Here We Go: I Need To Vent
December 19, 2011 in My Updates by brok1881
So I got my second round of bills as a new renter, experiencing, as my older brother would call it, ‘the real world’. Upon opening them, I was instantly reminded why I enjoyed living in a cluttered, and inhumanly sized abode. See, before Jason and I decided to rent this specific house, we did our research. I called each one of the utility companies, and got an estimate on what I would be paying each month. It’s called budgeting, which I guess the utilities know nothing about. Between the electric company, and the gas company (they are separate here) I was told that $70 was the average monthly bill. So for the first month we lived he, we did what we would normally, almost in a lax way. Being the first month in a new house, of course there was running the vacuum for about 2 days straight, cleaning all the vents and what not. Then I went out and got the best HEPA filter possible for the furnace, and circulated the house’s air for about the first week, to make sure it was nice and fresh. Then there was all the water usage, scrubbing, cleaning, and getting the place to my comfort level. When it was a little warm, we ran the A/C. When it was a little cold, we ran the heat. For the first month, just acted as comfortable as possible so we could base our energy, heat, and water usage accordingly. The first electricity bill was about $78. That’s fair, normal monthly usage, with a little more than normal usage. The Gas bill ended up being like $58, less than estimated. So after that bill, the vacuum cleaner was returned to the store, the house was clean, and the normal water usage dropped to just our quick showers, the toilet, and washing dishes. Mind you, I have no washer and dryer, and no TV. Well, I have a little 19″ HDTV but it hardly runs, at least the last couple of months. Then we have our laptops, and we use energy-efficient light bulbs. We also do not have a dish-washer, and our furnace and stove is gas. So this month, I open the electricity bill, and its $95!! They told me that the highest bill, was around $70. Not only this, but I know we used less energy this month than the month before, because for the previous billing cycle, we were running fans, the vacuüm and other high energy-usage items. This was not right at all.
So, as anyone that knows me knows, I called them up and called them out on this. I explained to them that the reason I called to get an estimate on the utilities before moving in, was so that I could budget my money, and see if I could even afford to live here. I barely could. So the woman answers the phone and I explain all of the above to her. I explained that I’m on Food Stamps, I don’t have a consistent income, and the amount of my bill is WAY higher than I was told it would be, and it scares me to think what it will be the next month. It basically came down to there was nothing she could do. This just isn’t fair. So I opened the water bill, $20 more than last month. Keep in mind, these are bills for a complete billing cycle. So I’m so lost at what to do. I guess just stay frustrated.
I have this desire, this dream, this goal, to not be a slave to anyone. Not to the system, not to ‘The Man’, not to a person, no one. I just want to live. I want to wake up, and ponder whether I want to read a book for the day, or go out and explore a new town, or new people. Or even go help the nearest person that I can. I don’t want to live every day, contemplating if this, ‘living as free as possible’ thing is hopeless. I don’t want to question if how I’m living life is right or wrong. In reality, there shouldn’t be a wrong way to live your life. I mean, obviously you gotta have morals. Everyone deserves to have freedom. But I feel when you have to work so hard, and actually waste so much precious life just working to meet basic human needs, something is wrong. I’m not going to live without heat or electricity. I’ve done it before, and it was such horrible living. At the same time, I’m not going to devote 40+ hours/week of my life being someone’s slave, just to scrape by.
Laziness is what most people would see it as. I’m just lazy. That is the furthest from the truth, at least to me. Laziness is lack of energy. I have energy. I have a ton of it. There is so much I want to do, not only for myself, but for my friends, for my family, for people I’ve never even met. I just don’t have the energy to do something because It’s expected of me.
So my power bill. I feel duped by them. I thought I was doing the responsible, and trusting thing, to call them ahead of time to see what I should expect to pay. I didn’t know that I also should have had a lawyer on the line, with a tape-recorder, as well as get the name, social security #, and blood-type of the person that told me that.
So do I pay it, like everyone else? Do I let them trick me, fool me. Lose my ass so this huge corporation doesn’t cut me off to a basic human need? I’m not crazy either, as much as some of you might be thinking now, because I got my water bill today as well, and it’s $20 than it was averaged as well, and this is at a totally different company. Yes, the company I pay to let me drink water and flush my toilet. Meanwhile, the pipes that run the stuff and going to shit all over due to not being maintained for the last 50+ years.
It’s all just so fucking stupid. I want the closest thing I had to a free life back. I had no idea that renting a house for the winter would take such a toll on my humanity.
Well my friend, the first thing that I would do is find out what day your meters are read and you read them also and keep a record of it. Some utility companies just estimate rather than actually read them. If the house is not sealed then cover the windows with plastic and put stripping around the doors. The windows will look ghetto but at least the air wont go in or out. As for the water, again watch the meter. I would check daily for a week just to get an idea of what you use then maybe weekly. Find out what the average consumption for two ppl would be and how many gallons were in that 70 dollars they quoted you. After that I don’t know… I hope this helps and gives you some ideas to track your consumption. Normally the winter months have a higher gas bill and lower electric bill. Okay, if you have a question, you know how to reach me. Good luck! Oh what’s in your store?
