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IsabellaLinton
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07 Nov 2022, 10:39 am

Fenn wrote:
Always spend less than you earn.


Kind of hard to do when you're on a fixed, disability income as a single parent, in a very expensive area during all these price hikes. I'm trapped here for the time being.

The rest of it yes, I agree with you.



blitzkrieg
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07 Nov 2022, 10:43 am

IsabellaLinton wrote:
Fenn wrote:
Always spend less than you earn.


Kind of hard to do when you're on a fixed, disability income as a single parent, in a very expensive area during all these price hikes. I'm trapped here for the time being.

The rest of it yes, I agree with you.


I thought you had a husband, Isabella? Maybe I am getting you mixed up with someone else.



IsabellaLinton
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07 Nov 2022, 10:43 am

Where_am_I wrote:
Oil filled heater was the second cheapest. Didn't work for me as I was still cold.


I use an oil heater in the dead of winter when it's around -20 outside.
That's in addition to my electric heat, because the electric heat doesn't reach upstairs very well.
My bedroom has horrible drafty windows and direct exposure to the uninsulated attic.
It's like a wind tunnel in there.
Sometimes I can see my breath.

The oil heater works well. I've never calculated the cost of running it.
The problem is that its fumes make my pets sick and then I have to pay vet bills.
Actually it makes me dizzy too because I'm sensitive to any scent or air particulates.

Catch 22.



IsabellaLinton
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07 Nov 2022, 10:45 am

blitzkrieg wrote:

I thought you had a husband, Isabella? Maybe I am getting you mixed up with someone else.



Me??? 8O
Nope. I had one very briefly in the 90s but he walked out when my daughter was 6 months old.
I've been single parenting for 25+ years.
I will never husband again.



Where_am_I
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07 Nov 2022, 10:47 am

IsabellaLinton wrote:
Where_am_I wrote:
Oil filled heater was the second cheapest. Didn't work for me as I was still cold.


I use an oil heater in the dead of winter when it's around -20 outside.
That's in addition to my electric heat, because the electric heat doesn't reach upstairs very well.
My bedroom has horrible drafty windows and direct exposure to the uninsulated attic.
It's like a wind tunnel in there.
Sometimes I can see my breath.

The oil heater works well. I've never calculated the cost of running it.
The problem is that its fumes make my pets sick and then I have to pay vet bills.
Actually it makes me dizzy too because I'm sensitive to any scent or air particulates.

Catch 22.

Interesting that....I feel that way, too. And it causes me breathing issues.


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IsabellaLinton
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07 Nov 2022, 10:51 am

My dog is a good heater.
He sleeps on my legs to help with my PTSD (night terrors / acting out dreams)
I also use a 20lb weighted blanket.
Most mornings my cat is nestled in my hair so that's warm too.

lmao my life



blitzkrieg
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07 Nov 2022, 10:56 am

IsabellaLinton wrote:
blitzkrieg wrote:

I thought you had a husband, Isabella? Maybe I am getting you mixed up with someone else.



Me??? 8O
Nope. I had one very briefly in the 90s but he walked out when my daughter was 6 months old.
I've been single parenting for 25+ years.
I will never husband again.


Oh, okay.

Fair enough!



Fenn
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07 Nov 2022, 10:58 am

LED lights use less electricity per unit of light than any other light you can buy.
If you are going to buy Christmas tree type lights to save money on electricity make sure you get the LED kind.
A heat pump is the most energy efficient kind of heating.
An advantage of a space heater for dollar cost is you can only heat the rooms you are in, instead of your whole house or apartment. The disadvantage is that there are no heat-pump space heaters.
For something like a space heater you need to look at cost-of-buying plus cost-of-operation (and average appliance life).
2 year or 5 year total cost of ownership is one way to do this, but it can be hard to predict the cost of electricity over 5 years.
More efficient heaters will save you dollars over time but might cost more up front.
A cheep heater that sets you house on fire is not really a good deal.
If you decide to wear warm clothes to avoid paying for heat (something recommended by Ebenezer Scrooge - one of his better ideas - not all his ideas were good) you need to keep in mind that if your pipes freeze and burst you will pay a lot more for repairs. Dressing in layers and wearing cotton next to you skin but wool or high-tech fibers on top is a good idea. I really like SmartWool socks. A good wool sweater with a few moth holes in it can but bought inexpensively at a thrift store but is very warm and makes a good layer. Keeping your chest warm helps to keep your fingers and toes warm. If your body is too cold it will shut off the blood to your toes - and you really will need a sweater more than you need socks - but the socks will be the first thing you think of. Wool also keeps you warm even if it is wet - and perspiration can make things wet.
There is a device you can buy called a "kill-a-watt" which allows you to measure actual usage of a plug-in type device.
Look for it on "google shopping" or read reviews or "maker" forums for similar devices.

https://www.consumerreports.org/applian ... ing-guide/

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-e ... ce-heater/


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Fenn
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07 Nov 2022, 11:03 am

IsabellaLinton wrote:
Fenn wrote:
Always spend less than you earn.


