Ppl? Question For Those Across The Pond.

[ilikekicks]

Im helping my sister in law gauge somethings in the U.K as shes going to attend a wedding there in February.

 

Shes renting a car and wondered what gas prices and grocery prices were like. She doesnt like going to restaurants and fast-food places are absolutely not visited.

 

I need to ask.. whats ' PPL '? I was looking for costs of renting a car and buying fuel for it..

 

"

Regional

Northern Ireland recorded the highest price for unleaded at 138.6ppl.  London has recorded the lowest price for unleaded at 137.1ppl.  Scotland has recorded the highest diesel price at 143.4ppl.  London has the cheapest diesel at 141.8ppl.

Supermarkets

Supermarket prices for unleaded are unchanged. The gap between supermarket prices and the UK average for unleaded has increased to 1.9ppl."

 

Gas stations are called Supermarkets?  Is PPL ' Pounds per liter '?

What does a dozen eggs cost? A gallon of milk ( or liter of milk if thats how its sold.. )? Loaf of bread?

Im thinking this trip is going to cost her quite a bit of money.

Thanks!

-Ilk

 

[Foxyheels]

Supermarket is a word for a large grocery shop. Best petrol (gas) prices in pence pe litre ppl ar found there as they tend to be a few pence cheaper than stand alone petrol stations. Try Asda(walmart) tesco or Morrisons. Milk costs around £1.30 for four pint and a dozen eggs is about £1.50. Bread is about £1.20 a loaf. Prices vary greatly depending on the shop, stick to big stores for the best prices.

[at9]

UK petrol (gas) prices work out at about $7 to $8 per US gallon. Pretty similar over most of Europe too.

[Heelster]

Hey - If she gets a choice in cars to rent, might look at the VW turbo diesel. There is also a Ford turbo diesel. From what I have read, they get upwards of 60+ MPG. What will really turn your crank is that they are made in the US and shipped to Europe. We can't have them here.

 

If she is a member of AAA, she might find some decent resturant / accomodation deals through them. I have found that sites like Priceline don't always have the best deals. See what's around where she is going and price direct.

 

If she doesn't have her passport by now, she might be in for a delay due to the government shutdown.

[meganiwish]

Morrison's (one of the big four supermarkets) have 15 eggs for £3, free range, and they also often have eggs on promotion.I recently got 15 for £2.50  For eggs from caged birds one can get them cheaper, maybe 2/3 the price.  They also run a regular promotion on different breads at about 60p -80p for 800g (about a 2lb loaf), loaves baked in-store. I make my own bread, without a machine, but I still know the price pace Mr Cameron.  None of the other supermarkets is within walking distance of me, so I don't know with them.  Ooh, Lidl and Aldi are worth checking out, very cheap, or they used to be.

 

Most of the supermarkets have 'gas stations' attached and are almost invariably the cheapest.  I'm afraid it might feel rather expensive here.

[at9]

Remember that most rental cars in the UK (and the rest of Europe) are manual (stick shift). You will have to request an automatic if you want one and usually pay extra.

[Amanda]

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

 

I normally use this site for a rough guide before venturing into part unknown

 

xx

[ilikekicks]

Holy Effing crap! 3pounds for 15 eggs? On a very serious note, I can raise 3 hens in the coup out back for the same amount over a year and have hundreds of eggs! Talk about expensive! 5 bucks for a dozen eggs?

 

She ( sister in law ) grew up on a farm, Drives manual transmissions ( owns 2 actually ). If you work/live/grow up on a farm, odds are 99% in favor you know how to drive a manual/standard or hydrostatic type transmission equipped vehicle.

 

I think shes going to have to take more money then she originally expected.

 

Amanda : The link you left here.. its priceless! I owe you a foot worship LOL!

 

 

I just used Amandas link to compare Buffalo to Liverpool.. a couple things are roughly the same but.. Theres a HUGE difference on quite a few items.

[SF]

they pay a lot of tax in europe....

and yes, that relative cost of living index site is nice...   sf

[Puffer]

For what it's worth (given earlier comments):

 

1.   Cheapest supermarkets for food likely to be Aldi and Lidl; not everything is stocked there but quality and value undoubted.   Avoid Waitrose and be wary of Sainsbury.   Supermarkets other than Aldi and Lidl can be expensive for fruit and vegetables; markets and some independents likely to be better for fresh produce.   Meat and fish prices vary significantly but there are usually some good offers in Asda and Tesco.

