We’re still digging out here in Northern New Jersey, after getting about 15 inches of snow. Today is Day 3 of the snowstorm, which apparently will linger throughout the weekend, dropping a few more inches of accumulation on our already weary heads. We had a casualty of the storm — the side door awning apparently pulled away from the siding and collapsed — whether from the high winds or the snow stacked on top of it, I don’t know.
To add insult to injury, we received our utility bill today. Once again, it was overestimated by about 120 therms — which translates to an overcharge of nearly $145. Plus, I hadn’t noticed that last month, utility company didn’t actually read our electric meter (it’s on the side of the house and always accessible), instead WAY underestimating our electric usage on our last bill. Once they got the actual reading this month, we essentially were charged double our usage — another $110. So combined, our huge bill of $465 should have been $210. That’s a big difference and is almost a budget-breaker, as I’m waiting for freelance invoices to get paid. I had to make a special appointment with the utility company to have a meter reader come out on a Saturday to ensure one of us would be home to let him in to read the gas meter.
I’m hoping you’re all having better luck with your winter utility bills! Now, on to this Saturday’s Link Love roundup. I’ve keep finding more and more great PF blogs to add to my reader — it’s getting hard to keep up with all this goodness!
Posts That Intrigued Me
- Enemy of Debt has announced the March 2010 “Manage Your Finances” Challenge — win prizes and learn to budget your money better.
- Deliver Away Debt: How To Adjust Tax Withholding
- Funny About Money: Big-Picture Thinking and The Penny-Pincher
- Little House in the Valley: My Next Step
- Single Guy Money: Ideas to Access Cash in an Emergency
- Ultimate Money Blog: Where Have All the Housewives Gone?
- Canadian Finance Blog: How to Become a Coupon King (or Queen)
- Canadian Finance Blog: Friday Links
- MoneyFunk: Weekly Round Up: Tax Season Expanded
- Redeeming Riches: 10 Money-Saving Tips to Help You Stash $10,000 – Tip #4
- Saving Up for a House: Thank You, Rainy-Day Saver
- Festival of Frugality #218: America Saves Week Edition at Think Your Way to Wealth
- Carnival of Money Stories 2: Bob Gibson 1968 Season Edition at Personal Finance by the Book
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According to the local weather report (I'm in North Carolina) more bad weather and possibly snow is headed our way again. Unlike the accumulation that you all have gotten, our has been lesser but it has been very cold in my area which certainly has added to my heating bill. I'm currently on a fixed rate plan so at least I know what to budget for each month. Stay warm.
Sigh, how frustrating about your utility bills. My old company had a feature where you could read your own meter and submit the reading online. Maybe yours has something similar?
@Ken: So I've heard — bummer for the snowpack!
We are having the warmest winter on record in the greater Vancouver area. It's easy, all you need to do is host the Winter Olympics!
@SingleGuyMoney: You're welcome!
@Tom: Also welcome! We WERE able to see some of the grass again by Wednesday (had a 'warm' spell), but then got walloped again Thursday/Friday. Spring, I need spring.
Thanks for the mention!
That's a lot of snow. Up hear in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, I can almost see the grass now 🙂
Thanks for the mention!