How has 2022 been so far? How's the economy affecting you? Any tips?

[Dan]

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How has 2022 been so far? How's the economy affecting you? Any tips?

This email has been sent to all members of the forum. I thought we could help each other out.

How is your business doing? How has the economy (and I hear recession being said here and there in the news now) affected you at home and your business?

Any tips for these big fuel bills, energy bills etc?

 

[Flimsy]

2022 has been fab, on our 4th holiday this year, 3 x Tenerife & 1x Mallorca happy days😎

 

[LukeD]

2021/22 has been fine .Good client base , all have money none cared about lockdown , so work carried on etc etc .Dont work for cash poor people .

 

[Dustydazzler]

Not too bad , only BAD thing on the horizon is Higher Interest Rates which will mean my mortgage repayment goes UP

 

[a-z electrics]

How has 2022 been so far? How's the economy affecting you? Any tips?

This email has been sent to all members of the forum. I thought we could help each other out.

How is your business doing? How has the economy (and I hear recession being said here and there in the news now) affected you at home and your business?

Any tips for these big fuel bills, energy bills etc?

Business has been going well BUT time to start taking it easy (I am 67 )
Top tip - get solar pv and a battery if you havent already. THen get an ev

 

[dksanders]

I work primarily in the domestic sector, haven't gone PV or EV as close to retirement hopefully. Round my way, a lot of people are tightening their belts, I'm only really getting emergency call outs, EICRs and the odd extension etc with builders I work with.
Fortunately I've a side business where 45-60 minutes on the phone or talking face to face makes more than my day rate.

 

[a-z electrics]

I work primarily in the domestic sector, haven't gone PV or EV as close to retirement hopefully. Round my way, a lot of people are tightening their belts, I'm only really getting emergency call outs, EICRs and the odd extension etc with builders I work with.
Fortunately I've a side business where 45-60 minutes on the phone or talking face to face makes more than my day rate.

Its never too late

 

[littlespark]

Never mind the recession…. Where the heck you been, @Dan ?

 

[swaRRR]

Stuff costs a bit more. That's....it.

 

[pirate]

Also on my 4th holiday this year, and 2 more to come. Being retired, every day is a holiday, I suppose...but I get a trickle of nice jobs now and then, all local to me so no long journeys.
I appreciate many folks will be concerned about higher interest rates, but we have had artificially low mortgage rates for many years now, and for us oldies a decent rate on our savings would be nice. My first mortgage rate was 14.5%, so that was a huge outgoing at the time. I remortgaged a few years later at 11% and thought I had won the lottery!
Pies! I love pies! Here's a tip, when heating a pie, don't preheat the oven and heat the pie for 20 minutes. If you have a combi microwave oven it may have pre-sets. Mine has several, one is for pizza. I use that, and the pie is ready in 6 minutes, so uses a lot less electricity.

 

[Dustydazzler]

There is no way we should have had sub 1% rates for the past decade , all it has done was push housing prices up to eye watering unstainable levels. We need a correction and for prices to come back down by 15-20%

 

[LukeD]

One again the French got it right .The brokers told their `Government to cap the % and i believe its just under 5 % . Also "flippers" get taxed a lot . so the whole property market is safer and calmer. I think they will tip society over and things will get ugly

 

[Dustydazzler]

The moment a home became a traded commodity the issue start , this issue then compounded with very low rates created the perfect storm with sky high rent

It should have been regulated years ago

 

[LukeD]

Said in previous posts .I know of just ONE apartment block in LOndon that has 28 apartments and 2 x penthouses . 19 Apartments are empty at the moment and have been for 4 years .2 of them have been empty for 25 years . ALL foreign investors who just want a safe place to invest their dodgy money (US sweet shops in london !!) The government should have offered mortgages 20 years ago . the interest they would make would be billions . And then a sliding scale .Born in UK you get x % rates . Living here /just been made British and a higher rate . Foreign investment and poor landlords who scammed their way into the business are just not healthy . Its like NO one checks anything in this country anymore .

