How I cut back on my utilities bills. Part 1

This video ends abruptly. Part 2 follows soon.
The cost of gas and electricity seems to be climbing all the time. It's important to keep track of what you spend on utilities. There are ways of cutting back, by not being wasteful. Monitor your usage. Here are a few ideas.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Sorry about the split. Part 2 is here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5W6iIuwarGdb9E

[@dianaosullivann5075]

Everything you have mentioned is what my mum did .that is how I was bought up and still do most of this now myself .brings back good memories .

[@christinebrush4399]

As I say many times. .love when you do these type of videos. I grew up in Brum, ( I am 75 in Canada now) and we had a bath once a week and we were clean with a wash in the sink daily. Thank you so much.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

My mum used to wash us three kids in the kitchen sink. We each stood in it in turn.

[@christinebrush4399]

@@meanqueensuperscrimper8908 innocent days . :)

[@margaretpiddock455]

Well said Ilona. I, like many was brought up like this, and have maintained the values. My mother use to put coats on the bed under the blankets for extra warmth! especially when we had snowflakes on the windows lol.. I think many people have been spoilt with central heating, and many wouldnt think of these things. Your right….layers and layers are the answer. Anyway..keep warm and safe xx

[@angelawhitehead1785]

Well said

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Spot on Margaret.

[@carolynek1875]

Wow!!

[@rickwalker5203]

10:38 we turn on our hot water heater one hour before bathing. Have plenty of hot water for the rest of the day. So the heater is turned down to the lowest setting for about 23 hours a day. We do have a dishwasher, saves on water. Also we wash clothes once a week, saves time and money! Love your advice! You are right about making wise choices, Life is a wonderful journey, cheers to you!

[@hilarygibson3150]

I live on a street corner. There's a street lamp to the front and to the side, the house is plenty light enough to move around without putting a light on!

[@auntyharry]

Where I live in Australia the government subsidised eligible home owners to offset the cost of installing solar panels. Because I only required a reasonably small system, it ended up being about half the price of the installation and I could afford to pay the rest. I’m pleased to say my electricity bills have been significantly reduced since having the solar system. A great program by the government that has definitely benefited myself and others. Environmentally beneficial too!

[@sheilahall463]

We rarely see the sun here !!!

[@raven_ous2585]

Awww, you can clearly see Masie adores you. So lovely 💞💋🐾🐾

[@CDN1975]

Great Christmas tree. So creative.

[@lisat2203]

When I saw the torch I giggled, I use my mobile phone light for the same reason x

[@myrtleesther8855]

Thank you for your tips, Keeping your feet and head warm in winter is a good tip. Makes a huge difference. Also if you have them, burn candles, it is surprising how much heat they throw up. If you can afford the outlay an electric blanket costs pennies to run and can warm the bed up a treat , so snugly in bed. Hot water bottles for laps whilst relaxing in the evening listening to radio or watching tv if you put a small blanket or jumper over it makes a nice snug layer.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Thank you for your tips.

[@teres469]

Nice idea about the hot water bottle! I also love my electric blanket 🙂🙂

[@sheenamaclean8324]

Swear by my hot water bottles, can't live without them!

[@anitaevans2432]

You're right about not showering every day. Dermatologists advise washing only the important bits daily, as too frequent showering strips the skin of its protective moisture etc.

[@martinsamuels2897]

Thanks for the great tips llona as I have gone down to part time work now but I'm happy and I'm getting by to me that is true happiness is having a roof over your head and being able to pay the bills anything extra is a bonus which I do like to treat myself to lunch out but yes it's the simple things in life that matter most of all

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Always factor in a little treat into the budget. It can be something quite simple.

[@shirleys5290]

You are so lucky to have a lap cat! How can you not be constantly petting her? I envy you your wonderful Maisie!

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

@@kathyhowell8160 She wasn't cold, I had the heating on. It's as warm as toast in here. She is a baby and likes the attention.

[@theclumsyprepper]

@@meanqueensuperscrimper8908 They do love attention, don't they? I have seven cats and three dogs so I am constantly getting snuggles 😁

[@Londonfogey]

A simple way I have found to keep warm at my desk (I work from home and do not heat the house during the day) is to make a 'tent' for my lower half simply by placing a blanket over the arms of my desk chair just above my waist, and the blanket reaches down to the floor. It really makes a difference!

