Starting to get worried for us fixed income people.

[leftyladyfrommo]

I saw something on business news about energy (electric) going to increase a lot more. Energy companies are upgrading the grids and adding eqipment for EV automobiles.

My gas bill doubled from $100 to $218 in January. I don't use gas for anything but the furnce and my house is really small. My water bill is ok because I don't use much. My electric is really low in winter but gets high when the AC goes on.

And I don't have to buy meds.

Something is going to have to give somewhere. I'm lucky. I can make my bills but I am really worried about the old folks that will just be going without hear and air.

There are some things that help. Our electric rate is 6x higher between 4pm and 8pm. So I turn off everything I can during that time. Water use for the year are set by water use January to April I think.

[Ace Rothstein]

1. It isn't good for anyone.

Employers aren't giving current employees pay increases to keep up with inflation. Sure, you can find a new job but that can be easier said than done.

[leftyladyfrommo]

2. I read that higher prices have increased household

Costs by $296 a month. That's a bite.

I just keep cutting back. I have 2 dogs and having pets has gotten extremely expensive. Cost of veterinary care has gone thru the ceiling. And so have costs of food and parasite meds.

Jees

[BlackSkimmer]

3. The pet costs are crazy.

My dogs are loving it though, because now I look for discounted meat instead of buying doggie treats. Treats are through the roof and my dog food went up by two dollars.

I don’t have any cats, but feed three ferals, and their food has increased also.

I saw a bag of Granny Smith apples for 6 bucks! This is insanity.

I’m lucky not to have to worry about money, but I can’t imagine what others are going through.

[jfz9580m]

5. I buy the lowest grade of locally caught fresh fish instead of pet food

I am not in the us but inflation is hitting everyone.. I have 7 cats and this works out to be cheaper than pet food and overall it is more eco friendly..
The only thing is you have to expend some effort in cooking it for them etc. They seem to thrive on it..

[BlackSkimmer]

11. That's a great idea. Didn't think of it.

I don’t mind cooking it for them.

I wonder how they’d like the canned fish you can get? Probably cheaper than cat food! I’ll have to check it out.

[leftyladyfrommo]

22. Just make sure they have balanced nutrition.

They are going to need more than just fish.

[jfz9580m]

27. ..

Hi leftyladyfrommo,
But is that not closer to their diet in the wild? I always feel as though lack of medical care aside, most strays/alley cats look healthier than many pets..
Any thoughts? Well I am talking about cats..I have no idea what the deal is with dogs ...cats are carnivores I believe while dogs are omnivores..feel free to correct me if that is wrong..

[Marthe48]

44. Cats need taurine

a protein found in meat. I avoid giving my altered cats fish, because I read quite awhile ago that fish can cause urinary problems, especially in neutered males. I had 2 boy cats who had trouble with crystals and UTIs. When I read that about the fish, I stopped giving them food with fish in it. The incidence of problems declined to almost none.

I am not being critical about anyone's pet care. We have to do what we can to nurture our pets. I've always taken in strays or shelter critters. Long ago, I felt like if they had food and shelter, we were doing our best. As our own financial security improved, we expanded our pet care basics. I'll always share what I have with my pets, even if I know it might shorten their lives. They don't know their average life span. They know they want food.

[jfz9580m]

47. Thanks! I hear you..

My males are not snipped..I only fixed my girls..all my boy cats were over a year old when they joined the gang and my vet told me that if male cats were over a year old neutering them did not do much to change aggressive behaviors at any rate..as for their tomcatting around in other ways..I figure eh..9 lives aside, even they live only once and the odds of my "beta males" fathering kittens seems pretty small..
Thanks for the input

[2naSalit]

66. Fish contain mercury and other heavy metals...

These days and that poisons anything that eats them. A heavy diet of fish, depending on the species and where it lived (bottom feeders are worst and near cities is something to take into consideration). They can contain high levels, mostly in the guts, fatty tissue and the heads.

Supplementing with fish is probably not the worst thing, especially if they have access to other stuff, they do eat some vegetation from time to time.

Both cats and dogs are carnivores who also eat some vegetation.

