Struggling along as best I can

KxMx

You can also consider coming off DD and changing to quarterly bills (payment on demand). 
Technically this costs 7-10% more, however if the DD figure is overly inflated (which they often are) it is debatable whether it is actually more expensive.

I budget one amount April - September and a higher amount October - March. Tucked away in a savings space.
My lower amount is still higher than my usage so I can build a small surplus for the winter in addition to the higher amount. 

I'm a single person household in a one bed flat and I'm careful with all energy use. The amounts I see others in my circumstances paying by DD truly astonish me. Maybe it's because I actually pay for what I use rather than what the energy company thinks I will use/tries to get away with.

Water is another one, they've estimated my usage at 36 cubic metres a year and set the payment plan accordingly, when in reality I've used 2 cubic metres a month since living here so 24 cubic metres a year.

I submit a reading monthly so in January with 7 readings, I'm generating a bill and getting the payment plan reassessed.

(I asked for a payment plan as it's easier for my budgeting purposes). 

nannygladys

cbsexec - i didn't know that - as yes I am in credit. I will have to lower the new dd when it comes through. Thanks for that.

nannygladys

KxMx - i quite like paying by dd, as it allows me to create a buffer against tough times like now, it's just the never ending greed and bashing down of the customer I dislike. That and I really thought I may have been making some headway with all my budgeting!

nannygladys

So another day in wonderland.
I have been shopping food for Xmas and I'm done - I'm fed up of the crowds, being hit in the back by heavy trolleys - well just one trolley really - and having to find room for it all at home.  My DD and family are landing in the early hours on Friday, so they are hoping to go shopping in the afternoon so I'm not volunteering to go with them 😀
I've made my version of a Xmas cake tonight which I will halve and share with the DD that I  dgs sit for tomorrow but she will have to ice and decorate her half I just have marzipan and a sprig of Holly (artificial) on mine but she goes the whole hog with icing etc 🙂 she puts on old plastic ornaments that I used on Xmas cakes when she was little.
So it's all coming together now and I've  opened my 'baileys' that is the store variety and and had a few tasty coffees!! 
Yesterday I took my eldest grand daughter to work for 6am and on the way out noticed that there was a frozen river of water flowing down the hill so off I went very carefully but on return it had got wider and more water had appeared but the house it was coming from is owned but not lived in ( they visit but don't sleep there - odd!!!) And nobody was up and it was Sunday I couldn't do much so went inside. About 30mins later it had been noticed by others who investigated where it was coming from and then tried to contact the owners (they had changed phoned numbers!) Anyway long story short one neighbour turned the stopcock outside their house off, someone else managed to contact them in a very roundabout way and they eventually turned up. Apparently it was a burst pipe in their kitchen and water flowed from the kitchen all downstairs through the front door and then underneath their path and came out when it hit concrete at the end of their driveway, (it slopes downwards to the road) unfortunately they haven't been up for a couple of days so not sure when it happened, i can't imagine the mess it's made inside. But as someone said it could have been worse and it could have been an upstairs pipe! Anyway I think thats a good enough excuse to put some heating on when it's been this cold, although today it's a lot warmer!
Nannyg 

cbsexec

It’s a balancing act isn’t it.   Our boiler stopped working due to a frozen pipe this weekend and I thought it would be an expensive call out as we tried to unfreeze the pipe but it still wasn’t working.   Luckily I tried it again and it works!  There must have still been some frozen pipe somewhere.   Relief all round 

nannygladys

cbsexec - thank goodness your heating is fine now, anything that goes wrong like that can cost a packet! I do have a sinking fund for breakdowns but I don't think I'd have much left in it, I might have a go at addressing it next year.

nannygladys

Dgs sitting today which is always a pleasure - using someone's else's heat etc, although it's a relatively new house and really well insulated, much better than mine! And of course dgs is a little love, well most of the time as he is about 2 1/2 years now 😂😂
No money spent and a lovely warm walk around the local town, park and lake it made a lovely change. 
So not much else has been happening, I'm still revising my 2033 budget and it doesn't get any easier to make it balance as nobody is sure what may happen in six months time but hey ho I'll keep at it.
I might get on later but usually by the time I get home, had tea and settled down it's nearly bedtime!!!
So take care all, it's nearly Xmas 
Nannyg 

joedenise

We were told by our plumber that our boiler was on it's last legs about 5 years ago so I saved up and put the money into premium bonds thankfully as this weekend it's decided to give up the ghost!  It is working, just, but we have to keep going and pressing the reset button as it keeps switching itself off - just glad it didn't happen when we have the very cold and icy weather.

Fortunately our plumber is able to get us a new boiler and fit it tomorrow.  So glad I have the money put by without having to touch my emergency fund and/or other sinking funds!

nannygladys

joedenise - it feels good when you know you can afford to buy something like a boiler etc without going into debt 😀 and thankfully we all got through that really cold snap. I'm m so thankful for my sinking funds

joedenise

So true @nannygladys.  Glad to say the boiler is now fitted and working and we are warmer now than we have been for a while!  Definitely thankful for the sinking funds!