We're also on an averaging plan, and it works out to about $250 a month.
The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)
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epicuric
Legendary Member
Monthly council tax (covers local services - bin collection, contribution to emergency services etc.) is just short of £260 per month. Bins get emptied every other week. Where's my passport?
Yorky
RIP 21/01/2024
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Council tax?
When I first built my house 20 years ago I asked my (well-to-do) neighbour about rates. He told me then that he'd lived there for 10 years and not paid a satang. Neither of us have paid anything since (except the bin money).
Council water we pay by the cubic meter (about 25 pence) but we also have a downhole well for groundwater which is free. Sewage is dealt with by septic tank and cess pits which need emptying about every two years at a current cost of £25.00.
Our trash pickup is about $20/month. I like the trash company here, because they do the sorting for recycling, I don't have to mess with that at all, and they'll take anything, as long as you call them first to give them fair warning. I've put out a rusted truck tailgate, a projection TV, a queen-sized mattress. They take it all, no extra charge.
When I lived in Minnesota, they made us do the recycling, which was a massive PITA, because they had eight or nine categories of recyclables, and if you got one wrong, they'd leave it, along with a nasty note, saying "This is wrong, get it right next time or we'll stop your service," but never tell you exactly what was wrong.
Also, they wouldn't take anything, hardly, besides household trash. Nothing oversized, no yard waste, nothing. And it cost twice as much, and that was over 15 years ago.
When I lived in Minnesota, they made us do the recycling, which was a massive PITA, because they had eight or nine categories of recyclables, and if you got one wrong, they'd leave it, along with a nasty note, saying "This is wrong, get it right next time or we'll stop your service," but never tell you exactly what was wrong.
Also, they wouldn't take anything, hardly, besides household trash. Nothing oversized, no yard waste, nothing. And it cost twice as much, and that was over 15 years ago.
mjd
Veteran
My electric bill is usually between $20-$30/month. Everything is electric except the heat (which is included in rent).
I rent now so trash pick-up is included. We have to pay $20 for oversized items (things that don't fit in the dumpster) so many of my neighbors just stuff their sofas, chairs and other big items in the dumpster. One guy got mad about something and literally ripped every painting, pamphlet, posters and everything else on the common area walls into the dumpster.
My ex's grandfather was really good about recycling. He composted and burned paper and cardboard. He literally ONLY threw away a few cans/tins each week for recycle pick-up.
I rent now so trash pick-up is included. We have to pay $20 for oversized items (things that don't fit in the dumpster) so many of my neighbors just stuff their sofas, chairs and other big items in the dumpster. One guy got mad about something and literally ripped every painting, pamphlet, posters and everything else on the common area walls into the dumpster.
My ex's grandfather was really good about recycling. He composted and burned paper and cardboard. He literally ONLY threw away a few cans/tins each week for recycle pick-up.
epicuric
Legendary Member
Council tax doesn't cover water/sewage. That's privatised, and is another £400/an.
Yorky
RIP 21/01/2024
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I couldn't survive in the UK. My beer bill would exceed my OAP, never mind all the other charges.
mjd
Veteran
What do you all think about a permanent calendar? I was just reading about it. The biggest change would be all days are the same day of the week each month and it would add an extra week every six years.
The article gives a brief history including George Eastmans attempt and then the latest iteration.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2020...1-its-time-to-adopt-a-permanent-calendar/amp/
There are 6 calendars other than the Georgian (which is used in the US).
6 Calendars Around the World - ALTA Language Services
What do you think? Would it make life simpler once we got the hang of things?
The article gives a brief history including George Eastmans attempt and then the latest iteration.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2020...1-its-time-to-adopt-a-permanent-calendar/amp/
There are 6 calendars other than the Georgian (which is used in the US).
6 Calendars Around the World - ALTA Language Services
What do you think? Would it make life simpler once we got the hang of things?
What does your beer cost per litre and what strength?
That's very good. I wish our collection did that.
Lullabelle
Midlands, England
It's snowingOur trash collection is once a week two, and it is part of our city utilities bill (water, sewer, trash), and runs about $45 a month for me. Large families use more water, so their bills are higher. Water and sewer amounts are based on water usage.
CD
I'm sorry if I insulted one or more members with my spelling posts (here; I deleted the one about "tumeric" but it can be seen in the comments of other members); they were more about my persnickety and sarcastic nature than about anyone's occasional misspelling. We all misspell at times - and I certainly am not picking on anyone's English or persona. Tumeric (corr. turmeric) is a very common misspelling which stems from the pronunciation and is an absolutely negligible thing for anyone else than a non-native English speaker (like me) who has to focus on spelling and grammatical matters on a daily basis - and thus (maybe) spots misspellings a bit easier. I emphasize once again that this whole misspelling show is not about any member, their skills or personas. It's about my pedantic nature and closed-mindedness - and my apparent flaws in social behavior. Peace, I hope - and end of misspelling discussion.
We have large, rolling trash carts, a blue one for recyclables, and a black one for trash. We put them out at the curb the night before trash day. Three trucks come around. One empties the blue cart (all robotic, just one driver on board who doesn't leave the air-conditioned truck), one empties the black one, and one truck picks up yard waste, which has to be in special yard waste bags that are compostable (cheap, and available in lots of stores, like Walmart).
The yard waste goes to a facility where it is tuned into mulch and compost, which is bagged and sold.
We have to schedule a day for large item pick-ups. We get two free pick-ups per year, then have to pay for them.
Note: the green carts have been replaced by blue carts
CD
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Now I'm going to have to read all your posts for misspellings!
I used to be very adamant about my own posts - to this day I nearly (but not always) preview my posts for correct spelling and (what I think is) correct grammar, but in the last couple of years, I think my brain has stopped working because I'll see something of mine quoted...and there's a mistake.
I'm pretty forgiving with other people, just not with myself. I had an English creative writing professor (in both senses of the word English), and you'd have thought he'd have been a stickler for such things...nope. His philosophy was, "If I understand what you're trying to communicate, then you've done your job getting your message across to me."
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