Leave me alone.

 My dear friend British Gas keep sending me a little note now and again, just to remind me about how much they care for me. I've got quite a collection, which I share with you here. 

May 4th 2023.

Hello Ilona, Great news - if you switch to paper-free bills, you'll be able to see them online, anytime, anywhere. Moving to paper-free bills and statements means you’ll have all the information you need in one place, whenever you want it. As well as being more environmentally friendly. May 31st 2023 Hello Ilona, Think your home isn’t ready for net zero? Think again! We’re making it even more doable with new ways to cut carbon and save on bills. That includes our PeakSave trials, which are already rewarding better energy use across the UK. June 13, 2023 Hello Ilona, Our engineers are currently installing smart meters in your area. Have a look below to see what a smart meter could do for you. June 23, 2023 Ofgem has announced that energy rates will be going down this summer. The good news is that from July you’ll be paying less for your energy. You’ll find everything you need to know about these changes, the options available to you and how we can help if you need it below. July 19, 2023 Hello Ilona, Great news - if you switch to paper-free bills, you'll be able to see them online, anytime, anywhere. Moving to paper-free bills and statements means you’ll have all the information you need in one place, whenever you want it. As well as being more environmentally friendly. Aug 11, 2023 Hello Ilona More and more of our customers are now using their smart meters to earn rewards for making small changes to when they use electricity. Last winter, almost 200,000 customers helped to ease the demand for electricity at peak times and earned, on average, more than £28 off their bills. Aug 14, 2023 Hello Ilona You’ve recently sent us your meter reads, so you’ll probably agree that it can be a hassle when you’ve got other things on your plate. Why not upgrade to smart meters and let them do the hard work for you? Smart meters automatically send us your meter reads so you’ll have one less thing to think about. Your readings will always be spot on, which means you’ll only ever pay for the energy you use – and there’ll be no more rough guesstimates when it comes to your energy bills. Aug 24, 2023 Hello Ilona Later this week the energy regulator, Ofgem, is going to announce new energy prices – also known as the price cap. The good news is your energy prices will be going down from October. If you pay by Direct Debit, we regularly review your payment plan to make sure what you're paying reflects your energy rates, usage and your overall account balance. We'll be in touch if you need to make any changes to your monthly payments. Sept 19, 2023 Ofgem has announced that energy rates will be going down again this autumn. The good news is that from 1st October 2023 you’ll be paying less for your energy. You’ll find everything you need to know about these changes, the options available to you and how we can help if you need it below. Sept 26, 2023 Hello Ilona Last month Ofgem announced that the price cap energy rates will be going down. This means you’ll be paying less for your energy from 1st October. We want to make sure your bills continue to be as accurate as possible and that you’re paying the right amount for your energy. So we’ve made submitting your meter reading easier than ever. Nov 7, 2023 Hello Ilona We've reserved you a new smart meter for your home. Installation is free, all you need to do is book a date and time that suits you to have it fitted. Nov 21, 2023 Hello Ilona Later this week the energy regulator, Ofgem, is going to announce new energy rates – also known as the price cap. This sets how much all energy companies can charge for gas and electricity. Nov 23, 2023 Hello Ilona We'd love to know more about your recent experience of having your account updated to the new British Gas system. It would be really helpful if you can complete a quick survey about it for us. It will only take a few minutes – you can do it while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil. And every bit of feedback we get plays a big part in improving our customer service. Nov 27, 2023 Hello Ilona Just a quick reminder - we'd love to know more about your recent experience of having your account updated to the new British Gas system. It's a really short survey but your answers go a long way to helping us improve our customer service. Dec 7, 2023 Hello Ilona Ofgem, the independent energy regulator, has announced an increase to the energy price cap from 1st January 2024. This sets how much all energy companies can charge for gas and electricity. You’ll find everything you need to know about these changes, the options available to you and how we can help if you need it below. No, no, no. Please note that I am the customer, you are providing me with a service. I am happy with what I am paying. I am happy with how I pay, quarterly on demand. I am happy to read my own meters. I have never been in arrears, so leave me alone.  Enjoy your Sunday. Dog walk done, but it's raining here again.  Toodle pip.   ilona

Boiling over

I am having a bit of a declutter purge in my house. Getting rid of stuff I haven't used, don't need, and have no further use for. It's easy to sort through cupboards and drawers, the contents are solid objects. Keep chuck, yes or no. 

