Back to housekeeping basics

A couple of things have happened since we got back that makes me think our small steps are beginning to make some sense.

The water bill arrived yesterday, and we took the time to compare the reading for the half-year just gone to the same period last year.  We're on a water meter, so we do try to be careful of our water usage anyway.  Last year we used 32.00 cubic metres; this year we've used 28.00 cubic metres.  So that's definitely going in the right direction.  We think that must be due mainly to the fact we shower on alternate days instead of every day.  We also try to remember to use the 'short flush' on the loo, and not to run taps unnecessarily.  Only little steps, but lots of little things add up to something more tangible, in this case, a reduction of £5 in our monthly direct debit to the water company!  

I have no idea if this is average water consumption, or excessive.  I may do some investigating.  Living in a first floor flat means we can't really recycle our waste-water which is a shame because the charge for waste water is much higher than for water supplied.  Anyway, we've made a start at monitoring our water consumption, and it's gratifying that it is paying off.

The second thing we looked into was the car insurance.  Usually, when it's due for renewal, we simply accept the new premium.  This year, however, I've been on the comparison sites to see if we can get a better deal.  It seems that the figure from our existing insurer is actually quite competitive, but I noticed that the figure quoted on the comparison site by the same company is £11 cheaper!  I shall be on the phone to them in the next day or so.

Finally, we've stocked up on shopping.  We shopped when we got back from Orkney, with a money-off voucher and several discount vouchers as well, and received another money-off voucher.  Often, in the past, we've bought rather more than we really needed to, but today we went with the calculator, and bought the bill in at £40.86, adding up as we went.  We used the '£4 off a £40 shop' voucher, plus another for 60p, and bought as many things as we normally buy that we on offer.  The freezer is now well stocked with trout on offer (we often cook just one trout and share it, served with salad); chicken pieces that were reduced for their 'sell-by' date - 9 servings out of 6; peppers on offer, sliced up and frozen.  We couldn't believe how much food we had in our trolley, how many meals that would make, and all for just over £35.  All we did was take our time, stick with our shopping list of things we needed, and take advantage of good buys.

As I said, small steps, but they all make a difference.  And we feel quite good about them, too.