| [ Total Views: 992 | Total Replies: 28 | Thread Id: 78094 ] |
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 68AutoBug
A.k.a.: Lee Noonan
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 posted on July 30th, 2009 at 02:02 AM |
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How much are Your electricity bills???
Mine was $550..
after seeing how You can save on power/energy bills tonite on TV... these people saved $600...
Now If I can do that....lol
the electricty people will be owing Me money...
Now its 5.5 degrees outside..
and 20 inside... and I'm not going to freeze for anyone..
I will admit I do dress for the winter...
warm shirts/jacket jeans or tracksuit paints and thick sox
so I do get hot at times....
Many homes I visit have their air conditioning on 25C plus a gas heater on too...
and they walk around in shorts and singlets/t shirts...
I have a very large hot water heater on off peak..
and its no longer the energy chewer it used to Be....
the old water heater was very old...
I have sensor lights all over My back yard...
I'm still using two of the large 180 watt spotlamps,
two 100 watt reflector bulbs and two florescent bulbs.
I'm in the process of changing the lights with LED spotlamps.. using around 1-2 watts...
cheers
LEE
- [size=4]Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY--- [/size]
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karmann54
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 06:03 AM |
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Our bills were $293 electricity and $171 for gas. Stove-top (not oven), hot water and BBQ run on town gas. Should take $27 off the electricity, as
there is an ambulance surcharge in Qld on all electricity bills. Our energy bills have gone up about 15-20% since we've been blessed with
privatisation  .
We don't have air-conditioning (we get breezes off the bay at Wynnum - don't need it) and I think we've turned a small heater on twice for a few
hours so far this winter. Four people in the house, including two teenage girls (loooooong showers).
Almost all lights in the house are the compact fluoro type, except for 3 older 100W halogen fan-lights in the bedrooms. So our last 'energy bill'
is say $437 taking off the surcharge, using no A/C and little heating. Large LCD TV which I think use a bit less than the plasmas.
We've just done a partial reno on our home, and converted most of our lights over to fluoro during this. There's not a huge step difference left in
what we could save I don't think.
I didn't see the show, but I think to save $600 they must have been doing some pretty 'inefficient' consumption to start with...
We were signed up to install a solar panel as part of the reno, until Uncle Kev decided to put a means test on the rebate, so the price suddenly went
up $8k for me. It seems a pity that in Australia, and particularly Qld, solar panels are not more common.
Cheers
Angus
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vwsteve
A.k.a.: steve
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 06:20 AM |
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.
mine was around 275 from memory, i recently had the goverment homewise electricity monitor installed with the energy saving light bulbs so now i can
see how much things actually cost while they are being used.I have been renovating a lot and my welder spikes the electricity a lot too, not to
mention we have a newborn now so heaters are being used often so i can see it going up more.I just had the attick insulated courtesy of the government
too so i will see if it helps in summer keeping the temp down.I think everything is slowly going up so its fighting a losing battle to keep costs
down.
1 1963 356b porsche coupe
2 1960 karmann ghia cab
1 1965 karmann ghia cab
1 1966 karmann cab
1 1961 split ute
1 1967 split p/van
1 1952 standard bug
1 1963 ragtop
1 1960 ragtop
2 1954 ovals
1 1956 oval baja project
1 1957 oval flying flea
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MR930
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 06:34 AM |
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Ours is about $750 but thats 2 adults and 7 kids
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eraser
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 07:01 AM |
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mine are about 460 per quarter... (me and the other half) Hot Water and oven/stovetop are both on town gas.
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trickysimon
A.k.a.: Simon Azzopardi
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 08:24 AM |
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$0....Live at home 
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djnee
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 08:52 AM |
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We got a huge shock last winter, with one of our quarterly bills hitting $850.
Luckily we managed to pin the source down to an old and power hungry hot water tank.
After changing to solar heated water with gas back-up we saw our quarterly bill go down to about $400.
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amazeer
A.k.a.: Surly Duff
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 08:53 AM |
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Wollongong Sporting Car Club has been paying $80/quarter even though our power is turned off! bastards.
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djnee
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 08:57 AM |
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Off topic a bit, but do any of you guys get bombarded with those door to door sales people trying to get you to switch your electricity supplier?
We must get about 2 a week here. Highly annoying.
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 matberry
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Go hard or go home
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 09:34 AM |
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Wow guy's I'm amazed.
My brothers suprised me at nearly 400 a quarter, they have a kid, my neighbour is similar, I use a welder often, have few energy efficient bulbs, have
a wood fire and old large tele, and our bill with two people is between 160 and 190/quarter. :-)
In Qld SE we certainly dont have the cold like further south, although we might see zero deg a few times each winter, and we did live on boats with
only solar for over 5 years, but always been careful with power......except where engines are concerned.
Matt Berry Motorsports...air cooled advice, repairs and mods Ph 0408 704 662
OFF-ROAD,CIRCUIT,DRAG,STREET,ENDURANCE
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ctefeh
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 10:05 AM |
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Lee,
Bollock cold down in the capital, wife's at home and winter quaterly bills are up around 850. We're all electric and are hanging on to
whatever 100 watt bulbs we have. Found out that builders bought them up by the container load now that they can no longer be imported.
