The rising cost of living

[Genie]

On 13/12/2023 at 19:50, bickster said:

Fuel watch… prices at some pumps have been coming down up here, Tesco has reached as low as £1:46.9 my local always the cheapest self service garages have been at £1:44.9 for weeks now.

The local has just reduced to £1:39.9 today

(the above are diesel prices, unleaded a good few pence cheaper still)

Asda in Tamworth was £1.47 for diesel the other day, creeping downward as you say.

[Xela]

Drinks prices

I can't remember the exact prices as I was in rounds, but i'm calculating some pints of Moretti and Cruzcampo in Brindleyplace were around £7 each. 

Neck Oil in Kings Heath was over £6 I think. 

[Davkaus]

Yeah I have no idea how people can justify going hard out on the town these days.

Cans and bottles from supermarkets/beer shops have gone up a bit, but nowhere near the same proportion, hard to enjoy a few pints knowing it'll cost so much and that for a fraction I could be drinking better beer at home, I usually end up nursing one or two.

Absolutely no way I'm joining in for rounds these days

 

[Villa87]

Don’t understand how people can afford to regularly drink out. 

[Demitri_C]

People dont drink out like they use to.  They rather stay home or go round peoples houses and drink nowdays.

Its been like that since covid in most cases

[chrisvilla4]

I was waiting for my Mrs in Derby recently, did a bit of Christmas shopping then popped into a bar for a beer. Cost £9.50 for a stein, was impressed with how reasonably priced it was. 

[mottaloo]

11 hours ago, Xela said:

Drinks prices

I can't remember the exact prices as I was in rounds, but i'm calculating some pints of Moretti and Cruzcampo in Brindleyplace were around £7 each. 

Neck Oil in Kings Heath was over £6 I think. 

You're forgetting the DVB tax....

[Genie]

2 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

People dont drink out like they use to.  They rather stay home or go round peoples houses and drink nowdays.

Its been like that since covid in most cases

Absolutely. Back in my day… the pubs were all packed, 4 deep at the bar from 9pm till midnight. 
Now at the same time half the pubs are closed and the others have about dozen people dotted around.

It’s crazy money to have a big night out now. Beers, shorts, shots, a kebab/burger/pizza and a taxi. Probably pushing £100.

[Genie]

£1.45 for diesel at Asda Tamworth 

TAKE THAT PUTIN, YOU LOSE!!1!

[bickster]

1 hour ago, Genie said:

£1.45 for diesel at Asda Tamworth 

TAKE THAT PUTIN, YOU LOSE!!1!

That's still profiteering from the former control on the market

[Xela]

7 hours ago, Villa87 said:

Don’t understand how people can afford to regularly drink out. 

I couldn't do a big Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights out in the same week like I used to. Both financially, and my body, physically!  

[turvontour]

Energy prices should fall pretty aggressively next year, if it were to link to the wholesale market like they say. 

There are no triple digit prices on the power screens now, for the first time since about May 2021. We are much lower than double the old prices pre energy crisis. 2022 averaged more than quadruple for instance. Should return to old prices early in the new year if current trend continues. 

[Genie]

1 minute ago, turvontour said:

Energy prices should fall pretty aggressively next year, if it were to link to the wholesale market like they say. 

There are no triple digit prices on the power screens now, for the first time since about May 2021. We are much lower than double the old prices pre energy crisis. 2022 averaged more than quadruple for instance. Should return to old prices early in the new year if current trend continues. 

The message is that prices might be going up more rather than down, to cover the £2.9b of debt that energy companies are holding from customers who cannot pay.

[turvontour]

Just now, Genie said:

The message is that prices might be going up more rather than down, to cover the £2.9b of debt that energy companies are holding from customers who cannot pay.

Yes but the wholesale price has dropped 20% in the last three weeks, and there's very little supporting it now. The Russia threat has gone and we have had a mild winter so far. Stocks too at record levels in Europe. So they won't have factored this in as fresh.

Either way, it'll be that test as to whether they factor back out price proportionately to how quickly they built it in. I'm guessing they won't. 

[turvontour]

17 hours ago, Davkaus said:

Yeah I have no idea how people can justify going hard out on the town these days.

Cans and bottles from supermarkets/beer shops have gone up a bit, but nowhere near the same proportion, hard to enjoy a few pints knowing it'll cost so much and that for a fraction I could be drinking better beer at home, I usually end up nursing one or two.

Absolutely no way I'm joining in for rounds these days

 

It's what you prioritise isn't it to some extent. Worryingly I also think that many people are oblivious to prices and costs and are just carrying on as they always have. 

[ender4]

3 hours ago, turvontour said:

Yes but the wholesale price has dropped 20% in the last three weeks, and there's very little supporting it now. The Russia threat has gone and we have had a mild winter so far. Stocks too at record levels in Europe. So they won't have factored this in as fresh.

Either way, it'll be that test as to whether they factor back out price proportionately to how quickly they built it in. I'm guessing they won't. 

Is this gas, electricity or oil prices?

[Demitri_C]

9 hours ago, Genie said:

Absolutely. Back in my day… the pubs were all packed, 4 deep at the bar from 9pm till midnight. 
Now at the same time half the pubs are closed and the others have about dozen people dotted around.

It’s crazy money to have a big night out now. Beers, shorts, shots, a kebab/burger/pizza and a taxi. Probably pushing £100.

So many pubs near me are either closed or half full now.  Definitely a knock on effect thats not recovered.  Id hate to own a pub now.

Im finding pubs are more busier on a sunday for a sunsay roast or dinner.

[ender4]

Just now, Demitri_C said:

So many pubs near me are either closed or half full now.  Definitely a knock on effect thats not recovered.  Id hate to own a pub now.

Im finding pubs are more busier on a sunday for a sunsay roast or dinner.

Depends. I went to my local pub on a Wed evening, it always used to be packed but by 9pm it was getting quiet and at 10am we were the last people in there and they kicked us out. 
 

Whereas I went to some nice bars in Bham Central last weekend and every place was packed and everyone was spending £100’s on drinking as much as possible until 3am. 

[bickster]

I went out last night, to a pub in the city centre and was paying £4:05 a pint for a hand pulled pale ale. It is still possible to drink in a city centre pub and come home with change from £25

And it’s a decent pub too. Always 9 hand pulled beers usually from fairly local small indie breweries plus it’s usually the full range from light to dark and a cider

Its just a pub, no food, you just have to know about it because it’s in a back street.

I'll bet most large cities have similar because we've got a fair few dotted about

[Chindie]

I'm caught between thinking that's a Kenneth, but also that is far too obviously trying for a Kenneth, and that there's lots of hand job jokes that can come from paying for a hand pulled pale ale.