| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| melanie47601 |
Posted - Jan 16 2009 : 1:36:15 PM
That's what December's gas bill cost me and it wasn't even that cold! And to top it off the only thing that runs on natural gas in my home is the furnace. Is that crazy or what?! I am going to start looking into alternative heating for my home.
Melanie
Shop~ http://www.squidoo.com/buyinghomemade
Blog~ http://wheelsarealwaysturning.blogspot.com/ |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| melanie47601 |
Posted - Jan 19 2009 : 08:01:00 AM
OUCH!! I heard that Vectren and some other energy companies got a big fat raise earlier this year.
Melanie
Shop~ http://www.squidoo.com/buyinghomemade
Blog~ http://wheelsarealwaysturning.blogspot.com/ |
| bohemiangel |
Posted - Jan 19 2009 : 07:56:12 AM
Our December was $500!!!!!! We even turn it down and had it down more than usual! WHAT IS GOING ON ?!!
**~~Farmgirl Sister #60~~**
"... to thine ownself be true."
http://liggybitsandpieces.blogspot.com/
http://ligonierliving.blogspot.com/
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| melody |
Posted - Jan 17 2009 : 9:57:36 PM
This past fall we put in a vermont casting woodstove kitty corner in our living room. We are sooooo glad that we did. We had been discussing it for many years and finally decided that now was the time to get one. We rarely hear the furnace kick on...usually very early in the morning, but my husband has to be at work by 5:00 a.m. and gets a fire going for me. I keep it stoked all day...it's a real chore and can get dusty and dirty, but I am so thankful we have it. Our gas bill is 1/3 of what it was last year.
I worry about how other people can afford to pay to heat their homes at such a high price especially this winter with the temperatures so low.
Melody
http://melodynotes-melodynotes.blogspot.com
www.bythebayhandcraftedsoap.com
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| melanie47601 |
Posted - Jan 17 2009 : 9:48:07 PM
Today has went by really fast and didn't seem to have enough daylight hours in it. I have spent the day caulking gaps in windows. Tomorrow will be more of the same, plus I got some weather stripping for the doors. But I live in a 1971 mobile home and they are just not insulated worth diddly. I do have big insulated drapes over the living room windows and our local weatherization program gave me a bunch of outlet insulators and then of course I have the big roll of plastic. So I have A LOT to keep me busy tomorrow.
I truly hope that next month's gas bill will be better, but it doesn't look at all promising. November's gas bill was about $163. Dec. $350. It just about doubled and the weather was pretty much the same both months. I was talking to my friend last night on the phone. She was telling me about the conversation she and the gal that watches her son had about the gas bills. Well this gal's bill was 250. She went to the gas company to see if they offered a payment plan and of course they don't. But they were at least "kind" enough to tell her to brace herself and to conserve as much as possible because next month's bill will be double this month's.
This afternoon my guy and I took a lil break and went to Tractor Supply. I love that store more and more every time I go. But anyways while I was there I priced woodstoves. I thought I would be looking at least $1000 for a stove with a blower to heat my home, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find I can get one for $400. That's just the stove and blower though. And since I was there I had to look for the MJF mag and didn't see it. I was off looking at the stoves again and my guy says, "Hey Mel they got the Mary Jane's thing you read." Yeppers the new issue!! YAY!! I skimmed right over it on the rack. Our store never keeps it in the same spot. It's always in a different spot. I think I need to tell them about that.
My mom is scared to death for me. We were talking about it this morning. She asked me if I was worried. I guess in a way part of me is, but like I told mom- worry isn't going to solve my problems. It will only cloud my thinking and add extra unwanted stress. All I can do is to have faith and do the best I can. Tax season is right around the corner and I have a good chunk of change come back from that. So that will help get me out of whatever hole I may wind up in and I really don't expect to. And then of course there's the moolah for the new stove and if I feel really adventurous (which I'm sure I will) a new chainsaw. I'm sure my pop will more than happy to teach me how to use one.
Well I've rambled enough for tonight. It's gettin late and I need to go to bed.
Sweet dreams ladies.
Melanie
Shop~ http://www.squidoo.com/buyinghomemade
Blog~ http://wheelsarealwaysturning.blogspot.com/ |
| Sitnalta |
Posted - Jan 17 2009 : 7:28:57 PM
HOLY COW!!! I would have had a stroke! Hopefully, it will look better next month!
hugs
Jessie
Farmgirl Sister #235
Life should NOT be a jounrey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, latte in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming. "WOOHOO, what a ride!"
Stop by my blog for a visit www.messiejessie2.blogspot.com |
| babysmama |
Posted - Jan 17 2009 : 6:14:28 PM
Ours last month was $117 and our furnace, hot water heater, and stove all run on gas. We have a story and a half house but really cut back on what temperature we keep it at since we just can't afford to have it summer-like in our house. We live in Iowa, where it gets COLD (the other night we set a record at 40 below zero, not counting the windchill) but we keep our thermostat set at 62-63 degrees during the day and 58 degrees at night. With socks and sweatshirts or sweaters on during the day we are fine and it is totally worth it when the heating bill arrives.
