Cost of living ,will some hobbies go ?

the black fox

the black fox

Suspended / Banned
Messages
17,082
Name
Jeff
Edit My Images
No
Looking through Facebook market place I’m starting to notice a huge increase in tropical fish tanks for sale , these obviously have to be kept heated and cost a fair bit to run under normal circumstances , so just wondering if the cost of living is causing hobbyists to sell up …

And if that’s the fact what other hobbies will suffer along the way , I already know personally that I have cut my travelling around to save on diesel costs . But there must be lots of other hobbies / sports that are going to be effected along the way . Todays expected price cap news is only going to accelerate things Shop prices for items will have to increase further to pay for there bills wonder if this will impact our hobby to ? We in the u.k can’t even buy cheaply from abroad any longer so is there a alternative ?
 
I never noticed the Coleridge quote in your signature before; nice. Opium really worked for him didn't it!

It is a concern about the cost of living affecting the quality of life for many people. Thankfully I've only ever once had to start selling hobby kit to raise funds to live on, to my everlasting regret as it was mostly inherited. I do hope other people aren't forced into it, but I agree, I think the pawnbrokers and similar will have a field day over the next year or two. My brother in law, ex estate agent, made his wealth out of buying repossessed houses and is expecting a new generation to be able to repeat this, which I find repulsive as a point of principle. Profiting from others' misfortune.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TG.
This Cost of Greed Living situation has caused my mate to abandon his hot tub, which is understandable considering how thick the power cable is! I enjoy a nice whisky which is a luxury but I don't buy the expensive stuff any more. Fortunately, my now favourite is Auchentoshan Three Wood which is sold at a far less price than it should considering the production involved. But I only recently found out from a distillery tour that it is apparently cheaper to buy Scotch Whisky in some European countries than it is here. That speaks volumes about how much we are screwed over here.

I'm less inclined to buy camera gear and I will really hum and haw over whether or not I need something now. So whilst it's not going, it's not really changing or growing either.
 
We're ok financially but we still have a be careful mindset built in from childhood so we may get the general mood and tighten up slightly but luckily, we're lucky.

I don't think this is just a utilities cost though, I think the UK has more widespread problems which need to be addressed for the good of everyone. I doubt any of the main political parties will attempt any root and branch reform though as short term it'll be suicide at the ballot box and gaining and staying in power is all they all exist for.

Oh. Another issue for me is that due to serious family breakdown I have no one to leave my money to now so me and mine are going to enjoy life and if it means dying penniless so what. What's left will go to local charities.
 
Short term I am not looking to give up on any hobbies, not that I have much time for many these days anyway.
But naturally, when things get tough non-essentials are the first thing to go.

Take one of my hobbies, mountain biking, for example. Bike upgrades are definitely off the table at the moment, and travel to bike parks etc. stopped a while back when petrol got so expensive. When components start to break or wear out and need replacing I might find that I can't afford to replace them, so my hobby will go on hold. Then if things get real bad then I will have to consider selling up.

Fortunately that scenario is a way off for me, but how long is thing going to go on for?

It will be the companies that are hit first by reduced sales, who in turn will probably end up increasing their prices (AGAIN!) making it even more difficult for people to keep their hobbies.
 
Yes it’s going to get difficult I’ve cut down on the number of long trips I do to nature reserves frustrating to be honest but still was able to see one new species, to me of butterfly and two damselflies this year
I have to large fish tanks , I’ve already moved one over to cold water and will eventually do the same with the other one will be a while though as one of the fish is large and long lived
It’s surprising how many ‘tropical’ fish are fine at room temperature
 
I think it won't be until after Jan when both the price cap increases and it gets much colder that things will hit hard for many. I'm already noticing myself turn the shower temp dial up a little bit as the incoming water must be getting colder.
 
It will affect the less well off whilst those lucky enough to be well off will hardly notice, I read on a Hi Fi forum this week about a company selling fuses for 10K, yes you read that right, a plug fuse for 10K! (improves the sound quality?!) people who can afford 10K fuses are not going to be affected by the cost of living crisis. For me I have all the gear I need to continue with photography, but if something was to go wrong with my main camera it would be a tough decision if I could justify the expenditure for a new one.
 
Last edited:
It's crazy times. During last winter, before March 2022, gas price was 4p/kWh. Come October it'll be 15p/kWh So cost to heat homes this winter have effectively 3x compared to last winter.


I'm expecting a huge increase with my miles on the road as I've fixed electricity price at 7.5p/kWh 4 hr off-peak and 35p other times with EV tariff. It'll be 2.5p per mile for me during the fix, now that I'm getting a long range EV and no longer reliant on petrol pump prices.

