Power of print

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Itry to be an environmentally friendly Kiwi, recycling papery things, using my own bags for my groceries and doing as much bill-paying online as I can.

I have canned paper bills from the likes of Contact Energy and Sky TV and thought I had also cancelled the Skywatch magazine, but it would appear not: the February issue turned up in my mailbox and stopped me in my tracks.

As I was muttering to myself about the need to phone Sky again to stop delivery of the magazine, I suddenly noticed the cover. And oh, what a cover, with a shirtless Sonny Bill Williams flexing his flexy bits in all their glory.

I really think if they are going to put such awesomeness on a magazine cover, they should send out a warning letter a day or two in advance, because it took me a day or two to get over the shock and awe. I felt as if I needed a nice cup of tea and a lie-down.

Speaking of nice things that make you go ‘‘mmm’’, by cancelling the mailing out of accounts from my power supplier, I get a very tasty prompt-payment discount of 22 per cent.

However, after seeing all those advertisements on television and online with people sitting around with sticky notes on their foreheads as they ponder their power savings, I decided to see if I could get a better deal with another company.

Easier said than done: it would appear Contact has about a gazillion different account types to choose from, so you can properly compare suppliers, but their accounts don’t make it clear at all what account type you have.

I’m ashamed to say I gave up, but I will try again after phoning Contact to seek the name of my account (for now, I’m calling it Brian). I suspect that 22 per cent prompt-payment discount will be hard to beat, but with the rising costs of petrol, wine and Tasers, one must save where one can.

Don’t forget to check out the Tangled Web blog, where you’ll find all manner of online guff, including the Let Calcutta Surprise You video, featuring some very handy hands: is.gd/ikqihx.