A lot about my bills

I have some time before work so I'll cram in a post.

I started my cycle last night.  Not a big deal, normally, but during the Hurricane/flood I had some drama with my cycle.  Days of light spotting, then WHAM a very heavy flow when I did not expect it.

So I am doubling up on my protection, a pad and a tampon.  I feel kind of "stifled" but this menopause (?) business is nothing to fool with.  I haven't been surprised like that since my teens.  This month, actually, makes 30 years.  Say 11 a year, 330 cycles.  That's a lot of products!

Ron always teases me and says I could take that "four periods a year" stuff but I believe it is contraindicated, like most oral birth control, for obese, middle-aged, women with a strong family history (both parents and two grandparents) of heart disease.  I'm fine with that.

After all, it has to come to an end, sometime, right?

I slept pretty well last night.  I kept waking up thirsty but that is pretty normal for me.  I drink about 2 quarts of water every night, and get up a couple times to urinate.  That's the medication.  Too much or not enough water, and I'm in big trouble.  But better too much than not enough.

It's humid out.  Ron's been running the air conditioner a lot.  He got a new pricing plan so the electricity costs about half what it used to, running about $70 a month so far in the dead of summer.  This month will probably be about $70, also.  We won't find out for another week or so.

The only problem with the electricity, we have to go to the "payment center" to pay it.  Ron made a mistake paying with his checking account on the phone, and it declined.  Apparently, when it declines a payment you are no longer allowed to use that payment method EVER again.  It's not a big deal, I think, but it bothers him sometimes.

He's already prepaid the gas so we won't have to pay on that until probably November/December, depending on the weather.

In the summer, we keep the thermostat around 80 degrees.  Most Houstonians would shudder at that.  They like it more like 65, but I am not wearing a sweater in my own home, in the summer, and paying for it.  That's just stupid.  I like it about 80.

In the winter, we keep it more about 70 degrees.  It is still nice and toasty, but not too hot, or expensive.  The gas is pretty cheap, generally.  It runs about $100 a month in the winter, plus maybe $50 for the electricity to run the fan blowers and stuff.  During the summer it is about $20 a month,and most of that is just the connection fee.

The water bill costs about $25-$30 a month.  We use about 2,000 gallons of water a month.  Our garbage pickup (about $15) is included in the bill.

That covers pretty much all our utilities.  Of course we have homeowners insurance, taxes (plenty of those), Homeowners association fee (not too bad), flood insurance (we're about to pay that, this week), and I feel I'm forgetting something else.

As homeowners, if something breaks it is on us to fix it.  So we do.

The cats are doing well today.  Biscuit was just in here, scratching on his cardboard scratcher.  Baby Girl was first at the food when I served it up, this morning.  Tuna Feast.  Torbie has been around, in and out, but playing aloof.

I just hope they are all happy living with me.  They seem to be, but it's hard to tell.