[jfz9580m]

67. I try to avoid buying meat and diary when possible tbh :-/

As for taurine, I think the fish they eat are cold water fish..of course they refuse to eat raw fish..so some of the nutrients are lost...
I hadn't really thought much about it....my kitties are outdoor kitties and rarely live very long lives because they tend to be adventurous. I once saw somewhere that the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is only about 2 years..that has definitely been the case with most of mine..I wish it were not the case, but it is impossible to restrict their movements and as upsetting as it is, most of them end up dying from some sort of conflict with other wildlife or pets...the dog next door has not helped. For some reason it never seems to occur to them to stay away from the yards with the large dogs.
.

[2naSalit]

68. Interesting dynamic.

You're probably doing the best for them that they could have. Outdoor kitties don't live long, it's true. They probably do find other food to some degree though it may not be enough to stay healthy and strong.

They come to you for attention, it appears, that there's food involved is a clincher! Good on you for caring for them.

[jfz9580m]

71. Thanks

[Mr.Bill]

72. The house pets we have bred over thousands of years

have never lived in the wild. They do need a balanced diet. I buy discounted meats and chicken hearts or livers for my dogs, but I mix it with rice or barley and some chopped veggies. They are two small dogs, so I can feed the pretty cheaply. And it helps that I am retired so I have time to chase down discounts and cook the food. They don't get this kind of food every day, but I do it when I can.

[jfz9580m]

73. Makes sense

Yes it does help if you the time to cook for the...heh..

[jfz9580m]

25. Good luck!

(Hopefully you don't have any picky eaters..I have one :-/..)

[hamsterjill]

28. Canned mackerel

Our rescue does canned mackerel about once a week, both as a treat and a cost saver right now with the cat food shortage. They all seem to love it. We can currently buy the 12 ounce cans of mackerel for a decent price. Of course that may change. We also occasionally do Costco rotisserie chickens.

[RobinA]

57. Make Sure

you supplement it appropriately. Plain fish doesn't have everything a cat needs. Think taurine, for one.

[progree]

4. "Our electric rate is 6x higher between 4pm and 8pm."

Ughh. And that's coming here too in Minneapolis/St. Paul and environs. Just got a notice from from Xcel Energy on Saturday that they will be installing "smart meters" as part of the "smart grid". Time of use rates will no doubt be coming along with that.

Nothing like coming home to work on a hot summer day, and having to have the A/C off, or let it run just a short time to get rid of the humidity, during those hours. (I've heard high rates up to 9pm in some places) . And what, cook dinner after 8pm if one has an electric stove/oven?

A lot of elderly are drawing down savings in order to make ends meet, and the purchasing power of that is eroding rapidly. And not many of us are getting pensions anymore.

[leftyladyfrommo]

17. I am not touching my savings unless I just get desperate .nt

[progree]

35. I'm glad you can do that. But even so, its purchasing power is eroding

with inflation, so when you need it, there's less there in terms of purchasing power, unless you are earning an after-tax rate of return on it that exceeds the inflation rate.

Edit: after-tax rate of return.

[Ferrets are Cool]

6. It's terrible for the ones on fixed incomes, but I cannot even fathom how horrible it is for those

with children. If something doesn't change, we WILL turn into a shithole country.

[Moostache]

46. No offense, but this has been a shit hole country since 1981...

Reaganomics never worked and still hasn't gone away. The heart of the nation is the ideal of a secular, participatory representative republic and everything else is basically window dressing after that...and for 42 years now, the decorations in the house have been in utter disrepair and degrading.

Manchin and Sinema ensured that nothing would fundamentally change - and if you believe polls, their actions are going to play a large roll in seeing the GOP regain the House and Senate and thus dies the American Ideal forever.

I know inflation is bad and hurting a lot of people, but their mood and response to opinion polls indicates that the American people are about to kill their government in November and all in the name of misinformation and a media that craves easy horse-race stories over real coverage of the impacts and effects of nearly half a century of slavish devotion to trickle down voodoo economics.

[jimfields33]

50. I can't see how the Democratic house especially can blame reagonomics

When the democratic house was majority for 14 years after 1981 until 1995. I’d imagine that’s a reason you don’t hear it.

