Travelling On

Karmacat

That's good to hear madvix (and oh dear, we've obviously talked about porridge before - and Baileys Babe is saying her diary would be boring you really don't need to worry, BB!  

Right, so the plan is to *not* overnight, use boiling water as per existing - but pour it into a little pyrex jug to measure out roughly 0.25 of a litre, then throw it straight into the porridge mix sitting ready.   Let it soak a bit, then put it in the micro for 3 mins.  

I like that.

Today, I've been clearing up from the chaos of the bookcase ... sweeping the floor, dishwasher on, washing machine on (a few tops were on the line for an hour or so, but its raining hard now, forecast for the rest of daylight hours).  I think I'll take some meter readings, maybe input them and see what's what.  Also take a photo of my French tax form ready to send to the accountant.    All little jobs, but need doing.

My sister's coming round again on Sunday, barring any urgent needs from her little granddaughter - there's a corner of my living room that was demolished by the installation of the RSJ for the new kitchen, nearly 3 years ago, and I've never painted it   she can't bear it any longer, so she's coming round to do that     I'll work on the cleaning the skirting boards and reinforcing the bookcase in the meantime.

Suffolk_lass

Blimey! you lot and porridge. I stir a spoonful of oats into Greek-style yogurt and add nuts and seeds, sometimes frozen berries and eat it when I get round to it. The oats swell a bit more in my tummy and I often don't eat lunch if I have this - or I swap them round (as I can't eat first thing at this time of year) or I feel...🤮

Karmacat

Scottish Power details
When I first logged on today, it showed my account as £51 in credit, woo hoo, I thought.

No 

Inputted the figures I just took, and its now in debit £113, thats the closing balance.  Not so woo hoo, but not unexpected.  Here's the slightly odd bit: electricity is £73 in debit, gas is £90 in debit.  And the energy bill they've "issued" me with today, as a result of me inputting the figures, is a one-off £164.  I can't quite make any of these figures equal one another by adding/subtracting, though I'm pretty sure there's no fraud.

The figures above are absolute gobbledygook to me, I can't reconcile them at all.  I'm not at all intuitive with numbers, so I'll .... erm .... try again, but I'm not hopeful.  

They say my direct debit is going up, from £62 per month to £110 a month (but the bit where they say that has disappeared, and I can't find my way back to it).  And this is before the price rise of 1st April.  Well, 110 x 12 = £1320, which is still well below the current cap, though as a single person of course I won't use what a family uses.  Important to note, though.

apple_muncher

51  + 113=164 but one is credit, one is debit.

73+90=163, so nearly 164...

That's the best I can do...

teapot2

Karmacat said:

Hi teapot, thanks for this glad you're doing okay (at least, I hope you'd post on your own thread too if you weren't ... dear me, that's a bit confusing.  Okay, happy to see you!) 

Thanks KC, I'm doing away I have been thinking about resurrecting my diary in these current worrying financial times so I may do that.

Am also considering where I might put curtains up to keep the heat in next winter.  My heating is either off or on [there is a timer but I don't use it much].  Theres no wall thermostat anywhere but each radiator has a control so I can turn them right down in any room that aren't being used.  Not sure if thats a better system or not TBH.

Hope you can get your head round the energy figures.

Karmacat

teapot2 said:

Karmacat said:

Hi teapot, thanks for this glad you're doing okay (at least, I hope you'd post on your own thread too if you weren't ... dear me, that's a bit confusing.  Okay, happy to see you!) 

Thanks KC, I'm doing away I have been thinking about resurrecting my diary in these current worrying financial times so I may do that.

Am also considering where I might put curtains up to keep the heat in next winter.  My heating is either off or on [there is a timer but I don't use it much].  Theres no wall thermostat anywhere but each radiator has a control so I can turn them right down in any room that aren't being used.  Not sure if thats a better system or not TBH.

Hope you can get your head round the energy figures.

Indeed - I've just been watching a Youtube farming channel, Harry's Farm - fertiliser costs have just doubled compared to a year ago?  And he has a contractor putting in a steel fence.  The fencer can only get a quote for steel for 24 hours.  It's affecting everything - I'm very glad I decided to get my double glazing done!

My heating is a mix of what you have - I have a wall thermostat for the downstairs radiators, plus radiator controls upstairs (they're nearly always switched off).  I'm glad you're okay in yourself, hope you're enjoying tiny humans slowly growing  

I'll post this then look at the financial work apple's done for me - I didn't post the pennies, so it's necessarily rough, but it looks good from here 😎

Karmacat

apple_muncher said:

51  + 113=164 but one is credit, one is debit.

73+90=163, so nearly 164...

That's the best I can do...

You star!  Thank you, my brain got fried, instantly ➕➖✖➗ just stops me dead  it took me two goes to get my O level.

Right, 51 initial credit
less   113 debit on new meter figures
= 164 which is the "energy bill" they issued me with today.
I suppose the difference between these two figures is 164, so that *does* make sense.

And then
73 is the debit for electricity and
90 is the debit for gas
= 163, same difference because I didn't bother with pennies.

So it's good!  Well, it's not, obviously, but it's comprehensible.  For the 3 months before mid January, I'd calculated on this thread that I had to pay £24 a month extra, even at those prices - I don't know if that was accurate, but that came to £86.  And they're saying I've now got to pay £110 per month.  Okay, and then on 1st April all these figures change again.

Yikes.

Staffordia

Our monthly DD has increased from £175 to £301. My OH's elderly mother lives with us, so the heating is on 21 degrees day and night!  I  find it unbearable but she would rather turn it even higher than put a cardigan on. My OH has stopped her doing that at least.

Suffolk_lass

My Mum just got her predicted bills. Anticipating a gas use increase BY £1400. It is £1700 now I forget the electricity but that was relatively normal

Karmacat

Staffordia said:

Our monthly DD has increased from £175 to £301. My OH's elderly mother lives with us, so the heating is on 21 degrees day and night!  I  find it unbearable but she would rather turn it even higher than put a cardigan on. My OH has stopped her doing that at least.

Gosh, Staffordia, I'm glad your OH was firm with his mother - this whole issue of not putting a layer on is crazy!  I understand if there's a skin problem, but some fabrics are useable even then.

Suffolk_lass said:

My Mum just got her predicted bills. Anticipating a gas use increase BY £1400. It is £1700 now I forget the electricity but that was relatively normal

Good heavens.  Since you're a few years younger than me, she's in her 90s, I guess?  So not hugely mobile, but still ... and there's more to come in October.  Life is going to get much, much tougher.