Who keeps dumping this crap on my computer? I don't need it, didn't ask for it, and don't want it. So, there is a lot of free money available in the form of grants which can be used towards a new boiler. Why are they pushing this? Well if you have been watching what is going on you will have a pretty good idea. 

We are being nudged towards net zero emissions, because there is a climate crisis. Ha ha, what just like millions of people were going to drop dead in the street from a nasty bug, like they did in China. Like the treatment they offered people was going to stop the bug. Pull the other leg, it's got bells on.  

Are the Government awash with money? No they are not. They just move debt about to give the impression that all is well, when it isn't. Trickery at it's finest.  

I did actually get a grant 14 years ago, because I was unemployed for a few months before I retired. My central heating hadn't worked for over three years, I managed without it because I couldn't afford to get a new system installed. I saw a window of opportunity and applied. They updated my heating system and insulated the house. The boiler still works under the watchful eye of my local plumber. 

Apply now by all means if you think you might qualify. Take your pick. I very much doubt that I do. I don't update things until they actually stop working, or they are going to cost me a lot in repairs. 

Rather than put an ad blocker on my computer, the simple remedy is to ignore the crap coming my way. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Keep layering up.

Well the dreaded utilities bill has come through the door. I wasn't looking forward to this. But, hey, that's not bad is it. 😹😺😸😼😻

This covers the dates 10th November to 8th February. The cost for gas and electric was £220.36. Then they deducted the Government Discount Energy Bills Support scheme, £67 x 3. If I divide the total by 3 it makes it £73.45 a month. I am not going to unravel the cost of the standing charge from the price per kWh. There was one price change during the three months. Although this is high for me, I have enough to cover the charges. 

Now we are coming into spring so hopefully the next three months will be a lot less. I think there is a price rise again in April. Who knows what will happen next winter. 

This house is quite well insulated, cavity wall and extra loft insulation. I got those on a Warm Front Grant 14 years ago.  

All we can do is be careful with our usage and not waste it. Keep layering up.

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona  

Unraveling utilities

The paper version of the utilities bill has arrived, and I have just paid it with cash at the Post Office. 

I don't bother working out how much I use annually, I am not interested in estimates. They tell me whether my three month usage is either up or down on the same period as last year. 

The reason why it is so low is that the Government has given me discounts. 

Further breakdowns. The price per kwh changed on the 1st of October. I submitted my readings then. 

Gas. 

Before price change 7.303 per kwh. Standing charge 30.506p per day.

After price change 10.499 per kwh. Standing charge 31.939p per day. 

Electricity. 

Before price change 27.444 per kwh. Standing charge 51.920p per day. 

After price change 34.036 per kwh. Standing charge 53.104p per day. 

Total Gas costs including VAT £69.41

Total Electricity costs including VAT £123.23

Total £192.64. Deduct £132 discount. 

Martin Lewis is trying to unravel all this now. He is reporting on the Autumn Statement. 

My brain cannot cope with direct debits where they work out how much I am predicted to use, then take the money from my bank. With my mild dyscalculia these number mean nothing to me. I shall continue paying quarterly it is a lot easier. 

Some people might say how kind it is of the Government to hand out all these discounts. I had £150, then £100, now this £132, and the winter fuel payment which has been upped to £500 for this year, is still to come. I am not swayed by their generosity. I am not lulled into a false sense of security. I don't have a fuzzy feeling about it all. I am very sceptical about their intentions. This is all a smokescreen. We are expected to be grateful for the discounts they give us. Once we become accustomed to handouts from the Government we begin to expect more. Then, very slowly, we start to comply with whatever they ask of us. They become our Godfather and we lose the ability to think for ourselves. That's how it works. 

We've just has a massive downpour. I won't be going far today. Time for lunch. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

How I cut back on my utilities bills. Part 1

I had a request for a money saving vid talking about the cost of utilities. Unfortunately I went on a bit too long and it got chopped into two. Here is the first part. 

Part 2 is just out of the oven. Catch ya later.   ilona

How I cut back on my utilities bills. Part 2.

I don't half make things difficult for myself. Let's see if I can get these two vids the right way round on the blog. This is the bit that got separated from the first part. I have not yet managed to put two vids on the same post. 

