60 year old widow needs some advice to survive

SandraScarlett

Yes, the water seems very costly. We pay just over £30 per month, including sewerage charge, and that's in a London Borough.

I'm 65, and don't consider myself "elderly"! :eek: I think I'd settle for middle-aged or oldish, at a pinch. I wouldn't think anyone under 80 was elderly, and I know a lot of octogenarians who would still feel insulted!

xx

oliveoil99

SandraScarlett wrote: »

Yes, the water seems very costly. We pay just over £30 per month, including sewerage charge, and that's in a London Borough.

I'm 65, and don't consider myself "elderly"! :eek: I think I'd settle for middle-aged or oldish, at a pinch. I wouldn't think anyone under 80 was elderly, and I know a lot of octogenarians who would still feel insulted!

xx

My water bill is £53.60 monthly X over 8 months I do not tell the water/board what to charge me they are in the higher position.
Remember in life one size shoe does not fit all.

margaretclare

SandraScarlett wrote: »

Yes, the water seems very costly. We pay just over £30 per month, including sewerage charge, and that's in a London Borough.

I'm 65, and don't consider myself "elderly"! :eek: I think I'd settle for middle-aged or oldish, at a pinch. I wouldn't think anyone under 80 was elderly, and I know a lot of octogenarians who would still feel insulted!

xx

We pay £10.94 a month for water, it's metered. We use showers, not baths. Sewerage is separate, it's £12 a month and we get a discount because rainfall from the roof goes into a soakaway, not into the main drains.

I didn't consider myself 'elderly' at 65 either, and at 66 I was a bonnie blushing bride all over again! A decade on and I still don't consider myself as 'elderly'. Can't imagine a time when I ever will think of myself in those insulting and derogatory terms. The only difference to me is that I can't do a lot of the things I used to do. No doubt due to physiological muscle weakening.

margaretclare

challfour wrote: »

Wow that is cheap!!!!

I have a DD for the water to Veolia of £24 a month and ours is metered and use showers. Sewerage is another £28 a month to Southern Water. There are only the two of us in our mid to late 60's.

Our DD for water is to Essex & Suffolk Water, sewerage is to Anglian Water. Have you asked about discounts for rainwater, if it goes into a soakaway and not into the drains?

2 of us use the shower every morning, washing-machine 2 or 3 times a week. We also collect water in rain-barrels to top-up the garden pond.

LittleMissAspie

I too am shocked at the water bill, rates are a complete rip-off. My boyfriend and I have a meter and we pay £13 per month for water and sewage. We were previously paying £24 which was too much so we built up a surplus, once that has gone it should even out to about £20. Oliveoil you must try again to switch to a meter, it will save you so much money.

oliveoil99

LittleMissAspie wrote: »

I too am shocked at the water bill, rates are a complete rip-off. My boyfriend and I have a meter and we pay £13 per month for water and sewage. We were previously paying £24 which was too much so we built up a surplus, once that has gone it should even out to about £20. Oliveoil you must try again to switch to a meter, it will save you so much money.

As I said previously my water authority have to have the signature of the landlord to install a meter asked the landlord as soon as I became a single householder knowing it would be a cheaper option as I don't own the property is not my decision.

oliveoil99

LittleMissAspie wrote: »

I too am shocked at the water bill, rates are a complete rip-off. My boyfriend and I have a meter and we pay £13 per month for water and sewage. We were previously paying £24 which was too much so we built up a surplus, once that has gone it should even out to about £20. Oliveoil you must try again to switch to a meter, it will save you so much money.

As I need the signature of the landlord for the water authority to install a meter and he will not my hands are tied.

pmlindyloo

oliveoil99 wrote: »

As I need the signature of the landlord for the water authority to install a meter and he will not my hands are tied.

Have you checked this recently?

Who is your water authority?

Unless your tenancy agreement is for less than 6 months you do not need your landlord's permission.

pmlindyloo

See the link here:

https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/consumerissues/chargesbills/householdcharges/unmetered/meters

You only need the landlord's permission if you have to have an internal meter fitted (not a common occurence) or it says something in your tenancy agreement about not fitting one.

Marisco

oliveoil99 wrote: »

My water bill is £53.60 monthly X over 8 months I do not tell the water/board what to charge me they are in the higher position.
Remember in life one size shoe does not fit all.

Why is it over 8 months? At best it should be 10!! And you might even be able to negotiate it over 12! We do that with out council tax, don't bother with the water as it's only £29 pm. So your water bill is £428.80 a year? If you pay it over 10 months it will be £42.88 and if you can get them to agree to 12 months it will be £35.73, that's nearly 20 quid a month saved there.