Money saving ideas.

They were indeed. The bank sent me one without me asking  when I was a student in 71/74. I cut it up straight away, seemed the sensible thing to do. I didn’t ask for one again until the early 80’s and I wanted to buy a  ZX Spectrum computer and it was more than the bank guarantee card. Not a problem if you were buying a washing machine or something, as they had time to clear the cheque, but of course we were taking the computer away with us. Had a credit card ever since and a computer of one sort or another.

Yes, Steve, I remember unsolicited Access cards being sent out in the early 70s and the issuers were later rapped over the knuckles. It was at a time of rampant inflation with sky high interest rates.

ZX Spectrum, eh. I had an Amstrad PCW.

So did we; ours was a Barclaycard though, and even then we always paid it off in full each month, despite that 15% mortgage interest. 

The Earth would have to turn flat before I gave up my Dishwasher. Had once since first married and loathe pot washing.

Interesting how we're all different; never had a dishwasher in my life, but I really don't mind washing up, doesn't bother me at all

I totally agree with your comments which is why I cannot drum up a lot of sympathy for many people who are supposedly in poverty!  Some people obviously are in dire straits and need assistance and help, but many others need to rethink what they spend their money on.

Oh yes remember tge mortgage interest rate at 17.5%, and I remember us parting company with NatWest Bank at that time. As someone has said interest rates changed rapidly and often. We kept getting letters telling us we were overdrawn. Couldn't understand it, no mobile/online banking so a trip into the branch, remember them? Turns out they were paying our mortgage twice a month 😱😱😱. It was hard enough once a month.

We kept up with the mortgage increases and when they eventually began to drop we didn't put it down. It knocked a lot of time off the mortgage length. I was surprised that we didn't have to drop as the children cost more, generally robbing Peter to pay Paul. Budgeting by putting money away for quarterly bills on a monthly basis allowed that. Interest free credit - always saved for the item before buying this way, then tried to pay back from salary but if we hit bad times we could withdraw a payment from savings. Was always taught from an early age save half spend half! My in-laws liked it as they had savings, shame its not the same for us. Credit cards are great but only when paid off fully monthly or budgeted for over a couple of months. I still know when to add a purchase for longest 'free' time.

Luckily our offspring have sensible finance ideas, some of their friends didn't!

I have a friend who constantly pays for her daughter's, in her 40's, food shopping, she's married, working as does her husband on good salaries one child, I have to bite my tongue when she also clears her credit card when it reaches the limit. Lots of holidays expensive, to me, days out etc. I can't see how that helps anyone, one day mum won't be there to bail her out.... So like others I can't automatically summon sympathy for the poverty BUT that doesn't mean there aren't folk, in very important key jobs, who can't keep the wolf from the door.

That said I'm doing very well at spending at the moment and am very grateful that I can. Its still being thought about as that's capital projects, not day to day living - which I still concentrate hard on. But I'm doing my bit for the economy too st tge moment.

As an aside, having a large recess made into a cupboard as I type. Materials budgeted for June but purchased today, mdf sheets were £27.50 now £37.50 and all other wood and the door similar increase, so about a 25% increase overall for materials 😱😱.

I am being a tad careful of lacking sympathy for those younger than us at the moment. Anyone who took on a mortgage a decade ago, without any idea of how this country could be in this state it is ten years on, is going to struggle, and will have to take a long hard look at finances. Some folks were in serious financial straits before this, many through no real fault of their own. 

This country has sleep walked, jumped, been pushed into some profound changes that are having serious repercussions for all of us without the cushion of super wealth. I can’t help but think some of our trials are self inflicted down the last decades.

Even for the summer £2 a day is pretty good going I would have thought. Excepting a few months when I was in France, my daily charges have not been below £2 since September 2012! For the summer months in 2021 (26 May to 25 September) I averaged £2.93 a day. This year so far, 26 May to 24 July my average is £4.51! My average daily cost for the last 12 months is £4.04 and that includes a lot of days away in my motorhome.

I admit to being a little extravagant with energy and recognise that I have to start to be more prudent about it. Even so you are going some to keep within £2 a day. My figures are based on actual bills. 

The problem is that we are often away for all of the month or part of the month so it's sometimes difficult to get a accurate picture of our energy use. The June to July bill was £86 and we were not there for all of that month. I also didn't account for the VAT element which is not included in the Smart Meter reading. So I reckon a more accurate figure is approaching £3 a day. I hate to think how much that will be when the heating goes on, probably double or maybe approaching treble, we will have to wait an see. Octopus are predicting a peak bill of £256 for January and that is, of course, without any future increases!!!

David

Our June/July bill was £58.11, and we were only here for 7 of the 30 days it covered.

We did however do a lot of washing after we got home.