Catch ya later.  ilona

I have enough

My energy bill has arrived for the period 12th October to 11th January. There was a price increase in October so it will be slightly more than the same period last year. An increase in my electricity consumption due to shorter days and needing to put the lights on, £45.75 for the quarter. I have used more gas, had the heating on a bit more, because I can afford it, although to look at me wearing a fleecy dressing gown over my clothes you wouldn't think I switched the heating on at all, but I do. My total gas charges for the quarter are £119.25.

So, £173.28 to be paid tomorrow at the Post Office. Easily covered by my £200 fuel allowance from the government. I expect the cold weather will continue for the next couple of months or so, and after that I won't need to use the heating quite so much. Then in the summer months the gas bill will be very small as the heating won't be used at all. Swings and roundabouts, I save money in the summer to pay for the heating in the winter.

I know exactly what bills are coming in throughout the year, and when to expect them. The car insurance has just been paid. Water bills come in twice a year. House insurance is monthly direct debit, telephone and broadband is monthly direct debit. Car tax and MOT and servicing is annually. RAC is payable in April with a phone call.

All is in hand regarding bills coming in, all accounted for, and money saved up to pay them. Looking good at the moment, I have an emergency fund to pay for anything that breaks or needs replacing. Heidi is having a check up tomorrow, I have money saved up for any vet visits.

It's taken a long time getting here, there have been a lot of lean times in my past where I have been skint, had to stop the spending and go without. But now I am in a good place, mostly because I don't set my sights too high. I don't hanker after a modern home, I don't need a flash car, don't need new furniture or new clothes. My needs are simple, as long as I am comfortable and have enough, I don't need any more.    ilona

The way I do things.

Weather not too good this morning, raining, it may clear later. I've had some questions from a reader, which I will answer here.

Am I using energy any differently now to when I first started on my frugal journey? 
Last winter was very cold so I did use a bit more. Also my emergency fund looked very healthy so I reckoned I could afford more heat. I still can't bring myself to leave the heating on over longer periods of time because there are other alternatives to keeping warm, such as wearing more clothes, and moving about more. I am not one to sit on the sofa huddled under a duvet with all the doors shut. All my doors are open, I am not going to walk from a warm room into a cold room, and back again.

I don't put curtains up over doors, or use draught excluders along the bottom, can't be doing with struggling to get in and out moving things out of the way. I put my heating on when I am cold, and switch it off when the house is warm, same as I have always done. A prolonged period of time in a centrally heated place is not healthy. Being outdoors is healthy, when you are well wrapped up and moving.

When I first had to tighten the purse strings I didn't have central heating, it packed up and I managed without it for three years. I didn't get it repaired because I couldn't afford to. Then I got a new boiler and hot water tank free, from a Warm Front grant. I was awarded £3,500 which also paid for loft insulation and cavity wall insulation.

I am in a good position now, I can afford heat, can afford to pay a standing charge, but then I think why should I when there is a cheaper alternative. Why should I pay more than I need to. It's just my way of thinking.

Do I use gas for anything else, cooking, hot water? 
I use the hobs on the gas cooker, and the grill, but not the oven. My food is simple, I can make perfectly good food without baking or roasting it for an hour or so. For a single person I think it is not worth putting the oven on. I use the microwave every morning to heat a mug of water for my coffee, and use it to heat food. I have a gas fire in the living room, which I haven't used for ages. It has been checked, I have a gas plumber who does an annual service.

I heat a tank full of water when I am having a bath, which is once a week. Just like the old days when we used to do this at home as kids. In between baths. I wash my grubby and smelly bits in a sink or bowl of hot water which I heat with a kettle. I wash my hair over the kitchen sink when it needs it, in between baths. I have a shower over the bath but it started acting up about ten years ago so I stopped using it. I don't like showers anyway, much prefer relaxing in a bath and having a good scrub.

I don't need constant hot water. I rinse my pots, pans, crockery, and cutlery under a tap as soon as I have finished with them. I don't have dirty pots stacked up waiting to be washed. If I have been eating anything which is slightly greasy, which is not very often, I have a toilet roll on the kitchen worktop and give the plate or pan a wipe with two squares before I rinse it. Once a week I boil the kettle and dunk things in a bowl of hot water. As I am cooking for one, I use the same pots and pans all the time, I have got rid of my surplus, I only need two of everything, with an assortment of cutlery.

To sum up, I am careful with my use of water, gas, and electricity, mainly because I don't like waste of any kind. The way I do things hasn't changed a lot over the years, it's just that the pressure is off to be super frugal. Can't think of anything else, thank you for the questions. Feel free to comment, but if you question or criticize my personal hygiene, or or tell me it's a wonder I haven't poisoned myself, I am not inviting you to come and sniff my armpits, or eat the food from my kitchen.

