Cost of living crisis

[wolf359]

Update to Sky after cancelling and them wanting north of £70. Phoned me today now have it for £34 (six less than before) including the April increase. Complete change in attitude to the other day.

[YorksHammer]

Surely in a cost of living crisis one of the first things people can let go of is their subscriptions to things like Sky if they're struggling?

There's more than enough telly and film options on, say, Netflix or Disney+ that cost <50% of the price of Sky combined a month (seemingly in some cases as little as 20% or so, based on prices people are quoting here).

Lose the TV license as well, can still watch ITV and Channel 4 on demand as well as Netflix, Disney etc - and you probably end up making a good healthy saving vs a Sky subscription.

[Hummer_I_mean_Hammer]

Surely in a cost of living crisis one of the first things people can let go of is their subscriptions to things like Sky if they're struggling?

There's more than enough telly and film options on, say, Netflix or Disney+ that cost <50% of the price of Sky combined a month (seemingly in some cases as little as 20% or so, based on prices people are quoting here).

Lose the TV license as well, can still watch ITV and Channel 4 on demand as well as Netflix, Disney etc - and you probably end up making a good healthy saving vs a Sky subscription.

When I couldn't get a decent deal on BT or Sky I ended up with freeview. TBH (and seeing that my youngest had decided that she no longer was into princess films) it was fine for our needs. I do need to sort the aerial out in the loft, as at the moment can't get any bloody signal, which in itself isn't an issue, until they decide to show free-to-air football, or similar live shows.

[bubbles1966]

Council tax landed - up 3.9% , mostly for the police and fire service - both up over 6% on their bits.

Not too bad.

[irving boleyn]

As an aside. I phoned Sky to modify my requirements, and was told there would be a 5 or 6 minutes delay in getting to a Customer Service (Salesman!) person.

But they offered me a choice of SIX music genres to listen to while I waited !

[simon hammer]

Gave up TV licence last year. Cancelled my mobile plan as well...switched to Lyca, calls and texts only, £1 per month. Those 2 small things alone have saved me almost £50 a month. I don't have any sky/bt/netflix/amazon/disney etc subscriptions.

End of this year, I'll be looking at my broadband deal as my contract is up. Do I really need superfast, all bells and whistles fibre...or can I get away with slower speeds and a cheaper price? That's the question I'll be asking myself.

My car is the cheapest, most efficient model I could afford to buy and run three years ago...and the same applies today, so no need to change that.

I don't think there's anything else I can cut back on now tbh!

[irving boleyn]

The basic salad tomato pack seemed to be at a reasonable price and plentiful in Tesco's today.

[southbrishammer]

Council tax landed - up 3.9% , mostly for the police and fire service - both up over 6% on their bits.

Not too bad.

Mine has gone up 5%, but conversely my monthly bill will be going down by £60 as I spent several months last year arguing with them (without success) and ended up having to pay something like 8 months of bills in 6 months.

The reduction will set off the increase in fuel bills now the £66 credit is ending.

[wolf359]

The basic salad tomato pack seemed to be at a reasonable price and plentiful in Tesco's today.

No one wants 'basic' tomatoes though, they want yellow ones, tiny one, ones with spots on. It's all gone so wrong.

[SammyLeeWasOffside]

Council tax landed - up 3.9% , mostly for the police and fire service - both up over 6% on their bits.

Not too bad.

4% here. First time in years I can recall it going up less than inflation.

[Burnley Hammer]

5% here

[YorksHammer]

Can't go up by inflation as it's capped at 5% and inflation is way above that.

Haven't had mine through yet, but BT have put an extra £4.50ish on my bill.

[SammyLeeWasOffside]

Can't go up by inflation as it's capped at 5% and inflation is way above that.

Haven't had mine through yet, but BT have put an extra £4.50ish on my bill.

I know, that was my point really.

[YorksHammer]

Can't go up by inflation as it's capped at 5% and inflation is way above that.

Having said that, mine's gone up by 6%

[wolf359]

Having said that, mine's gone up by 6%

Mine (Wigan) 5.4% so 5% overall can’t be correct.

[smuts]

Thurrock which is pretty much bankrupt thanks to the council put theirs up to 15%...

[chelmsfordhammer91]

4% in Chelmsford, not too bad by the sounds of it.

[irving boleyn]

Spaghetti packs 28p in Tesco ?

Can't be too different from the £1 packs , can they? All about the sauce, Innit?

[Hummer_I_mean_Hammer]

Spaghetti packs 28p in Tesco ?

Can't be too different from the £1 packs , can they? All about the sauce, Innit?

Should be fine, but you might find its more like Vermicelli than spaghetti.

[Burnley Hammer]

Pilau Rice at Aldis up to 38p from 35p. This is gonna hit me hard.