I picked a very bad time to start checking my electric meter. I should start off by saying that I live in a part of the country where I am accustomed to high humidity. This might be pushing it though. It has been so hot outside this week that breathing is difficult. Currently we have an older house with only window units which are pretty much running 24/7. At this rate next month's electric bill will be double what I expect it to be this time of year. I guess the bright side is that since I am keeping up with how much electricity we are using I am also budgeting for it. I have estimated what the bill will be and can figure that into the budget.
Today is another no spend day for me. Other than a trip to the bank to make a deposit, I have been home. Dh and I had our budget meeting. We have set a goal to pay off the auto loan by the end of this year. That will most likely involve selling some stock which we have been discussing getting rid of anyway.
I do need to start a fund for vet care though, which may take a bit of money away from debt. Our newest addition will be needing shots soon and will need to be fixed sometime after the first of the year.
I am so looking forward to being out of this hole we have gotten into. Compared to others it is not bad at all, but it is frustrating nevertheless. I guess it is that frustration and desire that keeps me on track. Normal things that I would have just bought without thinking about I now leave in the store. Reading the other blogs really helps. I have gotten so many ideas and also great encouragement to stay on track. I can hardly wait to be debt free!
Heat Index 115
August 10th, 2007 at 09:33 pm
August 10th, 2007 at 11:08 pm 1186787300
It's horrid.
I live in southwest MO and it was 98 degrees here. That's temp alone. With the heat index figured in, I would place it at well over 100 degrees. I have not gone outside at all today. Even our cats refuse to go outside during the day and when asked if they want to, they respond by showing us their teeth, shaking a foot, or shaking their heads no.
I live in a single story house and we have had to leave our window unit(18,000 BTU's) on every day from about 7:30 am until bedtime at 10:00 pm or longer. I shudder to think that our next electric bills will be $200 or more. Since we only have 1 air conditioner, we have to use fans thru out the rest of the house to help circulate the cool air.
I know you will get out of debt soon. Believe me, with the economy as shaky as it is, you don't want to be caught with any debt on your hands. The Dow Jones is spiking up and down, and the Federal Reserve Bank just poured over $24 billion into the banks and economy to stabilize it. I am concerned for everyone who is in debt right now and hoping everyone gets out of debt as fast as possible.
August 10th, 2007 at 11:38 pm 1186789133
Maybe that's the wrong kind of visual description to use....
I'm contemplating something drastic....
August 11th, 2007 at 12:42 am 1186792945
I'm sitting here in our attatched garage where the a/c does not reach from the living room. I have two box fans going on high and would be burning up...except that I stepped into the shower and completely soaked myself and clothes down with cool(not cold) water). Yes I'm dripping wet, but with the fan blowing across me in my wet clothes, it's almost like air conditioning. Of course I have to do this several times a day and place a towel on the seat of my chair and across the back of said chair, but I'm sitting here right now in relative comfort.
Try it, the cool down will be immediate and last a while.
August 11th, 2007 at 05:45 am 1186811125
August 11th, 2007 at 02:20 pm 1186842011