I'll also be using electric heaters at 7.5p/kWh during its cheap periods overnight to heat the bedrooms. Every little helps.

No other changes for us as a family, we are able to suck it up with less going into savings.
 
Fortunately these things go in cycles and are not permanent. Eventually inflation, cost of living and incomes stabilise.
However there is a real cost, and it is mostly to savings. most share and property based Investments eventually catch up, but cash does not, it is effectively devalued by inflation. This is a time to invest in things of intrinsic worth at bargain prices.

The UK economy is being hit from all sides and services and businesses are suffering in the same way individuals are.. it does not help that the costs of Brexit on the economy, is hitting us at the same time as everything else, and that hit is likely to be permanent, as we have in effect cut ourselves off from a large part of our free trading base.
The energy crisis is largely down to the situation arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This will be a very long term effect, as no one is likely to put their dependence on Russian oil and gas again. The threat of further blackmail is far too great for that.

Russia will eventually find new markets in the likes of China and parts of Africa but it would have to develop new supply paths and pipelines, before it could match what it was supplying to Europe.
However the impetus is for the world to maximise and develop renewable sources of energy, This change will be immense, and Russia will probably never again have a dominant position in the worlds energy market.

China is leading the way in the manufacture and development of alternative Power sources, especially from wind and Sun.

Unfortunately the UK government is in melt down, with out a clear path out of what is largely a self imposed mess.
The main services such as Local government services, care, health, dentistry, legal services, the police and emergency services are all in a rapid downward spiral, with no plans in place that have any possibility of improving the situation. attempts to partially privatise these service has only added to their overall costs and reduced their effectiveness. Such attempts have added to the complication and costs of supply, and at the same time reduced the possibility of effective planning and coherent control and an even distribution of these services. Privatisation positions supply were it can generate the most income, not where it is most needed. it places no value on social need, or access for the individual.
 
Last edited:
Apologies I stated in my previous post it was a 10K fuse when in fact it was only 4.2K! My mistake.

www.futureshop.co.uk

Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Silver Extreme Level UK Mains Fuse - 3A, 5A & 13 Amp

Future Shop proudly presents Quantum Science Audio (QSA), a leader in the audiophile fuse industry with extensive research in 'Bottle Neck Distortion'. QSA fuses are designed to enhance audio systems, a crucial component historically overlooked. These fuses focus on reducing 'bottlenecking'...
www.futureshop.co.uk www.futureshop.co.uk

Still I doubt anyone buying such a marvel will worry about the electric bill on jot!
 
Last edited:
Not worried at all really, guess I'm lucky but we don't use much electric and gas. Already done the maths and absolute worst case my monthly bill might peak at £350 for both gas and electric, that's for a family of four.

Looking at my smart meter display right now I'm only at £65 this month total, so shows how little we use.

Only chance I have made is eating out less often, which also means a bit less petrol used as well, guess that's saving around £150 a month.

Not cutting back on hobbies, almost the opposite about to spend the most I ever have on a new mountain bike.
 
robj20 said:
Not worried at all really, guess I'm lucky but we don't use much electric and gas. Already done the maths and absolute worst case my monthly bill might peak at £350 for both gas and electric, that's for a family of four.

Looking at my smart meter display right now I'm only at £65 this month total, so shows how little we use.

Only chance I have made is eating out less often, which also means a bit less petrol used as well, guess that's saving around £150 a month.

Not cutting back on hobbies, almost the opposite about to spend the most I ever have on a new mountain bike.
Click to expand...
I’ve never seen a money figure for my gas on the smart meter though the Settings seem to indicate it’s available. Odd.
 
sphexx said:
I’ve never seen a money figure for my gas on the smart meter though the Settings seem to indicate it’s available. Odd.
Click to expand...
It will be in the menu somewhere as an alternative to therms.
 
I will likely spend less time in the man cave over winter.
 
I won't be giving up any hobbies but I shall definitely be holding fire on investing in a Lumux G9, a Moto Guzzi V7, a Martin D 18 or a Thorn Mark 5. In fact anything with a number in its name will have to wait to see what spare cash exists come spring. Luckily I have a camera, a guitar, a bike, and a motorbike already, so it's the shops rather than me that are going to miss out.
 
Baloo said:
Apologies I stated in my previous post it was a 10K fuse when in fact it was only 4.2K! My mistake.

www.futureshop.co.uk

Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Silver Extreme Level UK Mains Fuse - 3A, 5A & 13 Amp

Future Shop proudly presents Quantum Science Audio (QSA), a leader in the audiophile fuse industry with extensive research in 'Bottle Neck Distortion'. QSA fuses are designed to enhance audio systems, a crucial component historically overlooked. These fuses focus on reducing 'bottlenecking'...
www.futureshop.co.uk www.futureshop.co.uk

Still I doubt anyone buying such a marvel will worry about the electric bill on jot!
Click to expand...
I may have missed something about this product but at that price it just sounds like the "Emperor's new clothes" :thinking:
 
I've got enough hobby type s*** to keep me going for years, all manner of stuff.
Not got round to doing much of it yet and don't suppose that will change with the increased cost of energy.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
It will be in the menu somewhere as an alternative to therms.
Click to expand...

