Cost of Living #7

Status
Not open for further replies.
Kendar said:
Yes, there are water meters in the US. Most (if not all) homes inside a city limits will have them, and even most apartments have separate boxes for each apartment these days. If you are in a house the box for it is usually in the ground in the front yard somewhere.

(For many years my grandparents who lived in an isolated area outside of city limits had no utility bill at all except electricity. Water came from a well, they used a septic tank, and trash was burned by everyone in the area).

That's more than a 150% increase. That's huge. As I see it:

1) You've had a MAJOR rate change for some reason. I'd expect you should have been informed if that happened. (Note: in the USA water/sewage/trash is usually handled by the city itself. Electricity and gas MAY be handled by the city, or by a third party.)

2) You're doing something radically different that has dramatically increased water usage. I wouldn't expect A roommate to jump it that much, unless the roommate takes daily 40 minute showers.

3) There's a leak somewhere.

Have you check your bill? There SHOULD be a place that tells you how much you used during that cycle, and compare it to the previous month. That will tell you whether it's 1, or 2 or 3.
Click to expand...
The increase in usage sure is a result of my roommate and her boyfriend, who are always home and 1. using the space heater and 2. doing lots of cooking on the gas stove, 3. running the dishwasher twice as much and 4. Taking twice as many showers.

I have already had it checked for a leak.

There is also lots of talk here about the greediness and corruption of the natural gas company and how they are always raising rates and tacking on random fees.
 
Joan the Vampire Slayer said:
The increase in usage sure is a result of my roommate and her boyfriend, who are always home and 1. using the space heater and 2. doing lots of cooking on the gas stove, 3. running the dishwasher twice as much and 4. Taking twice as many showers.
Click to expand...

That sounds like you got two roommates for the price of one! 😲
 
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Joan the Vampire Slayer
I have given her a 30 day notice. She has violated the lease agreement that the room is single occupancy.
Kendar said:
Yeah, adding TWO effective roommates would explain why your bill almost tripled, esp. if they aren't being smart about it.
Click to expand...

There is a certain percentage of people who, when the utilities are included, will take the mickey and use things in ways they never would if they had to pay the bills directly.

@Joan the Vampire Slayer Too right! Is there any way of adding something into the next contract stating that unusual utility use will cause an increase in rent? At most, some might double, and given standing charges, even that is excessive. After all, one reason couples move in together is because two people living in one house is only a bit more expensive than one person living in one house.

And speaking of utility bills, I came across this article.

www.bigissue.com

This is how much it really costs to keep your home at a safe temperature

Rationing your energy use to 16 degrees – 2 degrees under the safe level – saves just 66p per day, experts have warned.
www.bigissue.com www.bigissue.com

It's saying that saving a mere 66p a day, which is only about £20 a month, is not worth it. Now, sure, it is right about the health issues. Where it's wrong is considering £20 a month to be "only." A £20 a month saving on a utility bill is something a lot of people are in the position where it's worth doing financially. Especially if you could save £20 a month in a number of places.
 
We are apparently getting another energy credit because allowing people to use the air con during heatwaves is going to reduce emergency medical costs associated with the heat. Problem is, they cant seem to keep the power on consistently. Plus we have 220 people per DAY moving into a state that has a housing and water shortage. And they wonder why we stopped breeding lol.
 
NotASlayer said:
Is there any way of adding something into the next contract stating that unusual utility use will cause an increase in rent?
Click to expand...
Actually, I gave her a 30 day notice to vacate on the 17th. She was very unhappy about it, and told me she wouldn’t move out unless I evicted her. Absurd, I know, but what’s what she said. So I filed for eviction for her. We have the court date on Monday.
 
November
November
Oh noo why they gotta make things so hard!
Joan the Vampire Slayer said:
Actually, I gave her a 30 day notice to vacate on the 17th. She was very unhappy about it, and told me she wouldn’t move out unless I evicted her. Absurd, I know, but what’s what she said. So I filed for eviction for her. We have the court date on Monday.
Click to expand...

Well, that sounds like fun. In the no fun at all sense of the word.
 
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Yeah it’s been very stressful!
Joan the Vampire Slayer said:
Actually, I gave her a 30 day notice to vacate on the 17th. She was very unhappy about it, and told me she wouldn’t move out unless I evicted her. Absurd, I know, but what’s what she said. So I filed for eviction for her. We have the court date on Monday.
Click to expand...
How did court go Monday?
 
