2022 Frugal Living Challenge

cw18

My Mum has a property with no water bill at all - private water supply in, and septic tank out.  I was very surprised to discover there's no charge for Rainwater Removal though......

I've never seen anything about drains.   I have water in (metered) and water out (also on the metered volume).  Then (as flat fees that don't even vary according to size of property) I have Standing Charge (in), Standing Charge (out) and Rainwater Removal.    My latest bill was (in that order) £9.25, £6.21, £12.61 (£25.01/year), £2.37 (£4.71/year) and £51.45 (£102.07/year).   Really not much chance of reducing this any further - especially as that 6 month bill included 2.5 months without a washing machine.

Gingerarthur

Just had an email from my gas/electric provider Octopus telling me that from April 4th my monthly tax bill is being increased to £217 approx. and it will reduce to just over £200 in April 2023. This follows an email I had last month telling me that the monthly payment would be £163 up from £119 for March. Having been taken up by Octopus from Avro last year following the failure of Avro where I was paying £97 per month.

We are now OAP empty nesters and I have cut Netflix, Virgin Media recently and moved to Freeview and a good internet/landline offer from Plusnet saving about £80 per month. Taking into account the cutbacks made previously such as moving to water meter etc, I am fully onside with Mr. Lewis that I really have no other cuts I can make. It's all down to the minors like leaving nothing on standby etc. and the last resort of downsizing, though I am not sure I have the energy for that one! Mr.Sunak had better come up with something tomorrow but not holding my breath

cw18

Gingerarthur said:

Just had an email from my gas/electric provider Octopus telling me that from April 4th my monthly bill is being increased to £217 approx. and it will reduce to just over £200 in April 2023. This follows an email I had last month telling me that the monthly payment would be £163 up from £119 for March. Having been taken up by Octopus from Avro last year following the failure of Avro where I was paying £97 per month.

Have you checked their calculations?    A lot of people posting to a FB group I'm a newish member of seem to be receiving notification of payment changes well above the '54% average' (my gas/elec split puts mine at 55.4%), and when we put our heads together it turns out that for some the usage figures are hugely inflated from last year - and for others they've been put on a very expensive fixed tariff they didn't ask for (an assumption seems to have been taken that they'd want this as they've always had one before).   In both cases they're given the infomation they need to call their providers and renegotiate - sucessfully in many cases      It's also worth talking to them if you expect your usage this year to be significantly less than last.   Some people now have a smaller household (someone's moved out) which means slightly lower usage.   Others have been working from home and/or home schooling over the last year and are no longer doing so, so their estimate has been based on a year that was much higher than normal.   If they have figures to prove their average pre-Covid, then that can also be used to renegotiate.

I've had similar negotiations with providers in the past.   Although I run my accounts on-line (and change providers when it's worth doing so) I always download my bills.   This means I can produce them whenever needed, and even if I've changed supplier mid-year I can prove my usage for the complete year which they wouldn't otherwise have sight of.

My provider wasn't planning on increasing my payments next month because I have a credit balance, and when I went to raise it via the app the suggested maximum I should set it to was £84.    But I've decided I want to hang onto the credit until we know what October is going to bring, so I've set it to the £100 which will just about cover my usage.    If I paid less now then I'll have no buffer left come October, and I could have a nasty shock when they increase my DD at that point!   A projected 40% (I've seen mention of that) would push me to £140 - and that's a big %age increase from £84 !!!   I'd sooner take the hit now and pay £30/month more than I have been doing, and then hopefully only have to find another £10-£20 a month from October whilst dipping into the credit - though that depends on how it looks for April 2023 at that point........

willow_loulou

Well some fabric softeners smell vile don’t they 🤣 I settled on a ‘green’ one but may get a gardenia one next as it was a lovely smell comparatively. 

Day off tomorrow. I cannot wait for a lay in. Yay! 

nannygladys

I stopped using fabric softener a while ago, I line dry my laundry and unless I put loads of softener in the wm it doesn't seem to make a difference, there definitely was no difference when using the correct amount. So now the washing seems the same and I'm saving money not buying any. If I want towels a bit softer feeling I put them in the td for 8 mins but that's mainly in winter, when I've dried them inside.

otb666

i ordered a big sack of bicarb of soda by accident and when i run outta dishwasher or washing tablets i bung a couple of tablespoons of that in and they come out better.  Just doing it really to get rid of large sack in downstairs toilet (only cost a tenner)  In respect of gas and leccy i fixed 15/1/22 til 2/24 but was paying 80 then 120 and fixed it 200 now.  I read the meter every quarter and have my own records going back years. I calculate the bills myself every quarter. Having an online account means you can adjust DD by a tenner everyday til you get accurate figure for your usage.  Saves ringing call centres.  I also use comparison site to check my figures I see the fix as a 2 year buffer  to change my ways if ncessary for example  i took tortoise out in sun and save 28p rather than have 150 heat lamp on daily.  Desperate times indeed.

London_1

I have been using white vinegar as a softener for years I am not keen on the chemical smell of the 'fabric' softeners. What on earth is YlangYlang anyway ? When I was growing up in the 1940s fabric softener was unheard of ,but line drying was the norm.
I line dry everything, as I neither own ,want or need a tumble dryer, far too expensive to run for one things and fresh air is free , but then I am lucky enough to have a long pulley line from my house to the bottom of my garden about 75 ft.

I also use and have done for years ordinary soda crystals.half the amount said by the detergent manufactures  on the bottle or box ,and topped up with half the amount of washing soda.

I buy it from a supermaket or Boots for about 60p a bag and it cuts down on the amount of detergent used plus because its a whitening agent it gets and keeps my clothes clean

 My white sparkle and after line drying smell and feel nice and soft.
I am still using towels bought 15 years ago and they are as soft now as then. 

By using white vinegar in my machine and washing soda I also keep my machine sparkling clean as well. You definitely don't need 'Calgon" as its virtually the same as ordinary washing soda crystals  

Every penny saved is in my purse, and not in the advertisers, or manaufactuers pockets

JackieO xx

zafiro1984

I have read all the comments about paying for drainage so I've just rung our District Co Council as we too have no drains on the lane and a reed bed system for sewage. I got passed onto the main County Council and then from department to department but here they seem to batch - lighting, roads, surface drainage and I'm sure one or two other things together so no joy here on getting a reduction on our Council Tax - disappointed but not surprised.

I've given quite a lot of lateral thought to how I can reduce my electricity usage. So I've come up with the following idea on how to reduce my electric consumption over the summer.

I have an 'Ironheart' woodburner which also has an oven attached. In the winter and especially this year I have been using it as much as possible to cook - casseroles, cakes, soups everything I possibly can. It has reduced my electric consumption by a considerable amount as well as keeping us warm so it has also saved on the central heating oil.

When I stop using the woodburner over the summer the cooking will have to be done conventionally in the electric oven and on the electric hobs. 
So...my freezers are currently quite well stocked, so whilst I'm still using the woodburner I'm  going to make loads (and I mean loads) of super large casseroles, portion them and freeze the cooked casseroles in individual portions. It will be so easy to defrost, heat in the microwave and maybe add a crust/dumplings etc and so save on the electric. 
I'm thinking casseroles, pies, cakes, soups - I'll see how it goes.

DawnW

@zafiro1984 it is probably worth your while to buy a slow cooker for when your stove isn't alight. Much cheaper than using an electric oven, and it is surprising what different meals you can cook in them. And they aren't expensive to buy.

willow_loulou

Thanks for all the softener comments. As I’ve said vinegar isn’t working on my sons work trousers and I don’t have a tumble dryer.