The weather has worsened since I started this, we've just had a snow shower. I'm going to feed the guinea pigs, will take my breakfast with me and sit with them for an hour.   ilona

PS. It is snowing right now.

Happy with my utilities bill.

Look what popped through the door yesterday, my utilities bill. Looks alright to me. Figures tally up, I put the readings into Ebico web site. I think the July one must have been a bit late, they have estimated that, but no matter, I checked the figures against those I wrote on the calendar and the estimates are very close. 

Looks like my usage is almost the same as a year ago.

Not much difference between this quarter and the previous one.

If I was to go Direct Debit I could save a bit, but I am not willing to hand over my bank details to them. I can recover what I would have saved from other places. Swings and roundabouts.

Now off to the pop up Post Office in the church to pay this, it closes in an hour.  ilona

Big erruptions

It has come to light that one of the smaller utility companies has gone to the wall, ceased trading, gone tits up, or whatever you like to call it. They are dead. This is causing a lot of panic among it's customers, most of them will be on a monthly direct debit, and will be in credit. They are now wondering if they should make a move to another supplier now, or wait and see how it pans out. Will their credit be passed on to the new supplier, or do they have to apply for it to be returned to them.

The consensus is that they will be shoved onto another supplier, they will have to be to prevent a break in their gas and electric supplies, but no one know who they will end up with, and on what tariff they will be assigned to. What a mess.

If it happened that my company (Ebico), went bust I would not have that hassle, because I pay quarterly on a bill. They don't get my money up front, it stays with me until I have used their electricity and gas, then I pay them.

The utility companies are sitting on millions of £'s of customers money. If people made a better job of managing their own finances they would not have to spread the cost of their utilities over twelve monthly direct debits to level it out. All that is needed is to work out your annual usage, divide by 12, put cash away during the summer months when heating is not used, and build up a pot to cover the extra to pay in the winter.

I put my meter readings into my account at Ebico, they send a bill, and I pay. I've just paid one, £40, from 12 April to 11th July. If I go over to direct debit I save £7 per year. I won't bother.
Bye for now... ilona

Reusing and recycling rubbish

Hello. I had second thoughts about going outside yesterday, it was windy and I didn't fancy doing  more painting, so I stayed in and made some flowers instead. You might remember I made some of these last year, using knitting needles for the spikes. This time I dismantled an old umbrella and salvaged the metal rods, they are 13 inches long. I had some plastic left, I always keep colourful plastic containers with a view to cutting them up eventually. First I make templates with cardboard, three different sizes of petals, and use nail scissors to cut the plastic. 

I make two holes in the centre of each one, thread a button on a short piece of flexible wire, and poke  it through to the back. The umbrella spokes have a small hole at one end where the fabric is attached to, so I push the wire through this, and twist it around the spoke. Then stick some tape over it to hold it in place.

Ready to stick in a flower pot, or anywhere in the garden. If you want to see more of these click on this post from a year ago. There is a video as well.

At last, I have two quarterly bills from Ebico, they arrived at the same time. I sent an email, then rang them, WHERE IS MY BILL? 

So, my bills cover the periods 12th October to 11th January, and 12th January to 11th April. Total payable £285.82 for six months, which is what I expected, as I have been using the heating a bit more than previous winters because it has been so cold. My £200 winter fuel allowance will pay for a large part of this.

There was a price increase in March which they told me about. Electricity went from 15.19 p/kWh to 16.10 p/kWh. Gas went from 4.73 p/kWh to 4.96 p/kWh. I am on Ebico Zero tariff, so no standing charge. I am also not locked into a contract so can leave at any time without having to pay an exit fee.  

I expect a lot less in my summer bills, the gas heating will not be turned on until the late Autumn, so it will only be for cooking and heating a tank of water once a week. My electricity consumption rises only a little bit in the winter because of the longer nights, more lights on. So, I have the money to pay this, I've been saving it as I knew it would come eventually. Not looking so good outside at the moment, a bit dull, a bit cold, I'll stay in till lunch time, then go and pay this bill. 

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

More flowers for the garden

Hello. I didn't make it to Crafty Club this morning, I was busy with a man in my house. A very nice man actually, someone I have known for about 20 years. That's got your attention hasn't it, oooh, I am a tease. The man in question is our local plumber in the village. There are other plumbers but I prefer to stick with Michael as I know he does a good job.