Kendar said:
How did court go Monday?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, not well. I didn’t realize the hearing wasn’t at the actual courthouse. Instead, it was at another location. I wasn’t told this. So I showed up at the wrong place. But the time I’d made it to the correct location, I was too late and it had already been dismissed by the judge. I have to refile. Total waste of $118.

She stopped paying rent, so today she was served a 5 day notice to pay rent or vacate. If she doesn’t pay, that will benefit me because I can evict her sooner.
 
Joan the Vampire Slayer said:
Unfortunately, not well. I didn’t realize the hearing wasn’t at the actual courthouse. Instead, it was at another location. I wasn’t told this. So I showed up at the wrong place. But the time I’d made it to the correct location, I was too late and it had already been dismissed by the judge. I have to refile. Total waste of $118.

She stopped paying rent, so today she was served a 5 day notice to pay rent or vacate. If she doesn’t pay, that will benefit me because I can evict her sooner.
Click to expand...
So not good short term but you did get the notice. So, glass half full?
 
I found that my grocery store's system was not giving me my coupons that I had downloaded to my account online. They tried to make out that I did something wrong, but I knew I didn't. Luckily, I always print out a list of my coupons, so could brandish it at them. They had to refund me over $33. Yep, I'm getting my deals!
 
Stake fodder said:
I found that my grocery store's system was not giving me my coupons that I had downloaded to my account online. They tried to make out that I did something wrong, but I knew I didn't. Luckily, I always print out a list of my coupons, so could brandish it at them. They had to refund me over $33. Yep, I'm getting my deals!
Click to expand...
Oh man, coupons. That was my grandmother's thing. Grew up during the depression and saved everything. She was one of those people who has $300 in groceries in the cart and pays $50 (this was back in the day when you could double or triple some coupons). She could certainly save money...


Although she could have saved more. One of her bad habits was buying things BECAUSE she had a coupon for it, and not any other reason. "I got this box of Fruity Pebbles for 50 cents". And who exactly is going to eat it? All your grandkids are grown, you see most of us 2-3 times a year, and neither your diet or Granddad's allows it.

Likewise she'd buy items because of the coupon ignoring what she had at home. When she finally went into Independent Living, we found:

50-60 tubes of unopen toothpaste.
77 packages of toilet paper (not rolls, packs).
50+ bottles of shampoo.
Numerous bars of soap.
12 cans of shaving cream.

And so forth.
 
Stake fodder
Stake fodder
I'm a little like that myself, buying stuff because I have a coupon, though I always use/eat what I buy. And it is hard to resist stocking up when you have to buy 5 for the deal!
Kendar said:
50-60 tubes of unopen toothpaste.
77 packages of toilet paper (not rolls, packs).
50+ bottles of shampoo.
Numerous bars of soap.
12 cans of shaving cream.
Click to expand...
All useful and non expiring. I see nothing wrong with that. Probably one of the better things to inherit.
 
nightshade said:
All useful and non expiring. I see nothing wrong with that. Probably one of the better things to inherit.
Click to expand...
Not exactly. Some of these do go bad. Toothpaste does have an expiration date (usually two years). Some of the tubes were 20 years old. Even unopened shampoo breaks down after 4-5 years (not just separating). And while the toilet paper was technically good, it was that cheap stuff that arguably makes the situation worse.
 
My car insurance renewal email came through and also gone down, almost by a third. I'll still check the comparison sites to see if I can get it cheaper.

Still need to change my internet provider too.
 
Ugh I was SO craving bread today! And milk. But its just not worth the prices the general store charges. Its not like I dont have food, I just dont have bread or milk lol. I get a grocery delivery tomorrow arvo so I will have milk there for a third of the price. Last week I wanted some wine to cook mushies, but my mum told me off saying its not worth buying local wine since the city wine is cheaper. So I didnt get wine and felt guilty AF for even considering it. I cant get that on delivery lol.

My neighbour came to help me out with my patio roof, so no need to spend there. Next is the car... the local guy doesnt do quotes so I am really putting it off as long as possible so I can save whatever he wants me to pay. I cant know in advance.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom