Nice people thread part 5 - nicely does it

LydiaJ

silvercar wrote: »

What water rates do people pay?

Just got an annual bill for £540. The guidelines say that if you have more bedrooms than people you would be better off with a meter, but the rateable value for this place was made when it only had 3 bedrooms so the water bill is based on that. On average there are 3.5 people living here, some of whom shower for at least 20 minutes twice a day, so I can't see a water meter being worthwhile, on the other hand £540 seems a lot.

I pay £34pm, metered = £408pa for the three of us. I have a shower every day - I think the very occasional day when I don't is balanced by the very occasional day when I have two. I'm not sure exactly how long I spend in there - perhaps I should time myself and report back tomorrow. I don't hurry, but then I don't have all that much to do - I do my legs with an epilator so not in the shower, and my hair is reasonbly short so doesn't need conditioning. Every once in a while I have a bath instead, but I usually use the family bathroom for that - it's sunnier, its radiator works, and it's a specially narrow bath so uses less water.

The kids have showers/baths when I remember to tell them to, which is not quite as often as it would be if I were a more organised person. They do create a lot of laundry, though, and when they do have baths they like *deep* ones!

lostinrates wrote: »

We use too much water. I know it, i feel guilt and we are already preping to ration. Outside in the hgarden, its not a problem, with the cake having a pump so we can use as much of that as possible. Inside is a different tale.

E.g. Last night i felt really blergh. Too worn out to sleep well...you know that feeling? A bath with a book and a nice smell did the trick in the way little else can.

I really try to make my showers brief, and turn off between shampooing etc, but they go on a while. I blame my hair, but i know really they are a wicked, greedy indulgence.

We hjave three water metres, i dred the bill for all of them tbh.

I think you are feeling more guilty than you should. You are living in a beautiful house with a lot of character, but you have almost no heating, almost no kitchen, and in the midst of major building work. Nobody's life should be solely frugal all the time, and if a hot smelly bath cheers you up, warms you up and helps you to sleep, then I think you should just enjoy it. Honestly, there are much more expensive indulgences! Have you ever worked out how much each bath costs? It's probably less than 50p per bath/shower for the water - although more for heating it, of course. "Wicked" and "greedy" seem too strong for that!

Could you arrange to pay the bill by DD in monthly instalments so it doesn't arrive in one fell swoop? I would hate to get a bill for £408, but don't particularly notice £34pm.

vivatifosi

Why, oh why, oh why do some council workers have to be so crazy that they give the rest of us a bad name?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-17269511

misskool

um....i have to be somewhere special on thurs night and i'm coming down with a cold

CKhalvashi

vivatifosi wrote: »

Why, oh why, oh why do some council workers have to be so crazy that they give the rest of us a bad name?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-17269511

I walked into District earlier and was speaking to one of reception, to be told by someone coming out that ‘every time he sees me I’m moaning’, and that wasn’t one of the staff :eek:

On the other hand, a lot of it is standard forms. I was filling out a ‘change of registration number’ for myself earlier (Someone complained about me having an old reg. plate on my badge, even though I was saving paper) to have a man in his 80s ask me for help completing a ‘lost bus pass’ form. He didn’t know when he got it, when it was up for renewal or the number (it was a lost pass), but the reception staff refused to accept it.

It’s currently in my car, waiting to go to County Hall when I pop in tomorrow.

CK

LydiaJ

vivatifosi wrote: »

Why, oh why, oh why do some council workers have to be so crazy that they give the rest of us a bad name?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-17269511

And who are the neighbours who complain to the council about things like this?

Spirit_2

lostinrates wrote: »

Poor you!

We used a rubber dinghy as a bath in the yucky dingy wet room in our troubled milan flat. I suggested a paddling pool at first, and dh went and bought we he thought was a paddling pool but turned out to be one of those blow up swimming pools. Our kitchen was a good size, but it didn't fit in there, so kind of squished through the door to the hall/sitting room to be a kidney shaped pool and dh swam about the kitchen. Luxurious, but took a day to fill, so not cheap, nor convienant......you had to swim to the cooker and the fridge. The dingly was just right, though the hard plactis bits and the blow up bit were a bit uncomfy, but it had those nice squashy sides to rest arms on, and we had planty of room to sit both at one end, or head to toe.

That has got to be the best posting I have ever read.:T:T:T

We took our 1965 split screen VW to Glastonbury a couple of years ago. No mod cons but in the awning we hooked up a camping shower with a paddling pool for our ablutions. Bliss.

chewmylegoff

Well I've given up on this job now. Chased three times, got an email yesterday saying they would ring me today, and they didn't. So, they can stick it.

I also got called by a recruiter today working for one of the nationalised banks, touting what would be my ideal job if it has been at a non taxpayer owned bank. I said I'd consider coming in for a interview if they tripled the salary. The conversation ended pretty quickly!

Spirit_2

silvercar wrote: »

What water rates do people pay?

.

Water is £96 a year. There are 3 adults here.

Cess pit is £324 a year to empty.

lostinrates

I cannot thank and the reply window is coming and going.

lostinrates

Wow, 324 for an empty? Sprirt, your goings are expensive! We are about 130 and its about 100 at my parents house.