Jingle All the Way… to the Petrol Station

It's that time of year again, the adverts are on the telly, the shops have had the tinsel out since about August, and in our house Christmas has officially arrived on Homey. So today we built a Christmas countdown app, because why wouldn't you?

You know how much I love a gadget, and if there's one question I get asked more than any other between now and the big day it's "how many sleeps?". Well now Homey knows the answer before anyone has to ask. The app works out the days to Christmas and puts it right there on our Homey dashboard, which is the screen on the wall in our hallway, so as I write this tonight it's sat there telling me 45 days to go 🎄. It's simple, it's cheerful, and in all honesty it makes me smile every time I walk past the screen.

The Homey dashboard on the wall in our hallway, with the countdown up top

And with it living in Homey it's something flows can hang off too. The Christmas tree already has its own flow, so I think we can all see where this is going?

How our lounge will look once the tree goes up… give or take

Fast forward a few weeks though, and I know exactly how it goes. The countdown hits single figures, there's wrapping paper in every room, a Christmas film on every channel, the same dozen songs on repeat, and someone has asked for the third time whether we've got enough sprouts. By the time that lovely little widget says 2 days to go I'll be staring at it thinking, please, just make it stop?

Then comes the moment we all know. The sudden and very urgent need to pop out. "We're nearly out of milk" I'll announce to nobody in particular, car keys already in hand before anyone can offer to come with me. It's not really about the milk though, is it? It's ten minutes of peace, no jingle bells, just me, the car and the open road, or at least the road as far as the petrol station.

And that's where today got a little bit clever. If I'm escaping to the petrol station anyway, I may as well know who's cheapest before I get there?

So the second app we built today is a UK fuel price checker for Homey. It pulls the latest prices for the stations near us straight from the government's fuel price updates, so it's the real figures the forecourts report, not someone's guess, and before the key is even in the ignition I know what a litre is going for at the pumps down the road. No more driving past three forecourts squinting at the signs, or filling up and then spotting it 5p a litre cheaper round the corner, which we've all done, and which has had me raging more than once.

Then on to the bit I'm most pleased with, the dashboard widgets. At a moment's glance you've got the prices at the local stations right there on the hallway screen, sat next to the Christmas countdown, and we even added one for our favourite station, because let's be honest everyone has one? You know the one, the pumps that actually work and the coffee that's actually drinkable. Now I can see its price at a glance and decide whether it's worth the loyalty this week or not.

The countdown and our favourite station, E10 & B7 prices at a glance

Two apps in one day, one to get us excited for Christmas & one to help us escape it, all in a days work. Next time the house gets a bit too festive I'll know exactly where I'm heading, and exactly what it's going to cost me.

Whether the milk excuse holds up until the 25th, only time will tell……