 

2.   Four (imperial) pints of milk (2.27 litres) normally £1.00 at Asda, Iceland, Aldi, Lidl (but typically 30p or more extra at other outlets).   10 medium-sized eggs around £1.00   A loaf of bread should be available at between 60p and £1.00, depending on type.

 

3.   Road fuel prices are volatile and vary significantly by area (and sometimes within it).   Supermarkets (particularly Asda) generally cheapest but other outlets may well compete.   Diesel typically around 5p/litre dearer than petrol (gasoline).

 

4.   The VW turbo diesel is certainly a good performer (I run one) and the Golf is a good mid-sized car, although I doubt it would return more than 50mpg in mixed motoring.   The slightly larger Passat will give 40mpg.   If hiring a car, use one of the comparison websites to book in advance and get a good deal in the right area at the required time - and be wary of being sold 'optional' extras which may be unnecessary, such as CDW insurance and over-priced fuel.

[Dr. Shoe]

You're better off buying meat and veg from butchers and green grocers respectively and use supermarkets for everything else. Yes, Aldi and Lidl will be the cheapest but don't discount ASDA and Tesco either. You can get stuff in pound shops too.

 

In most places petrol is about £1.29.9 a litre which works out about £5.90 an imperial gallon (8 pints).

[Rockpup]

The thing I noticed in the UK was that regular soda and redbull were both £0.99, and batteries were amazingly expensive. Also, you can get a 2 liter bottle of Strongbow cider, which is very nice.

[dww]

I would like to know where the good doctor buys the fuel for that price, we only live 12 miles apart and it's more like £1.35 here. Diesel is about £1.40-42 here but on saying that I don't really look at prices anymore just put in £30-40 pounds worth, as it now costs well over £120 to fill the old girl up.

[Puffer]

Road fuel prices have come down in the last couple of weeks.   In most of Kent and East Sussex, for example, unleaded is now around £1.30/litre and diesel £1.36.   The more expensive exceptions no doubt rely on folk like dww to put convenience before economy - which is their prerogative!

[ilikekicks]

120pounds to fill up a car?

 

Lemme do some math.. ( I swear I almost had a heart attack when I saw 120pounds for gas! ) . 120 pounds is about 190$ US!

 

Im going to assume that 1.40pounds is for 1 liter.. 3.8liters to a gallon.. 2.25$ per liter.. times 3.8.. thats like 8.50$ US per gallon!!! I just bought the same stiff for 3.50$ US about 20 minutes ago..

 

Why is petro/diesel/gas so expensive in the UK? Those prices would start severe riots in the US! How do people live? Is everyone paid 30$/hour or something?!?!?!

 

I think Im just going to tell her to take 5000$US with her. Better to be safe then sorry.

 

Edit: I looked up a few other things and found some oddities/price disperagements and maybe some of the reasons why things are priced as if they are gold plated..

 

http://www.bonnersmusic.co.uk/marshall-1960a-4x12-angled-cab.ir?cName=guitars-amps-electric-guitar-amps-marshall-guitar-amps

 

I own 2 cab's like the ones in that picture. They are made in the U.K. and brought across the pond to the U.S. . In the U.K. , they are almost 950$ american. Over here, even after being shipped across an ocean, they are still 200-300$US cheaper then where they were made.

 

I thought ' How the hell can they put those goods on a boat and ship them, which will add to the price.. and still sell them cheaper here in the states? '

 

V.A.T. or ' Value added tax '. I looked into it. HOLY OPPRESSION PEOPLE! 20% on MOST music items?!?!?!

 

I went looking to see if they carried the line of guitars I normally use from Charvels Custom shop and found they can NOT be bought or sold in the UK as ' New ' items as one of the preservatives they treat the woods used in construction ( Creosote ) is illegal ( banned ). China and Japan made Charvels can be shipped to the UK though as their processing is different ( Thus why those guitars have the shittiest of tones ).

 

I wondered why I was always offered a LOT of money by folks from the U.K. to ship them things ( music items ) because they ' arent available ' to them. I didnt know why or really understand.. I think I do now.

