Page 5 | AIBU to be feeling bleak about bills?

PocketRocket12 · 2022-08-04T16:05:00+00:00

Quarterly electricity bill arrived… am actually in tears. Could people possibly share what they’re paying at the moment, just for some sort of anxiety relief that we are all in this together? AIBU to let it get me down so much? I can’t sleep through worry.

JustMarriedBecca · 04/08/2022 22:49

Also amazed. 5 bed house here. Both work full time from home. Old cottage too so not new and insulated (although we have added insulation as we've decorated certain rooms).
Was £80 a month now £120 (2 adults, 2 kids). Direct Debit is £240 though but that's to build a buffer in advance of winter (currently £800 up). It's mainly electricity at the moment. CH is on Gas and off for summer.

We don't use a tumble dryer and line dry or use a ceiling pulley. Efficient use of dishwasher. I can see on the app and smart meter when my Mum has been here using the tumble dryer.

Bubblebubblebah · 04/08/2022 22:51

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/08/2022 22:06

@Bubblebubblebah but it is all the little things, nothing on its own costs a lot, lots of little things add up, even leaving it on stand by adds to the overall cost.

Oh of course. It's just that there is still a lot of myths and many people believe the 50 or so a year on tv on standby.

Wishyfishy · 04/08/2022 22:55

freesolo · 04/08/2022 21:52

I don't have the hot water on anymore, I haven't for about 12 months. You just get used to not having hot water 'on tap'. We will when we need it, like a bath for example, but otherwise we boil. Kettle if we really need hot water. It's made a massive difference

I haven’t gone so far as to switch the hot water off - the boiler is on as normal (combi) but I have managed after SO MUCH effort to wean my children and DH off switched the hot tap on to wash hands. By the time it’s actually hot you’ve finished anyway. I’m wondering if there is some kind of device you could attach to the tap to keep it in the “cold” position…?
Some days none of us shower as we go to the gym or go swimming and I realise the boiler hadn’t had to start up once that whole day even.

I’m pretty stingy in winter with the heating anyway so I’m not so worried about the gas. It’s just the hob and showers. Some heating for some months. It’s a cheap bill. Just wish we could get the electricity lower, that’s the one I’m worried about. Although by the amounts some people are paying we are clearly low ish users anyway (7-8 units a day which I didn’t think is awful).

Tougherpolicies · 04/08/2022 22:59

Old cottage, 4 adults, costs about £230 pm on variable tariff. Everyone at home all day.. oil bill on top of that for heating.

earsup · 04/08/2022 23:00

I host foreign students some months and have told the agency that over winter i need an extra £30 a week now..off each student..to cover the extra heating costs etc...i would normally turn it off or very low in those rooms....some come from countries where energy bills are very low and have no idea how much it costs in the uk....

Woolandwonder · 04/08/2022 23:12

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/08/2022 22:33

So it’s unusual to dry laundry outside, not to have an electric car or electric bike? To not use an expensive oven when a slow cooker or microwave or salads will suffice? To not have children? For adults not to have PlayStations, and to switch things off which are unnecessary or not in use? Even computers aren’t needed unless for work or school homework to be used daily. Banking and bills can be done once per month on a laptop easily or a phone or tablet. Mobile phones or a tablet are cheaper to use for internet surfing. We have no electric heating - no need to put the gas on when a fire is cheaper!
sorry, but everyone I know is exactly the same, with the sole exception of the tv and even that is becoming less rare to be without that it was.

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It's not a criticism at all and I really wish I could embrace a more frugal way of living and am sure as we move into winter there will be more people living like you by necessity. But I currently genuinely don't know anyone who doesn't have a freezer or doesn't use any form of heating other than an open fire (I don't even have a fire so not an option for me!) I think everyone I know has WiFi because people need it for either work, or if they have kids homework or in order to watch TV.

jazzandh · 04/08/2022 23:18

Last month bill was £340. £85 of that was electric car (7.4p per mile) and £40 gas. We are heavy users, mainly thanks to my elder son who has teched us up to the eyeballs! The vkit in his room is supposed to turn off when he leaves......( Yes, when he's 20 miles away.... 🤔) I always gave monthly readings, but just had a smart meter installed, cue much shouting about screens being left on!!!
I am threatening no heating over the winter, but frankly with the heat generated by various tech here, it won't be bloody needed anyway.

Tougherpolicies · 04/08/2022 23:24

Alphabet1spaghetti2

I line dry all my clothes etc for as long as I can, but please don't tell me they dry in the middle of November outside? If you don't have a Tv or computer, dare I ask what you do on the very the long winter evenings? Just read? I'm curious. Where do you get your wood supply from? Are you very rural? I'm intrigued

Scottishskifun · 04/08/2022 23:26

My winter quarter bill was £750 for gas and electricity 2 bed house 2 adults a toddler and a baby. I did cry at that one!

But last bill was £140 for both. I managed to get our usage right down (April is atill pretty cold in Scotland!), we started using our wood burner again (hadn't in Winter due to newborn) and I now turn everything off at the wall. I use the slow cooker or halogen oven now rather then the oven.

Heating is completely turned off just hot water on at the moment and is set to 18 degrees now rather then 20 when we do have it on

123ROLO · 04/08/2022 23:27

Just 2 adults in the house

Our monthly bill is £344, we looked at price of a fixed tariff last week and cheapest we got quoted was £690 per month.

We work from home a lot but otherwise are not really wasteful, I really don't know how ours is so high, we have a biggish terrace house but it's not crazy big.