[Moostache]

53. That was still an era of "bipartisanship"...

That Democratic House and Tip O'Neill in particular worked with Reagan and accepted a lot of compromises without getting much reciprocation in the long run. The result was to install the principles of Reaganomics (especially the tax code) without securing adequate kill switches or roll backs or sunset provisions and the results for working people and lower incomes have been FUBAR ever since.

There is a lot of blame to circulate, but the solution to being in a hole is to stop digging and start planning a way out...Biden's attempt at exactly this (Build Back Better) may not have been perfect, but it was torpedoed by the aforementioned nominally Democratic majority in the Senate and the results are the whilwind we are about to reap.

Young voters have completely lost faith in the Democratic Party's ability to deliver on promises. That is going to creat cynicism on a scale we have not seen for ages. Folded in with the ignoramouses fueling the 'culture wars' still and the imminent strife of global climate change and soon to be refugee crises on a planetary scale and the future is as grim to my view now as it was in 1983-1985 at the height of the Cold War.

I was super happy to be wrong about impending doom then, and I am equally hopeful that my doom and gloom and mental depressive state now are also wrong...may all my projections into the future remain hideously inaccurate!

[MichMan]

76. Reagan has been out of office for 34 years now

Blaming him for what ails the country after all those years makes Dems look powerless. There have been plenty of opportunities to undo his harmful policies if the will was there.

[Moostache]

79. You said it yourself...

The POLICIES of Reagan are still en vouge and with us to this day...

I am not blaming a dead man for the current ills of the country, but the policeis he promotoed - specifically in terms of taxation and "trickle-down" are still tent poles of modern conservatives and non-Democratic candidates MUST bow to that altar right alongside Trump's Big Lie...

Reagan started the problems and it is not weak to admit that much. Generating the will to change it? That is on the current power brokers for sure

[Tickle]

7. I'm on a fixed income also

I had to get a part time job to help make ends meet. It is a bit scary. I keep thinking of those on a fixed income that can't work and consider myself lucky in health. At least for this year.

[Wounded Bear]

8. Groceries two days ago...$105 for two bags that are usually in the $70-80 range...

Utilities are included in my rent, so I expect I'll be seeing an increase in that soon. There goes my SS increase.

[leftyladyfrommo]

13. I read thst rents are really going up. I think they are

here in KCMO. At least my house payment is pretty fixed.

[Wounded Bear]

18. I'm in subsidized housing, so I assume there are limits...

one of the "benefits" of covid was the rent freeze. Early this year, they didn't "increase" my rent, but they did add in an insurance requirement.

[Amishman]

32. Went through our old credit card statements. Groceries went from $130 in 2019 to $190 lately

Family of four.

Some change in what we buy over that time; more quantity now, but less expensive baby stuff (esp. diapers) so still probably a fair comparison.

Thank goodness for Aldi, otherwise I know we'd be pushing $230 per week.

[leftyladyfrommo]

34. That's where I go, too. nt

[Homoudont]

62. Same % increase here

We have almost the same exact increase in the same time frame. Some subtle changes but like you they should even themselves out. Back in 2017 I know I was eating a lot more steak and seafood but part of the reason why was I was living near the gulf of mexico and seafood was dirt cheap. Shrimp right off the shrimp boats could be had for cheaper then I buy ground beef today. 45% increase in grocery bills just in the last year with no major changes. Same amount of mouths to feed and I am buying the clearance meat every chance I get.

[XacerbatedDem]

9. I know what you mean.

I remember living in this one apartment where every time I wanted to use the bathroom, I had to walk right by the gas water heater. Well, one day when I was trying to figure out my budget for the month, I went to the bathroom and noticed the water heater was running. I thought, why? I hadn’t used the hot water for hours and I wasn’t planning to use it for anything until I did dishes that night and took a shower before bed, so I shut it off, basically to save money. Then, I decided I would only turn it on when I needed it. So I made a routine out of it. I would turn on the water heater an hour before I wanted to take a shower, then shut it off, take my shower do the dishes and off to bed. I mean, why have this thing running every 15-20 minutes when I’m not using it, right?

