A New Day...
Generally, I slept well and managed a decent peaceful sleep. Though I did get up a couple of times through the night. I felt a little brighter upon waking up and although the emptiness of not having Mum around me has returned, at this minute I am having a better day.
What is worrying me now is getting the energy bills sorted and whether I can afford the electric and gas(even though I have hopefully found a way to cut the cost)I don't think I'll save as much as I hope and I am going around switching off everything to the point of obsession.
If I watch the TV as soon as a programme is finished, off it goes. Restricting how long I am on my computer and only going on at certain times during the the day. I can restrict how much gas I use but electric is more of a problem.
But I'll have a better idea once I give readings to the power company.
I have switched the computer on to do my blog and have a quick surf around but after ten minutes I may not have anything to do for a while. Do I leave it switched on because I may want to do something in perhaps an hour or do I keep turning it off throughout the day which I don't think does the PC any good.
If I thought that the PC used very little in the way of power perhaps I'd just leave it on. Though I have another desktop and a laptop and sometimes I like to transfer data between them, tough, I am now just using one PC at a time and leaving the others switched off all the time.
I have managed to get another appointment with the CAB for next Tuesday and we are going to discuss probate and I think there is a money advisor who may be able to help me with my income/budget and even trying to sort out the best deal for me with my gas and electric though EDF may still take some beating.
If they do find a way to help I still have three days cooling off period where I can still cancel. I think the last quote without them seeing any meter readings from me, they thought they could save me £256 over the year but I would still paying £1,063.49 annually(£88.62 Monthly, £22.12 weekly)
Does that sound reasonable? Does that fit in with the bills that you experience?
If the previous bills were averaging out at £2,782 annually both added together(because Mum used the heating a lot)EDF still think that they can save me money. However, because I am not paying the extra amount Mum was paying the bills will be lower anyhow. And if they are not using the original amount as their guide it come down still further(I hope)or it might allow me to sometimes use a bit more in the future and not be such a skinflint.
Of course if prices continue to rise even if you could reduce usage it may get to the point where you still cannot actually save unless you just stop using gas. I cannot see how you can avoid using electric.
I'm dreading winter...
What is worrying me now is getting the energy bills sorted and whether I can afford the electric and gas(even though I have hopefully found a way to cut the cost)I don't think I'll save as much as I hope and I am going around switching off everything to the point of obsession.
If I watch the TV as soon as a programme is finished, off it goes. Restricting how long I am on my computer and only going on at certain times during the the day. I can restrict how much gas I use but electric is more of a problem.
But I'll have a better idea once I give readings to the power company.
I have switched the computer on to do my blog and have a quick surf around but after ten minutes I may not have anything to do for a while. Do I leave it switched on because I may want to do something in perhaps an hour or do I keep turning it off throughout the day which I don't think does the PC any good.
If I thought that the PC used very little in the way of power perhaps I'd just leave it on. Though I have another desktop and a laptop and sometimes I like to transfer data between them, tough, I am now just using one PC at a time and leaving the others switched off all the time.
I have managed to get another appointment with the CAB for next Tuesday and we are going to discuss probate and I think there is a money advisor who may be able to help me with my income/budget and even trying to sort out the best deal for me with my gas and electric though EDF may still take some beating.
If they do find a way to help I still have three days cooling off period where I can still cancel. I think the last quote without them seeing any meter readings from me, they thought they could save me £256 over the year but I would still paying £1,063.49 annually(£88.62 Monthly, £22.12 weekly)
Does that sound reasonable? Does that fit in with the bills that you experience?
If the previous bills were averaging out at £2,782 annually both added together(because Mum used the heating a lot)EDF still think that they can save me money. However, because I am not paying the extra amount Mum was paying the bills will be lower anyhow. And if they are not using the original amount as their guide it come down still further(I hope)or it might allow me to sometimes use a bit more in the future and not be such a skinflint.
Of course if prices continue to rise even if you could reduce usage it may get to the point where you still cannot actually save unless you just stop using gas. I cannot see how you can avoid using electric.
I'm dreading winter...
posted by The Great Gildersleeve | 1:00 pm
14 Comments:
Gildy, over the past four quarters, I have paid £629.47 for gas and £322.18 for electricity
That's £951.65 for a year. I consider that I am quite careful but certainly don't keep switching my laptop on and off and, if the radio isn't on, I usually have the TV on if only for 'company'.
As I've mentioned before, if the weather is cold, I usually wear a couple of jumpers plus a fleece rather than keep the heating on all day but I do have the heating on for an hour or so each morning and evening.
I think you'll find that you will be able to manage pretty well but I can understand that you're concerned that you might not be able to.
So long as you're careful, you'll be fine.
I too am careful, but as you VQ, I don't switch my computer and radio off and on because I was once told by an electrician that switching on and off uses more electricity than leaving things on. I only boil my kettle with the amount of water I will need. My heating comes on for at least two hours in the morning and the same in the evening. I never have it on in the night, because once I'm under the duvet I'm snug and warm. I wear a thermal vest in winter and joggers indoors and normal trousers with a fleece outside.
You are anticipating things which may never happen Gildy. It will get warmer sometime this year for a spell. Don't be miserly with things yet, and don't buy unnecessary things. Your extra microwave would have helped a lot with bills, and the number of times you use your oven won't count for much. I always either roast my veg along side my chop, and I make a big pot of stew which I divide into bags and freeze. I then heat them as required with my microwave.