He used to be a lorry driver working in Rugby Cement at the same time as I was. He didn't like it very much so he paid a lot of money to retrain as a plumber/gas fitter. He is fully qualified with the certificates, and has been self employed for a long time now. He gets all his work from recommendations and never needs to advertise. He doesn't even have his name on the side of his van. He is so busy I had to wait a while until he could find a slot for me.

So, my boiler is serviced, water tank and radiators checked, two hot taps upstairs removed cleaned and put back, gas fire in the living room completely stripped, checked and serviced, and an overflow leak in the upstairs toilet rectified. He has done a good job at a reasonable cost. Michael the plumber is brilliant.

Someone mentioned that the flowers I made from drinks cans could be made with plastic. Yes, they certainly can, and here is the proof.

If you are going to do this you need plastic that is flexible and not too thick to be able to cut it with scissors. Some plastics are brittle and will break when you try and cut out the shapes. Look out for plastic containers, boxes, and anything with a flat surface. Large square bottles are ok, but round ones wouldn't work so good. Some large cardboard containers have plastic lids.

Here is a little video.



Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

My new campervan

Hello. I gave my car a good going over today, it was rather mucky. I don't like car cleaning as much as I don't like housework, it's something I do when I have to. You wash a car and drive around dusty and/or muddy country roads and it gets mucky again. I can't remember the last time I did it, it looks nice now. I got the dyson out and cleaned the inside, so it's had a bit of a pamper. 

You may be wondering what I have got in the back. The back seats are down flat, and I have a piece of foam in there. I was testing to see if it is the right size, and yes it fits. I found it last week when I was looking for a small lampshade at the second hand furniture store. The foam was folded in quarters so I couldn't see how big it was. I thought I could make some pet beds with it. I asked the man how much he wanted for it. He said £2. I thought that was a fair price. 

It doesn't look as though I will be making any pet beds, because now it is the bed in my new campervan. This will come in very handy when I am out and about and don't have anywhere to stay. I'll have a duvet, bottom sheet, and some pillows in there, it will be dead cosy. Home from home in my car. Good idea eh!

I collected Heidi's tablets from the vet today, and on the way back I called at the small Tesco to see if there were any reductions. They sometimes have a few things, worth popping in if passing. Four avocado's for 80p. Mushrooms 67p. Four apples 47p. Iceberg lettuce 46p. Not massive savings but worth having.

It's bills time again. Severn Trent Water, £27.94, this is for surface water drainage for six months. The Anglian Water bill will arrive soon for supply of clean water. The gas and electric bills came today, they have over estimated the readings, that's because I haven't sent any in. I am changing supplier and have sent the new readings today to the new supplier. I rang the Meterline and told my present supplier the same readings so they can send me revised bills. The changeover is a lot easier because I don't do direct debits.

Although I am staying with Ebico their previous partner was SSE so the bills came from there. They have a new partner now, Robin Hood Energy, so I presume my next bills will come from them. It's all been a bit confusing for people, especially those on direct debit, there's been a big discussion about it on Money Saving Expert. We had a choice whether to stay with SSE, or move to Ebico/RHE. As I have have had no problems at all in the last three years I decided to stick with Ebico.

Time for a drink and bed. It's the weekend and the forecast is fine weather, so get out there and enjoy yourselves. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Direct debits, friend or foe?

Hello. I like to time my lunch with a listen to the BBC Radio 4 consumer programme, You and Yours at 12.15pm. In the introduction today it said there would be a topic on how to save money on your utility bills. I need to know about this I thought. 

It started with an interview where someone was talking about how they pay their quarterly paper bills into the bank with cash. It makes them more careful about how they use their gas and electric because it makes them mentally connect their usage to the actual cost of it. 

They said what I have been saying for years. They like a paper bill, and they feel more in control rather than having direct debits taken from their bank account. 

The advice given that to pay by a monthly direct debit will be cheaper, is true in one sense, but it doesn't give any incentive to cut down on usage to save money. The mindset is they are going to take the money straight out of the bank anyway, so we might as well use it. Because you are paying upfront and the money is moved from your account automatically, you tend to forget about it. Paying cash over the counter, (a cheque in my case), makes you more mindful of how much it is costing you.

