Author Topic: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?  (Read 2216 times)

gunwharfman

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10255
Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« on: 11:21:13, 20/09/21 »
I was having a think last night, if I needed to, how could I still go hiking and also fund it and cope with any price rises coming soon?

We are all very different, some people will not blink and just take it in their stride because they may have excess money whilst others will have to think about it or will want to think about it.

We can take it in our stride (unless it gets really bad of course?) but in our case, we WANT to think about it! And when we do that's when we come up with a problem. For a long time, we have tried to only purchase what we need and minimise what we may want. So for example, we have a minimum of direct debits to function, and no ongoing app purchases to worry about and no debts, house and cars already paid for etc.

So if price rises did become noticeable to us and we had to 'cut back' in some way how would WE do it? In reality, the answer is easy for us, I just dump my car then no tax, no insurance, tyres etc to worry about. We cant cut back on our direct debits although we could close our broadband account down I suppose and live off our phone and/or MiFi. We can't cut back on Christmas because we don't bother with it anyway, likewise birthdays, Valentine's Day, and the other 'commercial days' in our lives that crop up every year.

Some people I'm sure will have to do some serious thinking should our present situation go pear-shaped, it all depends I suppose on what each individual or family prioritises as 'essential' in their life. For me, I would not like to cut down on my hiking trips!

My personal struggle would be cutting back on my visits to the pub, now that is a hard one!  :)


ninthace

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11822
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #1 on: 11:43:27, 20/09/21 »
We have over 4000 litres of biogas stored in the garden.  Provided nobody finds a way of nicking it, that should last over 2 years before we need a refill.  Hopefully things will have calmed down by then.  Ever since the B word, we have kept between 6 to 8 weeks worth of shopping stored away in the spare room and the big freezer.  That and the contents of the garden should tide us over short term crises.
Since Covid, post walk pub visits have had to be dropped as the pubs no longer open like they used to.  Foreign travel is also out as the only place we really want to get to is still off limits to the UK.  As a result, there is not a lot left to cut back on.  The car remains a necessity for the time being given where we live.
Solvitur Ambulando

gunwharfman

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10255
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #2 on: 12:10:21, 20/09/21 »
Yes, we are all very different and have different priorities. I just had a phone call from my sister and we discussed this very thing and were laughing at could we imagine one of her daughters cutting back on the family iPhone contracts.  ;D  ;D  ;D

In that household three iPhones on contract and one Android on contract, so as we joked, pigs might fly!

richardh1905

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12714
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #3 on: 13:42:08, 20/09/21 »
Hiking is a pretty cheap activity on the whole - your big savings are at the bar!  ;)
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

Johann Philipp Krieger

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 48
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #4 on: 14:02:09, 20/09/21 »
A lot of people have plenty of savings they can make without too much grief. I've done the following among many others:


-turn the heating right down
-get rid of TV License, broadband and home phone
-change utility suppliers periodically
-get rid of the car
-get rid of the spouse
-avoid house improvements
-use tradesmen for maintenance only and even then only when necessary
-help people and get helped back


I spend as much on hiking as I do on all of my other expenses combined. It is a matter of priorities.

gunwharfman

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10255
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #5 on: 19:31:28, 20/09/21 »
If we were affected by price rises I think worrying about our heating is perhaps the last thing we would focus on. We like being warm. Do you mean you just stopped paying for your TV licence? We could do away with our broadband and home phone and just use our MiFi and our VOIP phone or VOIP on our mobiles, but having broadband as we do is just based on we can't be bothered to limit ourselves at the moment. Both of us have also found that having and using the internet is a real money saver (buying food, banking, paying bills and so on) and I'm sure our monthly outlay more or less matches our car fuel savings, etc. For example, I've only been to our main shopping centre twice in 18 months, once and bought nothing, the second time I bought an 18" strip of 1" wide elastic to have sewn around the top of my homemade hiking gaiters.

Yes, I agree, if possible get rid of the car, I haven't yet done it yet (I did it before the first lockdown but then went back to a car) but if my car doesn't pass its MOT in November I'm sure that's what I will do again, unless Citroen imports their little Ami model into the UK. That little thing I think would suit me and my lifestyle very well.

