Debt and Caring

WelshmansDaughter

Have put my name down in the library for the energy saving kit. It's a long waiting list though so I'm wondering if anyone can recommend an energy monitor? 

savingholmes

@LadyWithAPlan may be able to recommend a monitor as she recently bought one.

Love your visual organising.

badmemory

The prices are definitely going up on these monitors.  The one I bought in August for £15.74 is now £21.74.  I suspect that if the price hasn't gone up then it may have a bad write up/not be very good.  So glad I got mine when I did.  From Amazon by Nevsetpo.

LadyWithAPlan

WelshmansDaughter said:

Have put my name down in the library for the energy saving kit. It's a long waiting list though so I'm wondering if anyone can recommend an energy monitor? 

Completely understand the need for this  - i am low usage but still looking at my smart meter since the hike and going ouch.
i just bought this one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354287737370 for under £13 -looks like it sold out at that supplier but loads companies on ebay doing the  exact same one   - put in ebay search engine ' UK Plug-in Electricity Power Consumption Meter Energy Monitor Watt ' 
- its the one w/out an app so the plug has a screen that tracks usage.
I figured wi/out an app is cheaper and I can then lend it to less tech savvy parents etc

You can easily change the kwh cost - i have added the cost in inc the 5% vat.

The reset button on mine is not working well - so it keeps adding cost up on top of the last thing I tracked  so I just write down the last reading before setting off my kettle etc and just calculate it easily that way. So it is working well for me.  I now know that my kettle 3/4 boiled is  4.6p so I am boiling a big kettle and then put excess hot water into a flask for next few lots of drinks. Never done this before but the  new knowledge means  I dont keep spending multiple 4.6p's a day with my constant kettle boiling plus quicker in the kitchen having hot water on tap in the flasks for drinks.

Batch cooking and freezing is turning out even more economical than I realised as to reheat HM food in a microwave saves a fortune from having the oven on daily. My Clever Chef Pro 6 in 1 (pressure cooker, saute, steam, slow cooker etc) is fabulous and super cheap  to run and I am also using my halogen oven a lot vs the oven that I have not turned on since I got my 6 in 1 

WelshmansDaughter

Thanks SH, badmemory, LWAP.

I think the one in the ebay link is the same one I was looking at on amazon. Or very similar. I realized that I actually have no idea what I can do with an energy monitor so thinks I need to do some research first.
I think @LadyWithAPlan you may have just cost me money as now I really want that multicooker! I thought I was doing well cos I'd gotten the slow cooker out. That thing looks like it saves money and time, my crack at the moment. It's interesting about the kettle though I boil it without thinking. In my flat I had a 10l urn that I used for hot water during the day.

Dad experiencing sleep problems at the moment and we're all still sick and tired. I'm booking him into respite for the end of November for a week. I'm feeling huge guilt about this. During the day anyway. At night I'd happily hand him over to Dr Kevorkian.
Dr Who. Anyone who will let me go to bed 🤣🤣🤣

I've been plodding on with tasks during the week. The tile brush was out yesterday as I've removed all the stuff from the bathroom to clean it. The shelves are big wooden ones so I've taken them downstairs to use in dad's room. The bathroom looks huge now. 

I've been having nerdy fun organizing with notion and cleaning but I think I'll have to take a break this weekend (after work today) as my cough is keeping me up at night. 

badmemory

Please don't feel guilty about the respite care.  It is what will enable you to continue with his care.  Without it you go for a few months & then give up all together.  That is what respite care is designed to avoid.

savingholmes

badmemory said:

Please don't feel guilty about the respite care.  It is what will enable you to continue with his care.  Without it you go for a few months & then give up all together.  That is what respite care is designed to avoid.

I am really pleased you are getting some help. You are doing everything for good reason. You still need breaks too.

LadyWithAPlan

WelshmansDaughter said:

Thanks SH, badmemory, LWAP.

I think the one in the ebay link is the same one I was looking at on amazon. Or very similar. I realized that I actually have no idea what I can do with an energy monitor so thinks I need to do some research first.
I think @LadyWithAPlan you may have just cost me money as now I really want that multicooker! I thought I was doing well cos I'd gotten the slow cooker out. That thing looks like it saves money and time, my crack at the moment. It's interesting about the kettle though I boil it without thinking. In my flat I had a 10l urn that I used for hot water during the day.


I've been plodding on with tasks during the week. The tile brush was out yesterday as I've removed all the stuff from the bathroom to clean it. The shelves are big wooden ones so I've taken them downstairs to use in dad's room. The bathroom looks huge now. 

I really really wanted the instant pot 11 in 1 or 14 in 1 to be honest so with an airfryer, yogurt maker and a dehydrator .... You can get deals on amazon warehouse for them.
However I won my Clever chef pro 6 in 1 accidentally  through a bookie doing list of low risk casino offers - I do MB and it has changed my cooking habits completely since I have had it. The oven has not been on apart from the hob occasionally and I even prefer to saute in the 6 in 1 vs the hob.
I  already had a Slow cooker (though i rarely use it  and it is a function also on the 6 in 1 ) - but having a pressure cooker  is next level rocks especially as you can saute first so you can make soups, stocks and stews in 20 mins, dried beans in 10 mins and it uses much less energy consumption. You can even pressure cook from frozen such as frozen chicken or sausages  and frozen stock  - just give it 10 mins more so when you are in a rush its amazing so you throw a few ingredients in, put on and 30 mins later its all done.
So you could just get a pressure cooker.  I am also using my halogen oven a lot as well eg to roast chickens and pork and grill  and it is largely the same as an airfyer.
if you have neither an airfryer/halogen nor a pressure cooker then I would look at something that has both eg the 11in 1 instant pot.. However my clever chef is working v well. 

On energy monitor I just plug it in when I start to cook so I know how much that meal costs or fact it was 16p to do my stock or cook rice  etc or 35p to roast a chicken (halogen so much cheaper than the oven)
I have yet to test when I dry my hair

Well done with all your decluttering! its amazing ghow with less stuff our homes grow and just feel clearer. I have a friend and her whole house looks and feels like a very posh hotel. Its my goal

WelshmansDaughter

Logically I know you are both right bm and sh. I just get frustrated because it's Dad who gets the short end of the stick. There aren't services available to meet his needs and I am low energy enough now that I can't even remember what I used to do with him. I've decided to see if the agency can reinstate an hour in the morning to get him ready as well. There are things they won't do like blood sugars and medication so it won't be quite what I'd like but hopefully will get us back to a routine.
I know I'm not doing the best I can for him at the moment and that has a knock on effect. I can't accurately judge his capacities because we're all over the place.

I definitely cannot get an airfryer as I banned my mother from getting one on the grounds that she was just bringing another gadget into the house 🤣🤣🤣
That instant pot 11 in 1 looks intense. One of the first things you see is safety features! 
One of the channels I watch on YouTube has a Thermomix which is incredibly expensive but is like having a sous chef. 
I think the 6 in 1 appeals because it has a delay timer which means I can set it up when I have time instead of trying to organize meals when I've just got home and dad is cranky. If the double payment comes through I will likely get one.

Money wise I have made payments on credit cards only to realise I had forgotten to pay the utility bill🤦‍♀️

Today I thought I was going to relax a bit and then started the project of resealing the bath. Which has now become dry out floor under bath, clean it out, screw in bath feet, clean panels and buy new shower door seal. Then seal bath. 

savingholmes

Sounds like you are really improving your parents home. I think doing jobs like that can be therapeutic - plus they stop being a daily irritant once done. 

On your dad - reinstating some help sounds a good way forward - particularly given you are getting such disturbed sleep with your Dad being as he is. No wonder your struggling to think straight.