The electricity bill came in the other day. Apparently it does this every month. I don't do finances so it went straight in the large pile of official looking mail with carbonlite's name on. In his new role as global head of house environment, he read it and wept. "Do you know how much electricity we use in this house?" he asked. "Not really" I said breezily, munching cheese on toast, healthily burnt around the edges. "Well, do you want to know?" he countered. "Not really," I replied, sinking my teeth into creamy toasted cheddar. "How much do we spend a month on our gas and electricity bills?" he suddenly cried out of nowhere. "Tell me that? How much? Do you even know?" "Well....I don't know for sure...but I reckon..." I had to put down my toast. I realised I hadn't a clue. Five pounds? fifty pounds? Five hundred pounds? I made a calculated guess. "...I reckon about fifty quid?"
"Forty pounds! Forty pounds a month! We HAVE to do something about that." He went off to check the light switches had been turned off in the boys bedrooms. And I sat there looking at my toast, which now sagged in the middle under the weight of congealed cheese. The truth was I felt rather ashamed. Why don't I know how much our bills cost? Have I been so disconnected from reality and cushioned by suburban life that I'm competely unaware of how much we spend on basic things? I vowed to get more involved in the finances and behind the scenes running of the house in future. Of course, I still pile up the boring mail for carbonlite to open, well he's got to have something to do around the house.
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