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Jul 31, 2012    |       8 comments

Utility Bill Update

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We budget $300 per month for the summer electric/gas bill.  Only the water heater is gas.  This bill also includes our city services.  Our house has a lot of windows and we did spend $50 on the adhesive window tint for the master bedroom and are seeing a difference.   We want to do that for the upstairs loft too since that gets a lot of afternoon sun. We haven’t hit $300 yet bit did decide to pay $300 last month to make this month a little easier.

We saw about a $30 savings for the week we were gone. We were hoping for more saved since we have also saw the benefit of a rainy July and temps that didn’t hit triple digits (unlike our Midwest friends) but 30 bucks is 30 bucks. In addition to the insane heat last year we also weren’t doing much to cut the costs so I think we are seeing benefits of both the temps and our efforts.

Here’s how the breakdown has gone:

Bill ending June 1:  $217.47

Bill ending June 28: $258.00

Bill ending July 30:  $231.54

Since we had a credit from overpaying the June 29 bill our current amount due is $189.54.  I don’t know what you will think about the overpaying with the budgeted amount of $300, but I am really liking being ahead in these hot summer months.  It is MUCH better than the shock of opening a bill that is crazy high.  We haven’t discussed yet what we will do this month but it looks like our Texas summers are back with the temp hitting 104 today.

There’s the utility update…up next will be the debt update!

Jul 30, 2012    |       10 comments

FRUSTRATED!

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On July 9 my co-workers and I were directly told–in person–that a decision re: our new manager would be announced on August 2 or 3 via an in-person office visit from upper management.  As of noon today, that visit has been cancelled (via email) with no explanation or further information.  It has been 8 months since the vacancy was announced.  7.5 months since the posting closed.  6.5 months since 3 rounds of interviews…and I’ve lost count of the postponements.

My nature is to pick up the phone and professionally inquire about the delay but I recognize that may not be a career enhacing move.  I’m going to be still and quiet.  There aren’t really any words for me to express how crazy it makes me to be told something and then have no follow through…and anyone who knows me will tell you that goes for anything and not just something that impacts me directly.  It is what I do for others and desperately want in return.

I don’t want to be a whiner and I know I am very fortunate—and this will not be a distraction from our debt reduction journey–but holy cow I’m irritated!

 

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