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

That's a fabulous idea. Thank you. I will try that.

[@suewills3514]

HELLO there great to see and hear you again - love the cat !! nice white teeth you have !

[@toiletrollholder]

I love a hot water bottle and a fleecy throw on the sofa in the evening. The high prices and not working made me change my ways. I'll nevervusd z dushwasher again either 😂

[@bethel1019]

Love your tree. Such a clever idea to use the pan scrubbers.

[@sewmanythings8616]

Very clever! Thank you for sharing🦋 Cheers from America ☕️

[@happydodson6920]

Interesting and inspiring, thank you! This is a good time of year to sit down with that pencil and paper and consider what we can do to use fewer utilities -- and to put those ideas into action.

[@InaWorldfullOfHearts]

Cheers! Love your Tree, so colorful!

[@ranatavakoli143]

Love your tree. Happy Holidays

[@shaw99livecouk]

Scrooge would be proud of you with that torch..god bless you helpful soul

[@S.Lee13]

Cute tree, good advice. Merry Christmas to all ❤

[@raven_ous2585]

I like you. Best wishes to you and your fur babies. You make a lot of sense. I get you 👍👍

[@adriennebyrne8237]

Oh love your Christmas tree 🎄. It’s beautiful like you 😊 and great advice as always. 💓

[@lizb4156]

If you want economical showers you can wet your body then turn the water off, lather up, then turn it back on. I wear my clothes multiple times before washing them.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

That's a good tip, thank you.

[@irenebaker8263]

Thanks for sharing these tips with us....I think we all feel the stress of utilities increasing in price. I like the idea of carrying a torch or a flashlight like we call it in Canada!

[@ashleybosvik3031]

I use a oil lamp

[@lorainefagg7727]

An interesting chat. Love your tree. Maisie 🐾😻🐾❤ Merry Christmas Iona & fur babies & A Happy New Year, take care, stay safe 🎅🤶⛄🎄 xx

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Merry Christmas to you Loraine.

[@karen4you]

There is only one company for utilities here, so no choice. Raised electricity 15 percent and natural gas more. I use electricity, and only heat four of my seven rooms in the winter for years. Now I keep it even cooler than before and wear winter jackets, hoodies inside to keep from using much power. I use a fan in the hot summertime. I've always been thrifty with utilities and water. Turning off the water heater (USA it is usually on all the time). It takes two hours to reheat. The last power bill had tips on wearing more clothes etc. They raised the rates as they want us to pay for solar and wind generators, not using the millions in profits to pay for upgrades, of course. Ho-hum. -LOVE your tree.

[@missworm]

Dungarees are brilliant. You don’t get any ‘gaps’ at the waist and you get an extra layer front and back - not to mention all the pockets. Better for the digestion too because there’s no tightness round the middle. From Autumn to Spring I wear two pairs of socks (one knee high) and two pairs of knickers, one ‘ordinary’ pair and then a pair of girlie boxers! Can’t bear a cold bottom!

[@jensissons5709]

I have an electric throw ...saves putting on heating when sitting. Microwave wet flannel for a few seconds for hot wash.

[@Meli_Mels]

Love the Christmas tree.

[@bestbargainfashion5575]

Thank you so much for your channel! LUV Mazy. :)

[@heatherinparis]

Love your tree

[@cathymillar9900]

I’m like you. I wear an article of clothes several times before washing them. Wash all tops, underwear and socks in net bags in order to protect them. They last for years and years. Merry Christmas.

[@BeFree-BeFrugal]

I’m the same as you I have a torch in every room so if m just popping in I use that , season’s greetings 🎄

[@lizb4156]

A dressing gown helps a lot. I can't afford to heat my house and wear more clothes. Going out helps too as you're warmer walking about outside sometimes.

[@happydodson6920]

I’m mulling over some of those very good ideas you gave us for saving on our utility bills - and have been telling my husband about those I think we could use here more effectively. He was a bit startled at the idea of turning off the water heater unless actually bathing and thus washing our hands in cold water. I think that’s a very good idea. Compromise for the time being might be to lower the heat maintained in our water heater. Your three pairs of socks are a great solution for the cold feet in winter problem. But please be very careful not to slip and fall!

