Saving Energy | Happy Simple Living

Day 29 of the January Money Diet – Try Alternative Transportation

By eliza_cross, on January 29th, 2012%

Welcome to of the January Money Diet, a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. If you’ve just joined us, you can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!

Bicycles in Paris - Photo by slettvet

Could you ride your bike to your next errand? Or snowshoe, or cross country ski? Or ride your horse, or your llama? Or take the bus, or the train? Or try carpooling? Or put on your walking shoes and stroll?

Try to get yourself from Point A to Point B without driving your personal automobile sometime in the next three days. How did you feel? Who did you encounter along the way? Let us know about your experience.

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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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Day 11 of the January Money Diet – Push the Conservation Envelope

By eliza_cross, on January 11th, 2012%

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

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Free Book Giveaway – The City Homesteader

By eliza_cross, on July 10th, 2011%

This month I’m giving away a brand-new copy of a terrific book, The City Homesteader. Written by Scott Meyer, this 272-page book has tons of great ideas for people who live in urban areas yet long to be more self sufficient and live more sustainably.

Meyer was formerly on staff at Organic Gardening, and accordingly, the book has plenty of advice and tips for growing your own fruits and vegetables – including a growing guide at the back of the book. Meyer also delves into other home food sources, from building a bee house to raising goats. Plus, he provides excellent information for preserving all that wonderful food, from canning your own homemade pickles to making homemade fruit leather.

To enter the drawing, simply comment below about the one homesteading skill you’d like to try someday – whether you live in a city skyscraper or a rural farm. The deadline to enter is midnight MST on July 18, 2011. On July 19 I’ll use Random.org to pick a winner and announce it here. Good luck, and I can’t wait to hear your responses.

Green and Organic: Joining the ‘One in a Million’ Movement

By eliza_cross, on March 26th, 2011%

“It is more rewarding to watch money change the world than to watch it accumulate.” ~ Gloria Steinem

I just signed up for the ‘One in a Million’ Movement over at Big Green Purse. The idea is that if a million people pledge to shift $1,000 of spending to more environmentally-friendly products, we’ll have a one billion dollar impact in the marketplace.

When you make the pledge, you’re given a checklist of things to commit to switching:

organic fruits & vegetables
phthalate-free cosmetics
fuel-efficient car
energy-efficient appliances
shade-grown coffee
energy-saving home repairs
organic cotton/hemp clothing
organic milk
recycled paper products
safer toys
compact fluorescent light bulbs
furniture made from eco-certified wood
water-saving appliances

I’ve been increasingly choosing environmentally friendly products anyway, but I love the organized effort and the impact a million committed people can make.

How about you? What switches are you making for eco-friendly products, and are you happy with your choices?

15 Amazing Benefits of Small Steps, Consistency and Perseverance

By eliza_cross, on March 19th, 2011%

“What amazes me is that most days feel useless. I don’t seem to accomplish anything – just a few pages, most of which don’t seem very good. Yet, when I put all those wasted days together, I somehow end up with a book of which I’m very proud.” ~ Louis Sachar, author of more than 20 books

Why I Began Thinking About The Value of Small Steps

I recently decided to open a separate investment account to begin saving for our next car. I don’t plan to buy an automobile for many years, but I like the idea of having the money set aside so it’s there when the time comes.

For now I’ve been putting aside $25 a month, and I was a little discouraged when I reviewed the account statement recently and saw that the balance had reached just $175.00. “What’s the use?” that negative little voice in my head said. “At the rate you’re going, it’ll never amount to anything.”

“Not so fast, Kemosabe,” the positive little voice in my head said. “Stick with your plan.” Thank goodness the wise voice is the one I try to listen to. After all, I’ve lived and breathed the benefits of incremental acts and persistence, from writing books to saving money to paying off debt. You probably have, too.

After I told the negative voice to beat it, I made a list of some of the amazing things that can be accomplished with small steps, consistency and perseverance:

1. Learn a new skill. Got 15 minutes a day? You could learn how to speak a foreign language, play an instrument or Continue reading 15 Amazing Benefits of Small Steps, Consistency and Perseverance

Guest Post: 5 New Green Things To Try

By eliza_cross, on March 17th, 2011%

This is a guest post from Jeff, the writer and dictator for life at Sustainable Life Blog. We’re both members of the Yakezie Network — one of the world’s largest networks of personal finance and lifestyle blogs — and community members are encouraged to collaborate and support each other’s efforts. This month, select Yakezie participants were paired up to exchange guest posts on each other’s sites, and the topic is, “What are 5 new green things you can try, that you haven’t done before?” You’ll enjoy his thoughts today, and be sure to head over to his blog and check out his version of a self reliant, sustainable lifestyle.

There are tons of ways to go green out there – things that are completely plausible for some (taking public transit) and are complete non starters (as in apartment worm composting) or not possible (you can’t take transit if your city doesn’t offer it) for other people. There are a few ways that you can go a little greener if you’re interested, and here are a few that I’m going to try in the near future.

The first thing I’m going to take a swing at is Continue reading Guest Post: 5 New Green Things To Try