 

[mainline]

Never mind the interest rates or the price of fuel, I had a shock when I went to Morrisons earlier Diet coke £11 for a box of 24 sad very sad.

 

[UNG]

Never mind the interest rates or the price of fuel, I had a shock when I went to Morrisons earlier Diet coke £11 for a box of 24 sad very sad.

Diet Coke or any diet drink should be taxed out of existance for me filling people with that artificial sweetener aspartame should be made a criminal offence

 

[pirate]

hONESTLY? So cheap! Try buying a can of Coke in a motorway service station!
2 litres of gin on the plane here...£24!
£12/litre at 47.3%...
now, where was i?

 

[Dustydazzler]

Never mind the interest rates or the price of fuel, I had a shock when I went to Morrisons earlier Diet coke £11 for a box of 24 sad very sad.

Likewise picked up a tin of Heinz Beans in M&S garage the other day was £1.40 , world has gone nuts

 

[Dustydazzler]

Diet Coke or any diet drink should be taxed out of existance for me filling people with that artificial sweetener aspartame should be made a criminal offence

Is that the chemical that give some people the trotts

 

[UNG]

Is that the chemical that give some people the trotts

It can do different things to different people, it gives me a bad itchy irritating rash, I have read that in some people the alcohols in it can lodge in the brain and cause brain damage although there is a lot of questionable science that suggests it is perfectly safe

 

[nicebutdim]

Is that the chemical that give some people the trotts

Think that's sorbitol, often found in sugar free mints.

 

[mainline]

Likewise picked up a tin of Heinz Beans in M&S garage the other day was £1.40 , world has gone nuts

Ohhh don't talk about nuts waitrose cashew nuts £6.

 

[littlespark]

I drink full fat red coke. Sugar tax… it’s about 13 quid for 24 cans!

Still cheaper than buying them one at a time.

 

[mainline]

It can do different things to different people, it gives me a bad itchy irritating rash, I have read that in some people the alcohols in it can lodge in the brain and cause brain damage although there is a lot of questionable science that suggests it is perfectly safe

The debate over whether it's good or bad has been going on for decades, mostly stemming from an internet hoax.

In a story about aspartame misinformation, “methanol can produce the known carcinogen formaldehyde” The body actually produces and uses 1,000 times more formaldehyde than you could consume through aspartame. After helping to make important proteins, formaldehyde gets turned into formic acid and exits the body through urine.

Aspartame is considered one of the most thoroughly tested food additives in the world
it is safe to consume for everyone except phenylketonurics

 

[pirate]

Sugar free mints, eh?
Here is the logo from a courier service near me...

 

[UNG]

The debate over whether it's good or bad has been going on for decades, mostly stemming from an internet hoax.

In a story about aspartame misinformation, “methanol can produce the known carcinogen formaldehyde” The body actually produces and uses 1,000 times more formaldehyde than you could consume through aspartame. After helping to make important proteins, formaldehyde gets turned into formic acid and exits the body through urine.

Aspartame is considered one of the most thoroughly tested food additives in the world
it is safe to consume for everyone except phenylketonurics

Aspartame may be one of the most thoroughly tested food additives it doesn't necessarily mean it is 100% safe

There are many articles regarding misinformation about aspartame and there as just as many if not more that argue the total opposite

 

[i=p/u]

They say ants will gorge a pile of sugar on the ground but leave the pipe of aspartame..

 

[mainline]

Aspartame may be one of the most thoroughly tested food additives it doesn't necessarily mean it is 100% safe

There are many articles regarding misinformation about aspartame and there as just as many if not more that argue the total opposite

I don’t think it should be massively taxed or banned though just because someone thinks it causes gives them an itchy bottom, that could just be the washing powder 🤣

 

[mainline]

They say ants will gorge a pile of sugar on the ground but leave the pipe of aspartame..

