Downsizing the bills

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Downsizing the bills

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Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 162

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 25 8:32 am Post subject: Downsizing the bills

I hate bills but have to be at home today. So bill is in danger.

Having been told yesterday that my supermarket shopping order for delivery was under Â£50 and please review before yesterday evening, I did and it was over Â£50 which seems to be the floor for delivery. So I cancelled it. Will look again today. Perhaps using another supermarket comes to mind.

This led to a check of the gas & electricity tariff - not worth changing company for a fiver a month less. Decent balance at present and have been known to draw down when it gets too high and pop the savings in an interest bearing savings account. Mine have been down-sized a bit too much this year but all the spending is now done. No more garden fences, decorating of house, ordering of bulbs for the autumn ...

Mind - there's not many savings accounts with a decent rate where you can draw down as and when. But am tempted to ask whilst waiting for the engineer to come service the gas boiler as there's no interest at all on a balance with the power supplier. Should be methinks.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9303
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Thu Aug 07, 25 7:57 am Post subject:

I have a smart meter and just pay for power used,( plus the daily charge of course)
on a variable DD. I may pay a little more than some, but I get it from the company that charges everyone the same unit price however they pay...so not penalising those on coin/card meters. Nice easy to understand bills as well plus a UK based company.
I know bills will be higher in cold weather... But I can budget for that. I do my monthly calculations allowing for the higher figure. So that if I need that leeway money...it is in my account

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 162

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 25 8:26 am Post subject:

That's an organised power bill gz. I've looked at my balance online and asked for a nice sized rebate to pop in the savings account. That's one to watch and run through their system to see if I can save anywhere.

Have also just looked at my water usage through the online account and am off to consider the results over another cup of tea. Seems I'm just under the average for a one person household but I think that there's improvements to be made. Won't bring it down for a period but given time I think there's going to be a drop off coming.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9303
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 25 7:13 pm Post subject:
No meters here, water rates are paid with the council tax

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 162

Posted: Sat Aug 09, 25 6:56 am Post subject:

Ah yes, the pleasures of Scotland with regard to water rates and council tax. Different south of the Tweed

Am having a quiet discussion with internet security today. I come from the old days where the MS Windows security system was regarded with great disdain as being a danger to all users of the internet and a good paid for system was a required safety net. Apparently things have looked up with the latest Windows incantation (

). I've downgraded twice to cheaper versions in recent years but never believed that Microsoft had got it's act together. Today when the renewal bill was pronounced upcoming due I've removed the software and account despite it being reasonable for such things and set MS to work.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 44503
Location: yes

Posted: Sat Aug 09, 25 11:18 am Post subject:

fire fox, free

privacy badger, free

avast bundle of anti virus stuff and VPN, not free but it includes problem scanner, disk fettler, driver updater, dodgy cookie hunter, anti tracker, and a few useful things i do not recall at the mo

it protects phones and files as well

a VPN does put a serious firewall between your machine and the industrial sewer of internet nasties

MS security covers some stuff, but either by design or by inadequacy, is leakier than leek bed, and more fragile than a butterfly of delicate disposition in a wind tunnel

PS nothing electric is secure, some ways are more secure than others

not swamped with adverts and malware is a basic right, private takes a lot more effort

very private is a debatable subject, one use machines ,one use id and crypt, mobile linux, mobile TOR+content using no more than a disposable flash drive and a "public" socket or public wifi and burner phone, etc

if it matters a pigeon is more secure than electric, human couriers have issues, in person is good but requires location logistics and counter intel considerations, etc

ttdntas pt i've lost count

re MS basic security , better than it was, far from secure with insufficient "tidying" to remain secure for long

it is impossible to make it secure but things can be made too difficult to be worth while and/or too time consuming to be relevant

and ttdntas , a combo of in person to set up one use things is best, never trust "encrypted messaging "apps unless you created them

PPS always consider a pooter might get moidered, back up important data

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 162

Posted: Sat Aug 09, 25 6:40 pm Post subject:
Ah dpack have found the level of IT security that I wanted at a discount for the year. Agreed that Windows has improved quite a lot but not quite enough to convince me. Think I've found the level of security that I can afford. A VPN did nothing for me except slow things down. Maybe I chose the wrong one.

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