Just because you pay your bills on time.....
myfask
17 years ago
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Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
17 years agolast modified: 9 years agoharriethomeowner
17 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
How much do you guys save on your grocery bill from your garden?
Comments (22)We live in the mountains of North Carolina, at 4200 ft. That makes gardening a challenge, since so many days aren't quite as sunny or warm as they are in the valleys. That established, we grew our own tomatoes last year for the first time. We found that the south side of the house was ideal in terms of the quality of the sun, and the duration. We only spent $2.00 per plant at Walmart, and had 5 plants. We didn't spend money on cages. We just staked with stuff we had. We did have to spend on a couple of beers to trap the slugs/snails. We didn't buy a single tomato as long as our plants were producing (which was about July through September). when the harvest ended, it was really a disappointment to have to go back to buying them -pricey and not very tastey. This year we decided to grow veggies in some pots that we had saved from previous nursery plants. We have been experiencing a severe drought in the South East, so we are conserving water. I figure that watering potted plants is more conservation-friendly, since the water doesn't just get swallowed-up by all the dry adjacent soil/plants. We have tomatoes; yellow bell peppers; zuchinni; and yellow squash, all growing in their own individual 5 gallon pots. We also decided to try our own romaine. I planted all nine plants in a large, clear plastic storage tub. We lost two plants to wilt, but the rest have been growing, and we have already been harvesting outer leaves for salads. I suppose the plants will eventually stop producing new leaves in the center, and grow rather leggy, but til then the romaine is really tender and nice. We had to spend more for the plants this year ($2-$3 per plant),and some potting soil, but we had the pots. We did buy some tomato food, too. Being a farmer isn't cheap....See MoreBills...higher than I thought. Fess up, what do you pay?
Comments (43)Did I mention we got an energy report? We saw that our bills were comparable to the past tennants 12 month history. Our utility bill states we are using about the average amount of energy compared to other homes this size in our zip code. and the energy report came from utility company? of course your bills will be comperable. consider the source of info. utility info is biased to favor utility co. same with the audits they provide...10-15% savings max as compared to 30%+ with independent evaluation. my clients save 50% on average once my recommendations are completed and work is verified & tested. without blower door & duct testing...it is just a guess as to where the house/ducts/returns leak. air sealing is the best savings. cheap to do, immediate results..long term benefit depending upon the life of the sealant (use caulk..expands contracts unlike foams) duct sealing next best savings. average homes have 30% duct loss. a bucket of mastic & a morning spent sealing ducts also has long term benefit with immeidate results. beating the heat before it enters the house trumps changing windows & doors. awnings, plantings, and solar screens. once the heat is inside..then you pay to cool it. the down side to 'average billing' is that at the end of the averaged cycle, you pay the amount you went over the average. for some people this can be a real problem. never insulate before air sealing. insulation filters air it doesn't stop it. only foam insulation stops air leakage and insulates. not great stuff... best of luck....See MoreElectric Bill, What do you pay each month?
Comments (41)During the summer months, my electrci bill runs between $50 to $90 per month. Its about $30 more when the air conditioner runs (whole house A/C). Before I got A/C, I ran a dehumidifier in the basement. It had a problem of freezing up. I found that was due to too much humidity coupled with the cooler basement air. The solution was to raise is a couple of feet off the floor. Since the basement can not be tightly sealed away from the rest of the house, it gets to be a loosing proposition because the humidity continues to be replenished from upstairs. Whole house A/C was the answer. It reduces the temperature difference between the basement and upper floor and effectively dries the air. Whats more, the A/C does not use much more electricity than a humidifier and fans in the upper floor. To a small degree, it reduces the load of the refrigerator and freezer since their ambient air temp is lowered. I've been lucky this summer. I used the A/C for two weeks in June and none since. However, August is coming and I can expect to start it again. Around here, the first 3 weeks of August can be like July....See MoreWhat if you dont pay electric bill?
Comments (10)I'm in Canada, particularly Ontario and it's a common misconception here that they can't shut off your power in winter months. But they can. Call them and set up a payment plan. Something is always better than nothing and if you make an effort, they can see that. So many people prefer to ignore their bills instead of calling the company. A few examples: We're having a bad month. I forgot to pay the rest of my cell phone bill so I called the provider and let them know I would pay it today. And I did. There was no lecture but instead she said, "Thank you for calling us and letting us know." When we were building our house, our furnace wasn't hooked up yet so after the drywall was done we had to keep the house heated. We set up multiple electric heaters. I got an over $900 hydro bill. Although I paid what I could, when I could, I couldn't keep up. I called them and they put me on a payment plan for a year which just adds a bit of that amount on to every bill. It's way more manageable. Other companies are great. Our propane company is not corporate owned. Again, the costs of installation were high. I called to tell them when I would be making another payment as I was behind. The lady was really nice and said to me, "We understand that the initial costs are high. As long as we see that you are paying it down, you won't have any issues." It took me maybe 2 months but I got it cleared. You need to call and see what they can do to help you. Ignoring it is never the answer. And consider moving. I'm not sure if that's an option for you but lots of people here live in apartments with baseboards and then wonder why their bills are so high. Baseboards and oil are terrible. Natural gas, propane and pellet stoves are much, much cheaper. I've been there. My first year of college my husband and I were basically living in one room of our apartment with a space heater because we couldn't afford to heat the entire place. We are obviously a lot better off now having just built our first home. Even now, we live in the dark 75% of the time. Not because we can't afford it but rather why pay for it when you don't need/use it? We have beautiful outdoor lights and never turn them on. The inside of our house is dark aside from the room we are spending time in. We don't unnecessarily run our furnace or AC. We take advantage of the sun, open windows etc. As for legal repercussions, they aren't just going to write the debt off. They WILL come after you regardless of whether it's off or not. How they might do that, I'm really not sure....See Moremyfask
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9 years agolast modified: 9 years agodahoov2
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPeter1142
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9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPeter1142
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9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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