[@madeleine7729]

Please everyone check with your plumber before turning down your water tank. If the tank is not hot enough it can harbour legionella bacteria and make you very sick. The correct temperature depends on the type of tank so will be specific to what you have in your country.

[@karenmancina9517]

Love this lady

[@carolynek1875]

I'm from the United States and I really can't complain about our electric or gas heat I don't consider mine high ..I have central air conditioning and yes it is a new central air but, in summer my highest bill was I think $45 a month yes I do live in a condo and my heating bill was no more than like $55 in winter a month ..I don't know if that's high for you out where you live but, for me it's very manageable. Even in a house when I lived in one for 28 years My heat which is gas was about $70 in winter and my electric was in the $40 dollar range in winter each remember electrics always cheaper in winter for us than it is in summer and heat is very cheap in summer compared to Winter so I really can't complain about my utilities I can complain about the food prices I guess that makes up for the utilities.. food is so expensive out here tho .. thanks for the great video

[@mssdn8976]

My husband is a member of the council gym, £10 a month, he always showers there, I imagine that’s cheaper than a month’s worth of showers and he enjoys it

[@rubyjools]

* I bought a 2nd hand slow cooker, €3, it was still boxed & un-used. It uses the same as a 60 watt light bulb on low i believe. You can cook a whole meal if you organise yourself to put it on first thing in the morning. Cake, soups, stews, rice pudding, jacket potatoes. .amazing what it can do.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

I had a slow cooker for years. It was useful when I went to work. Fill it up in the morning, hot meal when I got home at night. I hadn't used it for years, so I gave it away. Thanks for the tip. ilona

[@shahlaf887]

I like your Christmas tree🎄

[@Traveler13]

Some useful advice

[@jacwindsor5552]

I have a winter sleeping bag for my bed... and a hot water bottle on very cold days. The sleeping bag is great as it gets rid of the draughts too. I have an electric blanket but I didn't need it at all last year. I do think that getting good socks is important. I use motion sensor lights indoors and solar camping lights. I hardly every use my normal lights at all unless i am cooking, doing crafts or hunting for my glasses. I do think frugal living is a superpower. I can't imagine how comfortably off people cope with their bills with the cost of living crisis - they often have several cars, lots of kids, lots of rooms, and lots of other expenses

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Hello Jac. Thank you for those great tips.

[@jacwindsor5552]

No probs.we will survive

[@juliekane769]

Just found your chanel.great advice

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Hello Julie and welcome. Nice to meet you.

[@paulagarcia7777]

Thank you! 😊

[@lesleythomson2823]

Cutting down to a 5 minute shower every other day , really not a problem x

[@garypowers6991]

I have a bath every day relaxes the muscles and eases my back ache for bed, fixed my energy costs before the massive increases so not too high, don’t drink so hot water and heat a day is far less than the cost of a pint in local pub, as I’m still working, not extravagant but there’s no way I’ll sit in an un heated house it’s not healthy

[@sheenamaclean8324]

Now I work from home and live alone I only shower about twice a week (or if I'm going out out, not to the shops I mean). Also just boil a kettle to do the washing up or fill up a flask from kettle dregs to use for washing up.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

That's exactly what I do. So many ways to cut down on electric and gas.

[@ryanjamespemberton9190]

I use outdoor solar string lights inside the house around my window and i put the solar panel box on the window ledge other than that i use tea light candles not only for light but for warmth

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

I think I might try that. I have a string of lights in the garden. They work quite well.

[@ryanjamespemberton9190]

@@meanqueensuperscrimper8908 ​ I have some tips and tricks you could use also. I use bird lantern feeders to go room to room they are solar powered and only cost 0.50p because they was ugly so they went into the sales. I cut my broadband off by realizing i have my own mobile phone for internet so i tether my laptop to my phone and i have no internet or telephone bill just a mobile phone bill which is £25.00 a month with everything. I lowered my gas by having a swimming membership now i pay so i can go at leisure which is £15per month but that means i can have a super hot shower everyday which has also reduced my water consumption there are schemes where people can get a free hour in the swimming baths that can be prescribed by the doctor. I now have over £200 saved in my gas bill account and over £100 in my electricity but i am also a person who doesnt run alot of things in the home and switches things off i also turn the boiler off at the wall of a night but i also save £15.00per year on my water bill by reducing the amount of water that's needed for flushing the toilet all the waste is taken away but i filled a bottle up with stones so that means the system fills up but only for half the amount every time. air conditioning in the summer if you open 1 window at front of the house and 1 at the back a vortex is created from 1 to the other which means by the time the air goes to exit your home its cooled down.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

@@ryanjamespemberton9190 Thank you for your list. All very useful tips for people wanting to save money.

