When we started trying to live a simpler, more conscious life, being frugal just sort of happened. When you start growing and preserving your own foods, then most store bought things just don't satisfy, and so you stop buying. You discover that hand made items are infinitely better quality, and so you replace things less often. One area of our lives that has required a little more effort in the frugal department has been our energy bill. We have been making real efforts to reduce our consumption because while green energies, such a solar and wind power, are wonderful, the best thing anyone can do first and foremost in reduce the amount of energy consumed. We already turn off light when we are not in a room and unplug things when we aren't using them. We replaced our windows at the beginning of this year, which was a major improvement. We have a lot less gadgets that require electricity in the first place than most people. We hold off turning on the air or heater as long as possible, opening the windows to let in fresh air and natural light. And when we do have to use our central heat/air we keep them set on a lower/higher temp depending on the season. But most recently, I have taken one more step. No more dryer. The dryer is one of the most energy consumptive appliances a person uses. We are now air drying our clothes. Hopefully this will take a big bite out of our power bill. I have gotten a couple of racks, which I like better than using a clothes line, because I can set them up anywhere. When it's nice an sunny outside, I put the racks up out there to let our clothes dry, and when it threatens to rain, they are quickly and easily moved indoors. They also fold up neatly and can be put out of the way when I am not using them. The laundry involves a little more planning now, because I have to allow time for things to dry. Like my husbands work clothes. I can't wait until they are all dirty and then wash and dry them in one night. So far, though, everything has worked out smoothly, and everyone still always has something clean to wear.Friday, June 17, 2011
In the Intrest of Frugality
When we started trying to live a simpler, more conscious life, being frugal just sort of happened. When you start growing and preserving your own foods, then most store bought things just don't satisfy, and so you stop buying. You discover that hand made items are infinitely better quality, and so you replace things less often. One area of our lives that has required a little more effort in the frugal department has been our energy bill. We have been making real efforts to reduce our consumption because while green energies, such a solar and wind power, are wonderful, the best thing anyone can do first and foremost in reduce the amount of energy consumed. We already turn off light when we are not in a room and unplug things when we aren't using them. We replaced our windows at the beginning of this year, which was a major improvement. We have a lot less gadgets that require electricity in the first place than most people. We hold off turning on the air or heater as long as possible, opening the windows to let in fresh air and natural light. And when we do have to use our central heat/air we keep them set on a lower/higher temp depending on the season. But most recently, I have taken one more step. No more dryer. The dryer is one of the most energy consumptive appliances a person uses. We are now air drying our clothes. Hopefully this will take a big bite out of our power bill. I have gotten a couple of racks, which I like better than using a clothes line, because I can set them up anywhere. When it's nice an sunny outside, I put the racks up out there to let our clothes dry, and when it threatens to rain, they are quickly and easily moved indoors. They also fold up neatly and can be put out of the way when I am not using them. The laundry involves a little more planning now, because I have to allow time for things to dry. Like my husbands work clothes. I can't wait until they are all dirty and then wash and dry them in one night. So far, though, everything has worked out smoothly, and everyone still always has something clean to wear.
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Hi Amy. You are so right about reducing energy use. Governments and the media talk constantly about green energy production but nothing about reducing energy use. We need to do this first, then look to green energy to provide for our reduced demands. People seem to think it's the answer to our being able to continue squandering energy.
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