Well, my next gas bill was half of what it was the month before, and every bill after that was also half of what I had been paying. The water heater was big enough so that the water I had only heated up for an hour sometimes lasted a couple of days, depending on my usage.

Since then I’ve adopted that same ritual at every apartment I’ve rented. The one I’m in now has an electric water heater, so I go to the breaker box and shut it off and only turn it on about an hour before I need the hot water. It too was running every 15-20 minutes. And my electricity bill is only about $40 to $50 a month.

Now, I’m retired and live alone, so that may not work for everybody, but any way you can save money these days is worth a try.

[XacerbatedDem]

24. Oh, I almost forgot.

Another way I saved money was to sign up for level-billing at my utility company. Don't know if it's offered everywhere, but the way it works is the utility company looks at what I paid each month for the last 12 months and averages those bills to come up with what I pay each month. In June of each year, it does the same thing and either raises or lowers the monthly payment for the next year. The first year after I signed up for it, I paid $59 a month. The next year, only $44 a month and man, was that nice for a whole year. But, because it was hot and I had used the AC alot, the next year it was $71 a month, which was a lot more than I expected, but I'm running a credit with only 2 months to go, so next year's ought to be a much less.

[leftyladyfrommo]

29. I am on level pay for electric. I don't need it

for water.

And I don't use any gas at all once I turn off the furnace. I don't want the payments for the 6 months my gas is off.
However, if it gets much higher I may have to do that

[leftyladyfrommo]

10. This is how radical I am. I am cooking for myself.

I live alone so I always went to eat breakfast at Perkins with the other regulars. I can't afford to do that any more. But the bigger problem is missing out on the social stuff.

I just keep getting more and more isolated and that's not good at my age.

[LizBeth]

12. Good info 4-8 which makes since. When I turn mine on. When I get home from work.

The upside is my shift is changing to get off at 8 three days a week so at least five days, I will be able to control during that period.

[leftyladyfrommo]

14. 4 pm I just turn everything I can off. That's pretty easy. nt

[LizBeth]

16. And yet still your bill doubled. Were you doing that when you got such a huge difference?

[leftyladyfrommo]

19. Honestly. I used very little of everything. Compared to

The average household my use is minimal. And my bill still doubled. I don't use anymore than I really need.

I can't imagine what people in thise big houses are paying.

[LizBeth]

23. I have mine down 65-67 and only so many hours a day. Work so that eliminates

a lot of the day. I always turn it off when I go to bed. I know mine is hiring especially as I am so conscious having it on but have worked hard at not paying attention. *I may get the payments from last month and compare.

[leftyladyfrommo]

31. I usually do 65 during the day and 62 at night.

If I get cold I I might go 68. This time of year I turn it off as much as possible. But last night it was in the '30s again. It's been a cold spring.

[leftyladyfrommo]

26. The rates doubled. That's why it all doubled. nt

[LizBeth]

30. +1. Think how high it would be not taking steps to keep it down. Thanks.

[leftyladyfrommo]

33. People here are screaming bloody murder but it does

no good. Nothings changed and calling the utility companies falls on deaf ears.

[roamer65]

15. Trumpflation.

[leftyladyfrommo]

20. I saw where the average person can use use 300 gal.

of water a day.

I use 300 gallons a month. My water bills are way lower than most people's.

Last month on Nextdoor people were complaining about $200 and $300 water bills. Mine is $48.

[MissB]

40. Lucky!

My minimum charge for water is $75. We get billed every other month, and the minimum bill is $150 for those two months.

My sewer charge is disconnected from any water usage and is paid based on the size of property I have and any add-ons like pools or hot tubs (of which I have neither). I pay that charge once a year as part of my property taxes. There is no way to reduce that cost, other than moving.

Not on a fixed income yet, but dh is looking to retire next year. About the only thing I can save on is gas and electric. We added an electric vehicle last year so of course our electric bill is up by about $25/month. We have the most efficient gas furnace possible, so our gas bills are much more reasonable than they used to be. We used to pay $200/month in the coldest months of the winter and now we generally pay about $100. But we could also afford to replace the furnace with a multi-stage one.

