AUBREY BEAUCHAMP, Capistrano Beach
Last year, my January gas bill was $76. This year, the weather was colder with more gas use, and I expected a higher bill. I was right. In January this year, it went up to $117. I began to leave most rooms of my house unheated and just warm up one room. Also, I began to wear three layers of clothes.
Then the February bill came at a stiff $250. I am a senior on a fixed income, and this increase stretched my budget.
I conserved more heat and waited with bated breath for the next bill. It came at an astonishing $346.
With it, and separate mailings, came notes saying that, compared to other customers, I was doing very well. I even received a discount. Yet, the end result was still a whopping $346.
I don’t know what the end of March will bring, but I do hope that the folks at the gas company responsible for these gas hikes will have warm homes and can live with less than three layers of clothes.