The spouse stays and yes as far as we can we don't get involved in house 'improvements' (not sure if that word is a good one or not?) and hopefully I can always put off maintenance to another day. The 'help people and get helped back,' is a very good idea. When I had my Citroen 7 seater I was always helping neighbours to take their rubbish, old mattresses, fridges and so on to the tip, they have helped me recently when I cleared some of the larger junk from my garage.

Johann Philipp Krieger

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 48
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #6 on: 08:45:30, 21/09/21 »
To be clear I am not talking about suffering major discomfort or inconvenience in order to save money.  

 
 

   
If we were affected by price rises I think worrying about our heating is perhaps the last thing we would focus on. We like being warm.
 


Okay but think about camping in the frost when you are snug and warm in the tent. Similarly at home a few well placed electric blankets will provide the necessary heat. In this context it is the body’s core that needs heat, not the house.  

 
Quote

 
Do you mean you just stopped paying for your TV licence?  



I did but I nevertheless watch plenty of tele legally. If more people knew the minimal amount of TV output that the license paid for then I’m sure that many more would not buy it.  
Quote

 
We could do away with our broadband and home phone ….Both of us have also found that having ...the internet is a real money saver.  



For sure, that is the same for me, but do you know that if you have a 4g signal you can have unlimited calls, texts, TV etc for £25 per month and that there are realistic alternatives below £20?  
Quote

 
Yes, I agree, if possible get rid of the car,  



In fairness I got rid of my car not to save money but to use the cash in other ways to enhance my hiking.  

 

 
Quote
unless Citroen imports their little Ami model into the UK. That little thing I think would suit me and my lifestyle very well.

 
Hmmm maybe.  

 
Quote
The spouse stays

 
Great!!!  
Quote

 
 The 'help people and get helped back,' is a very good idea.  

 
Yes though not so easy for those with excessive family and work demands. Nevertheless working for nothing is kind of liberating and it is surprising how much comes back one’s way.  


gunwharfman

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10255
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #7 on: 11:42:14, 21/09/21 »
I use a different method for my phone or MiFi internet, I buy a 24 month advance data card for £60, (works out as £2.50 a month) from Three, I don't think I could ever need or could ever use up the equivalent of £25 a month?

I buy my phones for cash and I always buy a 2 x SIM card one, one slot for SIM PAYG telephone calls (I rarely use it, only for emergencies so my £10 tends to last me for 6 months) the other slot for my 24 month SIM card which I tend to use for everything, GPS, maps, shopping, making VOIP telephone calls, booking ahead, downloading books, online banking, Skype ect, etc.

This all works well when I'm hiking. It's always possible to not get a signal of course and when this happens I usually find a way to log onto the internet, via a pub, cafes etc. This year I tried something new, I've bought a small, cheap Doro 2G phone and my PAYG SIM is now in this, the battery lasts so much longer than my smartphone. When on the trail I just use my smartphone as a tablet and just keep it for as long as possible on airplane mode. For me definitely an improvement, I no longer have to keep asking landlords or campsite managers " can I charge my external battery or my phone please" so often as I did before.

I try to work on the principle that I may want everything but I also want it at the lowest price! Why pay a lot when the same thing can be bought for less. I prefer for my hiking money to be spent on, beer, food, and whatever else I need or want to enjoy myself.

My wife likes that about me, I live well on the trail but she doesn't think I'm extravagant.




pauldawes

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1785
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #8 on: 12:42:58, 21/09/21 »
I use a different method for my phone or MiFi internet, I buy a 24 month advance data card for £60, (works out as £2.50 a month) from Three, I don't think I could ever need or could ever use up the equivalent of £25 a month?





But I think what Johann is suggesting is that you can get an unlimited mobile download contact for 25 quid a month, and do away with your “landline” broadband contact...simply use your phone as a mobile wi if hotspot to “power” your other devices like desktop, laptop, tablets, etc.


In my case I pay about 30 quid a month for a BT Infinity fibre optic connection for my desktop, and ten quid a month for my mobile phone contact. Using Johann’s approach, I could just bin the BT infinity, and switch to a different mobile phone contact...assuming 25 quid would give me unlimited download, that would save me 15 quid a month.


I might do that once BT contract due for renewal.

