I have been worrying about the forthcoming rise in energy prices for a while now. We are on a standard rate tariff which seemed to bear no resemblance to the current capped rate let alone the April one. DD suggested that I need to set up a direct Debit which usually gives rise to a slight reduction in unit rates so I rang Scottish Power's helpline. After several days of lengthy waits on the phone (and me giving up) and a thorough investigation of the website, I finally got through to an automated message on Saturday morning offering to call me back once I had reached the head of the queue. Bingo! (I thought) now an adviser can help set me up. I explained what I wanted to do but didn't get the response I hoped for. I couldn't set up a DD without going to a fixed tariff of over £240 per month 👀 My bills at the moment are just under £100 per month! I politely declined. Not being one to give up, my daughter searched the net and not only gave me the new capped rate unit charges but a link to a forum where they explained how to set up the DD myself. I have done it! We will be paying £120.99 per month from 1st April and we have the flexibility to increase the payment via the website as and when we need to. It has indeed reduced the unit charges we would have been paying otherwise.
Thank Heavens for Daughters! 😍
The weekend weather was absolutely gorgeous so I got all my washing washed and dried on Saturday and made a few more cards for the Hospice shop. On Sunday there was an antiques fair at Himley Hall so I tootled off there for a jolly good mooch. It cost £2 to park and £2 entrance fee. The lady on the door commented, as she took my £2 " Oh you've been here before haven't you" I'm probably recognised as the woman who never spends much money 😂 I could have bought some lovely things if I had the funds but I spent just £5 on 2 items...
.JPG)
.JPG)
A handmade wooden playing card box inlaid with brass for £3
They gave me the germ of an idea for a challenge; how to turn £5 into more by buying small items and selling them on the internet. Years ago I set a budget of £50 and set to buying things at auction and selling them for a profit, putting all the proceeds back into the kitty until I had accumulated enough money for a weekend away at a Warner Hotel. After a few months we had around £500 for a lovely break 😀 Not sure I have the energy to do it again but it might be fun to see how it goes....
The next food delivery is on Wednesday so I'll be back to update the total for the month.
Thanks so much for popping in and stay safe wherever in the world you happen to be x
Praying for peace in Ukraine 🙏
March Food Shop Challenge:
£154.82/ £275.00
Indeed thank goodness for daughters, so glad you were able to get the outcome you wanted. Love the wooden box, such a great find.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lorraine, she is a gem :)
DeleteWe are having a very cheap March with our food bills, we did our main shop in February as we had a 10%discount, and have only purchased bread, ham, milk and salad items.
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Marlene, well done. We are still managing a bit of a re-stock even with a reduced budget so hope to manage another low spend month soon.
DeleteYour daughter sounds wonderful. That must have been a relief to get sorted.
ReplyDeleteIt was, Stephenie, Zoe has always been a lovely daughter to have :)
DeleteI certainly agree with you! Thank heaven for daughters! Mine is so helpful to me!
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of buying a few small items cheaply to resell at a higher price! The profit can go towards just about anything you want!
I might just give it a go, Bless, and see what happens. Glad you have a gem of a daughter too! x
DeleteI'd never used Scottish Power anywhere before moving here and stayed with what the previous owners had. Getting through to them at the start was awful but now I just give the 4 weekly meter reading on the phone automatic line and then pay on the automatic pay line. So far it's not gone up much.....but I expect it will next time.
ReplyDeleteWhat a difference your payments are between the two prices
Yes, Sue, the difference is astronomical. The £240 plus was for a fixed rate with was far higher than the capped rate too. Where will it all end I wonder...
DeleteYou have a very caring daughter who was able to find a much better solution than that eye watering £240!! to set up a DD. It is good that you have been able to set things up and will have some control over things. Take care x
ReplyDeleteI would be lost without her, Beverley, we've always been there for each other over the years. You have a lovely daughter too :)
DeleteStay safe x
I'm sure these energy companies are plucking numbers out of mid air at the moment. I'm glad your daughter helped out, its a really frightening situation and these customer services don't really give confidence.
ReplyDeleteI fear that you could be right, Tania, the customer service chap couldn't even explain why my daughter and I who are both on capped rate tariffs were being charged different unit rates 🙄 if he doesn't know then who does?
DeleteGoodness. that really was a big difference in price. We fixed ours a year ago for three years, so have done well on that, but can you imagine how much it will go up when we come out of the fixed price?! It doesn't bear thinking of,
ReplyDeleteLike you I have two daughters and a grown up granddaughter who I can turn to, when delving into the depths of some of these sites
Gill
Thank goodness for your daughter, what a saving!!
ReplyDeleteI once did this challenge when I had my first antique shop, bought an item for 10p at a car boot sale and worked it up to about £48 in less than two months. Obviously I was doing a lot of other bigger scale buying and selling at the same time but it was good to keep an eye ... and notes ... on this particular little side challenge.