[at9]

When comparing UK and US prices please remember that in the US the tax is added at the till. In the UK and most other countries the sticker price includes tax so what you see is what you pay.

[SF]

VAT's are scary....  But unfortunately, the US is heading in that direction....  sf

[dww]

If you think diesel is £1.42 a litre, my tank holds 98 litres, that's £140 near as damit, 4.5 litres to the English gallon. Yep it's not cheap. I always compare say ham radio gear prices in the uk and in the usa the American prices are always at least a third to half as cheap as the uk prices, I would like to know why. Yes we british could do something about our high prices but the main problem is here in the uk we do not support each other like the French do for example. If every body played a part not say 25% something could be done, but at the end of the day that is the british way. I would like to see all the roads blocked by tractors for a day like they do in france maybe that would change a few minds but it will never happen here.

[Dr. Shoe]

The reason why we survive so well is because we're not as reliant on our cars as in the US. When I lived there in the early 1980s, a car was essential even if you lived in the city. There were very few buses which only tended to serve the districts where the poorer people lived and just to get to the local shops involved a 2-3 mile return trip.

 

In the UK, if you live in a town, or on the edge of one, you will almost certainly have shops within walking distance. Depending on the town, you might also have a very good bus service. I'm looking out my window right now and all I can see is miles and miles of countryside yet right outside is a bus that will take me into the centre of town at a frequency of every 15 minutes (during daytime hours, hourly service after 7pm and on Sundays) for £3.80 return. If I take my car into town I have to pay £1.60 per hour to park it unless I go to what in the US they call a strip mall. However, these are away from the town centre and if you walk off the site you will get a ticket.

 

I drive 24 miles a day to get to and from work and my car is a gas guzzler yet it only costs us about £30 a week for fuel that includes all SDP driving as well. This is about 1/7th of my weekly pay (minimum wage). In the 1970s my father commuted about the same distance for about £4 per week but was earning a good wage of about £20 per week. This means he paid 1/5th of his income on fuel meaning that in real terms fuel prices have fallen over the past 40 years in comparison to income.

 

ILK was telling us in a previous thread about how much tax he has to pay. He was saying that for every dollar he earns he ends up with about 10 cents. I'm guessing it's almost as bad here but it's collected in diferent ways.

 

TBH, I think to keep more of your earnings but then pay tax when you spend it is fairer because if you save, you earn.

[Rockpup]

Dr Shoe: True enough. We stayed with friends at one point, and either the ADSA was just a few miles away, or we'd take the train into London where we walked or took a bus to get around. Not nearly as much driving as I would do on an average day here. 

 

We did try to rent a diesel station wagon to get better milage, but even with gas it was not too bad. 

 

Someone from the States needs to carry cash though, as our cards do not have the chip/pin, or has that gone away since 2008?

[dww]

Sorry Mr Rockpup but we still have the chip and pin system here, not that safe when your daughter knows all your card numbers of by heart and the pin numbers to go with them, lucky she always ask's first.

[Dr. Shoe]

I would like to know where the good doctor buys the fuel for that price, we only live 12 miles apart and it's more like £1.35 here. Diesel is about £1.40-42 here but on saying that I don't really look at prices anymore just put in £30-40 pounds worth, as it now costs well over £120 to fill the old girl up.

Tilehurst Village is at £1.29.9, Sainsbury's at Calcott is at £1.27.9 and ASDA at Lower Earley is at £1.26.8.

[ilikekicks]

The reason why we survive so well is because we're not as reliant on our cars as in the US. When I lived there in the early 1980s, a car was essential even if you lived in the city. There were very few buses which only tended to serve the districts where the poorer people lived and just to get to the local shops involved a 2-3 mile return trip.

 

In the UK, if you live in a town, or on the edge of one, you will almost certainly have shops within walking distance. Depending on the town, you might also have a very good bus service. I'm looking out my window right now and all I can see is miles and miles of countryside yet right outside is a bus that will take me into the centre of town at a frequency of every 15 minutes (during daytime hours, hourly service after 7pm and on Sundays) for £3.80 return. If I take my car into town I have to pay £1.60 per hour to park it unless I go to what in the US they call a strip mall. However, these are away from the town centre and if you walk off the site you will get a ticket.