Just stop worrying so much about theses things. You have to see how things work out. You have already spent a large amount of money up to now in the last three weeks so you are not on the poverty line yet or you wouldn't have spent it all. I wouldn't mind being a penny behind you.
Anon,
I have £300 to my name...now there's honesty for you.
I did not want them watching every last penny on what they may see as un-necessary expenses. If I could've waited...I would've and used Mum's savings(much as I hate suggesting that)
If I get a sofa at some point and a mattress I'll be happy. If I can have things tidy, vacumned and dusted. I'll survive. If I can was a couple of shirts and underwear I'll probably go back to handwashing.
If I can save up a decent wash I may do it every three or four weeks.
I was looking at chickens...If I buy one that is cooked I think its around £5(or I can buy one uncooked for around £2.50)but then I'll have to add the cost of the oven.
Now that may still work out cheaper and maybe I could put aside a little to cover the cost of cooking just in case.
I've heard switching electrical items off and on can harm them...that's as opposed to having things on stand by...
VQ, I reckon that means you are paying approx £18 a week...
If I ever lose the help I get(with the new plans our Government have in mind)that would probably leave me £50 a week to survive on...but I'll worry about that when the time comes.
I hope that my bills come in no worse than your own.
Remember the aunt who was kind enough to keep me company when Mum's funeral happened...This will interest Carol, she says she hardly uses her main oven, usually uses a microwave(and it does save money)but...she's told me to buy a halogen oven, one with a hinge and if I can get it some kind of extension that stops the lid being right on top of the food and she says you save a lot electric wise.
So I'll have a look on line but if anyone has any ideas or advice...Please let me know...
I wonder if you have given any thought as to where you will put the lump sum that will come to you when probate is granted.
Since interest rates are almost zero, I'd have thought Premium Bonds might be a good idea. They will keep your money safe and, at the same time, you stand a chance of winning up to a millions pounds.
I have some and often win £25. Not a fortune but certainly better than nothing.
If you need to cash some in at any time, it only takes about ten days or so for the money to come through.
Maybe the DWP won't like me investing money and prefer it to be just as money in a bank...I was thinking of having it just in an ordinary current account(as you say interest is virtually nothing)
I am seeing an advisor at the CAB again next Tuesday and they hopefully are going to advise me how to go about probate and a money advisor to look at my situation.
If anyone has been trying to get me on the e-mail addy of my previous ISP apologies...I was told I could use it still but now its been blocked but to use it I have to pay £20 annually and that is silly...it means I am losing some of the savings by switching to my new ISP.
So they are helping me set up a new addy but if I have your e-mail addresses I'll send you the new one when I get it. If you have an e-mail address for me at Yahoo use that one...
If you'd like to have my new one or me to have yours please send me a PM at that other place we sometimes frequent when we talk about LBC! ;-)
The DWP won't mind about investing any money you have.
It's the sensible thing to do. In any case, if you win the million, you won't have to bother the DWP any more!
I'll look into it...if I tie money up in some kind of investment scheme, is that seen as savings or because I cannot touch it either until later is it ignored. Something I may take up with the CAB next week.
I won't do it every week but I purchased my second Euromillions lottery ticket today, fingers crossed for Friday...If I ever win I'll always feel sorry that Mum never benefitted form my luck!
If I win the big one we'll have a weekend at a big hotel in London and get waited on hand and foot :-)
I wonder what kind of Halogen lamp cooker Carol uses, I went on the internet there are so many to choose from...I could order on line from Amazon but Argos has a couple too and that is only two streets away from here...
My kitchen is quite tiny, if I buy one I may move one of the microwaves upstairs so I can do little meals or warm up a cup of tea/coffee...without having to always do a lot downstairs.
I had the JML one and it packed up just after the year was up so I do not recommend that one.
The one I have is by Coopers of Storford (something like that) and it was £10 cheaper than the JML.
I do have the extension ring but hardly ever use it - now you have reminded me Gildy I will.
The only downside to the halogen is the cleaning of it, but if you do it regularly it is not too bad.
We use it a lot in our house. It does meat and fish beautifully. I also make home made low fat potato wedges quite often.
Probably one of the best purchases I have made. As you know SA raves about his.
Cx
PS Also very good for ready meals, which I rarely use.
You can make cakes in them, in fact anything you can do in a proper oven. Perfect for one. Could you return your second MW Gildy?
Cx
pps. I would think the halogens are all much of a muchness. Just look at the reviews.
Perhaps if I hadn't opened it so quickly and not been very careful with the packaging. Then again my Aunt who mentioned the halogen oven has a microwave too.
The JML halogen oven has lots of good reviews on the Argos site and yet as you have said there are quite a few that said it packed up quite quickly.
I think a Coopers magazine arrived in the mail today. I'll have a look and see what's in it.
I suppose its deciding which size to buy especially being single but it should still be big enough to do some items of food that perhaps are larger...like a chicken...
I may as well have access to as many gadgets as I can...whilst I can...
Gildy, going back to investments for a mo...... Be very careful about 'investment schemes'. Only ever buy shares if you can afford to lose money. You need something rock solid which is why I suggested Premium Bonds.
Of course you are right VQ...There is so much to think of...
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