[WhiteTara]

21. If you can, apply for LIHEAP

[littlemissmartypants]

36. The power company that serves my area offers a free energy evaluation service.

They send out a specialist to assess your home as it relates to use and efficiency. Of all the changes he recommended the one that has made the biggest difference in my bill is control of the working hours of my hot water heater.

According to him the hot water heater, of all of the home appliances, uses the most electricity. So it's set to be off most of the day and it's made a big difference in my bill.

You may want to see if your power company has something similar. At the very least try limiting the working hours of your hot water heater and see if it makes a difference.

❤

[leftyladyfrommo]

45. I don't have hot water. Don't need it.

I do just fine without hot water. Wash everything in cold. If I need it I heat it up.

You can do stuff like that when you live alone

[littlemissmartypants]

48. I live alone. I also prefer not to take cold baths or showers, especially

In the cold of winter. ❤

[leftyladyfrommo]

64. I don't have a shower and my knees don't do bathtubs

so I just wash up the old fashioned way. It works perfectly fine.

[GB_RN]

37. My Former Employer's Raises Were Max, 3%

3% was if you rated "Above expectations", which very few people did. Most people got 2%, which was "Met expectations". Given the inflation* over the last year and a half, those raises don't even put a dent in the cost of living for people who AREN'T on a fixed income.

*And this so-called inflation is bullshit. Companies are making record profits, CEOs are getting major bonuses, stock prices are at all time highs, stock buybacks are going, etc., so this is merely price gouging, not raising prices to offset increased wholesale price increases. And the fucking media aren't reporting the real story behind the "inflation".

[Sympthsical]

38. Our solar panels were installed yesterday

Finally, after much wrangling.

I am looking well forward to not relying on PG&E's rates this summer. Yes, good for the environment, etc. etc. But we really made the final decision to invest in it based on the financial and the practical. Of course, we're in that fortunate position to be able to do it.

How people on fixed income will manage this, I don't know. Grocery shopping just continues to stymie me. I'm a pretty frugal person because I grew up poor, so I notice every little price increase. Coffee up 20%. Chicken up about 15%. Eggs up. Milk and cream up.

Gas is $5.09 at Costco, which is about twenty cents lower than a week or two ago. So, it's something even if it's still expensive.

I checked on my elderly mom yesterday. She's fixed income but does ok. She gets her SS, then my late father's SS stuff and a portion of his pension.

How other people with tighter budgets are making it is beyond me. Everything just keeps going up.

[MissB]

41. Lots of folks relying on food banks

Congrats on the solar installation! Wish I could do that here, but we are seriously forested with huge fir trees that drop branches now and then, despite hiring an arborist to trim things up every other year. The south facing roof exposure isn't enough for us to pull the trigger with the current technology. I do wish we could do solar roofing.

[Sympthsical]

42. I'm Napa adjacent

So we get plenty of sun. We're actually one of the last people in the neighborhood to have done it. It can get really hot during the day here in the summer. Last year saw a lot of days over 100 degrees. I didn't want to repeat this year, because AC is just so expensive with PG&E in the summer.

I have a tenant who volunteers with a food bank. A friend of mine started getting tons of these food boxes, and we've been funneling them through the tenant to his bank. They're vegetables and fruits, canned meats, beans, rice, oatmeal, pasta, sauces, etc.

But the biggest revelation was shelf milk. I did not know that was a thing. You can have milk unrefrigerated for months. Some sort of high temp pasteurization process. It blew my mind when I learned of it. Amazing for people who don't have a fridge or have their electricity cut off.

[notinkansas]

59. We also wanted to install solar,

but the way the house is situated, we couldn't get enough exposure even if we covered the whole roof with panels.

[questionseverything]

75. Do you have to add some special insurance to cover your new panels?

N/t

[Sympthsical]

77. It gets folded into your homeowner's insurance

Because it's considered a part of the house.

One thing we went through just to be certain was whether or not wind damage was covered - which it was. Some policies will exclude it. We live in a valley that's basically a wind tunnel, so it was important to make sure that was a part of things.

The panels are also under warranty with the company.