 

I drive 24 miles a day to get to and from work and my car is a gas guzzler yet it only costs us about £30 a week for fuel that includes all SDP driving as well. This is about 1/7th of my weekly pay (minimum wage). In the 1970s my father commuted about the same distance for about £4 per week but was earning a good wage of about £20 per week. This means he paid 1/5th of his income on fuel meaning that in real terms fuel prices have fallen over the past 40 years in comparison to income.

 

ILK was telling us in a previous thread about how much tax he has to pay. He was saying that for every dollar he earns he ends up with about 10 cents. I'm guessing it's almost as bad here but it's collected in diferent ways.

 

TBH, I think to keep more of your earnings but then pay tax when you spend it is fairer because if you save, you earn.

 

I dont drive much off the property as of late. Harvest hit and im cleaning the place up. I mowed 58 acres of grass today before it rained and harvested another 120 acres of cornfeed for the cows/heffers.

 

The hardware store is about 1.5 miles down the old abandoned train tracks that run through the property so.. I just jump on an ATV and ride there. Uses less fuel and its quicker then taking the roads.

 

The 10cents on the dollar was when I ran my business. After paying all of NY ' social ' taxes, income taxes, then state taxes.. buying materials and such, that was all I made. If I didnt clear 5000$US a week in business alone, I couldnt have afforded to pay my employees let alone pay the expenses for the business.

 

1/3rd went in taxes right off the top. Before anyone was paid, any benefits or even putting fuel in the trucks.. buying materials to do the work..

 

Not to be political, but a common slogan was ' Tax cuts for the wealthy ' or ' the rich ' or ' the 1% '.. People really dont realize what they are really saying. Until they have run their own business and done it all LEGALLY, on the books, Paying all the taxes and fees and surcharges.. They shouldnt complain about those others as they are the ones paying for everyone elses social security and ' safety net ' programs.

 

Where Im at in life right now.. Its almost where you are ( money wise ). I do have a good ' stash '. Its kept away from my hands so I dont spend it all in one day. I grow my own food, raise my own livestock, hunt, fish ( well.. Im learning all the ins and outs of fishing, I dont really care for it ). I do my own water treatment. I do my own property improvement.

 

I help with the family farm and am given a small sum every week. Its not a real lot. It would equate to about 125pounds a week or 200$ US. I have both a coal and wood oven for heat. Solar and wind for electric, water comes from a fresh water spring/well. Theoretically, I qualify for all kinds of ' Social Programs ' or ' State Assistance ' but I dont want/need any of it.

 

Daily driver ( taken today after I harvested half a field ). Had to cut the lawn, LOTS of it too! 

[dww]

Ah Mr Shoe I understand that's the Reading side of things, a place I don't really visit these days. Basingstoke side is totally different. I have a local ASDA 1 mile away but it does not have a petrol station and it appears our prices are a bit more than yours.

[at9]

You should be able to use US credit cards in most places but sometimes you will have trouble due to lack of chip and PIN. 

 

Chip and PIN has made credit card fraud much more difficult.

 

There are many places that will not accept Amex or Diners cards at all.

[Dr. Shoe]

I dont drive much off the property as of late. Harvest hit and im cleaning the place up. I mowed 58 acres of grass today before it rained and harvested another 120 acres of cornfeed for the cows/heffers.

 

The hardware store is about 1.5 miles down the old abandoned train tracks that run through the property so.. I just jump on an ATV and ride there. Uses less fuel and its quicker then taking the roads.

 

The 10cents on the dollar was when I ran my business. After paying all of NY ' social ' taxes, income taxes, then state taxes.. buying materials and such, that was all I made. If I didnt clear 5000$US a week in business alone, I couldnt have afforded to pay my employees let alone pay the expenses for the business.

 

1/3rd went in taxes right off the top. Before anyone was paid, any benefits or even putting fuel in the trucks.. buying materials to do the work..

 

Not to be political, but a common slogan was ' Tax cuts for the wealthy ' or ' the rich ' or ' the 1% '.. People really dont realize what they are really saying. Until they have run their own business and done it all LEGALLY, on the books, Paying all the taxes and fees and surcharges.. They shouldnt complain about those others as they are the ones paying for everyone elses social security and ' safety net ' programs.