Wonder how many people have tripped over those pipes of aspartame 🤣

 

[i=p/u]

Wonder how many tried to sniff it

 

[UNG]

I don’t think it should be massively taxed or banned though just because someone thinks it causes gives them an itchy bottom, that could just be the washing powder 🤣

Your comments and replies to date clearly indicate you are not as well read on aspartame as you think you are and who said it gave them an itchy bottom

I think you will find that most people don't consume washing powder so it is a totally different issue that is generally caused by the biological agents in the washing detergent products

In a story about aspartame misinformation, “methanol can produce the known carcinogen formaldehyde” The body actually produces and uses 1,000 times more formaldehyde than you could consume through aspartame. After helping to make important proteins, formaldehyde gets turned into formic acid and exits the body through urine.

Ahh the standard manufacturer spiel and if it doesn't exit the body in the urine where does it end up

Aspartame is considered one of the most thoroughly tested food additives in the world
it is safe to consume for everyone except phenylketonurics

And that issue alone should put aspartame as one of the listed allergens on any product that contains it

 

[LukeD]

Aspartame may be one of the most thoroughly tested food additives it doesn't necessarily mean it is 100% safe

There are many articles regarding misinformation about aspartame and there as just as many if not more that argue the total opposite

If a company can put enough money behind something for research that will make their product "safe" It will happen . Researches tend to do as they are told as funding is so limited these days .

 

[nicebutdim]

If a company can put enough money behind something for research that will make their product "safe" It will happen . Researches tend to do as they are told as funding is so limited these days .

It's what passes for 'following the science' these days.

 

[littlespark]

I believe some people are just more sensitive to these artificial foods such as aspartame… I know I am… but I don’t think they are untested or dangerous or shouldn’t be there.
With some people it’s dairy, others it’s gluten.
And of course, potentially lethal nut allergies… and that is a real thing… not some crack pot, made up modern fad.

Testing goes as far as “safe for human consumption” but that doesn’t mean absolutely every human, because of these intolerances or allergies.

 

[mainline]

Your comments and replies to date clearly indicate you are not as well read on aspartame as you think you are

I'm sure you are a real authority on it 🤣

Ahh the standard manufacturer spiel and if it doesn't exit the body in the urine where does it end up

It has been researched over 500 times, 200 of these have been independent and nothing to do with manufactures.

And that issue alone should put aspartame as one of the listed allergens on any product that contains it.

Aspartame – Diabetes

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener (nonnutritive sweetener) that is roughly 200 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). It is used as a replacement for sucrose in more than 6,000 consumer foods and drinks sold worldwide under the trade names Candarel, Equal and NutraSweet. Despite receiving...

www.diabetes.co.uk

In the UK, the Food Standards Agency requires all foods that contain aspartame to list the chemical among the product’s ingredients and carry the following warning; “Contains a source of phenylalanine”. Manufacturers of aspartame-sweetened products must also include ‘”with sweetener(s)” on the label close to the main product name or “with sugar and sweetener(s)” on foods that contain both sugar and sweetener.


In the United States, foods containing aspartame must have “Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine” written on their labels.





Aspartame is one of the most exhaustively studied NNS in the world. A number of regulatory agencies have confirmed that aspartame and its breakdown products are safe and approved for use in the general population (including infants, children and people who are pregnant or lactating):

• FDATrusted Source
• EFSA
• Health Canada
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand
• Food Standards Agency United Kingdom
• United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization and Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives

Many health-related organizations also note aspartame has not been conclusively linked to any adverse side effects:

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of HealthTrusted Source
• American Diabetes Association
• American Heart AssociationTrusted Source
• American Cancer SocietyTrusted Source

The truth about sweeteners

Evidence on the safety of the most popular sweeteners, including aspartame, sucralose and stevia extracts.

www.nhs.uk

They're found in thousands of products, from drinks, desserts and ready meals, to cakes, chewing gum and toothpaste.

Sweeteners approved for use in the UK include:

• acesulfame K
• aspartame
• saccharin
• sorbitol
• sucralose
• stevia
• xylitol

Both Cancer Research UK and the US National Cancer Institute have said sweeteners do not cause cancer.

"Large studies looking at people have now provided strong evidence that artificial sweeteners are safe for humans," states Cancer Research UK.

All sweeteners in the EU undergo a rigorous safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) before they can be used in food and drink.


I'm not going to continue with this as it's quite pointless, you believe what you want and fight the good fight.

 

[OnlQQker]

Alan Watts - 6 January 1915 – 16 November 1973

http://www.advancedtradespecialists.uk/

 

[Dustydazzler]

I have had a couple smaller jobs cancel in recent days and my wife and her fellow PT friends are also seeing cancellations across October and November

A sure fire sign people are feeling the cost of living crisis pinch ?

 

[mainline]

Alan Watts - 6 January 1915 – 16 November 1973

http://www.advancedtradespecialists.uk/

Once they understand how brains work and how they store information etc we won't need our bodies as such our brains can be stored and reinstated when broken.
Of course, there will be some brains that aren't worth storing. 🤣

 

[OnlQQker]

My kids mum works as a lifeguard for an extremely large health club.
They have turned off the steam room and lowered the temps of the pool, people are cancelling and it was in the Daily Mail yesterday.


This is going to hit everything and everywhere quite fast.
Not helped by people selling these sort of things on Ebay either GENUINE SICK FIT NOTE NHS eMED3 DOCTORS NOTE *WORKING DIGI CODE* AccuRX 04/22 | eBay - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275486288737?hash=item4024432b61:g:lAEAAOSwD99dYSG4

 

[Dustydazzler]

The gym I 'somtimes' go to has put large A3 posters up in the changing rooms asking customers NOT to use the showers due to the high cost of energy

This is a gym that charges members £100 pcm to use the gym

I will be cancelling my membership at the end of this month as my renewal is due in November

 

[DPG]

£100 quid a month for a gym !?!?!?!!

 

[LukeD]

Our local sports centre has had to lower the temp of the building and swimming pool .But So far its been accepted .I would not want to get the bill even for one day to heat double swimming pools . No idea , but must be over a grand ?


we went to S-Africa a few years ago . Stayed at a nice hotel (Amazing value for money ) .But water there is really controlled and you got charged for the use via meters . They really worry about water shortages there

 

[LukeD]

£100 quid a month for a gym !?!?!?!!

£100 per hour for a private 121 poncy trainer these days

 

[mainline]

The gym I 'somtimes' go to has put large A3 posters up in the changing rooms asking customers NOT to use the showers due to the high cost of energy

This is a gym that charges members £100 pcm to use the gym

I will be cancelling my membership at the end of this month as my renewal is due in November

Just work more that will keep you fit

 

[Dustydazzler]

£100 per hour for a private 121 poncy trainer these days

The company my wife gets work from charge £100 for a one hour PT session at your home or gym , its a flat rate non negotiable

 

[Dustydazzler]

£100 quid a month for a gym !?!?!?!!

I paid £78 pcm pre covid when the gym re-opened it put its price up to £100pcm and that is going up to £105 soon

I will be cancelling my DD in the next few days as my contract is expiring next month

 

[DPG]

The company my wife gets work from charge £100 for a one hour PT session at your home or gym , its a flat rate non negotiable

Same price whether they come to you or you go to them?

 

[Dustydazzler]

Same price whether they come to you or you go to them?

Yes as all the instructors are free-lance (self deployed) so will meet the client at certain gyms or their home. The price is a fixed price.

 

[DPG]

Yes as all the instructors are free-lance (self deployed) so will meet the client at certain gyms or their home. The price is a fixed price.

Ah right. I assumed they were based at a particular gym

 

[Dustydazzler]

Ah right. I assumed they were based at a particular gym

Nearly all trainers start off in one gym and employed by that gym but nearly all end up going self-deployed sooner or later as the money is much better