By paying for what you use after you have used it makes sense to me. I don't want the hassle of them taking too much money from me, and me trying to get it back. My supplier does not impose penalties on anyone paying quarterly. They charge the same flat rate for everyone, and there is no standing charge.

I shall continue to stick to my guns and not sign up for any more direct debits, I will not do internet banking or phone banking, I will keep on withdrawing the cash I need from the machine inside the bank and use that to pay for most of what I buy. I use my credit card for petrol and food shopping, and any larger amounts which might crop up from time to time. I clear that every month.

Have a listen to the paying for utilities item on Radio 4 today. Move the slider across to 25 minutes. See what you think.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Bills Bills Bills

Hello. And the bills are piling in this month. Vet, car MOT, petrol, and Tesco food, all on the credit card. Been on the phone today paying for car insurance. Meters have been read and the gas and electric bill have arrived. The water bill came last week and that has been paid. Next month will be the car road tax. A lot to go out all around the same time. Never mind, there is money in the bank to pay for it all.

Big hike in the gas bill for the last three months. Piddling small amount for the previous quarter, and £99 for this quarter. I've been treating us to some heat, although I have known previous winters far colder than this one. My excuse for spending a bit more? Bugsy needs to be warm. The electricity bill is slightly higher due to longer dark nights, need the lights on more. My supplier also sent out an annual summary which is quite useful. Based on the actual annual cost last year, the estimated costs for 2017 are £197 for gas, and £179 for electric. If I was on a monthly direct debit, which I'm not, it would be £31.50 a month. I can live with that.

I went to Crafty Club this morning, it was a good turn out, a new lady joined. I took Bugsy to see Marian the vet this afternoon. It's a drop in centre so no appointment required. I was a bit concerned that he had stopped eating again. She found a sore spot in his mouth so he has had an antibiotic shot, and something to stimulate his appetite. I have some tablets to give him over the next three days. Hope fully there will be some improvement soon.

Jade dog walk when I came back from the vet. No sign of the regular walker yet, we don't know when he is coming back off his holidays.

Got to cut this short, need to go upstairs and spend some time with Heidi. She seems to be forever in the spare room, can't get her to come down and stay with us in the living room. She is a little bit subdued, I don't think she is feeling too good. I've had a word with Marian and we both think I should up her medication dose slightly, and go back to the original dose of one tablet per night. Her gums are not as pink as they should be, she is becoming a little bit anaemic again.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Not a load of old tat.

Hello. I went to my first Vintage Fair today. The venue was The Baths Hall in Scunthorpe. It was billed as Lou Lou's Vintage Fair, seems like it is a very big organisation as they hold fairs in 42 towns and cities across the country. I didn't see Vintage Vixen there though, she must have been somewhere else. 

There were stalls of every kind, predominantly clothing and accessories, with home wares, jewelry, bric a brac, and household linens. Even vintage jam. 

Rails packed full of clothes, lots of colourful dresses.

Braces and neck ties on offer, £5.

This was a very large stall, plenty to choose from, for gents as well as ladies.

I had a chat with some of the stall holders, some were dressed in the period, but some were not. I think if you are going to sell this kind of thing you have to look the part. There were hairdressers available to turn long tresses into pinned up curls and flowing ringlets. There seems to be a strong following for this kind of fashion in Scunthorpe, lots of visitors had made the effort to come dressed up. Apart from me of course. Oh dear, I seem to have got out of the habit of dressing up. I need a personal dresser because I haven't a clue.

I had a few other places to go while I was in town so I was dressed for the weather, which was a bit chilly. My quarterly utilities bills came yesterday so I dropped payment into the bank. Gas was £87.52, I had the heating on when it was really cold. Electricity was £36.75, which is about normal. Both should go down next time as we get longer days, and the heating won't be used again until the autumn.

I stocked up on pet food for the cat sitter, and Rocky will have his overnight bag stuffed full of goodies to take to his holiday home from home. I didn't get my printer organised, need some ink, so I've bought two more OS maps. I have the full set now for my walk across England. If anyone thinks I may be passing through their area and wants to walk a bit with me, you are welcome, but I have to warn you that I walk fast. Meeting in the evening might not be possible, as I like to find a room, collapse, and write my blog. I could spare perhaps an hour or so for a drink and chat. I will need your mobile phone number and town or village, so I can text you if I am coming your way. Sorry, I can't pre arrange to meet anyone, except the reader in Southport, because I don't know in advance where I will be at any given time. My email address is on the side if you want to contact me.