I don't feel sad as such more angry that there's going to be people out there making so much money out of us just existing !

boys3 · 04/08/2022 23:30

but frankly with the heat generated by various tech here, it won't be bloody needed anyway

😁two back from uni here at the moment. Although not smart metered I take regular meter readings - since they've been back electricity usage up although that could have been the temporary transition to a pseudo-commercial launderette

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/08/2022 23:32

@Woolandwonder totally get that life with children is very different to life as two adults. It’s reflected here in usage/costs. We’ve lived rurally with bottled gas or oil tanks, which means that nearly everyone lives in old houses and have fires. Power cuts mean you gravitate to the cosiest room. The cost of bottled/tanked gas or oil and the time lag in getting it means you learnt to live on meagre usage or go without. We haven’t had a freezer for decades - got fed up of throwing food out after power cuts, and you just get used to not having one. But you should see my tinned goods store ….. Same goes for a lot of neighbours.
We don’t miss out on anything, I guess it’s old habits from the 70s as well - which is why we don’t switch on lots of lights (use energy efficient ones), switch everything off not in use and insulate everything to conserve heat - even windows have thermal
coatings, thermal blinds and thermal curtains. Still use draught excluders on doors despite them being new composite doors without a letter box!! Habits - can be good, bad and bonkers!

Abcdefgh1234 · 04/08/2022 23:39

5 bedroom house. 3 adults 2 children. Husband working from home using computer all day. Tv on all day. £225 per month. It used to be £145 😑. I’m really not looking forward to winter bill

Bubblebubblebah · 04/08/2022 23:41

Fixed tarif costs are abysmal. I had a peak how much if i went for dd and fuck that frankly

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/08/2022 23:44

Tougherpolicies · 04/08/2022 23:24

Alphabet1spaghetti2

I line dry all my clothes etc for as long as I can, but please don't tell me they dry in the middle of November outside? If you don't have a Tv or computer, dare I ask what you do on the very the long winter evenings? Just read? I'm curious. Where do you get your wood supply from? Are you very rural? I'm intrigued

We have a multi fuel stove so can burn kiln dried wood or smokeless fuel. We do store two years worth of collected wood from storm felled trees too.
Tv can be watched on mobile phones (handy when doing washing up!) or on a tablet. We share the cost of a subscription service with a friend, plus have prime and there are lots of free to watch tv services available. We don’t watch bbc at all.
kindles are used for book reading as they are so portable and have built in lighting. Also can be read in a bath. We have an embarrassingly large collection - far more than we could house if they were physical books.
We also do diy, gardening, listen to music/ radio, go shopping, days out, walking, holidays and have other hobbies - I knit/crochet/play the flute. Dh goes to the cinema, plays games on his gameboy. Like everyone else really.
We both various night shifts.

Bubblebubblebah · 04/08/2022 23:45

Still use draught excluders on doors despite them being new composite doors without a letter box!! Habits - can be good, bad and bonkers!

What's proper bonkers is that someone went and said "You know what? I am going to put drafty hole in my front door!" In a winy rainy not hot country. What's even more bonkers is that EVERYONE WENT WITH IT

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/08/2022 23:47

@Tougherpolicies oops missed the laundry. Yes I stick it outside even in winter.
If needs be then it goes in the catio which has a polycarbonate roof and mesh sides until dry enough to just need a quick warm through before being put away. I do not iron anything.

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/08/2022 23:53

@Bubblebubblebahthank you !! my Dh is mad with me because I insisted on an outdoor wall mounted letterbox next to our front door - because of draught, even when he pointed out that “modern letterboxes come with draught excluders alphabet”. I replied that only no holes guarantees no draught.
He thought twice about saying that in that case let’s brick up the door …

Tougherpolicies · 04/08/2022 23:53

Alphabet1spaghetti2

Hats off to you, you sound amazing!

Bubblebubblebah · 04/08/2022 23:56

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/08/2022 23:53

@Bubblebubblebahthank you !! my Dh is mad with me because I insisted on an outdoor wall mounted letterbox next to our front door - because of draught, even when he pointed out that “modern letterboxes come with draught excluders alphabet”. I replied that only no holes guarantees no draught.
He thought twice about saying that in that case let’s brick up the door …

It's honestly the Top weird British thing on my list. Most people concentrate on separate taps or windows opening outside not in, but nah. All pales in comparison of HOLE IN A DOOR ffs😂

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/08/2022 23:59

@Tougherpolicies (blushes) we are just a pair of average oldies really. Albeit with dreams of champagne breakfasts on Tesco own brand tea bag budgets.

Lysianthus · 04/08/2022 23:59

redskyatnight · 04/08/2022 18:13

We're currently paying £100 a month for a 4 bedroom house. Not wanting to be goady, but I'm amazed at the range of the prices that people are paying in comparison. Are you stuck on particularly expensive tariffs or something?

I'm on £90 pm and that's a three bed. Gas and electricity. I'm fixed til 2023 but the payment is aligned to my bill/reading. Don't understand these high bills tbh.

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 05/08/2022 00:06

@Bubblebubblebah glad I’m not alone in that. 😀Also the security thing - a hole which allows criminals to literally fish for keys etc through.
The only physical post to steal these days are bills or junk mail - they are welcome to have that.🤣 Everything else is digital.

PeloAddict · 05/08/2022 01:26

Lemonblossom · 04/08/2022 19:11

I genuinely don’t understand how anyone can only use 4kwh a day.

Just checked mine and it's between 4-5kwh a day
Live alone and WFH

Onionbhajisandwich · 05/08/2022 02:10

We are paying £220 a month, but only using just over £100 a month according to bulb and we are £600 in credit so I’m hoping that will see us through the coldest winter months. We plan to use the heating minimally and I’ve got a heated throw to use while I’m working at home and the only one in the house.