Actually it’s not or not explicitly. But I’ve managed to get it working - - Inhave tap/press the relevant figure to change from kw to £ and I think the sluggish or erratic Wi-Fi/cell phone performance of this device (plus the slow updating of the gas vs electric figures)conspired to defeat my efforts each time I tried till now.

The Wi-Fi performance is particularly bad as it doesn’t seem able to handle my Mesh network and if it loses connection doesn’t remember the password and I have to re-enter it.

It also seems t get upset by working on battery.
 
sphexx said:
Actually it’s not or not explicitly. But I’ve managed to get it working - - Inhave tap/press the relevant figure to change from kw to £ and I think the sluggish or erratic Wi-Fi/cell phone performance of this device (plus the slow updating of the gas vs electric figures)conspired to defeat my efforts each time I tried till now.

The Wi-Fi performance is particularly bad as it doesn’t seem able to handle my Mesh network and if it loses connection doesn’t remember the password and I have to re-enter it.

It also seems t get upset by working on battery.
Click to expand...
It won't connect to WiFi. (Some do but it's not for communication)
It's a HAN (Home Area Network) the screen connects to the electric meter directly. The gas meter also connects directly to the electric meter, the gas meter does not talk to the screen at all.
The electric meter then has a WAN (Wide Area Network) which is the mobile network that sends the readings to the central database then the supplier.
So if you have poor signal move the screen closer to the electric meter.

You will get sluggish gas meter readings as that's updated once every 30 minutes to save battery.
The electric meter is every 10 seconds I think.
 
robj20 said:
It won't connect to WiFi. (Some do but it's not for communication)
It's a HAN (Home Area Network) the screen connects to the electric meter directly. The gas meter also connects directly to the electric meter, the gas meter does not talk to the screen at all.
The electric meter then has a WAN (Wide Area Network) which is the mobile network that sends the readings to the central database then the supplier.
So if you have poor signal move the screen closer to the electric meter.

You will get sluggish gas meter readings as that's updated once every 30 minutes to save battery.
The electric meter is every 10 seconds I think.
Click to expand...
Mine certainly connects to the Wi-Fi though it’s not at all clear why it does — maybe there’s another app available.

Yes I realise about the mobile network and the sluggish gas results but didn’t know only the leccy has the network connection — makes sense of my connection glitches as originally I had it almost next to the leccy meter at the front of the house and the gas meter is about as far away from that as possible!.

Thanks.
 
sphexx said:
Mine certainly connects to the Wi-Fi though it’s not at all clear why it does — maybe there’s another app available.

Yes I realise about the mobile network and the sluggish gas results but didn’t know only the leccy has the network connection — makes sense of my connection glitches as originally I had it almost next to the leccy meter at the front of the house and the gas meter is about as far away from that as possible!.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
WiFi can be used for other smart functions, or exporting data to other devices. It's not really used much yet.

I initially had issues with the gas meter not taking because of distance, after enough complaining they agreed to fit a meter with a longer range (they don't like too because they're more expensive) but since then it's been fine.
 
Box Brownie said:
I may have missed something about this product but at that price it just sounds like the "Emperor's new clothes" :thinking:
Click to expand...

I don't believe it'll make any difference at all.

Years back I spent my time sat staring at a scope and people would be amazed at the effect a piece of wire can have on a signal but if that effect can be heard by a human or indeed any living thing is another question. The next question could be how bad would the HiFi's psu and the circuitry after that need to be for a fuse to make any difference?
 
Last edited:
And pity those poor Europeans with their fuseless Schuko plugs :cool:
 
robj20 said:
WiFi can be used for other smart functions, or exporting data to other devices. It's not really used much yet.

I initially had issues with the gas meter not taking because of distance, after enough complaining they agreed to fit a meter with a longer range (they don't like too because they're more expensive) but since then it's been fine.
Click to expand...
The gas readings on my smart meter didn’t appear for a long time (weeks at least) after it was installed. I assumed at the time it was taking longer to be commissioned compared with the electric but that must have been wrong now I know it sends to the electric!
 
