Cost of living during Lockdown

[allandwf]

Saving loads on normal stuff but buying none normal stuff to do the jobs that need doing net gain 0

Same here.

 

[Hawk13]

I am saving over £500 a month from travelling to work (train travel) and I can add on top savings from restaurants, bars and general going out (inc petrol).

Some of this is balanced by having 1 child back at home and me buying service items / vehicle related parts that I now have time to fit but is mainly being eaten up by my wife who sees this as an ideal opportunity to but new things for the house!

 

[2b1ask1]

Mixed here, have two working from home, I’m still out a bit but the electricity bill was x 2.5 on usual last month. Also spent £300 on a rowing machine arriving today to try and get us fitter.

 

[Wack61]

I am saving over £500 a month from travelling to work (train travel) and I can add on top savings from restaurants, bars and general going out (inc petrol).

Some of this is balanced by having 1 child back at home and me buying service items / vehicle related parts that I now have time to fit but is mainly being eaten up by my wife who sees this as an ideal opportunity to but new things for the house!

Mine has had me out with the tape measure ,10% off at web blinds ends today .
We had a skip delivered yesterday , it came in 20 minutes from the phone call , I was thinking I'd at least have a day to think about it.

 

[Scaf]

Mixed here, have two working from home, I’m still out a bit but the electricity bill was x 2.5 on usual last month. Also spent £300 on a rowing machine arriving today to try and get us fitter.

I have to say I had not accounted for “on line purchases” I am still addicted to that! with a Cross Trainer in the garage and a new TV on its way to go in-front of it !

 

[Motorsport3]

Saving on restaurant type wine and dine. Spending on lego to keep my daughter busy and off the TV.

 

[rockits]

May sound stupid , but what are you expecting to weld ...............cars body panels etc would you need to weld alluminium , would you want to cut metal with it

Not stupid at all, very valid question I have asked myself during research. I would say it would mainly be steel. Not likely for cutting as would use traditional cutting tools for that separately.

Just for some small odd jobs really as and when they arise. It is a skill I would like to learn and like to be self sufficient in most things rather than relying on others. SO if such a thing exits a kind round unit with some flexibility to do a few different small jobs.

I have decided to go for MIG first. The one I have gone for does both gas and gas less, but I am going to learn try with gas. Stick is easier but not as versatile and TIG takes a lot of learning as I understand it.

My research seems to have led me to the same point. A MIG that can be gas and gasless seems a great option. So that Clarke 150te seems ideal. Is that hardwired or portable with plug?

Correct tig is really for bench work , a lot more precision required hence prettier welds , ordinary car panel and slight heavy duty work mig and gas is probably the way to go, and is used by most garage workshops nowdays , but it is handy to have a plasma cutter aswell

I think you might have hit the nail on the head there

The Clarke 150te seems to gas and gasless and steel or aluminium. Only thing is it seems hard wired which isn’t an issue just a little less flexible I guess.

 

[Zep]

My research seems to have led me to the same point. A MIG that can be gas and gasless seems a great option. So that Clarke 150te seems ideal. Is that hardwired or portable with plug

It needs something a bit sturdier than a normal plug, I have a 32amp supply in my shed and will be adding a commando socket to suit it.

 

[CatmanV2]

It needs something a bit sturdier than a normal plug, I have a 32amp supply in my shed and will be adding a commando socket to suit it.

Oh lord. Zep's going commando!

C

 

[Felonious Crud]

I'm certainly spending less, and also enjoying that because I'm not going to work I no longer wear clothes that need ironing. Savings:

1. The weekend away with friends that we'd been looking forward to (deferred, rather than saved)
2. Trip to see the eldest in Bristol - petrol, hotel, meals out (ok, this is deferred rather than saved, but chances are we'd also have visited the eldest in York, who's now back here. See "extra spend"
3. Train a couple of times each week
4. Lunches
5. Shite from airports that I don't need
6. Those "Upgrade now for only £xxx" offers that BA send and that I can't bring myself to try to expense
7. The new pair of shoes that I really do need (ok, this is deferred spend, not actual savings)
8. Petrol
9. Eating out, pub etc etc
10. The allowance the youngest isn't getting while he's up at uni
11. The new bathroom (deferred)

Extra spend

1. All the food that the youngest is eating
2. Extra beer and wine
3. Accelerated DIY jobs (mostly long overdue, to be honest!)

