Estimations for Budget, Can u Help??

[jbhawkeye]

Another question- Drive time from North Katy off of Mason and 10 to Fuqua St near Hobby Airport OR from Sugar Land to Fuqua? About an hour??????

[Maybe So]

$150 a month for water???

I am looking in my bill register right now...we have four people in our house (including 2 kids who take a bath nightly) and a sprinkler system. We set the sprinklers for three nights a week in the summer months. We have a fairly large backyard - not acres but good size for a typical Houston neighborhood. Anyway...during non-summer months, our City of Houston water bill averages about $35-$40. In the summer months (June - Sept), it averages about $100.

I should add that our garbage pick-up is private and not part of that bill.

[sbhubbell]

I think $400 is reasonable...maybe as much as $500 in summer for electric. I kept my house at 78 last summer and was fine.
Yeah $150 sounds way high to me for water, even with a sprinkler system.
Our trash is included in our HOA fees. Our gas bills are pretty low, $100 max in winter.

[Jezer]

Originally Posted by jbhawkeye

Another question- Drive time from North Katy off of Mason and 10 to Fuqua St near Hobby Airport OR from Sugar Land to Fuqua? About an hour??????

What time of day?

[EasilyAmused]

hmmm. well I have 15 zones and a big old pool......and I know it picks up to two showers a day in the summer and the laundry majorly increases. But I've had water bills over 200 bucks. But I'm not in a MUD that tends to be lower monthly, but taxes you annually.

I'm a water hawg I guess. Oink Oink

[sbhubbell]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

hmmm. well I have 15 zones and a big old pool......and I know it picks up to two showers a day in the summer and the laundry majorly increases. But I've had water bills over 200 bucks. But I'm not in a MUD that tends to be lower monthly, but taxes you annually.

I'm a water hawg I guess. Oink Oink

Well THAT explains it! Hehe. I prefer to be stinky I guess, my hair can only handle showering every other day and deoderant has to work the rest of the time. And I am in a MUD, although a relatively cheap one for Katy. Laundry does pick up in summer but I can fit more shorts in a load than jeans so I don't notice it too much.

[piyf]

3000sqft house in the summer to keep at 78-79. Good luck not paying what a Corvette would cost monthly. I think 500 may be a low ball figure.

I would estimate that for the whole year, your average for your utilities would be about 700/month and don't expect it to be over 900 during the summer.

You'll soon realize that Deregulation is making people go broke.

[piyf]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

hmmm. well I have 15 zones and a big old pool......and I know it picks up to two showers a day in the summer and the laundry majorly increases. But I've had water bills over 200 bucks. But I'm not in a MUD that tends to be lower monthly, but taxes you annually.

I'm a water hawg I guess. Oink Oink

I thought MUD tax made water more expensive?

[Wysiwyg]

2600sqft house, 12cents/kw, 78-80degrees, AC off when noone is at home (office hours 4 days a week). about 8 halogen spotlights around the house

with the baby and nanny now, our house is 70degrees 24/7 and i've been paying $100 to $130 so i may be paying double that in the summer

[jbhawkeye]

wow-so many different answers! Well, based on this I will be keeping air as high as we can tolerate to actually figure it out for ourselves!!!

Drive time was for an 8-5 schedule, but someone through an agency told me NOT to take a job that far!

Thanks for your help guys-atleast I know what to ask...is the home in a mud zone, lock into a low electric rate when putting those in my name, perhaps what the average water bill has been for the previous owner?