It
sphexx said:
The gas readings on my smart meter didn’t appear for a long time (weeks at least) after it was installed. I assumed at the time it was taking longer to be commissioned compared with the electric but that must have been wrong now I know it sends to the electric!
Click to expand...
Usually does take longer for gas to show up it's just the default way they do it. When I was having problems they changed it so gas would be done first.
If something isn't working you have to persist after all we've all paid for smart meters you should have them working.

In my experience of the metres are going to work electric shows up on the screen almost immediately and gas within a few hours. Then it can take a day or two to show up in your account online.
 
LCPete said:
That’s a real shame why’s that ?
Click to expand...
Did you sleep all this time since 2019?!

Lockdown to within 5 miles around the house while diesel is cheap.

Now diesel around £2/l, and all expenses including rent at least double.

Can only afford paid work these days!
 
Last edited:
LongLensPhotography said:
Did you sleep all this time since 2019?!

Lockdown to within 5 miles around the house while diesel is cheap.

Now diesel around £2/l, and all expenses including rent at least double.

Can only afford paid work these days!
Click to expand...

not at all those things affected us as well just didn’t know what you meant by SAGE and OFGEM being the cause
the cost of everything now means that I’ve had to cut down on the number of long trips away in the car I make for photography
 
wyx087 said:
Who/what is SAGE?
Click to expand...
I surmise..
Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.

The group that was advising the Government during the COVID Crisis.
 
Ah okay. That jogged my memory, it's the good ones Bojo decided to ignore.

I was just thinking within the energy crisis circle.
 
We each have choices to make during the hard times. Some, the hardest hit, may have to give up a hobby, sell the gear, to survive, although I do think that is a panic reaction triggered by media scare stories. Others may just have to forego trips away to get to nice locations and have to dig out the aesthetic value of nearer locations, or even go to macro and studio type togging. I think a sense of proportion is needed.
There is no doubt that the media and govt together have created a perfect storm of economic crises and blown them into a nationwide panic. However, oil prices have been slowly coming down as therefore has fuel (my cheapest local diesel is now £1.79.9), the predictions for gas prices wholesale have dropped a bit from the peak alarmist estimates, and the pressure to reach a more mutually beneficial agreement with the EU on trade etc is growing daily despite (or because of) the clarion calls from Truss to the loony right to support her. So I don't think the medium to long term will be nearly as bad as they would have us believe.
 
lindsay said:
We each have choices to make during the hard times. Some, the hardest hit, may have to give up a hobby, sell the gear, to survive, although I do think that is a panic reaction triggered by media scare stories. Others may just have to forego trips away to get to nice locations and have to dig out the aesthetic value of nearer locations, or even go to macro and studio type togging. I think a sense of proportion is needed.
There is no doubt that the media and govt together have created a perfect storm of economic crises and blown them into a nationwide panic. However, oil prices have been slowly coming down as therefore has fuel (my cheapest local diesel is now £1.79.9), the predictions for gas prices wholesale have dropped a bit from the peak alarmist estimates, and the pressure to reach a more mutually beneficial agreement with the EU on trade etc is growing daily despite (or because of) the clarion calls from Truss to the loony right to support her. So I don't think the medium to long term will be nearly as bad as they would have us believe.
Click to expand...
And no doubt whoever our next PM will be they will have much to do that will only become harder.....

In general terms it will either be an Ideologue ( Truss) or a conviction/technocrat (Sunak) politician.... personally I prefer the latter as he IMO will be more realistic than Truss in finding solutions that help all and especially the poorest of the working people for whom Income Tax Cuts (the Truss promise/commitment) will do "squat".

In regard to the impact on folks wallet's over the next many months,..... everyone will have make personal choices!

PS unrelated, in specific terms to this thread, about a member now gone from TP but simply about the loss of a hobby being forced upon one.

I have learned on another forum that he has been injured in a motor accident and it will in all likelihood be months before he is fit enough to hold a camera again, so has to my surprise sold all of his kit....as it will just be sitting idle.

So, we should be thankful for what we have and tighten our belts as needed ~ sunnier times ahead, when is the question:)
 
Last edited:
lindsay said:
There is no doubt that the media and govt together have created a perfect storm of economic crises and blown them into a nationwide panic.
Click to expand...
Several years ago, I read a book which discussed a way in which a dictatorship could be installed in Britain. One of the steps was to create an economic disaster, allowing the right wing conspirators to step in to "save" the country.

If we had anyone other than this bunch of disorganised incompetents in office, I'd be worrying about now... :naughty:
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
Several years ago, I read a book which discussed a way in which a dictatorship could be installed in Britain. One of the steps was to create an economic disaster, allowing the right wing conspirators to step in to "save" the country.

If we had anyone other than this bunch of disorganised incompetents in office, I'd be worrying about now... :naughty:
Click to expand...
Sounds like the book that Trump had read and modified to a narrative that he hopes will work for him the US.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top