Another cold night in Pontypridd car is covered in frost, supposed to be nice the weekend lets hope. Gas bill was £100 more for the last tree months last years bill £165-01 for octorber to january this year £265-81p what with petrol may not be a holiday this year. may be i swap MRS for a camel and try and safe a few bob on manure, will ask her over breackfast at least i be near the door when the milk jug is thrown
Gas is certainly going up in price.
We have a little camping gas stove in our allotment shed and have been paying £4.99 for a pack of 4 small canisters.
Just run out of the bulk purchase we made last Spring and I went on to the Argos site to see if any of their shops had any stock. (it is regarded as a summer product)
Shocked to find that that the price of the four packs is now £10.20....
Hope we all get wage and pension increases in alignment (dream on).
Having a new born in the house I haven't turned the heating off since the end of November. Am nearly having nightmares about the day the gas bill comes in, even with a brand new boiler.
Add to that a possible impending rates rise which will swell an already large mortgage and it's not looking good.
At least I'm not commuting 25 miles a day any more with diesel as expensive as it is :-\
Didn't get much sleep last night & not feeling particularly optimistic about the world. Might go plan the veg beds & look forward to warmer weather :)
I was worried about my gas bill, as also have had the heating on constantly so rang up British Gas and gave them my reading, found I was £100 in the red, which isn't too bad as I pay monthly so they have put my monthly payments up by £10 which is better than getting an enormous bill. Roll on summer and then I may be in credit. Do get the heating allowance as an OAP, perhaps they should also give some help to mothers with young babies, as you must keep the house warm. When I was at work all day and earning good money, didn't need the heating on all day so was better off. Hopefully the brand new boiler should be economic. Good luck with the new born, think government should help families with children more as most old people have paid their mortgage off and don't eat so much, or need new clothes, and children are very expensive.
Just to be nosy how warm do you need to keep a baby, currently 16 C in here and the heatings only been on for 1.5 hours today?
Quote from: Borlotti on January 20, 2011, 11:08:53
I was worried about my gas bill, as also have had the heating on constantly so rang up British Gas and gave them my reading, found I was £100 in the red, which isn't too bad as I pay monthly so they have put my monthly payments up by £10 which is better than getting an enormous bill. Roll on summer and then I may be in credit. Do get the heating allowance as an OAP, perhaps they should also give some help to mothers with young babies, as you must keep the house warm. When I was at work all day and earning good money, didn't need the heating on all day so was better off. Hopefully the brand new boiler should be economic. Good luck with the new born, think government should help families with children more as most old people have paid their mortgage off and don't eat so much, or need new clothes, and children are very expensive.
You don't need me to tell you but well done on sensible management of dd. So much better than hearing people moan why it's not their fault they couldn't read a meter, give a reading and actually talk to their provider......
Interesting suggestion for winter payments for babies. Would it be means tested?
this oap loves new clothes, still as a morgage and eats well ;D ;D still working to make ends meet . grandchildren don't come cheap either.
But can understand peoples worry about their fual bills.
Ideally babies room should be about 16 - 18. Much more than that is too warm, besides I can't stand it too hot indoors. Currently have thermostat on about 12 to keep the house about the right temperature. I put him to bed every night in a fleecy sleepsuit and baby sleeping bag, but he's such a wriggler overnight that I can't stick a blanket over the top or he'd be underneath it in a matter of minutes. Plus he's in the nursery and I don't want to have to worry about getting up every ten minutes to check he's too cold.
We have thermostatic valves on the rads so I've got the house zoned a little with those rooms we don't use so much (dining room, spare room etc) on lower.
Good suggestion to ring through a meter reading. It hadn't occurred to me that I could just ask mid-meter reading period ::)
Will have to do that later on when I'm feeling brave. Lack of sleep is addling my brain ;D
Any payment like the OAP one would almost certainly be means tested & it's likely we wouldn't get anything. My husband does get a decent wage, but between the mortgage, utility & council tax there's not a huge amount left. We're managing better than many people I know though.
Speaking of babies I think someone wants lunch. At least that's currently free ;D
Quote from: Borlotti on January 20, 2011, 11:08:53
I was worried about my gas bill, as also have had the heating on constantly
It's those cats keep coming in through the cat flap letting the heat out!!!! ;) ;) ;)
well, we only heat the front room / diner (wood-burner) !!
the kitchen gets heated whilst cooking, don't bother with the rest of the house ( the central chimney provides a little heat, which keeps the frost off)
if cold in bed, have a huggle! ;D ;D
teenager wants cold room so his 'pooter works faster!!
our gas boiler has forgotten that it can also heat the radiators, it's been installed over 7 yrs, and ain't heated them once!!
I thought we were in a very small minority by only heating one room, but we do use solid fuel in very cold weather to keep the stove in all the time. The only time the boiler goes on is bath time and then it only heats the bathroom. I do have a leccy blanket in bed though!
However going round peoples homes in my job I find that a lot of people do not have the central heating on all the time.
Just love to see a real fire or stove, makes winter bearable!!! :) just!
