Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

HairyHandofDartmoor · 29 March 2020 at 4:57PM

Munchin said:

Hi HHD

Just catching up on diaryland. Hope you are keeping safe in these strange times. M

Nice to hear from you Munchin

. How are you?

HairyHandofDartmoor · 29 March 2020 at 5:00PM

Delichon said:

Hope everyone is well and coping. Lovely and sunny here but so cold again! Very high winds during the night. it's often windy in this rural spot but not often as bad as last night. Even with the old double glazing (most of which still blocks out the sound) I could still hear things blowing about. Been out first light to help DH secure the roof of the summerhouse which had partly blown off. I think I'll count that as my exercise for today LOL, don't fancy venturing out again. Lots of twigs and even small branches all over the grass. I got up at 2 to make us a cup of tea only to find there was a power cut. No idea when it started but it didn't come back on until about 4.30. We get a lot of power cuts out here and I hope the wonderful engineers who have to go out in all weathers to keep supplies going are managing to cope and stay well.

I noticed your reasons for the exorbitant water bills, HHOD, and your broadband/phone but did I read it correctly that your nPower bill is £45 A WEEK??? I know DH works from home as do your sons (I think) but things like computers, lights etc don't use all that much electricity and you keep the tumble dryer usage down to a minimum. Are you sure you're on the best tariff? I don't think nPower features among many people's supplier of choice either.

Enjoy your day (as much as is possible in the circumstances) xxx

Thanks Delichon

. It's colder here too today but still sunny. I hope you don't get too many power cuts.

Our NP0w3r payment includes £6 a week for a debt we're paying off (due to them estimating our bills badly). We do use a lot of electricity because DH works from home in one room, DS2 works from home in another room and DS1 is in a third room' all using electricity all day long. We rarely use the tumbler and I'm always switching lights off. I've no idea why are bills are so high. But NP0w3r are rubbish.

HairyHandofDartmoor · 29 March 2020 at 5:01PM

doingitanyway said:

Your diary is fast moving so I missed that you will get financial support as a S/E person. Pleased to hear that. So many people are worried about the recession on its way and I understand that but the priority just now is keeping yourself healthy and well. You are doing so well.
Well done on keeping active and productive. Having a garden is such a bonus when we are so housebound.
Enjoy your Sunday.

Thanks DIA

. I suppose I should be glad that I'm behind with the gardening and houswork as it gives me plenty to do with my newly acquired leisure time

.

doingitanyway · 29 March 2020 at 5:02PM

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

doingitanyway said:

Your diary is fast moving so I missed that you will get financial support as a S/E person. Pleased to hear that. So many people are worried about the recession on its way and I understand that but the priority just now is keeping yourself healthy and well. You are doing so well.
Well done on keeping active and productive. Having a garden is such a bonus when we are so housebound.
Enjoy your Sunday.

Thanks DIA . I suppose I should be glad that I'm behind with the gardening and houswork as it gives me plenty to do with my newly acquired leisure time .

Me too. I have enough housework, decluttering, gardening, decorating and mending to last me all Summer

HairyHandofDartmoor · 29 March 2020 at 5:07PM

I feel tired and a bit achey today after my park walk and afternoon of gardening, so apart from putting another wash on and drying it in the garden, I've done nothing constructive.

We've finished watching The Stranger on N3tfl!x which is compulsive viewing and we really enjoyed it. We watched four episodes yesterday and another four today 😁. I've also been messaging lots of relatives.

A police car turned up and two policemen spent ages talking to our neighbours across the road. They seem a very respectable family so I'm dying to know what they were talking about for so long 🤣.

I'm not really looking forward to school tomorrow as I don't know exactly what I'll be doing, but I'l find out when I get there I guess 🤔. I don't know if I'll be looking after children or cleaning, but I hope I'll be looking after children. I don't know how the school are keeping the children socially distanced, but it will be interesting to find out.

I hope everyone is having a good and safe Sunday

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foxgloves · 29 March 2020 at 6:01PM

HHoD - The energy company you mention tried implementing a really rip-off monthly direct debit increase for us some years ago. I had lots of meter reading data as back then, when we were debt-busting, I used to read meters every Sunday night & keep a log of units used. This helped with trying to cut down.....it also showed what a difference it could make to the usage figures just turning a couple of radiators down a single notch. So when The Company You Mention wrote to say our DD was going up by a very large amount, I used my figures to work out what I thought we should be paying. I then compared this with THEIR OWN figures on my projected usage, which they'd helpfully provided on the back of the letter. And yes, I had to concur we WERE under-paying......by £2 a month. I wrote to them & pointed out that their own figures were saying £2 month more, not the enormous rise they had demanded. They got back to me to say that they agreed with my figures but refused to drop their outlandish new payment to the amount they actually agreed was correct! They agreed to meet me in the middle. I refused to agree to this & changed provider. The new provider asked me to fill in lots of energy-use data, readings, past bills, etc, & calculated........that I should be paying exactly the amount I'd worked out, absolutely to the £. So I left.
Was that the end of it?
Well no, actually. I'd been with the new provider for a while when we received a letter & cheque from The Company You Mention saying they had accidentally not paid dual-fuel customers their discount for the past two years, despite advertising this as a benefit of being with them. Based on my experience of them, they are not a company to whom I'd willingly return.
Though it does sound as though heavy electricity use in your house is also an issue, if you have more than one person working from home all day.
Apologies if I've related this energy provider tale before.
F x

HairyHandofDartmoor · 29 March 2020 at 6:07PM

It doesn't surprise me at all Foxgloves as I have a very low opinion of them 😡. One day I'll happily tell them to get lost and go with a different, smaller, company that Martin recommends.

milann · 29 March 2020 at 7:54PM

I’m glad you enjoyed your walk in the fresh air. I haven’t ventured out since Wednesday - not sure what’s got into me.....I’ve had no desire to go out at all....that isn’t like me at all.
Onebrokenlady our train track has been ongoing since 2006 - we’d had building work done on the house and needed to do something in the garden. About the same time Dh had watched a programme on TV and our local garden centre built a small one - which we’d watched with interest. Dh spotted a load of track second hand - and we’ve added to it over the years. The buildings have been bought for birthday and Christmas presents and we collect little toy figures too. A couple of years ago we bought a load of fairy buildings - fairies and unicorns which the gks love. I tend to do the gardening which is mainly alpines and small bushes and dh does the rest. It’s a bit like the Forth Bridge - never finished and the buildings and people need repainting from time to time. But it’s very relaxing and something we enjoy doing together. Then in normal times there is a club and we visit other gardens and get to know the people - it’s not a geeky as it sounds - honest 😂😂
Sorry HHD I’ve taken over your diary a tad 😊