Do you know what “average” means? It doesn’t mean that $70 is the highest you’ll have to pay. That means it’s about the middle and will go higher or lower. And working for a living doesn’t make you a slave, either.
But you shouldn’t have to work full-time to live.
Mike, I luv you, but back in my day we called what you are advocating as a HIPPIE lifestyle. You just said a mouthful when you said ” you shouldn’t have to work full-time to live ” Boy life is a struggle, from the day we are born, until, the day we die. Work puts food on the table, no work puts crap on the table, its about time you give up on the Marxist Lenninst idea, that the wealth of a country should be equally shared, Russia tried feebly from 1917 to 1990, and they were waiting on lines for bread, then another line for potatoes, then the longest line for Vodka, to drown their sorrows. ” WORK SHALL SET YOU FREE “
And why shouldn’t you have to work? You can’t just expect everything for free you know!
I don’t expect anything for free. I just think people should be working to make the World a better place, not working just to drink water and stay warm, or make a single person wealthy. I don’t think my point transferred to words very well.
Perhaps Jason could chuck in a few bucks…less time bloging and a few more hours working on a “goal” in life would help make your life better…trust me if i didnt have to work 40+ hours I wouldnt , but guess what, I have to ..its all part of being an adult. Sorry to be so blunt but if you want to be a free spirit, then find yourself a rich daddy!
I have a couple of start-up ideas, along with a couple of invention ideas, but it takes money to get there.
I would make the same comment as many of the previous ones. If you think life isn’t fair, you are right. But look at the other species on this planet. How many bees, squirrels, hyenas or impala’s have a carefree, stress-free life?
You don’t have to worry about pollinating a zillion flowers for your colony, or worried about getting eaten by a lion. Don’t you think that’s worth 40 hours of your work every week?
I guess this is the problem of me doing a blog post when I’m upset. I, in no way, think that my life should be care-free, and that I shouldn’t have to work. I do work. I work from the time I get up, to the time I go to bed. I don’t even really take time out for myself. I don’t give myself 2 days off a week. From when I wake up, until I go to bed, every day of the week, I am working to keep what I have, and make the next day better for me, and everyone around me. But to think that making myself, and the people around me comfortable isn’t enough to get by in life is kind of overwhelming. A good example, is two parents that both work full-time to be able to raise two kids. They may be able to pay all of the bills, and keep a roof over their kids head, but they are missing out on the lives of their children. Combined, they are out of the house for over 80 hours a week, away from their kids. But if they decided that it was more important to raise their kids, and spend the time to raise them to be great people, they would lose their house and everything. To go on even further with that, both parents are spending all that time away from their children working their asses off, so their boss can spend all the time he wants with his kids.
I just think that in reality, there is so much more to life than money. You should work because you enjoy doing it. You should work because you enjoy seeing people benefit from what you do. If that is how the world really was, people would have a lot more integrity, and time for their loved-ones. I guess I just need to be more ruthless in life, and be like ‘everyone else’.
What we need here is a balance. If you dont take time for yourself Mike, than you are not doing a service to yourself of appreciating who you are. I always take time out each day just for me.
While I understand you not wanting to be tied down to some work place for 40 hours a week, maybe it is the type of work environment you have experienced that makes you so leery of wanting to find something to do for some one else and have them give you a pay check every week or twice a month.?
Now I know you have many talents and abilities that border on the Genius Level, but most mere mortals just dont quite know how to handle that. So you need to g out on your own, like self-employment. A think tank would be an ideal situation for you. Money, there is all kinds of money available, millions of not more being made available for those that just ask for it.
Like what I do for a living, I just got a voice mail from “The Powers that Be” asking me how much more money I want for my budget next year? See I set the price, because my Customers need what I do for them. I dont take my position with them for granted either.
You just need to find the same sort of situation for You. There are lots of opportunities available for anyone that wants to im prove their way of life. Living in a small town does limit choices, because the economic base there is limited. May I suggest you find a place where there is a more diversified economic base and has a college or university near by? Why? Because that is where Think Tanks and Entrepreneurs have places to meet and things to do and thereby network with each other.
As an example of one of your many useful talents that can earn you money is the pictures you have taken and posted on line. With your knowledge using Phtotshop, I am certain you could be earning more money. There are plenty of places on line to sell those. I made over $1K with my cameras, taking pictures of food at the local Farmers Markets, plus getting food from the vendors. I spent an average of 4 hours one day a week doing that. It was all about marketing their products for the vendors on line and giving them a CD of their products to use . Now how difficult is that for you?
Your State Tourism Board, needs and wants people to come and visit their State. There is money dedicated for people that know how to take pictures, to sell that State’s image.
Now what else can you be doing? Why not post a List of My Talents and Abilities on this Blog and see what happens?