Chill time now. Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your Sunday.
Toodle pip.

Monday's musings

Hello, Not a lot done today, been bimbling around and socializing. Monday is a village day, starting with the Craft Club. We almost had a full house this morning and it was catchup time with everyone chattering at once, and not much crafting getting done. Then a dog walk, then lunch, then the mobile library van and a natter with Stan the man. My fave mag arrived through the letter box, oooh, excitement, couldn't wait to get my sticky fingers into this, so an hour was spent drooling with a mug of coffee. I can be a real lazy slob when I put my mind to it, ha ha.

It's that time of year when I am thinking of walking. Itching to go off on a trek again. As soon as we get some longer days I will be off. I got a free book today, there are bookshelves in the Village Hall, people leave their unwanted books for anyone to take. You can keep them, or read them and take them back, or add some of your own if you have any to get rid of. I found this one all about The Living Countryside. Exploring the land in different parts of the country, looking at the animal and plant life. Some smashing pictures of places I have been to, and some that I hope to visit. Reading these kind of travel books makes me want to put my boots on and go now.

My Anglian Water bill arrived the other day, I get two a year for the water I use, plus it includes  the cost of taking the grey water away. Total for 12 months is £70.55. Out of that, only £15.55 is the cost of the actual clean water which comes into the house. The rest is made up of the standing charge and the taking away of the waste water. There's not a lot more I can do to bring the cost down there. I also get two bills from Severn Trent every year, for the surface water drainage from my property. This is charged at £61.10 per year, I am on a measured drainage band 2 tariff. So my total water charges are £131.65 a year. I will still be frugal with my water usage, even though it wouldn't make much difference if I used a bit more than my normal 10 cubic metres. It makes me feel better to flush the toilets with bath and rain water.

Utility bills due soon, wonder what they will be. Anyway. I'll cut you loose. I'll get back to my magazine, bought with my Tesco Vouchers I may add, in case any of you think I have been splashing the cash  ;o)

Switch it off! Even better, don't switch it on.

Hello, I've spent most of the day indoors today, the weather has been horrible. I did pop out briefly to run to the doctors surgery, yes run, only two minutes away, I got distracted and nearly missed the appointment. As soon as I went in I was called straight away for my flu jab, other people were sat around waiting. I don't want to be in there longer than is necessary, all those nasty germs floating around. I was in and out in two minutes.

It seems one of my readers is most impressed with my gas and electricity charges, and asks how I keep my usage so low. Thank you for your email, I'll try and give you a few pointers. For a start there is only me here, so no one to fight with over switching things on and off. I only switch lights on in the room where I am sitting. I have my desk light on and the small Christmas lights on in this room at the moment.

I don't have anything on standby except the fridge freezer. My gas cooker can be plugged into the electrics but I don't bother, I don't need a clock in the kitchen. I switch the microwave on when I use it. In fact I don't have any clocks at all plugged in. I have a wrist watch and a wind up clock in the bedroom, that's all I need. I have a music centre/stereo/radio which I only plug in if I want to listen to something. I like quiet in my house, don't need constant noise, don't need a tele or radio for company.

I use the dyson when the floor looks a bit mucky, and have a blitz every so often on the cat hairs. I have a hair dryer but very rarely use it, always let my hair dry by itself. I use the washing machine when I have a full load, and only wash things when they are dirty or smelly. All the washing gets dried outside on the line, so I only do a wash if it's windy or sunny. I have plenty of clothes, bedding and towels so could last several weeks without doing a wash load. If it's a nice drying day I might do two loads. I use the thirty minute setting at 30 degrees for everything.

For cooking I never use the oven, I don't bake or make pies or roast anything. I use the top gas rings, usually just one as I steam all my vegetables in one pan. I sometimes use the grill. I don't fry food because it makes a mess of the cooker, and I don't like washing greasy pans. In fact I have a new system for washing up now. As soon as I have finished with a pan, a plate, a mug, cutlery etc, I rinse under the cold tap with a brush. Saves on wash up liquid, water, and heating the water. I might do a proper washup in the bowl if I have used several pans for different things. For that I heat the water on the hob in one of the pans that needs washing. Then have a blitz and wipe down all the worktops and top of cooker, and scrub the sink. I might do this once a week.