Regards
Sean
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Cylon
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 10:41 AM |
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Got my bill in the mail this week, been dredding it ..... $32.52..... i am a little suss live in a 3 br home with two people in the house.
This bill is a guesstimateand based on last years useage.... house was vacant then!
I'll just pay it and hope for the best.
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vwsteve
A.k.a.: steve
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karmann crazy
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 10:59 AM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by Cylon
Got my bill in the mail this week, been dredding it ..... $32.52..... i am a little suss live in a 3 br home with two people in the house.
This bill is a guesstimateand based on last years useage.... house was vacant then!
I'll just pay it and hope for the best. [/quote
hope it works for you
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1 1963 356b porsche coupe
2 1960 karmann ghia cab
1 1965 karmann ghia cab
1 1966 karmann cab
1 1961 split ute
1 1967 split p/van
1 1952 standard bug
1 1963 ragtop
1 1960 ragtop
2 1954 ovals
1 1956 oval baja project
1 1957 oval flying flea
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68AutoBug
A.k.a.: Lee Noonan
Aircooled Master
Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138% - YIKES --
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 11:59 AM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by ctefeh
Lee,
Bollock cold down in the capital, wife's at home and winter quaterly bills are up around 850. We're all electric and are hanging on to
whatever 100 watt bulbs we have. Found out that builders bought them up by the container load now that they can no longer be imported.
Regards
Sean
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I bought My first florescent bulbs about 15-20 years ago..
and have the curly bright 23w ones throughout My house and outside.. I;m just replacing some of the downlights with LEDs... around 1 watt... but not
as bright as a 50watt downlamp.... I also have 50 watt spotlamps outside.. and I have just bought two flourescent spotlights
but haven't used them as yet...
Sean, You can now but quartz halogen "normal" bulbs
which save about 30% power... just a normal clear bulb with a QH bulb inside...
My Wife very rarely uses the 30 year old clothes dryer...
I don't think pink bats make any difference to the temps..
especially When its very cold 0 to 8C or hot 35c to 42C
New LCD TVs have an energy rating now...
and the wattage has come way down.... lol
Plasmas use a lot of power..
Jack Green - Green whatever electric power companies even come to Scone every few months
The house on TV that saved $600 was a Very large house where money was no object...
lights heaters etc left on.... very large pool pumps..
water heaters.... etc
LEE
- [size=4]Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY--- [/size]
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Bookwus
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 01:39 PM |
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Hiya Lee,
It's interesting for me to get an idea of what you folks down in Oz have to pay to stay warm. Up here right now it's a matter of staying cool. The
temperature has hit 106F for the past couple of days andit looks to stay in that range (above 90F) for the forseeable future. Hot!
In our all electric house heated and cooled via heat pump we are seeing monthly electrical bills of about $200US. I'm not sure just how that
compares with your Aussie dollar, but I thought I'd just toss it into this conversation. Try to stay warm while I'm trying to cool off!
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Joel
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 07:47 PM |
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im not sure how wide spread it is but i must admit i was pretty pissed to notice country engery bumped the last bill right up......
even up here in rural northern NSW were being slogged to help pay to upgrade sydneys overloaded grid 
staying OT though, my quarterly even with this hike is only $260 which is not bad considering theres always 3 computers running 24hrs a day, the
hotwater system is set rediculously hot and ive been running the heater a fair bit
my oldies have been hit pretty hard though, even with only 2 of them this new hike took theres upto $370
They blame me for it cos im always there running my 3hp air compressor, welders, grinders etc....
parents are always good for milking someway or another
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ian.mezz
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 08:05 PM |
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what are all of you on about they can charge what they like , they don't even have to read your meter
They just make a guessement .
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donn
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 08:52 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by trickysimon
$0....Live at home
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Not many of us don't live at home
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!
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68AutoBug
A.k.a.: Lee Noonan
Aircooled Master
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| posted on July 30th, 2009 at 11:36 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by Bookwus
Hiya Lee,
It's interesting for me to get an idea of what you folks down in Oz have to pay to stay warm. Up here right now it's a matter of staying cool. The
temperature has hit 106F for the past couple of days andit looks to stay in that range (above 90F) for the forseeable future. Hot!
In our all electric house heated and cooled via heat pump we are seeing monthly electrical bills of about $200US. I'm not sure just how that
compares with your Aussie dollar, but I thought I'd just toss it into this conversation. Try to stay warm while I'm trying to cool off!
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Our bills are every 4 months Mike...
once they change to monthly...
heaven help us...
but You have to keep cool in the summer [over 35c]
and warm in the winter [under 14C] approx..
it really does make a difference living in a warmer climate..
electricity wise that is...
Incandelescent bulbs/globes are being phased out..
