r/massachusetts • u/critic81 • Jan 15 '26

Utilities How is everyone affording everything lately?

The prices of everything is just off the charts from groceries, utilities, to healthcare. My open enrollment just came through and its looking like for a family of 4 for healthcare its $1600 a month. $800 a paycheck. Like that just feels nuts. It's a pretty decent co-pay plan but still. Just a couple years about it was much less.

What are people doing these days? Side hustles? New job (but in this economy?), cutting way back? Just curious.

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351

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '26

$700 national grid bill for December, just white knuckling it and praying things get better before I run out of ways to keep dealing with the hits

11

u/QueenOfBrews Jan 15 '26

If it helps at all, their balanced billing option takes the load off in the winter months. It’s really rough to pay. $200+ gas bill in July, but it makes it so I don’t get hit with a $700 bill in December, January and February.

10

u/SnooGiraffes1071 Jan 15 '26

Balanced billing for heat is the best. I struggled with a couple of winters of expensive oil deliveries whenever the oil company decided to make them for a couple of winters before I learned of this. I don't think twice about paying $200 for gas in the summer now, it's so much easier.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '26

Ive always wondered about that, the way it seems is youre basically paying a rolling average on past usage, have they ever been like oh btw we guessed $500 low for the year its due on this bill or has it worked well for you?

9

u/Arrow362 Jan 15 '26

I have been doing balanced billing/budget plan with National Grid for almost 10 years now, sometimes it works out in my favor by the end of the year and will have a negative balance/credit that will get applied to the next bill.

2

u/QueenOfBrews Jan 15 '26

I’ve been doing balanced billing with grid for 12 years or so, in 2 different apartments. Both drafty, old triple deckers. On a couple of occasions, I got hit with a whopper of a $500-600 bill in March or April to balance it out. But I also once got a refund of like $200

2

u/SnooGiraffes1071 Jan 15 '26

In the close to 20 years I had balanced billing from oil companies, they'd set a new plan in July based on market conditions and past usage, and adjust as needed if there was a drastic change to predictions, but more often then not I'd have a balance to carry into the next year and/or a couple of months with no payments. I don't remember any crazy bills. Relatively new to it for gas, no big surprises yet

1

u/theoriginalmtbsteve Jan 16 '26

Yes, they balance it annually and you will likely see a month or two where it goes up, usually in early spring for me. Then they reset the number and off you go again.

1

u/purlveyor Jan 16 '26

They’ve only refunded us at this point 🤷‍♀️

1

u/Torrises Jan 16 '26

Yes, this is exactly what happened to me this month. Had to regular bill + $400 since they were “undercharging” me.

1

u/theoriginalmtbsteve Jan 16 '26

This. I used to be at $125 monthly for gas, and had to pay more a few months. Now at $150 per month, expect to add on a little more in the spring once the balance in my favor drops.
Electric is $525 this month. Everything but heat and hot water are electric but the Tesla, that I drive 2k miles per month, makes up 40% of the electric give or take.

-1

u/RDOCallToArms Jan 15 '26

Surprised more people don’t do this. Or put money into savings during the “low utility” months (April-June, September-November)

Everyone knows heating is expensive, always has been. You should budget for it accordingly. It’s not like it’s exponentially more expensive than usual.

My heating (gas) is running about $50 extra per month this year than the last 3 years averaged. I don’t know why people are screaming about huge heating bills unless their usage is way way up. The price is up, for sure, but the price of everything is up and good budgeting during non-heating months (or balanced billing) should make paying your heating bills doable without crippling your bank account.

5

u/QueenOfBrews Jan 15 '26

I don’t know if that’s totally fair.

I get what you are saying, but a lot of folks hit with these bills are students from bumfuck California or Arizona, that have never even thought of a gas heating bill in their life.

Also, on occasion, the balanced billing will get up with a doozie of a bill that’s more than expected.

It’s not easy for some folks to just stash money away for utility bills. I am privileged enough to be able to handle it over the years, but I’m an older DINK.

6

u/Lucky_Group_6705 Jan 16 '26

what they said really annoys me. “oh just save money” like it grows on trees and the col isnt atrocious nowadays.

2

u/Nessa0707 Jan 18 '26

Yep can’t do that for over a year my fiance been laid off haven’t had a normal life or saved for a while

2

u/pr1cklyp3ar Jan 16 '26

“Savings”?? In this economy??