£29,303...Enough is enough!

WelshKitty85

They could only tell me what bank it had come from. There’s a surname on the transaction but it’s a really common name so that doesn’t help. I sell a lot on Facebook etc so can only think it’s someone who bought something from me, has my details saved, and has sent it by mistake.

I threw the straighteners on the floor too - singed the new carpet but it could have been much worse!

Thanks for the good wishes re the business.

WelshKitty85

I’ve just made a business sale. Checked bank account for the payment and I’ve had another random payment from the same person as before (nothing to do with todays order). I’ll flag it with the bank again but I’m baffled by it. 

We’ve had to place an order for heating oil this week. We’ve probably got over a month left in the tank but don’t want to risk running out. We’ve ordered almost £500 worth but am hoping that will see us through to next winter. I’ve also set up 2 new savings accounts to start saving for the next time we need oil and also for when the septic tank next needs emptying.

My car insurance is due next month. I’ve done some shopping around on comparison sites and have cancelled my renewal already. I’m going to get another quote through TCB then get it sorted before the quotes go up.

savingholmes

Well done on the sale. It does sound weird about the random payment - especially as they now have to check the account they are sending stuff to more rigorously than used to be the case. 

Good luck with the savings plans and with the insurance renewal.

WelshKitty85

Thanks SH. Yes the random payments are weird. All I can think is that it’s someone who has bought from me through fbook or similar, has my details saved, and sent it to me by mistake. But strange to make that mistake twice without realising.

Today we had an electrician out to get power back to the old kitchen, which is soon to become an office. He’s got power to the sockets, but not got the lights going yet. He only charged £20 for todays visit though, much more reasonable than I expected. There’s no radiator in that room so we’ve ordered a small heater online. I had £20 of vouchers saved from my points CC so it only cost £2.50 of real money.

I’ve been on the phone to our energy provider today as we’ve not had a bill since moving in. I’ve tried sorting it online but they’ve been making it really difficult. When I eventually got through to someone he was huffing and puffing about having to backdate the account and was questioning if I really needed them to. I joked that ‘No I don’t want to pay the last 2 months but I expect you’ll want me to at some point’ and after speaking to a manager they agreed to set up my account from today and based it on today’s reading. I’m hoping this doesn’t come back to bite me as I’ve been trying to sort it since moving in! They’ve set our DD at £114 p/m (elec only as we have oil not gas) which is a jump from the £125 we were previously paying jointly for gas & elec. They’ve based it on the previous occupiers usage so I’m hoping we can get it down a bit. For a start, I know she had a tumble drier which we don’t. I’m also being more conscious about cooking meals on the hob rather than in the oven and things that cook quickly. 

I still need to sort out my car insurance. I want to pay on the credit card to earn the points towards another voucher, but my CC app is playing up and won’t let me pay last months balance. I have a DD set up so I don’t need to worry about missing a payment, but don’t think I have enough left on it to be able to pay the insurance. I also need to pay council tax but have the same issue with that. I’ll have to dig out my log in details to try the website rather than the app.

I’ve been checking out the fly lady thread today in the hope of getting on top of the housework. I’ve written out a weekly schedule (including a couple of days off) and am hoping that it will act as a prompt for other people to also help out around the house - or is that wishful thinking???

mark55man

All the trials and tribulations of a new home.  Will soon be a thing of the past. I'm not sure you will get the 2 months free.  The old supplier will probably come after you for the balance - but maybe not - good luck

We never really got on top of the kids helping regularly but definitely  I think just you should keep going a bit of persuasion / heated debate might get you years of some chores done,  But mainly wishful thinking has to be said
 

WelshKitty85

Hi Mark, it’s the same elec provider as the previous occupier. He was saying something about me and the previous occupiers trying to pay for the same period. I’m hoping we’re overpaying on what we will actually use anyway so if they do backdate the charge then there’ll be enough there to cover it.

To be fair, DC1 empties the dishwasher (when she’s here) and DC2 sorts the recycling. It just bugs me that obvious things (brining empty toilet rolls down from the bathroom for example) get ignored and left for the fairies to do.

savingholmes

I find you have to give people specific jobs to get them to do stuff. 

I haven't had a utility bill for about 4 months and am getting really worried not knowing what my bills will be. They managed to send my gas to one supplier and my elec to another after my supplier went bust! Neither have got their act together.

badmemory

I too do not like this not knowing what is happening with my utilities.  I know since mid October when BG asked me for readings. I know what happened until 13th September.  I haven't got a clue what happened in between.  I do know that Peoples Energy have over £350 to cover the gap which should be more than £200 too much.  But wonder whether I will ever see it.  I'm trying to ignore it as it will just wind me up.  To add to this I am dreading April when the price cap goes up yet again.  That will be a rise in my DD of 125% since September.

WelshKitty85

I’m still arguing with EDF about my final bill at the old house too. They sent me 2 final bills, both using the same meter readings, but £140 difference. I’ve repeatedly asked what has caused the difference and so far they can’t tell me. 

Today I’ve started on my cleaning/decluttering mission. Today was bedroom and landing. I asked DH to remove 5 old curtain poles that were scattered over the landing into one of the outbuildings, I’ve moved 2 partial rolls of lining paper & 2 box frames to my craft stash, and my floordrobe has been relocated into drawers. I’ve also made an effort to clear the table and kitchen worktops straight after dinner so I don’t have to worry about it before going to bed. I’ve sold an old coffee table for £25 too. A good start I think.

Drawingaline

We had trouble last Jan with energy companies when we moved. I rang the provider here and gave them a reading which they queried as the old owners had sent in a completely different set, higher than ours? I did point out that they had left the country five months before and assume they had friends doing the reading, but that I could send in pictures of the meters. Which I did. I think it took three months to sort it all, and they kept sending bills with random amounts on for random times. It did all add up in the end and their customer services were actually brilliant. I imagine they are one of the ones who went bust.