How is your attempt to use less gas/electric/water going ?

[KangarooKenny]

I read all 3 meters again yesterday and the app shows I’ve used quite a lot less 🎉
My waterbutt is practically empty, but I am making the effort to put any clean water - such as out of the dog’s bowl or the kids water bottles - on the plants. And I’ve cut down on showers at night, doing pits n bits instead when I’ve not been to the gym.
The heating is off and staying off until October now.
The majority of washing is going on the line, but I’ve had complaints about rough towels so have to fluff them up for 10 minutes in the dryer.
Unfortunately I still seem to have mountains of washing, need to see how I can reduce it.

I love this.. some people (ahem.. my father) think that it's ridiculous and stingy but we're the same.. dressing gowns, wool hats, socks, blankets on the sofa and if it gets too cold we just go to bed with thick duvet and extra blankets (oh and I always have the bedroom window open)! Both myself and DH don't like hot homes and each year we try to see if we can reduce the amount of days we have the heating on compared to the previous year etc. Working from home though, some days I was literally shivering with blue hands so heating had to go on. Might need to invest in some gloves that I can type with! But saying all that.. when it became too cold and uncomfortable then the heating would go on for maybe 2 or 3 hours, just in the lounge, as we don't have heating on anywhere else in the house at all, and then turned off again.

We eat a lot of eggs so I boil about a dozen at the same time and then stick them in the fridge to eat when required, or as I currently have, pickled a load of them :-)

Airfryers and similar gadgets for sale in aldi from Thursday. Theirs are usually really good - we got a 7 in 1 pressure cooker/ slow cooker/ rice cooker thing for about £50 last year and it's great.

We brought the worlds longest washing line, the garden looks TERRIBLE but my god, we can finally get all our clothes dry!

The heating has been off but the house hasnt dropped below 16 so its been ok.

Weirdly, our water bill has gone DOWN from £36 to £23 and we are in credit!

Will be interested to see the usage this month.

I cannot stand being cold especially when I get out the bath/shower. Such a miserable existance!

I am pretty chuffed actually. Still can't get my children to turn off a single light but I've used the tumble dryer 3 times in the last 30 days and we now are running the house at a cool 16 degrees without any real bother.

We haven't run a bath all month - the kids are now "shower people". And we just donated one of our cars to a Ukrainian family so we are totally cruising on electric now. Bye bye big diesel bills!!

Due to an error on my GPs part in filling in a health assessment (I have a limited licence) I don't have a licence to drive. So now I'm walking everywhere so saving about £100 in petrol a month. Plus my step count has shot well up (did 7400 before 10am, though not a lot since then)! I hope to keep this up once my licence is sorted. I used to have a rule when young that I couldn't use my car at the weekend.
Not really doing anything else to be honest.

Heating is off. No tv/broadband/landline/game consoles. Washing all hung outside. Quick showers. Washing done only when needed. No more laundry brought home from work. Clean flask taken to work and filled with hot water to bring home for tea/coffee. Washing up done once per day. Batch cook once per month, freeze then microwave at work. Cars only used for getting to work, if shopping is needed it’s done on the way home or I walk to the shop. (£45 petrol per month) If it can be delivered for free, I will buy otherwise we do without. As much ‘dirty water’ as possible goes on the plants eg dregs from pet water bowls. Everything is switched off and unplugged once used. Changed to wood floor and no longer hoover just sweep and mop. Lights are off unless moving around/going up stairs. Thermal blinds added behind curtains, radiator shelves and reflective sheets installed - if it ever goes back on. Multi fuel stove installed as much cheaper to run.
Not sure where else I can cut things. But will try.

I am so jealous of the people whose heating is off, we only put ours on in the evening but the nights we've tried not to the kids have woken up with colds!! (Theyve duvets, warm pjs etc but I have to admit I've had headaches from the cold those nights, how do people do it?

@stayathomer agreed it is miserable. I just count the days down to warmer weather. Those long, Sherpa fleece jumpers, hot water bottle or low cost electric blankets and lots of duvets/blankets/layering of clothing is the only way. Also spend as much time as possible anywhere else it’s warm.
on the plus side, I indulge in rib sticking foods. You burn off any extra calories keeping warm.

Fighting a losing battle with DH and DS. I seem to be constantly turning off lights they've either left on 'accidentally' or got on in Broad daylight. Our heating is oil and is hardly on at all now it's getting warmer. Most washing now goes on the line including towels - they dry your body better if they're a bit rough anyway. DS has got a new job meaning g he leaves the house earlier so spends less time in the electric shower, thank goodness! I've got 10 months to try and re-educate the males of the household (2 year fixed rate tariff ends March 23) but it's mostly falling on deaf ears at the moment!

@bigbluebus maybe start charging your son more? Or withdraw something they both love, and say that the money saved is going on fuel bills? Eg no internet/tv after 6pm if they continue to be wasteful in other areas!! Might get their attention. 😂

My oven recently packed in - would cost another £300 for a fairly basic one that will fit in my space. Ended up getting a 4 in 1 5.7l airfryer. Wow only cost me 10p to cook something for 20 mins

My oven would of cost me at least x3 that.

Not bad. I started real efforts on March 1st

• everything off at night except fridge freezer.


• heating off and relying on the log burner for evenings


• using the slow cooker as much as possible


• drying everything outside on the line


• turning off lights in empty rooms


• cleaning the dust off the bars on the back of the fridge freezer

I've got units down by about 25% on same months last year but the bill is still up by a third.

Electricity has been costing me £80 a month. I did not want it to increase to £140 so I’ve been really careful. Aprils bill was £60.

Before the increases this would have been £30.

Ive been wasting £50 a month. Im really cross with myself.

We’ve had to put the heating back on in the last few days, DS wasn’t feeling well, and it really was freezing.
Im going to read my meters on the first of every month so I can keep on top of it, but I do think my water use is down, and I’m constantly turning lights off.

Do people plug out their internet and TVs? Just because everything seems to fall apart when we do (are with sky). Just wondering as I think it probably helps

Anyone who turns off the router off is putting their life in their hands in this house. But the televisions go off at the wall without any fuss.

@stayathomer i would say yes. I don’t have a tv or broadband / landline etc. is switching them off really that hard?

Switching it off is easy but we have smart home devices the rely on internet connectivity that makes it a pita.

We turn them all off when we go up at night. I've been doing it since March 1st and electricity usage is 30% less then last year, for March & April!
I turn them on again when I get in from work so they are off 19 hours a day, 5 days a week.

I have a security camera that works on the internet, so no, I don’t turn the router off at night.

I'm pretty sure our hive thermostat would throw a fit if we turned the router off.

It was going ok until my OH injured himself and has had the heating on this week. I feel mean asking him to turn it off (but I did it anyway!).

On the plus side he can’t have baths for a while!

Water has been an issue with so little rain. Have had to water pots in the garden much earlier than usual.

Apparently if you routinely turn your router off the system thinks there is a problem and your WiFi service will be downgraded re speed. Not worth the risk.

Reading @Alphabet1spaghetti2 post reminded me to reuse the grey water outside!