Utility Average Payments

[MonkeyMama]

Wow, okay. So I guess I'm just totally wrong, and I should actually look into it once we're eligible. The fact that they do a "true-up" is actually reassuring to me, because it means we really are paying the exact same amount over time, it's just alot more consistent except for those true-up months. My thought process is exactly like MM -- the consistency of something like that would be awesome. Well, I'm wrong today, nice to be kept humble. Thanks everybody!

Honestly, I think my gut reaction was it sounded stupid. I don't remember why I changed my mind, but maybe after everyone talked it up so much on SA. I think I particularly like it from a "pay ourselves first" kind of mindset. We literally transfer the same dollars (from my salary) into savings/investments every month. No need to put any more brain power than that. We do that and then anything extra just goes to savings. But it's never going to go the other way (less to put to savings) if you can lock in salary and expenses every month.

[HundredK]

I think I particularly like it from a "pay ourselves first" kind of mindset.

And I'm just the opposite. I love budgeting for the maximum amount our bill has ever been, and then each month when the bill comes in, I transfer the difference right into our savings. It's a fun little savings activity each month. I also think we're a bit more conscious about how much we're using when we know the bill for it is coming within 30 days. I sometimes see my parents get lax about it with their budget billing plan, and it comes back to bite them later. To each their own!

[disneysteve]

Honestly, I think my gut reaction was it sounded stupid.

Same here. My initial reaction was that this was for people who couldn't handle if the bill was $100 one month but $175 the next. They live paycheck to paycheck and wouldn't have any reserve to cover that, so the budget plan evened out the bills for them. It didn't seem like something we had any need for. But as we've all said, it's nice having that piece of things simplified. Also, since we have auto-pay set up, I know exactly how much will be taken out each month which is nice.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I have done balanced billing since living on the east coast. Heating bills are atrocious and it's easier to just pay all year and have it smoothed out. It's horrible when you have $22 bills in the summer (no a/c) and then $600 heating bills in the winter old homes.

[bjl584]

I have done balanced billing since living on the east coast. Heating bills are atrocious and it's easier to just pay all year and have it smoothed out. It's horrible when you have $22 bills in the summer (no a/c) and then $600 heating bills in the winter old homes.

This is why I did the balance bill when I had my old house.
I no longer have gas heat.
I have an oil furnace and a coal stove now, so I'm buying fuel all at once during the summer.

I think that the company that I buy oil from has a monthly payment option, but I've never used it.

[ua_guy]

We don't do the budget plan for our propane bill. Propane companies want you locked into a tank lease and automated delivery of fuel so you're fixated on their monthly payment instead of the market price of fuel. Makes it harder to calculate actual usage when the delivery intervals are uneven. But, there is the benefit of having a steady bill...devil is in the details though.

[terri77]

When they changed out my meter this year they mistakenly charged me between 3-4 times of what I actually used. I wonder if I was doing the level payment plan would I have noticed the error? I no longer get paper statements so I don’t look at my usage online. I just know what I used the month before & I would investigate any large deviation from that. I like paying what I actually use per month for those reasons.

[disneysteve]

I no longer get paper statements so I don’t look at my usage online.

This is the reason why I continue to get paper bills. I know that I can review everything online but the reality was that I didn't. I got stung by that once with our cable bill and didn't notice a recurring error for over a year. Totally my fault but it wouldn't have happened had I been getting paper statements, so I switched back.