[questionseverything]

78. Good to know

[Joinfortmill]

39. Large corps making $ off the backs of the poor.

[ForgedCrank]

43. It's across

the board, and is gotten really bad, especially energy and food prices.
Some items on our food list have tripled in price.

[Moostache]

49. I have heard that saving on electric bills is helped greatly by unplugging TVs, stereos and PCs

Even when they are in an "off" setting, these household items still draw a surprising amount of power.

The best solution is the power strip that can be unplugged or switched completely off when not in use - especially when the outlets are behind heavy furniture or just difficult to access. It may not be much but in trying times every bit can help and can relieve stress too.

[WestMichRad]

51. The future will not be kind to lower income folks.

N/t

[packman]

52. It's all folly - I remember the WIN (Whip Inflation Now) why back when

Lived in D.C. area and they were pushing energy conservation to drive down the electric bills. The power company said., "Conserve, save those $, help us help you to save by insulation, energy initiatives, lowering home temps, turn off lights, etc."

Well, most took it to heart. Hell, I upgraded my windows and insulation and thought about passive solar energy to the point of ripping off the back of my house to install a water/concrete heat sink.


Things worked out so well in the D.C. area that the power company lost income because everyone taking the initiative SO the bastards then demanded a price increase to offset lost revenue - and got it.

Can't win.

[BobTheSubgenius]

54. You are right to be worried - I sure am.

There are a lot more considerations than gas and electric bills, too. One spinoff of the Russian sanctions is that natural gas is a vital component in making nitrate fertilizer (who knew?), and it's become prohibitively expensive on the other side of the Atlantic.

The Chinese have prohibited exports of potash, and they are a major supplier. There was already a worldwide fertilizer shortage, and coupled with the removal of vast tonnage of wheat from the market because of the war in Ukraine, food is going to be WAY more expensive, and it won't be corrected any time soon.

The good news is that Russia needs the world way more than the world needs Russia, but it will be a grim realignment in the short-to-medium term.

[Emile]

55. That's a hell of an increase for someone on a fixed income! Predatory Capitalism alive and well

in the USA!

[Warpy]

56. We were lucky in NM to have a pretty mild winter

meaning only a week or so when it didn't get above freezing. I live in the desert, so I don't have AC, I just use fans and pull out a spray bottle of water when it's over 100. I've been damned lucky. I'm moving to independent living over the next month or so, so I'll only see energy costs reflected in big rent increases and those are going to be tough to take.

Grocery bill's through the roof.

Short term, things are really going to suck for most of us. I've been thinking about printing up some "Putin did this" stickers for gas pumps and the like to try to counteract the media blaming Biden.

[sarcasmo]

58. Alliant Energy here in Wisconsin, averaging 300 dollars for the winter months.

[SheltieLover]

60. Factor in the ridiculous cost of food

& many folks literally cannot afford to exist anymore.

[maxsolomon]

61. Looks like America has no choice but to return the GQP to power in DC

That'll turn everything around!

[XanaDUer2]

63. Me too

Can Dems do anything? We're disabled, and getting scared

[inthewind21]

65. Fixed income people

Well, that is just about ALL of us. I know my paychecks are the exact same amount every single time. Hence i have a FIXED income. So maybe worry should include EVERYONE.

[marie999]

70. The term fixed income is meaningless.

SSI is about $800 a month and 2 100% service-connected disabled veterans with VA disability and Social Security is over $10,000 a month tax-free plus full medical care.

[Mr.Bill]

74. If anyone is able-bodied and able-minded,

their fixed income is a choice. I'm 68 and retired, and collecting SS, as is my wife. She is disabled so yes, her income is fixed somewhat. I say somewhat because there are work-from-home jobs she could do. She is a retired RN and has done medical consulting.

I'm able bodied and could go out and get a part-time job for extra income. SS allows me to make 15K a year without it reducing my monthly check. Fortunately, I don't need to (yet) but my income is only fixed because I because I choose it to be.

[fescuerescue]

69. Inflation is simple the economy getting back on it's feet from the Trump disaster.

As the Whitehouse has explained, it is transitory in nature.

Inflation is a temporary effect of economic recovery.