 

Where Im at in life right now.. Its almost where you are ( money wise ). I do have a good ' stash '. Its kept away from my hands so I dont spend it all in one day. I grow my own food, raise my own livestock, hunt, fish ( well.. Im learning all the ins and outs of fishing, I dont really care for it ). I do my own water treatment. I do my own property improvement.

 

I help with the family farm and am given a small sum every week. Its not a real lot. It would equate to about 125pounds a week or 200$ US. I have both a coal and wood oven for heat. Solar and wind for electric, water comes from a fresh water spring/well. Theoretically, I qualify for all kinds of ' Social Programs ' or ' State Assistance ' but I dont want/need any of it.

 

Daily driver ( taken today after I harvested half a field ). Had to cut the lawn, LOTS of it too! 

That's kind of what I'm saying. You pay most of your tax right off the top but enjoy much cheaper fuel, presumably cheaper booze and tobacco. Here in the UK my tax starts at 20% from £9,440 up to £32,010. As I earn about £12K a year I don't pay very much tax at all as it only applies to about £3,000 of it and at 20% it equates to about £600 or £50 a month or £12.50 a week. There is National Insurance on top of that which is paid on a sliding scale from £0 salary. Our Exchequer can afford to be generous when it comes to income tax when they can hit you with fuel duty, VAT and duty on booze and fags.

[ilikekicks]

That's kind of what I'm saying. You pay most of your tax right off the top but enjoy much cheaper fuel, presumably cheaper booze and tobacco. Here in the UK my tax starts at 20% from £9,440 up to £32,010. As I earn about £12K a year I don't pay very much tax at all as it only applies to about £3,000 of it and at 20% it equates to about £600 or £50 a month or £12.50 a week. There is National Insurance on top of that which is paid on a sliding scale from £0 salary. Our Exchequer can afford to be generous when it comes to income tax when they can hit you with fuel duty, VAT and duty on booze and fags.

 

You are correct. For fuel, Booze and some other items, we do pay a significantly lower prices. Those times are changing though as the U.S. is starting to adopt European Philosophy and ' social justices ' and EVERYONE here will be financially raped in the near future. That was a greatly contributing factor to changing my lifestyle and becoming even more independent. Let others have their ' social whatever ' and I'll just kindly ask to be left out of it.

 

As a business owner, in one year I did a couple million dollars U.S. in Business. After all the ' costs ' and the ' taxed to death ' math.. after payroll and doing maintenance and paying accountants and a lawyer.. I made less then 15,000$ in my pocket. That was after putting in close to 3000 man hours of work that year.

 

So.. I guess I just ' gave up on people ' as it seemed the harder I worked, the more I was FORCED to pay more for everything. Why should I work 3000hours a year so someone else can have things for ' free '.

 

I just dont understand the logic of it. I REALLY dont. 

 

I decided to look at other systems to see where this is all coming from.. and the more I looked, the worse the picture became.

 

A while back, on this very site, I made a statement to someone from the Europe area that they didnt know what real freedom was and that they never experienced it. *I* know what freedom is as I'm slowly loosing it more and more. We tend to know teh value of those things that are taken from us, once they are gone .

 

Sure, its political and not really something anyone wants to discuss openly, but just looking at price differences presently and knowing they will be the same when ' carbon emissions taxes ' are pushed through here in the U.S. ( reality dictates that if something is really screwed up, the U.S. government will adopt it as the next greatest thing! ).

 

This is why Im glad I dont know the prices ' around the world '. Its why I would rather grow/raise my own food then buy it from someone else.

 

The sad trade-off is things that are ' reality ' or real are seen just as that. I dont think a pair of shoes is worth the prices designers are asking and often laugh inside my head when I see/hear about people paying 600+$ for a pair of footware. 50,000$ for a car. 100,000$ for a house. I know there is the same or better out there for much less if you ( as an individual ) put the work in and are sincere about it.

 

I should do a write-up about my house and what I have invested into it. People wouldnt believe how cheap I have come across and fixed it for.

 

BTW, I picked up a Foal today .

[Amanda]

No freedom in Europe? How is it then that I always come home from America feeling as though I'd been visiting a very large open jail ?

[dww]

Mr Ilk do you have enough room in your freezer for a foal?

[ilikekicks]

No freedom in Europe? How is it then that I always come home from America feeling as though I'd been visiting a very large open jail ?

