daft idea with no way to opt out.

Why didn’t they make it opt-in and let the energy companies handle the admin pain? Make them work for their £180m at least.

Money, they want the extra money and also the energy companies don't want the additional cost of administering this "scheme". 

I agree that it's a blunt tool with little admin costs, I'm skeptical about it putting most people better off.

Had my first real taste of the impact from this, albeit from a much more privileged position than some of the other poor fuckers who will be hit hardest and need the most help.

Had a job interview yesterday morning and got offered the position later that evening which was great. Not a staggeringly bigger boost in pay initially but opportunity and scope to move up the ladder compared to where I'm at currently. But as soon as I started doing the fag packet maths I realised I'm probably going to have to turn it down. With it being a couple of towns over I'll have to buy a 2nd car (we easily manage with just the one with my current job/school/other half's job).

Between getting a semi-decent 2nd hand runner just for work in the current ridiculous used car market, the increases to cost in fuel (not to mention the abysmal usage we're seeing from this E10 stuff) along with the increases to NI and utilities to come in shortly it's a lot more of a hit to expendable income in the short term than it's worth, and I don't really fancy dipping into savings for the sake of a job. A real shame as pre-covid I'd have likely accepted it on the spot. I might be really cheeky and see if I can get some sort of fuel credit or do any remote work part of the week or something when I ring them on Monday, but I think it's better the devil you know at the minute.

Yep. I've already negotiated upwards a bit, along with getting them to kick in a department wide salary increase due in April immediately. Will just have to try and nudge them on travel/possible WFH a little bit more on Monday. Not the end of the world just a little bit annoying, hard to feel too hard done by when it's literally making others go hungry.

Can you negotiate a company car?

Yeah, we do similar. Overpaid the mortgage and just decided to keep paying the same amount into joint every month even though £100 less will be taken out. I've always allowed a little bit of overage in that account, but have a feeling we'll need more over the coming year.

Already had a 10% increase on our internet bill even though it should only be 3.9%, which I need to find the time to complain about.

Does e10 give worse fuel economy?

Same here, we actually then have a standing order to transfer the amount that doesn't go on bills into an easy access savings account. The rate is pants I admit and should move the money elsewhere but we call it the home improvements fund so for example a good chunk of it was spent on having the roof replaced last year. Windows might be next as a few upstairs have blown so need fixing or replacing.