The bill for gas and electric arrived today to the tune of $234. Yikes!
We will make our regular $105 payment and the remainder is paid from the $300 credit we have. Nice! Unfortunately, our payment is going to go up starting next month to $119. I won't complain, it is still very reasonable.
This large bill covered 36 days where the average temperature was 18. Of course, today it was negative 8 degrees when I woke up. Tomorrow our area will get to 20 degrees above zero. It's going to feel like a heat wave!!
I've always used budget billing for energy costs. Even though I could budget for the year based on prior years, I think the energy company seems to have a better grasp on future energy costs than I would have.
Do you use budget billing? If you don't, why?
Whoa! That's a lot of money!
January 9th, 2010 at 04:18 pm
January 9th, 2010 at 05:31 pm 1263058260
& in fact, both my utility companies kind of annoy me. I wish they would divide the year by 12 but they tend to divide every 6 months by 6. Which means it fluctuates every few months, and annoys me (our usage is very steady and regular so really no need to change it every few months).
BUT, in the end, I like having most my bills be flat/monthly rates. Makes it easier for my financial set up, now.
January 10th, 2010 at 12:07 am 1263082068
i estimate a generous amount ($1000 a year) for electricity and put weekly amounts (as well as all other amounts for bills) into a 'bills account'. then i pay all our bills with the cc and reimburse it with the money from the bills account. works for me and i know i always have money to cover the bills.
January 10th, 2010 at 03:01 am 1263092474
The best advice I ever saw was one frugal friend that said when her son came home from college, instead of charging him rent, she made him pay the electric bill instead. He thought he was getting a deal. Then he saw the bill. She said you should have seen him running around turning lights off behind people. I think that is a great idea!!
January 10th, 2010 at 05:47 am 1263102436
No, I don't use the "budget plan" for either my electric or my gas.
Largely because although my gas bill in the winter is HIGH, it is VERY low in the summer and the difference in the bill covers the cost of the lawn maintenance.
And yes I am well aware that I could/should do it myself. I choose not to. The actual time it would take me to do it (average front yard, HUGE back yard) is well worth the $25/week a spend.