Cost of living crisis and your diabetes?

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NotWorriedAtAll said:
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My laundry equipment and my new cooking equipment. I have a mechanical carpet sweeper instead of the vacuum cleaner now and a hand whisk and a mechanical grinder to replace my electric ones.
I have done all my laundry using the tumbler (I call it R2D2) to wash and the salad spinner to dry for the last two weeks.
I made one casserole using my Wonderbag and cast iron pot from Aldi.
Last time we checked we'd halved our electricity consumption and reduced gas consumption to 2/3 what it was previously.
Interestingly on the days I do washing - using my gadgets and on the days I use my carpet sweeper - my blood sugars stay around 5.6mmol/L before and after eating and I think I am getting a bit thinner too! I am definitely sleeping more soundly.
We were due to come off our fixed rate and start a new one next week but the new one was still going to be higher unit rate than the variable rate so we have cancelled our new fixed rate. When the energy guy checked our consumption he has raised our monthly payment only by £60 because although cost per unit has gone up a lot our reduction of consumption has mitigated it quite a lot. He said they will reassess the payment in October depending on what our usage goes like.
We have consistently reduced our energy bills year on year and I would like to buck the trend if at all possible - so we'll see what happens next. The next big saver will be to decouple the extractor fan in the bathroom from the light switch as it goes on automatically when the light goes on and often we do not need the extractor when we need the light and vice versa.
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Was the extractor fitted in the last few years?
There should be an isolating switch to turn it off.
 
I worry, I am seventy in March. Went to the supermarket today. Milk, Small Cheese, Yogurts, Raspberries, Blueberries, Box of 6 Benecol Gut Health Yogurts, Small Pack of Fish Fingers. £27. It is getting a lot more expensive if like me you check Carbs on Everything.
 
Quakerbod said:
I worry, I am seventy in March. Went to the supermarket today. Milk, Small Cheese, Yogurts, Raspberries, Blueberries, Box of 6 Benecol Gut Health Yogurts, Small Pack of Fish Fingers. £27. It is getting a lot more expensive if like me you check Carbs on Everything.
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Are you shopping somewhere expensive or buying premium products? My weekly shopping budget is £30 and I get those products plus more
 
NotWorriedAtAll said:
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My laundry equipment and my new cooking equipment. I have a mechanical carpet sweeper instead of the vacuum cleaner now and a hand whisk and a mechanical grinder to replace my electric ones.
I have done all my laundry using the tumbler (I call it R2D2) to wash and the salad spinner to dry for the last two weeks.
I made one casserole using my Wonderbag and cast iron pot from Aldi.
Last time we checked we'd halved our electricity consumption and reduced gas consumption to 2/3 what it was previously.
Interestingly on the days I do washing - using my gadgets and on the days I use my carpet sweeper - my blood sugars stay around 5.6mmol/L before and after eating and I think I am getting a bit thinner too! I am definitely sleeping more soundly.
We were due to come off our fixed rate and start a new one next week but the new one was still going to be higher unit rate than the variable rate so we have cancelled our new fixed rate. When the energy guy checked our consumption he has raised our monthly payment only by £60 because although cost per unit has gone up a lot our reduction of consumption has mitigated it quite a lot. He said they will reassess the payment in October depending on what our usage goes like.
We have consistently reduced our energy bills year on year and I would like to buck the trend if at all possible - so we'll see what happens next. The next big saver will be to decouple the extractor fan in the bathroom from the light switch as it goes on automatically when the light goes on and often we do not need the extractor when we need the light and vice versa.
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How on earth do you do your bedding and towels? I remember my mother had what she called a "copper". Wheeled into the garden, disconnected the gas stove, connected the copper, boiled the water and did the bedding and towels in that. Mind you it was in the 1950's and for 6 people.
 
Quakerbod said:
I worry, I am seventy in March. Went to the supermarket today. Milk, Small Cheese, Yogurts, Raspberries, Blueberries, Box of 6 Benecol Gut Health Yogurts, Small Pack of Fish Fingers. £27. It is getting a lot more expensive if like me you check Carbs on Everything.
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I've switched to stores own brand or budget brands. Plus I do a lot in my slow cooker, bulking out with veggies. I get a veggie box from the Farm Shop for £28 which lasts 3 - 4 weeks by freezing where possible. The only thing I won't compromise on is eggs - I get them fresh from the farm shop.
 
