Table of Contents
Some Bus Operators to Offer £2 Tickets
With the cost of everything increasing, it would seem logical that the price of riding the bus would increase as well. And in some parts of the country it has gone up over the past year. In some places a single fare is £2.40, in other £2.80, and I have even read of some fares in rural outlying villages of fares as high as £5!
In step, the government is to help, by investing £60 million to allow bus operators on 130 routes outside of London, to cap fares at £2 for a single adult ticket.
The government has outlined this scheme here.
This scheme will also take an estimated 2 million cars off the road and reduce emissions, and aid in reducing climate change.
The reduced fares will be available from January 1, 2023, until March 31, 2023.
Want to Save Energy and Stay Warm? Draught Excluders
Years ago when I was a child, my parents used to roll up towels and place them at the foot of the doorways coming into our home, and at the doorways to some rooms when we closed the doors. This to block any cold air coming in from outside, and to keep the warm air inside the house and room.
Fast forward a couple of decades and companies began making these “rolled-up” towel draught blockers in the form of heavy tubes of sand or fabric, to pace at the foot of doorways.
Fast forward another couple of decades and now we have fancy, and cute draught blockers or excluders, in the fom of animals, structures, you name it, there is an excluder in the shape of it.
And with the cold weather the sales of these items to stay warm has skyrocketed.
I was in a local store this weekend and they were all but sold out of the marvels.
The fact is while old fashioned, they work!
You can read more here.
Do You Owe A Debt From Years Ago?
It is once again that time of year when I seem to get more and more questions about old debts, or debts/accounts, that have not been paid back for years. In some instances it may have been over 10 years, and then suddenly bam. Out of the blue, a collection agency is contacting you saying you owe (£ insert amount here) from a lifetime ago.
So the question is and has been, do I owe this old debt?
The answer can be broken down into two (2) categories to simplify matters:
- How long ago is the debt from?
- Have you had any contact from the company you owed the debt to?
The answers here will determine your liability.
The main thing to understand is that a debt older than six (6) years, of which you have had no contact from the lender/creditor for that six years, is no longer owed, but Statue Barred. Even if the loan has not been written off, it is said to no longer be owed.
If you are contacted by a collection agency after this time period, while you do not owe the debt, you may acknowledge the debt by making payments again. So while it is your decision as to if you wish to pay this account or old debt, you do not have to, however, if you acknowledge the old debt, you will then be liable to now pay it.
It is common practice for accounts and old debts to be sold onto other collection agencies for them to attempt to collect the account.
Charities Feeling The Economical Pinch
Donations to charities are down to low levels compared to the levels of donations before the pandemic. These figures are according to the Charities Aid Foundation.
I have previously written and mentioned about food donations being down to food banks and food pantries, however, this is an overall reduced level of donations.
Supermarkets are reducing their food donations to food banks in order to reduce their waste, and reduce their losses and increase profits.
Overall donations to charities are down, and when you couple that with increased overhead and operating expenses, it is a “perfect storm” for a financial disaster.
I am out in the community and speak to a fewof the local charities in my area, and they confirm what is being written and said, their donations, be it food for their food banks and pantries, or just any donations in general, are not at the levels they were a couple of years ago, and now they have increased expenses due to heating, lights, phones, all expenses in general have increased.
You can read more about this issues here and here.
And if you can, donate what you can to a local charity in your community.
Christmas Shoppers Flock to The Shops on Last Weekend Before Christmas
This past weekend was the last weekend of Christmas shopping before the big event that is Christmas. And in my city, and others, people were out in the masses looking for gifts, and gift ideas.
Traffic was a nightmare, as was parking, and the train and rail strike this past Saturday did not help any.
With all the strikes going on, you need a chart to see who is striking, when they are striking, and plan your life accordingly.
So how busy were the stores and shops this past and last weekend before Christmas? Extremely busy!!
In speaking with one major retailer it was disclosed that their particular store alone did £1 million worth of business/trade in the 2 days of the weekend! £1 million!
Granted this is a large, major, nationwide retailer, but that is a lot of sales!
It will be curious to see the final tally for the Christmas shopping season this year as to how much was spent. How much was spent with all the energy prices increasing, food prices increasing, and life in general just costing us all more.
Post Piling Up Due to Postal Strike
So with all the days that the postal workers have been on strike, especially this time of year when packages and parcels are being sent, and all the Christmas cards being posted, what happens to all that post since it is not being delivered? It must be piling up somewhere???
And it is….piling up.
According to who you ask, and where you look, undelivered post is piling up everywhere!
I believe some staff at some centres have been told to “bin” flyers and promotional post!
Who knows what other post they will decide to bin next?!
We understand why the strike, but by not moving the post, it just backs up, only to need to be delivered at some point in the future. The striking workers have only made more work for themselves….or have they?
By binning post, who would know?
I read some post is being destroyed by animals chewing on it as it sits waiting to be delivered. If it ever will be delivered.
We are being told not to expect Christmas cards that were posted now until February 2023!
What about post that was and is important? Annual statements that are needed for book keeping and accounting purposes? Medical notices from the NHS, if they even go out due to the NHS’s own strikes.
While we want to move away from a paper society and needing post, we are not there yet. But one day we will be, and then postal strikes will be history, and something only a few will remember.
If anyone works for the Royal Mail and would like to make a comment or have their say on this matter, contact me, and we will gladly post your words and response, unedited to be read.
The Strikes Have a Ripple Effect: Collateral Affect on Businesses
Postal Strikes: Since we were just on the topic of the postal strike, it is not just us who the post not moving affects, but also businesses.
Many businesses use the Royal Mail to send packages to customers, who may have bought items the business sells online. If these packages are delayed, or are not delivered, it is the business who hears about it, and it could affect their future sales, as well as affect current sales. Especially prior to Christmas when people are buying gifts to be delivered by and on Christmas.
If the business decides to use another delivery service, that service may be more costly, which impacts the business’s profits and bottom line.
Then there may be delays in supplies or items the store or business relies on that they need to sell their products. These supplies are delayed in being delivered due to the postal strike, which delays orders the store needs to full fill.
Either way, the business is the one feeling the strike.
I have mentioned before, what about important documents that are posted, and new bank cards? These will be delayed, if they are even ever delivered!
I know someone who needed a new personal banking card reader in order to make payments and complete banking transactions. They were told when they ordered their card reader allow 5 to 7 working days; they were told this 3 weeks ago!
Still waiting.
Rail Strikes: If the trains are not running due to industrial action, what about the shops and coffee places and other businesses that are in the rail stations? If no one can catch a train, they do not go to the train stations, and by not going to the train stations, no one is buying a coffee, some food for their journey, the newspaper or a magazine, so how do these business who rely on the rails and trains stay in business?
Some may not, collateral effect of the rail strikes.
Even if the trains are not running, these businesses still have rent to pay, employees to pay, supplies to order and pay for. If thee businesses close, their employees will lose their jobs, which means they could end up on benefits; benefits paid for by the state/government.
Naturally, any employees who depend on the rail network to get to their jobs will be affected, and some may not be able to find alternative means to get to work. This causes staff shortages, and also service issues for that company/business.
Again I ask the question: When and if these industrial actions/strikes do finally end, are we just going to forget the damage that was done? Are just going to go back to sleep, and not think about those that were deeply hit and affected???
Maybe as we walk past a business with “CLOSED” written on its doors, or when we wonder where all our Christmas cards and gift packages from 2022 wound up?
Maybe when we are not paid because we could not get to work, and January not only being the longest month financially due to the expense of Christmas, we earn even less from missing work shifts we could not get transport to attend.
Maybe when….there are more things to remember….if you choose.