How much does weather affect your budget?

[purple]

I have a question that I hope people can shed some light on and help me out a bit. I created a budget last year and things were going pretty well until this winter. It was far colder here than in the past and our heating bill was close to three times what it has been in previous years. As you can imagine, that totally ruined the budget as we hadn't planned to pay nearly that much. My question is, how do you budget for heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer when these costs can greatly fluctuate with the weather?

[snafu]

Heating, AC, are nearly impossible to guesstimate accurately for those of us who live in difficult weather locations. Our cost per gigajoule is determined by the rest of the world so when it's cold our costs per unit spike. It helps to find where you're losing heat and DIY making your home more air tight. We try to control heating costs by creating a vestibule. We installed a good quality Programable Thermostat so that the temperature remains low when no one is here, warmer when we return, cools again to sleep better at night but toasty warm when awake and showering etc. We wear a sweater or fleece jackets or vests. There is a stack of throws on the sofa and we love down filled 'booties.'

We have lived in cities where AC was critical. Their programmable thermostats weren't as effective so we turned off AC when we left and turned it back on when we returned to a modest level. It's is uncomfortable for less than 10 minutes. It's less expense to use fans but you need to price it out. A lot of people in that region had used programable cards which turns off all power when you leave and you slip the card into the slot when you return, built into their apartments.

If the budget is fracturing, you'll need to find other areas for small cuts to cope . We have home made soup made in the crock pot nearly daily to reduce costs, use up leftovers and small bits and enjoy the warmth of holding a fragrant mug.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I have a question that I hope people can shed some light on and help me out a bit. I created a budget last year and things were going pretty well until this winter. It was far colder here than in the past and our heating bill was close to three times what it has been in previous years. As you can imagine, that totally ruined the budget as we hadn't planned to pay nearly that much. My question is, how do you budget for heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer when these costs can greatly fluctuate with the weather?

This winter I've been spending $400/month between oil, electricity, and pellets. It's been unbelievable. I'm lucky to be able to afford this without too much stress. But the colder it gets, the more money it costs.

I don't notice the heat too much for some reason, even though I might have both the AC and the pool running, but we generally only run AC in a single room at night.

[doingitallwrong]

I'm fortunate that our high heat bill time coincides with my overtime season, so there's been enough 'flex' in our income to cover the heat bills. When I set up my budget, I looked at the last few years of bills and averaged out each month, then added about 25% just as a safety net.

At various times we've been on the utility companies' budget plans, too, where they average your estimated annual costs and you pay the same amount each month -- it does make it much easier for budgeting.

[purple]

At various times we've been on the utility companies' budget plans, too, where they average your estimated annual costs and you pay the same amount each month -- it does make it much easier for budgeting.

How can I know if my utility offers this? Did you get this information in the mail, or do I need to call them and ask if they offer this service?

[doingitallwrong]

Mine had the information (and sign-up) on their website, but I'm sure you could call and ask about it, too.

[bestfreebies]

Down here in Miami, the weather is great when the sun is out, and people down here are more prone to spending money. Myself included! Honestly it's better down here because with the weather being so great, you don't have to buy a lot of sweaters and heavy expensive cold gear. not sure if that helps, but thats my food for thought!