I still pay my gas quarterly so not looking forward to next bill but I pay my council tax in 10 bits so no February and March payments so this will cover the gas. I was paying my electric in a different month but british gas changed it so both gas and lectrictric come together and refused to change it back. So as a revenge I used to pay the electricity a month late but now I get a better deal with DD.
We rarely have heat on at night. I also have a reflective layer in the chair which sends the body heat back and a hot water bottle.
The OAP fuel allowance is not means tested but the cold weather payments are. Normally the fuel allowance comes automatically if you get another allowance but if not you can apply for it and several years back as well. It does not start from 60 for anyone whose DOB is after April 6th 2010. For every month after that you have to wait two months. I was 60 in August and missed out entirely this year, but OH gets it so we have not lost out. Next year it will be split between us.
Our multi fuel stove, complete with kettle- we use the water for cups of tea, washing up etc.
Rice pudding slow cooking and parsnip wine fermenting.
Also cook just about everything else on it so saves gas and electric bills. No nasty surprises either as if you don't pay the coal man he don't deliver the fuel!
Quote from: rugbypost on January 18, 2011, 21:28:33
Another cold night in Pontypridd car is covered in frost, supposed to be nice the weekend lets hope. Gas bill was £100 more for the last tree months last years bill £165-01 for octorber to january this year £265-81p what with petrol may not be a holiday this year. may be i swap MRS for a camel and try and safe a few bob on manure, will ask her over breackfast at least i be near the door when the milk jug is thrown
lOOKS LIKE YOUR GAS WAS £"0 MORE THAN OURS THIS YEAR :o
;D pumpkinlovers stove scene is almost repeated over here ;D..bread dough rising next to the stove, kettle on for water, porridge or stew is often kept cooking, I hang up some apple rings to dry near to stove etc, etc,
Every little bit of heat is put into good use ;)
Our central heating (Gas) is switched on/needed only for while in evening and first thing in the morning. It is hard work to keep log supply going on, but end of the day it saves lot of money..we burn all our cardboad and paperwaste too...every little helps ;D
But still we pay about £50-60 per month for Gas & Electric ::)..couple of years ago it was only £29 >:(
Quote from: goodlife on January 21, 2011, 18:33:33
, I hang up some apple rings to dry near to stove etc, etc,
Thanks for giving me another idea, goodlife! :)
Have a hole in the chimney breast all ready for a stove, but it's already taken about a month longer to come than was promised, and it's not here yet. To add insult to injury the fitter I had lined up has just had an op so now isn't going to be able to do it for at least a month. By the time I get it fitted it'll be spring ::)
Ah well, at least it'll be ready for next winter. ;D
Think I'll have to add a stove top cast iron kettle to next year's christmas list. Do you just stick them straight on top?
Yes, straight on top..just like on hotplate on cooker just slower and gentle cooking/boiling.
My kettle is all metal one..it gets really not being so close to flue pipe. Last kettle I had, had few plastic bits on handle..and they melted :-X Handle was tilting sort and it tipped sideways agaist flue :o
Anyway..if you have army surplus place anywhere near you they sell nice all metal PROPER kettle for next to nothing...Aga and other brands sell them too but are sooooo expensive..prittier than surplus ones, who's kettles are just 'plain jane'.
Make sure it has a flat bottom, many made for gas have a rim and the heat needs to conduct.
Also check the height before you go shopping, the stove in the photo has a smaller gap so we needed to buy another kettle for it. Like goodlife says beware of plastic bits, we've melted the whistle on another kettle.
Anne x
Hmm. A melted whistle sounds like a terrible injury to have ;D
We do have an army surplus somewhere near. One of the guys at work goes every now & again so I might have to have a word & find out where it is. Either that or give him a strict set of instructions & bribe him with cake next time he goes! Should be worth it for free tea ;D
Either that or give him a strict set of instructions & bribe him with cake next time he goes! Should be worth it for free tea
If you can..it is trip worth doing for yourself...as it is soooo interesting in there.
Our surplus sell allsort of kitchen stuff..kettles only there must be about dozen different sizes..from few cups to bucket size :o ;D..and some are almost new condition and some gone through some 'wars'
...you'll be suprised you can find in those places..
...good for 'lottie-shopping' too...I bought some foot long sand pegs 10p each...I use them when making bed egding..you tap them in ground and the lip on the peg will trap the edging on to ground...no nails, quick and easy, last for ever(almost)
...you just have to see the stuff they sell... ;)
sounds like you have a proper army surplus, we have nothing like that just another typed of outdoor shop. :-\
I must look for one & have a nosy.
pumpkinlover....you don't live that far from me and the surplus place is not neither..I'll ask OH the location and post it here tomorrow...maybe you are interested for little ride to see it ;)
thank you goodlife :D
Ohh..found it..here..
http://www.anchorsupplies.com/ (http://www.anchorsupplies.com/)
The Ripley one is really big one...I must go see it myself again, haven't been there for ages..my recommendation is based on my last visit..must be a year ago..but then you could buy anything from shoe laces to a tanker...and kettles and cold whether gear (trying to keep in subject)