I have only one mug of coffee a day, first thing in the morning. The rest of the time I drink diluted juice or water. I have a kettle but hardly use it. I put a mug of cold water in the microwave, take it out after a couple of minutes, add coffee, sugar, and dried milk, taste it, then put it back in the microwave for another minute so that it's hot. I must save loads of money by not drinking endless cuppas during the day.

I heat a tank full of water when I have a bath. I have a good soak and scrub every bit of me. Every morning I wash in cold water, it's not too bad if you do it quickly. If I want to wash my hair in between baths I use the sink in the kitchen, for that I boil the kettle, can't wash hair in cold water, that's a step too far.

I have the computer on a lot, but have switched to using the small netbook, it probably uses less electricity than the big one. Other gadgets, sewing machine, lawn mower, strimmer, slow cooker, stick blender, food processor, battery chargers, all used occasionally.

So that's about it really, keep things simple. At the back of my mind I always think that when I switch something on it's costing me money. I am used to living this way, for me it's normal, it's no big deal.
Hope that helps, thanks for asking. And now for the question. Is there any way you can cut down on your use of gas and electricity? Winter is approaching and bills will be creeping up, now is the time to start thinking about how you can monitor the situation, be more aware of what it is costing you to run your home. The next quarterly bill for me will be in January, I will be ready for it.  

And now for tonight's simple dinner. One portion of home made veg curry frozen in a margarine tub, and a portion of frozen rice.

A few minutes in the microwave, and Bob's your uncle, instant dinner, and I know exactly what's in it, well more or less. Can't quite remember but I know it hasn't any nasties in it.

Thank you for popping in. Toodle pip

Not down the plug hole

Hiya peeps, following on from my Monday's post, Modern conveniences, there was a very useful suggestion from reader Enie Dub, suggesting saving water from my daily showers to flush the loo. Thank you for that Enie, but I don't have a working shower, it packed up years ago and I never got it repaired. 

However, I do save my bath water, it sits there in the bath and is dispensed to the lavvy with a plastic jug. Usually one slosh does the job. The toilet bowl can get a bit erm, discoloured, but a quick swish round with a brush on a regular basis rectifies that. I hasten to add that the solids get a proper flush, but this uses less water than normal because a nice man from Anglian Water came and fitted a device in the cistern to halve the amount of water per flush. 

To keep the bath clean it is important to wipe around the sides as the water level goes down, and when the level is very low it's time to let the last drop run away down the plug hole. But before it all disappears I take the cloth and wipe out the whole of the bath. Easy peasy, eh!  

So, that's both toilets covered using recycled water.
Come back later, I might have something ready to show.
Toodle pip.

Modern conveniences

Let me show you my eco friendly toilet flushing system. Here we have the very latest design, note the pan hanging from the door handle. This system is also environmentally friendly in that it uses water which has fallen from the skies. It also has the added bonus that it costs not one penny use.

It is much more comfortable and economical than the previous lavvy design of a wooden box with a round hole cut into the lid where one would perch one's bottom, with a bucket underneath to catch the unmentionables. These small brick built rooms were often at the end of a long garden, which required a torch and an umbrella to stumble down the path in the middle of a rainy night. Although these incurred no cost while being used, they did require a payment to be made to a waste disposal company who came along in a lorry with a big hose, and sucked the festering slurry into its tank.  

Thank goodness all that has changed now. My little privvy is attached to the house, just outside the back door, which is under cover in the passage. It has a modern flush system, but I prefer to bypass that by using rain water. With the recent rain we have been having I have been able to fill up the reservoir. This should be sufficient to provide twenty five flushes at a cost of 1p per flush, thus saving 25p. These figures are not confirmed, I have just made them up. 

My water harvesting system works well, it rains and droplets are deposited into the plastic receptacles in the garden. Heavy rain over two days gives enough water to fill the reservoir in the little girls room, light showers take a little longer, maybe a week or more before there is sufficient in volume.

The method of transportation from one place to another requires a certain amount of physical fitness. Basically I have to lift and carry, taking care not to trip and splash myself. Best to wear sturdy footwear for this job, and bend the knees when lifting so as not to injure the back.

And there you have it, a simple money saving solution which has the potential to save hundreds of pounds over the course of a year. That figure came to me in a flash, as an example of how much a family might save. Me being a single person on a water meter I reckon I save a bit for myself, and a bit for the planet. Why not have a go and build your own water saving system, it only takes a bit of time and effort, and you could be quids in. Let me know how you get on.
Toodle pip.