Felinia said:
How on earth do you do your bedding and towels? I remember my mother had what she called a "copper". Wheeled into the garden, disconnected the gas stove, connected the copper, boiled the water and did the bedding and towels in that. Mind you it was in the 1950's and for 6 people.
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My mother was still using a copper to wash our nappies in the early 1980s but I don't remember it (I think they had a washing machine at the latest when I was 4 and we moved into a bigger house)
 
I have looked at my energy account today, submitted new readings to get a better idea of what my actual current credit balance is, but also at the same time increased my direct debit by £66 a month, as my supplier has already advised they will give the monthly payment towards the £400 household grant as a refund to my bank account. So I figured that it made most sense to set it up so that it actually goes towards helping with the increased cost rather than being absorbed into other spending. I may reduce it a bit in a couple of months if the credit is doing well enough, it's slightly more than their website recommended I increase my direct debit to. The last 3 bills have all shown me using less energy than the same time period last year and I'll aim to keep that up.
 
42istheanswer said:
My mother was still using a copper to wash our nappies in the early 1980s but I don't remember it (I think they had a washing machine at the latest when I was 4 and we moved into a bigger house)
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I remember my Grandma's dolly tubs.
 
Felinia said:
How on earth do you do your bedding and towels? I remember my mother had what she called a "copper". Wheeled into the garden, disconnected the gas stove, connected the copper, boiled the water and did the bedding and towels in that. Mind you it was in the 1950's and for 6 people.
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Years ago I bought camping towels which are made of microfibre material and are very light and dry very quickly. They are easy to wash and spin in my manual machines.
A sheet is easily washed and spun one at a time - the beauty of these gizmos is that loads can be done piecemeal so everything doesn't have to be crammed in at once. We use light microfibre blankets that are also easy to wash and dry.
I don't have to do a huge wash all at once - just one or two things a day to keep things ticking over and on a very nice day like yesterday I did do a lot all at once (but not all at once in the machines) and did four towels and some pillowcases as well as a lot of clothing.
Again I have bought underwear that is made from similar material to tights and new leggings that are made from warm but very light man made fibre which also wash quickly and easily. I can do a pair of corduroy trousers or a pair of denim jeans one at a time.
 
I don't live in the UK, but food inflation here is clearly an issue as well. It is quite noticable, even on my basic good like porridge which is probably about 15- 20% up on this time last year. In general though it is 5-10%, we expect much lower inflation than the UK next year (3-6%).

When I was diagnosed, I realised my simpler diet actually saves me money - as I cannot buy the lovely sugary snacks etc from the past. Here are someo general saving tips, that I adopted even before I was diagnosed:
  • One tip is get a pressure cooker, this saves loads of energy and you can make batches of food, which lowers cost.
  • Slow cookers can also save a fortune.
  • I regularly make curries, soups and other dishes and get about 4 meals (sometimes more) for a low cost €5 for nice vege meals (I am not vege but each more more of it now).
  • Generally reducing meat saves a fortune. This is healthier and cheaper than my lifestyle before.
  • Soups are also a great way to save money, and can be very filling.
  • If you drink a lot of sparkling wate,r a soda stream or similar can save a fortune against more expensive branded water and is also better for the environment (end of recycling plastic bottles). Just check you drink enough to make it cost effective. You can add sugar free syrups too which can save money.
  • Don't shop in one supermarket, find which one is better for certain groups of products. This approach is much more common here than in the UK. Surprisingly here Aldi and Lidl are often more expensive for branded products than their competitors, but much cheaper or basics incl. Almond Milk
  • If possible find a supermarket you can walk to to/from work and go there (if good value) as much as possible, rather than taking short trips in the car which cost a fortune to go every day to another supermarket. It is also better for health, and you are limited by what you can carry which saves money on each visit.
  • Salad and frozen vegetables are cheap plate fillers!

Sorry if some are obvious, but I hope they help.
 
salmon has gone up massively but I have switched to mackeral and now shop in the amazing Aldi and things are not so bad in there. I'm lucky i run an old car so I can get round the shops ok. Still work so commute by train. I look forward to retirement which is slated for 2028. I eat mostly meat fish eggs FF Dairy and green stuff, but reintroduced livlife bread (1 slice a day) and the odd slice of NImble or ordinary bread but cut in half; but low carb is not a cheap diet really - the cheap stuff is carbs!
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Has the cost-of-living crisis had an impact on how you manage your diabetes day to day? Maybe you're worrying about the cost of food increasing, or how it will affect your stress levels.

Let Diabetes UK know by sending your story to campaigns@diabetes.org.uk
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Yes the COL crisis has affected my diabetes. I have multiple disabilities including type 2 diabetes. I get the legacy ESA and PIP. I get no help with my mortgage. Everything has increased in price, As a consequence of these price rises I have little to spend on food and I can’t even afford to turn the heating on. It is so stressful with the winter coming.
my house is adapted for me, and it has been my home for many years. I’m not in a position to sell it.
i have been unwell for the last 2 weeks with high blood sugars which have been above 35 on waking. I’m eating practically nothing as I feel sick.
very miserable
 
I was dismayed to see the breakdown of my energy bill for last month. Our gas use is usually priced at under £20 and in September it was almost £70 despite having cut down considerably on the use of hot water and cooking with gas. We are still only modest users of energy, at under half the average household consumption, but the cost per unit is shocking.
These days I trundle to the supermarket on a mobility scooter.
 
