Live on £4000 for a year - part 4 (Oct - Dec 2008)

cw18

Mumzy - do you have the bill split into gas and electricity (I pay one payment for both and my overall balance is a single figure, but the bill shows the two as seperate items when it comes to calculating what I've spent). Is one of them significantly higher than the other?

Over the last 2 weeks my electricity is about 3.5 time my gas, but the gas is only my hob, my hot water (on for an hour a day) and the heating (has only been on for one day).

I'd suggest you start by taking readings at least once a day, but if you can take them a couple of times that would give some indication of which appliances are eating it! I'd also be asking them if it's possible to have your meters checked -- and if there's a fault you would probably have a case to get some/all of your debt wiped off.

I also hate to suggest it, but -- if it's your electricity that's getting gobbled is there any way you may have a neighbour who's tapped into your supply !!! (Not unheard of)


More than happy to try and offer assistance by PM if you want, even if it just gives you someone to use as a sounding board about it all !! I'm around most of the day if you need someone to vent at

Marru

mumzyof2 wrote: »

Its an online account so dont have the paperwork neither do i have a printer. I have now turned off all the switches. Except for washer, boiler, Tv, Laptop and phone charger. The kids have the lights on in bedroom as they wont sleep without them on. I am sat in the dark but the Tv and Laptop are giving me light This bill has seriously got me thinking about saving money on gas and electric. Would lamps in childrens room, my room and living room save me more money than puttin a big light on?

If you arrange appoinment with CAB surely you can log onto your account from there and they can then print your invoices out.

mumzyof2

I will check my readings each day from now on at 8am and record on here if i can? My neighbour would proberly do that ya know as thats the type of person he is!! Im going to ring e-on tomorrow and have a word with them. How do i get my meters checked? My mum is buyin me some table lamps and a flask lol. She couldnt say no really after laughing at me because i am going to be puttin boiling water in a flask first thing in morning to save electric

I have one amount on my bill which is my electric and one amount is my gas and then the total is both of them together. I pay £15 a week and it goes off th total bill.

Brighton_belle

Aw Taka - there's no need to apologise: I thought it was a nice idea to invite some good stories. And you feel is what you feel - no 'should' about it. It's part of our human makeup to have different moods and impossible to feel 'happy' all the time anyway - it makes the times we do feel happy so special. Someday I feel fed up, when I know I am very lucky to live in this country and have enough food etc. I just try and ignore it knowing it will pass (which is different from depression I know for any that suffer from that):grouphug: .
Sophies mum -I got into my remoska slowly and I really love it. I haven't used the oven since I got it and sometime use the hob less too.
Mumzy - using the tumble drier everyday for an hr probably is very expensive unfortunateley. Do you have energy saving ligt bulbs in the kids bedside lights and hall? Still that does sound a very excessive bill of the time of year it covered.

cw18

mumzyof2 wrote: »

I have one amount on my bill which is my electric and one amount is my gas and then the total is both of them together. I pay £15 a week and it goes off th total bill.

Your bill works like mine, but you need to look at the figures against the gas and electricity individually to work out which one is the (possibly) grossly inflated one.

whitewing

The good news is that I am dealing with a horrible situation well because of this challenge. (And because of my lovely husband).

I can't remember which user has this (or a similar) quote, but it has kept me going recently:

It all works out good in the end....if it's not good, it's not the end.

mumzyof2

My electric is higher than my gas i think but not sure without looking.. i have energy saving sbulbs all upstairs but dont have them downstairs coz in kitchen/dining its those that are inside the ceiling lol

Frugaldom

On the 29th september my bill for my gas/elec came through and it was £100 but i still owed £170 from previous month so make that £270. I then went online to check my payments of £15 a week (thats all i can afford) and it said my next bill was due 15th oct 08 so i rang them and asked why i was getting another bill when i just been sent one and she said it because i had given meter readings. which is fair enough. I asked her how much i had spent and had to give her another meter reading for both gas n electric and she said it £300.

Mumzy, the above says £100 bill plus £170 debt, which was £270 at end September. Your next bill will include 2 x £15 on top of that, so when you called and they quoted £300, that would be correct.

You need to work out what you are using most - tumble dryer for an hour every day suggests washing maching must be on every day too. Do you have hot water every day? How often are you boiling your kettle? The washing machine, tumble dryer, fridge, freezer, lights and kettle could account for about £1 per day, I would think, but if you use an immersion switch for hot water then mine costs anything between 40p and 75p per tank depending what time it's switched on. £100 for a month is almost £25 per week and you're paying £15 to cover electricity and gas and debt. I'm afraid your bill sounds about right to me. Sorry

OH2B has amazed me today by getting into the cashback mode in a big way. His car insurance was due and he normally does everything like that via Co-op but this time, he compared and then went via cashback. Best quote was £128 but Asda are offering £73 cashback on TCB, so it's working out at £55 and guess what? It's tracing back to Co-op insurance services! Hope the cashback tracks!

lingojingo

Mumzy - if you leave your mobile phone charger switched on all the time that gobbles up the electricity too.

Good idea to check your readings every day, I find mine are quite a bit higher at the weekend when we are in the house a lot more and also most of the washing gets done then.

Hope you can get it sorted.

mumzyof2

I just realised that the woman saying £300 and odd pound may include what i owe now. and i been thinking it may be £300 on top of what i already owe. I will ring them tomorrow and double check