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Friday, March 27, 2015

Keeping up with the snail mail



Oh boy, I just filled out another temporary change of address form. Thank goodness it can be done on-line. It costs $1.05, but that's cheaper than the fuel needed to get to the post office.

Good thing all my important bills can be paid on-line. The paper bills have been catching up to me just a few days before they are due or in some cases after. Yesterday I paid my car and medical insurance. Today the paper bills came in. I mark them “paid on-line” and pack them up in my computer bag. Of course, I also save electronic confirmation of payment.

Some bills are non recurring and take some time to catch up with us. For example I just got a bill from my wife's eye doctor who she saw back in December. It took until recently for the insurances to figure out what they would pay and what we owe.

Then there's the darn electric bill. Normally our bill is around $25 -$30. Most of that is the just the “meter fee.” Back in December we used a lot of electricity. The solar panels didn't get much sun and we even used some electric heaters. The bill was around $120, which is very high for us. Our January bill was just as high, which is odd as for most of the month we were gone and main power breaker turned off. That's an indicator that they never read the meter. They just sent a bill based on the previous month's usage.

My lovely wife suggested that we just ignore that bill. I'm fine with that. Eventually they'll 'read the meter and make corrections. . . or not. Whatever. That's the attitude one gets when they make most of their own power. Threats of being shut off don't impress us much.

We can't even deal with the electric company on-line as they bought out our old electric company since we've been traveling. The old Internet contacts no longer apply.

Henry David Thoreau told us to simplify, simplify, simplify. One does what one can, but in the modern world there are limits. Even those folks who live in a small remote cabin have paperwork to deal with these days. Sorry Henry.

-Sixbears

10 comments:

  1. To simplify is to control your own life. It is difficult because that means others cant control your life for you. WHO are you to take that from them? :)

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    1. I guess that makes me some kind of a subversive.

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  2. Does living on a boat keep looking better?

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  3. Sort of reminds me of the old Briar Rabbet story. . . "please don't throw me in the brier patch." Yep, you can tell that to the electric company.

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    1. It's nice to have some leeway when dealing with big business.

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  4. Here, if you are three days late they come pull off your meter from your house and cut off the electricity. Unless, of course, you are on the board of directors, then your company can owe the electric membership coop $250,000 and when somebody finds out and raises a stink, the EMC says "oh, it was just an accounting error."

    My Power bill runs between $200 and $300 a month, largely because I have these outbuildings that have to be climate controlled year round. I actually heat the main building with propane heaters, now that I am not burning wood so much anymore.

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    1. I was just able to log into my electric bill account. Now they say I owe them $26. They must have gotten around to reading the meter.

      They don't really make a fuss until you owe over $100, or at least it was that way with the previous power company. Don't know if the rules changed, not do I much care.

      Of course, the rules are different for the rich and powerful.

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  5. The mail is already rolling in...
    Ski club had that happen in Jan too. We asked them to read the meter and they did and fixed it. Must have been that area didn't have anyone out that month.

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    1. Thanks for the heads up. Just got a corrected bill of $26.

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