Johann Philipp Krieger

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 48
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #9 on: 13:06:56, 21/09/21 »

But I think what Johann is suggesting is that you can get an unlimited mobile download contact for 25 quid a month, and do away with your “landline” broadband contact...simply use your phone as a mobile wi if hotspot to “power” your other devices like desktop, laptop, tablets, etc.


In my case I pay about 30 quid a month for a BT Infinity fibre optic connection for my desktop, and ten quid a month for my mobile phone contact. Using Johann’s approach, I could just bin the BT infinity, and switch to a different mobile phone contact...assuming 25 quid would give me unlimited download, that would save me 15 quid a month.

I might do that once BT contract due for renewal.


Yes that's it Paul. I understand that there are now contracts below £20 which are limited to 180GB per month. I'm only using about 120GB  so I should be able to save another fiver.


With a little casting device attached to the back of the tele all content apart from iplayer can be streamed on demand from phone and laptop so there doesn't really seem to be a need for a TV License any more. There is such an incredible amount of culture, sport and hiking channels available for cheap or free and it can all be viewed as normal on the tele.


Another advantage over broadband is that you can also use it on the go as long as you get a 4g signal to your phone.

pauldawes

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1785
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #10 on: 13:23:01, 21/09/21 »
I’ll have to check how much data I use each month...not checked for a long time...but I suspect 180 GB is about 150 GB more than I typically use.


This could be a chunky saving for me.

MkPotato

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 789
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #11 on: 13:39:58, 21/09/21 »
The funny thing is that walking is in itself pretty cheap. There’s the kit, but on the whole boots etc aren’t a big expense compared to many outdoor pursuits.


I think the problem for those of us who aren’t lucky enough to live in one of the national parks, is getting to them. Cars/fuel are a significant expense (unless you like to run bangers, then it’s just fuel).


Much as I like living around Manchester (makes the Lakes, Peaks, Snowdonia easy hops), I can fully see the draw of retiring to one of these areas - you save a lot of fuel (and time!). Unfortunately this sentiment seems to have created a bit of a property bubble, especially the Lakes - prices seem insanely expensive around the main towns (plus I imagine if you live somewhere like Ambleside you’ll feel mobbed with tourists most of the time).

WhitstableDave

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3254
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #12 on: 14:00:46, 21/09/21 »
Just a quick contribution re. broadband vs 4G...

We've had BT Hybrid Connect for a few weeks. If we lose broadband for any reason, the Hybrid device automatically connects our router to 4G to restore the connection. I did a speed test when it was set up and found that the download speeds were similar, but the upload speed using 4G was much slower than with broadband. Might be relevant.
Walk, Jog, Run : our YouTube video channel.

gunwharfman

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10255
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #13 on: 14:52:05, 21/09/21 »
Is hiking cheap? I always allocate £40 a day. Assuming that I go to a campsite, about £10, for beer and a meal in the pub, about £20, coffee and cake etc another £10 perhaps. The money can soon go. My figures are very simplistic I know and each day can be different, only £5 to camp at Middleton on Teesdale, or £8 at Bowes for example My daily spends fluctuate up and down but I still think my £40 is a good guide for me to follow.

ninthace

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11822
Re: Gas, food and other prices rises vs. hiking?
« Reply #14 on: 15:20:00, 21/09/21 »
I see a lot of townie solutions here.  For the rural dweller things are different. 


If I did not have a car, it would be a 24 mile walk for fresh meat and veg - yes I know I could get supermarket stuff delivered and handpicked by somebody who does not know what good food looks like and does not care where it came from but I prefer to have some control over the contents of my fridge and veg drawer.  A mobile signal can still be a bit of a luxury, dependable broadband still needs something connected to a pole round here despite what the government says about rural broadband.  Heck even the electricity supply isn't reliable, we had 6 power cuts in July and on one day in August we had 17 cuts plus another 4 on other days and last week the power was off for over 3 hours.  The nearest gas main is over 10 miles away so mains gas is a non starter.  In outlying parts of our village, you do not flush anything you have not eaten or would not eat because there are no mains sewers.  And finally, no,  I am not getting rid of my walking companion, who would get my breakfast?
Solvitur Ambulando

 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy