Desperate for Help

cinnamon123

Regarding a daily shower, my thought is that there are different categories of who might need to shower daily. Personally, I would put teenage boys higher towards the list. In my experience, there are a few years where due to hormones+physical activity, a daily quick shower is not only a good idea but might be preferable for those around them as well.    I say this only slightly in jest. Money is of course a concern, but teenage years are also extremely awkward years and as adults we can all imagine horrid teasing (or worse) that could occur at school. 

Not trying to say that OP's son has any abnormal issue - just a general comment on that time of life that teenagers go through. 

Depending on his activity level (i.e. sports played etc.), perhaps a cut back on showers to Mon-Fri might be something that helps with the purse while also keeping him happy? Hopefully there is a middle ground.

Floss

badmemory said:

I think you may be worrying needlessly about oven usage.  I cook almost every day, last month I used 1 unit of gas as the heating didn't come on.  It is a very old cooker & when the oven is on a lot of heat seems to leak out.  I am a lot more worried about the usage of my (also very old) fridge & freezer.  I worked out that those 2 things alone are going to be costing me £2 a day at least with the new prices.

Might not be gas.

Longwalker

cinnamon123 said:

Regarding a daily shower, my thought is that there are different categories of who might need to shower daily. Personally, I would put teenage boys higher towards the list. In my experience, there are a few years where due to hormones+physical activity, a daily quick shower is not only a good idea but might be preferable for those around them as well.    I say this only slightly in jest. Money is of course a concern, but teenage years are also extremely awkward years and as adults we can all imagine horrid teasing (or worse) that could occur at school. 

Not trying to say that OP's son has any abnormal issue - just a general comment on that time of life that teenagers go through. 

Depending on his activity level (i.e. sports played etc.), perhaps a cut back on showers to Mon-Fri might be something that helps with the purse while also keeping him happy? Hopefully there is a middle ground.

Oh I know, I have a teenage grandson, he also goes OTT with the lynx

Grandson, unless I start hammering on the door after 2 minutes will wilfully sit in the shower ( and I do mean sit ) until the water runs cold. We heat our water on either the immersion or the oil - both extremely expensive at the moment and there is no need for it

You can wash under the pits and under the tighty whiteys in a sink of hot water just as well. Soap kills bacteria quicker then a tank of hot water

theoretica

Longwalker said:

For your mum, I know this sounds like going back a century, but she would be better closing down most of her rooms for the winter, She will be getting the help from the government and cold winter payments etc I assume? But she would be best on keeping just her living room and bedroom warm enough to live in. It does have its disadvantages - cold rooms can get mould unless they are regularly aired but you can plan ahead, move furniture away from walls , double line curtains ( pinning cheap fleeces to them ) going in daily to open the windows for a few minutes to change the air. If the property is old and leaky, get draught excluders around the doors , curtains for the front and back doors

Or think about a lodger (or lodgers) - the rooms would get used, someone else would get somewhere to live, and their rent could pay for the heating.