It's also interesting (to me, anyway) what is more efficient and what is less. Clearly the saved travel time is good, but that fact that agreeing things over a call invariably takes longer than face to face means that some stuff is less efficient. My diary is insane and I'm sure a lot of it is more chat than usual. We all want to compare notes on how weird this all is rather than getting straight down to business. That higher emotional support is crucial but comes at a time cost.

 

[2b1ask1]

It needs something a bit sturdier than a normal plug, I have a 32amp supply in my shed and will be adding a commando socket to suit it.

commando plug is a necessity IMHO, 13A just doesn’t cut the mustard. I ha e COuGAR and pure argon bottles as I do a lot of stainless. I find the hassles wire awful and never use it these days. I did invest in a Teflon lined short lance for aluminium setup on argon. That is fantastic and enjoyed getting the hang of that! So much easier than stick aluminium welding which is bonkers!

I still haven’t got the hang of TIG and let Alex do all of that for me. He can do most metals now even TIG welding titanium!

 

[Zep]

Oh lord. Zep's going commando!

C

So what’s new?!

 

[Oneball]

Not stupid at all, very valid question I have asked myself during research. I would say it would mainly be steel. Not likely for cutting as would use traditional cutting tools for that separately.

Just for some small odd jobs really as and when they arise. It is a skill I would like to learn and like to be self sufficient in most things rather than relying on others. SO if such a thing exits a kind round unit with some flexibility to do a few different small jobs.




My research seems to have led me to the same point. A MIG that can be gas and gasless seems a great option. So that Clarke 150te seems ideal. Is that hardwired or portable with plug?




I think you might have hit the nail on the head there

The Clarke 150te seems to gas and gasless and steel or aluminium. Only thing is it seems hard wired which isn’t an issue just a little less flexible I guess.

I’ve got a Clarke 151TE. Best hobby type welder I’ve used. Forget about gassless it’s shite likewise MIG welding Al

 

[lifes2short]

TIG welding has various advantages, however don't be fooled in thinking it's easy as its not, it's a highly skilled form of welding that you wont ever really master unless you are a professional welder, MIG is perfectly fine and you can end up with very good welds with a bit of practice on scrap pieces of steel, by changing wire spools and gases you can weld steel, aluminium and stainless steel

 

[lifes2short]

my daughters seem to be watching a lot of movies on virgin in the evening and noticed that some new releases are now at £10 so doubled in price, looks like they're trying to cash in perhaps RB needs the extra revenue during these hard times

 

[Oneball]

my daughters seem to be watching a lot of movies on virgin in the evening and noticed that some new releases are now at £10 so doubled in price, looks like they're trying to cash in perhaps RB needs the extra revenue during these hard times

If it’s the same as Sky the expensive ones would still have been at the cinema

 

[rossyl]

I've been spending less on:

• Tube travel
• lunches
• eating out
• events/theatre/etc
• holidays

BUT, I've not saved any money. As we seem to be doing much larger purchases

• chandeliers (flipping expensive)
• roof repair
• car stuff (looking to cost more than the chandeliers!!)

I've started an addiction watching Detailing vids on YouTube and Wheeler Dealers!!

 

[Felonious Crud]

BUT, I've not saved any money. As we seem to be doing much larger purchases

• chandeliers (flipping expensive)
• roof repair
• car stuff (looking to cost more than the chandeliers!!)

I've started an addiction watching Detailing vids on YouTube and Wheeler Dealers!!

Are you finding that the more time you spend at home, the more jobs and changes you realise you want to do to it? I've got an elaborate dangly lighting thing in my John Lewis basket.

 

[safrane]

Costs increased for Charlotte and I.
More travel to work
More laundry - 2 loads at 60' to rid potential infection.
Scrubs purchased to ease the above.
More parking charges 4 sessions between us at £10.00 a day.
Having to buy and post food to elderly relatives.
Food parcel to adopted key worker.

We have however taken in a Jr DR who was evicted by her landlord who feared C19.

 

[Oneball]

Costs increased for Charlotte and I.
More travel to work
More laundry - 2 loads at 60' to rid potential infection.
Scrubs purchased to ease the above.
More parking charges 4 sessions between us at £10.00 a day.
Having to buy and post food to elderly relatives.
Food parcel to adopted key worker.

We have however taken in a Jr DR who was evicted by her landlord who feared C19.

I thought most places had exempted key workers form parking charges?