Hard to find them now... the flourescent bulbs have been on sale for a few years.. but now they are really bright.. with a maximum wattage of
23w...
the government doesn't want to build any more Power stations... so they want everyone to stop using the Power
lol... Years ago, it was the more you used the cheaper it got... lol.. now its the other way round...
comment on the guesstimate of your electricity bill...
well I saw the fellow read ours a few days ago...
I don't believe they should be able to guess Your electricity You have used....
LEE
- [size=4]Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY--- [/size]
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13bwagon
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| posted on July 31st, 2009 at 04:50 PM |
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ha mine is more then all ya's
BUY A REAL BUG A PRE S BUG...
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amazeer
A.k.a.: Surly Duff
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| posted on July 31st, 2009 at 10:25 PM |
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geez some of you guys need to turn off a few lights. My last 2 bills were low-mid $200 and I'm still whinging at the wife not to use the heater.
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silverbullet
A.k.a.: Ian
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| posted on August 1st, 2009 at 08:56 AM |
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try owning a bakery the power bill his huge over $5000 a quarter. I nearly feel over the first time i got a bill. all the equipment is electric and
massive.
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trickysimon
A.k.a.: Simon Azzopardi
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| posted on August 1st, 2009 at 10:49 AM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by donn
| Quote: | Originally
posted by trickysimon
$0....Live at home
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Not many of us don't live at home
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There is always one smartass
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Matt Ryan
A.k.a.: Matt Ryan
Fahrvergnugen
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| posted on August 2nd, 2009 at 01:11 AM |
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Being poor is the ultimate power saver. I'm usually getting bills around the $140 mark (for three months use, with two adults). If I got some of your
bills I'd have no choice but to go down the corner and sell my bum to pay for it!
It's not that hard, turn stuff off, especially the extra fridge, decide if you are "really" saving money by having a separate freezer. Use your
(electric) hot water, stove and oven efficiently. Other than outdoor spotlights, changing light globes will save you bugger all.
Regards,
Matt.
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GeorgeL
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| posted on August 2nd, 2009 at 07:20 AM |
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If you have lights that are on many hours a day it pays to switch them to CF. Some lights cannot be switched, such as those on motion sensors. The
minimal current needed to run the motion sensor kills the CF bulbs rather quickly.
The biggest power sucker in most houses is the refrigerator if it is more than a few years old. I put a watthourmeter (geek toy) on my old
refrigerator and found it was drawing an average of 360W. My new refrigerator draws 80W. At that rate the new refrigerator will pay for itself
through power savings in less than three years!
During the winter I found that my waterbed was also consuming a lot of power. It was keeping the bedroom nice and warm! A foam mattress pad fixed
that heat leak and allowed me to turn the bed down quite a bit and still be comfy.
Welders and such don't account for much power usage. You just don't use them for enough time for them to be significant.
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donn
Wolfsburg Elder
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| posted on August 2nd, 2009 at 08:13 AM |
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Hope your not calling me smart trickysimon, arse will do just fine thanks.
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!
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Pacman77
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| posted on August 4th, 2009 at 02:52 PM |
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$280 but thats for just me not bad though aye I am very electric saving conscious. |
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68AutoBug
A.k.a.: Lee Noonan
Aircooled Master
Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138% - YIKES --
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Mood: Really Mentally Ill - all of the time -
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| posted on August 4th, 2009 at 05:37 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by GeorgeL
If you have lights that are on many hours a day it pays to switch them to CF. Some lights cannot be switched, such as those on motion sensors. The
minimal current needed to run the motion sensor kills the CF bulbs rather quickly.
The biggest power sucker in most houses is the refrigerator if it is more than a few years old. I put a watthourmeter (geek toy) on my old
refrigerator and found it was drawing an average of 360W. My new refrigerator draws 80W. At that rate the new refrigerator will pay for itself
through power savings in less than three years!
During the winter I found that my waterbed was also consuming a lot of power. It was keeping the bedroom nice and warm! A foam mattress pad fixed
that heat leak and allowed me to turn the bed down quite a bit and still be comfy.
Welders and such don't account for much power usage. You just don't use them for enough time for them to be significant.
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[size=5]
Yes, I'm changing over to CF bulbs outside..
the normal ones don't last long at all...
I've bought some spot lamp types...
I'm thinking of using LED spot lamps.. [around 1 watt]
but instead of 4 sensor lights outside
I'll probably need about 6 or more to do the job...
as these only used 1 watt... I may connect them to a day/night sensor... so they are on all night..
even thought of a timer... but they need to be adjusted..
they also don't like AC Current.. even a little bit..
has to be nice clean DC...
I have found some old phone rechargers 3.6VDC and these work great...
luckily, I just bought a new refrigerator and microwave..
and am buying a New front loader washing machine...
not sure whether the washing machine will save any power but will only use half the water...
cheers
LEE
Saving where we can.... Lee
[/size]
- [size=4]Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY--- [/size]
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Joel
Scirocco Rare
Now containing 100% E-Wang
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| posted on August 4th, 2009 at 08:58 PM |
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syncronicity,
mine turned up in the mail today
$229 for 89 days which is down but admitedly it was only me here for 5 weeks during may/june
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