Cheery's path to fulfilment - finishing the DIY, looking after myself, appreciating the garden 🌻

Cheery_Daff

Ha, unrealistic plan proving unrealistic as usual 😂

6.45-7.15 - WARM UP

✅ Beechgrove episode 😁

✅ Nice cup of tea and warm up with a hot water bottle

7.15-8.15 - BANKING

✅ Not filled in the cash book since late Feb so quite a bit to do 😬

8.15-8.45 - HOUSEWORK

❌ House generally isn't too bad after we had visiting neighbours round for tea the other day), so I'm going to do a cleaning podcast and tackle a specific area - not sure what yet 😬

8.45-9.30 -FLUTE

✅Plenty of practice needed 😬

9.30 ONWARDS

❌ blog post

❌ more finding photos for the 10 year photo book

Hey ho. Banking got a good sort out,set up a new spreadsheet and tied up all Feb loose ends.

Also sent an enquiry to LPG save. LPG market is like the wild west. Compulsory 2 year contracts, but price usually only fixed for 1st year, used to be max 6p per litre increase in year two. We lucked out last time with a fixed price of 48ppl for the entire 2 years, but that's ending now (and I hope I've managed to squeeze in a final delivery before the end - says they'll delivery by 19th March, end date is 2nd April, but I did order 4 weeks before that!) Renewal price is 53ppl for the 1st six months, then a max of 20ppl rise in each 12 month period 🙄

Anyway, no comparison site as such, but LPG save do bulk discounts and found us a great deal last time so fingers crossed... 😬

Cheery_Daff

Grr, Mr C just got back, he got a flat tyre from a point bit of wood! No harm done, he was travelling slowly and had plenty of time to stop and change to the spare, and it was still daylight when it happened. We'll need a trip to the tyre place though. There's a local ish place open on a Sunday that we've been to before, I'll ring in the morning. Annoyingly we drove past them earlier today 😂

So, list for tomorrow

⭐ yoga

⭐ fix tyre

⭐ washing on and hung up

⭐ flute practice

⭐ blog post

⭐ one cleaning podcast

⭐ order new microwave!

⭐ ring mum

⭐ if it's not raining, shift a couple of barrows of mulch

⭐ band practice at 4

Greying_Pilgrim

As long as you are not tempted to employ the 'tiresomes at home' company, Cheery 😬

Is it just a case of bad timing with the LPG - not for the delivery you've booked, but going forward. Are they hedging their bets because of issues elsewhere in the world? I know there are calls for assistance with heating oils, but presumably that doesn't cover LPG?

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Ha, no, we won't be employing 'tiresomes at home 😂😂 excellent name 😂😂

Yes the LPG company are indeed hedging their bets. Their out of contact price is now 63ppl, and at least one of the other suppliers isn't taking on new customers at all. But this isn't only recent (although currently worse) - there are tales of customers who don't negotiate/switch (like with so many things) being charged 90ppl or more for years - and of course they're often the isolated rural elderly. So I'm not going to feel much sympathy for the LPG companies!

Anyway, LPG Save are on the ball and I have received 3 options already, all better offers, and all with existing supplier (who is the only company with their own storage facility in this country).

Bear with me while I work though the options...

We use approx 3800 litres per year (hard to tell exactly as there's no meter so guessing from delivery amounts), and current contract is 48ppl (plus 5% VAT)

= £1915.20 per year, so £3830.40 for 2 years (approx £159.60/month)

Renewal is 53ppl + VAT in 1st year , capped at 20pppl above that in year 2.

CORRECTING MYSELF - 53ppl fixed for 6 months, capped at 20ppl increase each 12 month period after that

Year 1 = £2513.70

Year 2 = up to £3311.70

= £5825.40 for 2 years (average £242.73/month)

Not sure how likely 20ppl increase is (certainly not twice, after 6 months and again after 18 months) but in the past they've always gone to their max allowed increase in year 2 so for the process of this, I'll assume the worst case scenario.

Humdinger1

Loving your laser focus on available options @Cheery_Daff! Life is indeed becoming more expensive. I'm grappling with how far to accept this and how far to insist that everything MUST stay the same. I think I'm plumping for a middle track where I don't give in to mindless spendiness but accept that some things are beyond my control. Extra food costs are coming out of personal pocket money but I want to eat well and as overall spending is staying the same, I've made my peace with that. More coffee at home with friends is a good thing anyway rather than overpriced coffee shops where the coffee is frankly not that good. Onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx

Watty1

LPG worrying. I buy 2 x 47 litre bottles at a time and replace as running low. It is a bit wild west at the moment.

greenbee

I’m almost out of oil and planning on turning the heating off when it runs out and getting on with the heat pump installation.

Cheery_Daff

I should say there's a standing charge but as its exactly the same for all these options (27p a day I think) I'm not bothering to include it here.

LPG save have offered 3 options, all + 5% VAT (not included in ppl prices below but included in my calculations).

OPTION 1 - 48ppl fixed for 12 months, year 2 'reflective of changes in the energy market' with no cap (but you're still tied into that 2 year contract remember so can't switch)

Year 1 = £1915.20

Year 2 = ??

---------------------------

OPTION 2 - 50ppl fixed for 12 months, year 2 capped at 5ppl increase

Year 1 = £1995

Year 2 (assuming they go up to the cap, which they always have done) = £2194.50

= £4189.50 (average £174.56 a month)

-------‐---------------------

OPTION 3 - 52ppl, fixed for 24 months

Year 1 = £2074.80

Year 2 = £2074.80

= £4149.60 (average £172.90 a month)

‐---------------------------

Option 3 is marginally cheaper, and more certainty. Possible they wouldn't go to the cap in option 2? Or that or deliveries might fall slightly more into year one?

Will ponder and talk over with Mr C today. They're all better than the renewal price though (I've just realised I've got it wrong in my last post, it's only fixed for the first 6 months! Will amend).

Right, that's probably enough admin in bed for one morning!

Humdinger1

Utilities eh! What chaos- I'm locking horns with the water co right now. They cannot accept that a smaller household means less usage. They have said in writing that usage over the last 2 years is part of how they calculate the DD. But we are now 2 rather than 3 people. They would like us to pay 42% more than is justified by our usage. I decline, as do not want to contribute to executive bonuses, and dividends paid to shareholders while they discharge raw sewage. Using their own figures from the website, I've worked out what the annual charge will be. They will neither agree nor explain where they differ. My MP is involved..

badmemory

I think the only response to utilities (except water more later) is ouch.

As for water - why bother fining them when it is their customers who pay the fines & have absolutely no choice in their suppliers. If we could all swap it would be a far different story. I apologise for what may seem a political statement but really is not - renationalise all utilities. Many think we paid too much back then but we all paid the same & at least we had a voice we don't now.