My husband has type 2 diabetes and strangely enough our gas and electric bills haven't gone up that much especially after the £67 a month from the govt is taken off. Obviously when we put the heating on it will be more, but we never have our thermostat above 16 anyway and our little house seems well insulated.
I am still in short sleeved t shirts right now so don't intend to have the heating on till November if possible. Yes, food is definitely more but shopping in the cheaper supermarkets helps, and I always look for good offers.
 
Silmarillion said:
Yes the COL crisis has affected my diabetes. I have multiple disabilities including type 2 diabetes. I get the legacy ESA and PIP. I get no help with my mortgage. Everything has increased in price, As a consequence of these price rises I have little to spend on food and I can’t even afford to turn the heating on. It is so stressful with the winter coming.
my house is adapted for me, and it has been my home for many years. I’m not in a position to sell it.
i have been unwell for the last 2 weeks with high blood sugars which have been above 35 on waking. I’m eating practically nothing as I feel sick.
very miserable
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You will be getting the second cost of living payment soon will you? Thats £325 to help. Are you above pension age? If so you will also get £500 later this year along with the £400 spread over 6 months taken off each bill which everyone gets.
Hopefully that will enable you to have heating on over the winter.
 
AJLang said:
I know this isn't directly about cost of living and is my personal opinion. Please don't criticise me for it. But bit-by-bit I am doing everything that I can do to prepare for blackouts/power rationing. Due to my not too great eye sight I absolutely hate the dark to the point that I leave a light on at night. So I've bought two lamps that you can use for camping and that (hopefully) can be charged using power banks plus I've collected some pretty decorative battery powered lamps..
The "camping" lamps arriving today so that we can check them. I've also got power banks for the our mobile phones as I rely on my phone for both using my Libre and will need it for my new NHS hearing aid(s).
I've made sure that I've got what I consider to be an adequate supply of my medications and everything that I need for my diabetes/insulin pump.
Various different things like that. Some of my friends think that I'm slightly mad being so prepared but I also can't control my body temperature and get cold extremely easy even with layers on in so have bought cosy feet socks that won't aggravate my feet and thermal vests and leggings and now own more jumpers than I ever owned 🙂
Plus, of course, a reasonable amount of tinned and packet food.
Plus a radio that my now estranged brother gave me years ago that uses batteries.
I know that I can't prepare for everything, and doing so has taken my spare money, but the preparation has helped me to reduce my anxiety of what may happen this winter.
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I think I am very fortunate in that I am nearly always warm. I am still in short sleeve t-shirts at the moment, and I had a 5.9 tog quilt on my bed all last winter which is really a summer one. My husband who has had diabetes for about 12 years feels the cold more than I do but again he doesn't often get too cold. If you feel the cold a lot it must be hard.
 
Cost of living crisis isn't bothering me at all really. I've 'never had it so good.' It's great being a pensioner, free money, and the government keep giving me more, another £150 not long ago. I spend it quick in case they change their minds. :D The only thing I am dreading is if they cut the lights altogether which somebody said they were going to do in January. I've been there and done that growing up, having to use a flat iron on the gas cooker, agh boring and you can't see to read so good by candlelight, very long evenings in winter. So I'm not mithered really, I've always been poor... like my butler. :rofl:
 
Ditto said:
Cost of living crisis isn't bothering me at all really. I've 'never had it so good.' It's great being a pensioner, free money, and the government keep giving me more, another £150 not long ago. I spend it quick in case they change their minds. :D The only thing I am dreading is if they cut the lights altogether which somebody said they were going to do in January. I've been there and done that growing up, having to use a flat iron on the gas cooker, agh boring and you can't see to read so good by candlelight, very long evenings in winter. So I'm not mithered really, I've always been poor... like my butler. :rofl:
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What was the £150 for?
 
Diana7 said:
I think I am very fortunate in that I am nearly always warm. I am still in short sleeve t-shirts at the moment, and I had a 5.9 tog quilt on my bed all last winter which is really a summer one. My husband who has had diabetes for about 12 years feels the cold more than I do but again he doesn't often get too cold. If you feel the cold a lot it must be hard.
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We got 7.5 tog on bed now, going to change it to 10.5 later as cold in bed last night, even been looking at electric blanket for first time in life, don't like being warm in summer cold in winter.
 
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