Alif takes care of all the bills around here, so when he handed me our gas & electricity bill and said, "We need to do something about our electricity bill," I wondered what was going on. He looked tense, to say the least. In the moments between his handing it to me and my looking at the bill, I thought, "Uh-oh, I'm going to have to turn the air down." It's hot, friends. I do not want to turn the air down.Then I looked at the bill. It was nearly $600. $600. Oh ~ my ~ gosh. We cannot afford $600 in gas and electricity. I mean, no way. We can't. I told him I'd figure it out and he left to run errands, which is his way of unwinding. I felt defensive but also stressed out. I put the bill on my desk and thought I would just handle it in the morning.
Then, by the grace of God, I remembered to pray about it. I prayed that it was a mistake. After I prayed I had the courage to call the gas & electricity company. And would you know that it WAS a mistake?? So much for the Smart Meter they installed a few months ago! Our actual usage was the same as it was last month. What a huge relief!!
That enormous bill did give me pause, though: how much electricity do we use unnecessarily? We run our ceiling fans all day and night - do we need to do that? Can I bump the air up a couple degrees and "suffer" through feeling a little bit warm? Can I remember to flip off the lights I'm not using a little more often?
It also gave me more compassion for those who have air conditioner but simply can't afford to run it. There are some extremely hot days where I live - so hot that every so often someone dies from it. I can't imagine watching my kids truly suffer through the heat with no way to cool them down. I'm thankful for the provision God has given us but I'm also thankful for the super-high-bill scare.
I'm so glad it was a mistake! We've been looking for ways to cut back on our bills, too. We use so much more than we need.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Flipflops and Applesauce.
Lots of Love!
eek!! thank god it was a mistake!! i know what you mean about wondering if you're wasting electricity, i often have to remind myself that 73 is just as livable as 70 degrees.
ReplyDeleteWhew! Good thing it was a mistake!
ReplyDeleteAs for the ceiling fans. I just read an article that ceiling fans only need to be on when you ar ein a room, they really don't cool the air, but give you the feeling of being cooler from the breeze.
Oh, my goodness! I'm so glad your prayer was answered!
ReplyDeleteWe are really grateful to have been able to put in our new A/C in May. I don't want to think what this summer would have been like without it. And, it's also lowering our bill compared to last year! Woohoo!
We are still careful, though, and keep it at 78 during the day and 80 at night -- unless I've just baked and need to cool things down an extra notch. We also use the ceiling fans all day, and in the bedroom at night.
Yikes, glad that got taken care of. I really felt for your poor hubby(and you). He was probably really stressed out!
ReplyDeleteI wish mine would be a mistake!
ReplyDeleteWhen we leave the house, I always turn the air up a few degrees (we keep it at 78....I will turn it to 80 or 81).
I try to shut off lights that arent used, and even completely shut off the DVR box (it will click on when needed, then shut back off)
oh my, what a relief it was a mistake!
ReplyDeleteWe had a huge electric bill increase last Jan-Mar. It gradually went up until it more than doubled!
ReplyDeleteTurned out it was our water well pump going out. Apparently, the pump was running constantly trying to compensate for its own lacking.
When we replaced the pump (after it went totally out!) our bill returned to normal. I thought I would have a heart attack during those few months. I just last month finished paying them off! Yikes!
You have a very nice site...I enjoyed looking around!
whew, I am so glad it was a mistake. Those huge energy bills are enough to give one a heart attack!!
ReplyDeleteI always look forward so much to when the weather turns a bit cooler and I can actually open the windows again at night, or even during the day. Every little bit helps.