 

Because you ARE in fact visiting an ' Open Jail '. It didnt feel that way 10-15 years ago, but it IS such presently.. and getting worse by the day.

 

I say this without putting the blame on any political affiliations, persons or pointing a finger directly.

 

- I USED to be able to go to a bank and withdraw whatever funds I wanted. Grabbing 15,000$ USD to do a large job wasnt a problem at all. Now? I need to fill out a few forms in most instances. RICO and drug laws. IRS.. we all need to be watched/monitored.

 

- I USED to go on vacation to Florida, Cali, Canada, Bermuda.. Now? I dont need the chance that TSA agents might sexually molest myself or my family. If I cant drive there without needing ' papers ' ( like Eastern Europe was ) I just cross it off my list of places to visit.

 

- I used to be able to legally build a whole car, have it inspected and put on a road. Now? No can Do! EPA requires certain checks to be done.

 

- I used to be able to use a phone with some privacy.

 

- I used to be able to purchase certain things that were legal. Im now told they are illegal and need to surrender them or get them out of state or its a felony.

 

- I used to choose whom my doctor was but that system currently has him unavailable to me at the present time. Maybe in the future it will happen again, but not in the present.

 

- I didnt have to worry about a government targeting my fellow citizens for assignation with a drone. Heaven forbid a 16yr old one whom wasnt even legal enough to drink or even vote nor committed any crimes.

 

- Just to strike a nerve, I didnt have to worry about a government invading other nations preemptivly ( Spain, France, England.. all did it to each other like a love circle for centuries. )

 

Theres a LOT of things that have changed. Some of the things are entities that most europeans have been dealing with or have never had the chance to take on themselves on a personal level. Some of the changes happening are WORSE then what Europeans have to deal with.

 

But it wasnt always this way. *I* lived through a time where there was more liberty here in the U.S. .

 

In all sincerity, if you feel like you just left a ' Jail ', honestly, why waste your money visiting there?  

 

I can understand you feel the need to defend Europe or your ' homeland ' and probably feel entitled to say you were ' offended ' by my remarks. Facts are though, I was quite correct in my statement.

 

I could be a pompus ass and answer your ( what could be called rude ) comment by saying if you werent so jet lagged, maybe you wouldnt feel that way?

 

What your failing to understand or maybe even dont wish to realize is that Im comparing how things used to be to what they are now and using them as a baseline compared to where Europe is. Europe went down these roads quite a while ago. They quit invading one another and just said ' eh.. lets go after our own citizens instead '.

 

That brings up yet another thing the U.S. is adopting from Europe.

 

Its a sickening disease called ' Multiculturalism '. Its where your nations histories become tossed aside in fear of ' offending ' someone else. Instead of having a nation with a real foundation and heritage, it all gets burned down so ' new people ' whom arrive will feel welcomed. Seeing that on this side of the pond as well. Wasnt always that way over here. I know it wasnt always such in the U.K. I know its happened in the U.K. and other areas of Europe and some quite violent acts have come about because the ' new people 'werent satisfied with *their* new country.

 

Such is also being considered on the Sister in laws trip. What areas to stay away from/go to. Where violence/crime is high or lower. The U.S. has ALWAYS had some Violent cities. Chicago and Detroit being 2 of them. Europe has its fair share. Being a thousand years older, Europe has had more of them due to duration.

 

Im going to ask you in all honestly.. if you were truly ' Free ', why do you need a ' pass port ' or permission to move about?

 

Presently, I can travel 3000 miles east to west on the globe without needing ' papers '. Thats a pretty big ' open jail '. How big is yours? Maybe 200 miles across, 350miles north to south? " Papers please "

 

I do believe, in the U.S. , sometime in the near future.. we will need ' papers ' of somekind to go from one state to the next. I used to go to/from Canada just showing my drivers license and registration for my car/truck and never had any problems. took less then 5 mins to cross the boarder. Cant do that anymore, need an ' advanced ' license or a passport. Takes about a half hour on a good day.

Mr Ilk do you have enough room in your freezer for a foal?

 

Sure. Theres room but Im not eating the foal. I like veal. Never tried and dont feel inclined to try foal.

 

EDIT : I lied Dww.. er rather.. I didnt know they did up a pair of hogs on Monday. Freezer is packed. No room for anything