[@veganc5028]

I live in Canada and during winter, we cannot go without heat. It gets -20° here. You're lucky that you can turn off your heating

[@gillianhope7742]

I agree with wearing extra gloves the ,some of my family have heating on all day and night And windows open !!! Madness

[@joannaallsop5926]

Hi shower daily . Although I do agree with some of your things .🎅🎅🎄🎁

[@youtubemembers40]

You have to remember if its cold no matter how warm you are in all your layers your still breathing in cold air which is really bad for you. If your cold your cold put the heating on.

[@ibislife]

I am so happy I have a woodburning stove.

[@glendalawson150]

Google an air fryer, you will be pleasantly surprised how good it is for one person cooking/roasting.

[@glendalawson150]

I have recently acquired an air fryer. Its ideal for one person, heats to 230deg C in a very short time and cooks (roasts) food much quicker than an oven. I have a 5.7 litre size. May I suggest you google it to see what it can do.

[@theclumsyprepper]

I love my air fryer.

[@shaw99livecouk]

Unplug your Electric items tvs etc microwave as they use alot of electric on stand by.

[@jerrychetty2524]

Good tips for energy saving but Eish I just have to get a shower or bath every single day otherwise I can't sleep!

[@pebbles987]

Mixed feelings about this: it’s 2021 we are in a 1st world country and the fact that some people are choosing between eating or heating is absolutely disgusting

[@Stantorr]

Energy has never been overly abundant, and there's always a cost to produce it. it is good to use the old tricks and save.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

pebbles, people should also think about the other things they spend their money on. It's not a case of either, or. If people are in the habit of going to the pub on a regular basis, they could be cutting back on that. If they choose to have a flashy car, or a new sofa, maybe they should think twice and put the money towards their food and utilities. It's all about priorities.

[@ashleybosvik3031]

Priorities are the key

[@lynnoorman2144]

Yes meanqeen, I agree, some spend their money in ways that are not sensible. But a) they probably were not bought up to budget and b) large companies spend billions of pounds giving the impression that a luxury lifestyle is everybody's right. The recent changes to the national curriculum discourage the kind of individual thinking that you do so well. There is nothing in it about budgeting btw.

[@colinchick2692]

With global warming the 21st century is exactly the time when we should start to conserve as much power as possible. People should have enough money to eat and be warm. However, as Ilona said, she is not cold nor does she miss out on food it is just a choice of how you provide that.-warm layers will provide warmth just as well as sitting in a Tshirt with central heating. i also grew up with the same habits that Ilona did (everybody did the same) so it is not weird for me although I do understand that for some that are much younger it might be eccentric. You pays your money and you takes your choice.

[@shaw99livecouk]

Single people buy a small kettle for brewing up

[@shaw99livecouk]

Using boilers for washing up means you could have meters of pipe filled with water going cold..better to use the kettle or point of use water heaters...

[@junemarshall6680]

Good for you to not waste electric and other utilities. I hibernate all winter and spend most of my time in my bed with the blankets over my legs to keep warm. We never put on the heating unless our daughter is here then we put it on for her or for any visitors. I wear my clothes in bed during the day. I do my art in bed, just put a plastic sheet over the bed-clothes and paint away and even frame them in my bed. junOmars from Ireland xx

[@gillianhope7742]

I have all electric and it. Is all green but it is expensive , what do you intend to do when government say no more gas boilers ?

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Won't happen in my lifetime. I will be dead then.

[@denisewehling649]

Slipper socks ... Mukluks

[@mssdn8976]

I’ve not heard that word for many years, made me smile

[@Houseatnumber9]

I find if my feet are cold the rest of me is cold so I wear 2 or even 3 pairs of socks my feet look huge but who cares 😂

[@kimberlyrathburn2443]

so funny

[@davidthomas-ot4cl]

I'm curious why you are so frugal when you own your own home outright and don't have kids to leave it to. You could be living it up in your later years with a reverse mortgage.

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

I will be. I intend to leave with nothing.