Get out your utility bills for the past year, and make a simple spreadsheet showing how much water, gas/heating oil and electricity you used each month during 2011. Try to beat last year’s totals each month during 2012.
Start by trying to save water. Take a quicker shower. Hang your clothes up to dry. Turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth. Research drip lines, rain barrels and xeriscape landscaping plants to save money in the garden.
See if you can be creative and save some electricity this month. Cook dinner in the slow cooker instead of the stove. Try wearing a sweater and turning down the heat; see how that feels and adjust accordingly. Be vigilant about turning out lights when you leave the room, and unplug appliances so they don’t use power while sitting idle. Try eating dinner by candlelight once or twice this month (my son loves it when we do this). Throw an extra blanket on the bed at night and try turning down the heater by one degree. Okay? Try another degree. How low can you go?
Turn down your hot water heater a degree or two and see how you like it. Maybe it’s fine, maybe another degree or two down wouldn’t hurt — either way, it’s just an experiment.
Let January be the month you dabble in conservation, and let us know how it goes.
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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Our area has experienced drought conditions for a few years in a row. One of the water-saving ideas suggested is to collect the shower/bath water that runs down the drain before it warms up to use elsewhere such as watering plants or even flushing toilets.
I read somewhere that all of the devices we have in our homes now – from microwaves, to TVs, alarm clocks, DVRs, etc – end up using alot of electricity even when you think they are off. Anything that has a glowing button on it somewhere is still pulling electricity. Some of those things can be hard shut off to avoid this (TVs), but some you can’t (if you do that to your DVR it won’t be recording as scheduled).
Cooking with Michele recently posted..Announcing…Cooking with Michele in Italy 2013!
Here in Ontario we have “smart meters” which essentially make it really expensive to do your laundry anytime except the middle of the night or the weekend. To that end, I only do laundry on weekends and now I think I’ll try to hang up at least one of those loads to dry inside. It’s worth saving the money!
Since I live with my daughter’s family now I try to conserve as much as I can so as not to add to their expenses. I turn out lights not only after myself but them too. My son in law always sets the thermostat lower so we use throws, blankets and sweaters around the house.