-Elizabeth |
| Amie C. |
Posted - Jan 17 2009 : 12:54:54 PM
My heating bills in the winter months are routinely $500 or more. That's only gone up a little bit since we bought the house 5 years ago, and it's par for the course around here. So it's not my house, it's the supply. We looked at a house with a woodstove, too, and passed on it for other reasons...boy, we've kicked ourselves a few times over the years. |
| PlumCreekMama |
Posted - Jan 16 2009 : 7:52:26 PM
We live in a trailer, which is horrible as far as insulation. Especially when a good number of cats make their winter homes and spring nests in the underbelly in the insulation! Last winter, which was very cold, we spent $2000 on propane. It was horrible! This winter has been colder- last night it was -40 in the area. But last fall we put in an outdoor wood furnace, which heats our home and garage. Our garage wasn't heated previously, it's nice having heat now for animals to take warm shelter in. The wood furnace was probably $10,000 all said and done and worth every penny. Most of our wood pile was washed away in the summer floods, but we had no problem finding more. I actually found loading wood to be fun and good exercise. I also love the smell of burning wood. You can't smell it in the house, but you can smell it outside. I am so glad we did this. In this area you used to see wood furnaces only occasionally, but now most farms have them, and even some town people. We can jack the heat up and get nice and warm this winter!
http://plumcreekmama.blogspot.com/
http://plumcreekcreations.etsy.com |
| Betty J. |
Posted - Jan 16 2009 : 7:28:41 PM
Guess I had better be prepared for next month. My bill for electric forced air heat was $120 last month and the furnace has been running a lot more this month. Oh, will it never end? In the winter it's electricity and in the summer it's the water bill.
Betty in Pasco |
| Alee |
Posted - Jan 16 2009 : 7:16:52 PM
Jodi- You can buy a really nice space heater for about $60 at Costco. We have had ours for 3 years now and it is a champ- so worth it and it really saves us money since our house is like yours. Heating the whole for just one room.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Prairie Princess |
Posted - Jan 16 2009 : 6:00:39 PM
My house is little more than 800 square feet, and granted, it's not that well-insulated, but my gas bill came to $221.00 for December. That was double what it had been in November. I've never had gas heat before, always electric, so this was a quick wake up call, lol.
I'm trying to turn off the heat completely whenever I leave the house for work, etc, to see if I can at least cut it back down half of the way...
I think the hardest part heating my house is that the thermostat controls all the heat vents. So I have to heat the entire house throughout the night just to stay toasty in my bedroom. I've considered purchasing an electric space heater for my bedroom...
~Jodi
"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt |
| laluna |
Posted - Jan 16 2009 : 4:38:22 PM
I wonder about the gas bill here too, since our furnace doesn't even work! We heat our 1100 sq.ft. home with two wood-burning stoves (the main one in the basement, and the secondary in the living room, for those days like today when it's really cold (4 degrees F!)). Of course, gas is used for the hot-water tank, but it's just my husband and I, and last month's bill was still $117! Of course, I live in the great tax state of NY, so who knows? I do know that every year it's a little bit more expensive though!
"I believe in God, only I spell it Nature." -- Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Bellepepper |
Posted - Jan 16 2009 : 3:19:48 PM
I thought mine was bad Melaine, but not that bad. We use propane. Have a 1000 gal tank and only use it for heat, about 6 months out of the year. To fill the tank (in August) it used to cost us about $350, then 4 then 500. In 07 it was $750 and last Aug 08 it was $1500. That is over $200 a month. We use the fireplace a lot. It only heats the Living room but keeps the thermostat from kicking on the furnace. Wonder how much propane is now that the price of oil is $100 a barrel cheaper and gasoline is less than half. |
| Alee |
Posted - Jan 16 2009 : 2:44:13 PM
Oh my gosh! That is so crazy Melanie!! Our bill here is between $60-80 a month! Yikes! I have no clue what the square footage of our house is, but it is smallish but has horrible insulation. I bet if it was weather-tight we would only be paying $20 a month.
What is your house like? Is it weather tight? There are lots of inexpensive ways to help seal up the house to save money. We always do the plastic shrink wrap over the windows and that helps a lot. We also will hang heavier drapes on the windows and even blankets over doors to help stop drafts if the walls aren't insulated well.
If you use your dryer and you have a dry house, you can buy an attachment for about $5 at a hardware store to divert the hot air from your dryer into your house while a dish of water catches any lint/dust. That helps a lot too but can put a lot of humidity into the air so if that isn't good for your house that probably won't be an option.
Buying a $3 humidistat really helps monitor the humidity levels...too low and the air can't hold as much heat- too moist and it lets nasty things grow.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
