Wandering Off Topic

[G-Unit]

You know what I’m saying, it’s there in black and white in my posts.  Nowhere did I suggest that people are getting stressed because they can’t afford a spray tan.  I’m glad you’re alright Jacqueline, my parents energy bill is due to increase by £800 in May and then again some more in October perhaps by the same amount again.  Given that their joint state pension is their only income you do the math.  Now tell them to just be happy and enjoy the pretty trees.

The average energy bill for a 3 bedroomed house is £600 per year.
https://usave.co.uk/energy/average-gas-and-electricity-bill-for-a-3-bed-house/#:~:text=using%20too%20much.-,The%20average%20electricity%20bill%20for%20a%203%2Dbed%20house,or%20%C2%A350%20per%20month.

Bills are predicted to rise by 54%, which takes the average price above to £924.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/01/martin-lewis--the-energy-price-cap-s-now-predicted-to-rise-a-hor/

Your parent's bills seem to be well above the average cost for a 3 bedroomed property?

[Wonderfulspam]

It sounds like they should be downsizing.

It makes perfect economic sense.

Why do they need a 3 bed if there's two of them?

There's thousands of pounds of cash sitting there they could be spending on the food, healthcare & things they need in their final years. They could probably even afford that precious foreign holiday too.

[G-Unit]

It sounds like they should be downsizing.

It makes perfect economic sense.

Why do they need a 3 bed if there's two of them?

There's thousands of pounds of cash sitting there they could be spending on the food, healthcare & things they need in their final years. They could probably even afford that precious foreign holiday too.

Not to mention other benefits such as lowering other bills and the workload involved in everyday maintenance such as cleaning and gardening. A one-bedroomed flat is quite enough for me to manage.

[jassi]

In this case I find averages useless as I don't live in what would be considered an average house.

Jassi Towers, being of late 18th century construction is particularly bad to heat and despite my best efforts, much of it seems to rapidly escape.  I definitely need more insulation.
I heat by oil and wood, the cost of neither of which is regulated. If I can find a cheap source, I am considering supplementing that with paperback books, which are proving to burn very well and put out a lot of heat per volume.

[Vertigo Swirl]

Not to mention other benefits such as lowering other bills and the workload involved in everyday maintenance such as cleaning and gardening. A one-bedroomed flat is quite enough for me to manage.

All absolutely true and I’ve been on at them for years about it.  They are stubborn old codgers for whom moving would be the ultimate horror, so they are in the situation that they are in.  Of course you should have absolutely no sympathy for them whatsoever for wanting to remain living in the house that they love and feel comfortable in, silly old gits how very dare they, they should get on their bikes and move all their gear into a one bed flat like any right minded person would.  But the process of putting their house  on the market, finding somewhere to move to and pack up all their belongings now  would certainly cause them at least as much stress and upset as the worry they have over their bills (if not more) so which is worse at the end of the day?  The phrase a rock and a hard place springs to mind.  So - they are resigned to staying put at least until one of them dies of hypothermia  or hunger then who knows…
Incidentally I live in a four bed house and my bills are going up by £100 a month so…and yes, I am looking at downsizing too before anyone feels the need to lecture me.

[Vertigo Swirl]

The average energy bill for a 3 bedroomed house is £600 per year.
https://usave.co.uk/energy/average-gas-and-electricity-bill-for-a-3-bed-house/#:~:text=using%20too%20much.-,The%20average%20electricity%20bill%20for%20a%203%2Dbed%20house,or%20%C2%A350%20per%20month.

Bills are predicted to rise by 54%, which takes the average price above to £924.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/01/martin-lewis--the-energy-price-cap-s-now-predicted-to-rise-a-hor/

Your parent's bills seem to be well above the average cost for a 3 bedroomed property?

These figures are a joke.  My gas bill alone is to double from£780 to £1440 and my house is not a palace.  My total energy costs work out at roughly 10% of my gross annual earnings.

[jassi]

In theory downsizing is fine, but the reality is anything but.  In my case it's two of us in a 4 bedroom house, but having lived there since 1970, the amount of junk to get rid of is beyond consideration. Added to which, finding a nice small bungalow in an area of our choice at a sensible price is probably impossible.
It's like we shall stay put until carried out in a box.

[Vertigo Swirl]

In theory downsizing is fine, but the reality is anything but.  In my case it's two of us in a 4 bedroom house, but having lived there since 1970, the amount of junk to get rid of is beyond consideration. Added to which, finding a nice small bungalow in an area of our choice at a sensible price is probably impossible.
It's like we shall stay put until carried out in a box.

Exactly, again. 

[G-Unit]

I'm probably lucky as I've never become attached to a house. I did love the farmhouse I lived in before, but with my husband's health failing and other considerations, it was necessary to move. I'm glad I did now, as I couldn't have coped there alone. I still have my memories of happy times there, moving couldn't take them from me. Living there was a chapter in my life, not the whole story.

It's stressful for relatives when they have to deal with properties packed with belongings on top of losing loved ones. Often their solution is to sell what they can and order a skip for the rest.

[barrier]

In theory downsizing is fine, but the reality is anything but.  In my case it's two of us in a 4 bedroom house, but having lived there since 1970, the amount of junk to get rid of is beyond consideration. Added to which, finding a nice small bungalow in an area of our choice at a sensible price is probably impossible.
It's like we shall stay put until carried out in a box.

Same here, to downsize to a bungalow would cost us more .

[Wonderfulspam]

In theory downsizing is fine, but the reality is anything but.  In my case it's two of us in a 4 bedroom house, but having lived there since 1970, the amount of junk to get rid of is beyond consideration. Added to which, finding a nice small bungalow in an area of our choice at a sensible price is probably impossible.
It's like we shall stay put until carried out in a box.

Why are you hanging onto junk & not just binning It?
If there's stuff worth money then sell it now & enjoy the proceeds , it will be no use to you when you're dead.

[jassi]

Why are you hanging onto junk & not just binning It?
If there's stuff worth money then sell it now & enjoy the proceeds , it will be no use to you when you're dead.

It might be useful 

[Wonderfulspam]

It might be useful 

It will all be thrown in a skip when you're dead, so you're right I suppose, the incinerator at the power station could make use of it.

[Wonderfulspam]

I'm probably lucky as I've never become attached to a house. I did love the farmhouse I lived in before, but with my husband's health failing and other considerations, it was necessary to move. I'm glad I did now, as I couldn't have coped there alone. I still have my memories of happy times there, moving couldn't take them from me. Living there was a chapter in my life, not the whole story.

It's stressful for relatives when they have to deal with properties packed with belongings on top of losing loved ones. Often their solution is to sell what they can and order a skip for the rest.

I pretty much emptied my mum & dad's house before my mum died, because they had mountains of worthless shite. My dad has now taken quite keenly to minimalism & he seems happier these days. He's not tripping over boxes of crap & it's much easier to keep the house clean, which is then good for his mental health & has helped him cope with bereavement. And now, if he needs to sell the house in a hurry to pay for his own care, it would only take a couple of days for him to move out & the house is already decorated so the sale would be quick & easy.

[John]

It's amazing how much clutter you can build up over the years. When I decamped the family back to the UK in 2002 with most of our personal belongings boxed up, little did I think that most would still be taking up space in a farm outbuilding 20 years later.