Kind of hard to do when you're on a fixed, disability income as a single parent, in a very expensive area during all these price hikes. I'm trapped here for the time being.

The rest of it yes, I agree with you.


Yes - the advice is not for everyone.


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IsabellaLinton
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07 Nov 2022, 11:05 am

That's good advice for most people Fenn but I have major sensory issues.

I have severe light sensitivity and can't tolerate LED lights.
I get migraines and throw up for days.
We can't buy incandescent here anymore.
That means I can only use little coloured lights with plastic opaque covers, or candles.

I can't wear socks even when it's -20 and my house is freezing up.
I'm a bare foot girl.
I can put a blanket over my feet if I'm cold, but only when I'm awake.
I can't sleep with a blanket over them.
Slippers --- very occasionally

Can't wear wool because I'm allergic
I can't even have it in the house because I breathe in the fibres

Dressing in layers -- yes if I go outside, because I can't do coats
Indoors I just wear pyjamas and a blanket



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07 Nov 2022, 11:45 am

IsabellaLinton wrote:
Mountain Goat wrote:
But back to electricity. If oen can avoid using tumble dryers and use a clothes line. Saves a lot off ones electric bill. Is like a sailing ship with an outboard motor. Use the motor in the dock and when one is in the sea, then put up the sails. That way one gets the best use of both and saves one money! Ok, clothes are ot the same but one gets the point.


Clotheslines aren't allowed where I live. There is a law against them because they're considered a public eyesore, the same as Ham radio towers. We can only have a small, carousel clothesline outside if we have an inground swimming pool, and the clothesline is only allowed for swim towels and swimsuits. It can't be visible above the fence line for neighbours and it's only allowed to be used in summer (swimming) months. I don't have a pool.

I suppose clotheslines wouldn't be much help here anyway when it's -20 or -30 in the winter and the snow is up to our hips.

Re: Woodstove - We have one at my other house. The cost of a cord of wood is so high now that it's more expensive than using electric or gas heat.

45p / kWh? OUCH! Do you have taxes and carrying fees on top of that?
Those are the killer here.
The fees more than double our usage rates.


No clotheslines allowed due to how they look? You don't live in Communistic Russia do you? :D Who can put rules in like that? Can understand if one is renting (Or if there isn't the space), but even then I can't see people wanting to rent anywhere or live anywhere so restricted.

There is no greener way to dry ones clothes than a clothes line.

I am still in shock after saying there is a no clothesline rule! Is like one is living in an anti-clothesline dictatorship or something! :D


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IsabellaLinton
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07 Nov 2022, 11:50 am

We've had that law my whole life. ^

Everything is regulated so they can collect fines for people who break the law.
It's all a money grab.



Mountain Goat
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07 Nov 2022, 12:01 pm

IsabellaLinton wrote:
We've had that law my whole life. ^

Everything is regulated so they can collect fines for people who break the law.
It's all a money grab.


Which country do you live in. No such laws here where I live.


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IsabellaLinton
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07 Nov 2022, 12:03 pm

Mountain Goat wrote:
IsabellaLinton wrote:
We've had that law my whole life. ^

Everything is regulated so they can collect fines for people who break the law.
It's all a money grab.


Which country do you live in. No such laws here where I live.


North Korea, apparently.



Mountain Goat
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07 Nov 2022, 12:15 pm

IsabellaLinton wrote:
Mountain Goat wrote:
IsabellaLinton wrote:
We've had that law my whole life. ^

Everything is regulated so they can collect fines for people who break the law.
It's all a money grab.


Which country do you live in. No such laws here where I live.


North Korea, apparently.


Haha! Seriously though. If you don't have family ties or committments, maybe try a different county or country as it is an expensive place to live with rules like that. I wonder if there are any other restrictions of what one can and can't do.


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Fenn
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07 Nov 2022, 12:43 pm

IsabellaLinton wrote:
We can't buy incandescent here anymore.


I am sorry the LEDs give you headaches / issues.

Halogen lights are actually incandescent. I have one in my shower because the LED and Compact Florissant kept shorting and burning out because of the steam getting in the works. The "outdoor halogen" bulb is the only one that works. It is completely sealed.

They can still sell the Halogen bulbs where I am.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen_lamp


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