If I didn't get a finance credit........

I would be out for blood.

I just received my monthly NICOR Gas Bill. I am a budget payer. I do this because I love the steady payment, with small fluctuations. So much better then those super winter gas bills that knock you off your budget.

Plus, I only use this option with NICOR, since they pay a nice little percent back to me with my credit balance. I just feel like I am getting a discount on my gas this way. ComEd and other utilities DO NOT do this, so they get the balance due and that is all. **sticking my tongue out at them**

I also pay electronically, cause I hate paper. And I received my bill this morning in my inbox. I was shocked by what I saw. Last month, and pretty much for the last year, my amount due was $92 a month.

This month, it shot up $57 to $149. How in the world did this happen?

I have turned my furnace off, we are grilling much more, and I have been hanging our clothes on the line already. Could it be my credit has disappeared completely, due to the huge winter bills? Do we have a gas leak, creating a huge usage?

I went directly into my online banking and opened the bill. Ahh, there it is. I still have a $72 odd dollar amount in credit, even after this months bill. I received another credit of a whopping 29¢. So, why the increase?

They estimated this bill. Shame on them. I bet they estimated too high. But I am not going to throw a hissy yet. Especially, since we dropped below freezing last night and I broke down and turned the heat back on.