Energy/Money Saving Hints...

This one I happened upon purely by accident...
I noticed the grass along the underpinning by my outdoor spigot was positively LUSH last night. So, I thought, "Oh sh*t, the spigot's busted"... Nope... Turns out our water heater overflow valve had gotten "crudded up" from several years of crappy water, and was stuck open just the tiniest bit. Not enough to even make the water meter turn noticeably. I stood and watched the meter and I couldn't see it move. But it leaked enough to add about $6 to our water bill last month.
Check your water heater overflow valves!!!
It also wouldn't hurt to change your water heater elements regularly too. We had one go out on us and when he pulled the bad one out and got a look at it, Scott decided to change them both. Our electric usage the next month was down by about $5.

Use bags from the grocery store as trash bags.

Get a Nalgene bottle and refill it instead of buying bottled water.

It costs more in emissions to make a car than what it will emit during it's life time. If your car works, keep it. Plus, if it is paid for, it saves money as well.

all

I bought resuable bags from the grocery, so I have to buy garbage bags.
I'm thinking about getting a garbage disposal and recycling bins. That'll cut my need for garbage bags dramatically.
We have big bins in various locations (mostly store parking lots) for recyclables. So, it wouldn't be any problem.

Can you compost?

Garbage disposals aren't exactly omnivorous

all

Composting is good!

Especially if you garden. Free fertilizer!

I found out the hard way that garbage disposals don't like things like celery, onions, and melon guts.

all

THey don't make garbage disposals like they used to. We have one from the 70s at my grandmother's house that will literally eat your arm off. Those kind of disposals are basically not found anymore because they're too dangerous. It'll eat a 2x4.

Nope, composting is not an option.

Well, then garbage disposals may help, but flush the stringy stuff and the fatty greasy stuff while we are talking about it. Or offer to by Tiger's grandmother's garbage disposal.

"Flush"? The greasy stuff? You mean, with hot water down the drain?

Well, chunks go down the toilet. You don't really want to have hot grease go into cold pipes. We put the grease we can catch into a can to throw away later, but I didn't know if that would be a desirable option here.

all

I do the same thing with grease... Anytime I drain grease, I let it harden in the bowl, then scrape it into an old coffee can... always have at least one or two of those around.

I am NOW babysitting my oldest son's washer/dryer LG for a whole YEAR! All those fantastic cycles, less energy, less water & less detergent...oh my ...I just love my oldest son! Put it this way gang...I was researching the new wash/dry machines...the $ is obscene...but hey after 2weeks here in my home with these cute toys? (sigh) ....I'm NOT going back to the oldies! Love the little tunes that they play also!
Did I tell y'all that I just love my oldest son???

Ok, I'll stop now!

I wondered about them. I still have the old style ones and they still work pretty well. I know they'll need replacing in the next few years though and I've wondered whether the new kind is worth the extra money. They do cost a lot - I mean A LOT - more than the old fashioned kind. So you think it's worth it?

You know really Gilly! I too was having issues with the boo-coo $$'s (I said it was obscene) & all the hype both pro/con (EFFICIENT, quiet & yet HE must buy detergent/front load washer). Cost of HE detergent is low suds, don't use much, dissolves better. AND its the front load washer (bend at waist)!
The different cycles are mind boggling yet efficient! Sanitize (MIL's bed sheets/or diapers) Bulk/Large (Blankets/Comforters/Quilts) Allergen (Baby Clothes, underwear's has the steam included in this cycle!) Hand Wash (cycle for wools, sweaters, or dresses) There is also a STEAM/FRESH cycle for both washer/dryer! If John wants to freshen or steam his uniforms for a next day wear. All these cycles are pre programmed (if you would like to change them you can!) Why tempt fate? The dryer cycles also coincide w pre programmed washer (idiot proof). They really are NOT LARGER than oldies size wise! I'm sold on them! Its NOT the newness, I just enjoy that the technology has caught up with the desired results! Put a foot forward for the "Go Green"!

Not me. I'm stickin' with my nearly 20-year-old Maytags until they reach "nickel and diming" stage, a sign you're becoming antique...you'd rather hang onto the old familiar stuff than get new.

A few years ago, I was heavily into what's greener than what and then found out that for many things what you'd think is more green may not be. For instance, unless your car is a real gas guzzler, the carbon footprint of assembling a new one will more than offset keeping your old one. Now, we're told that buying local foodstuffs is more a matter of bolstering your community's economy, that flying stuff from halfway around the world actually consumes less energy overall.

Who the hell knows? I sure don't and decided to live thriftily rather than fixate on whether this would be greener than that.

Yeah I'm with ya Dot. The facts keep changing and keep changing; as we noted with the Cash for Clunkers program it cost the government a lot of money and cost the planet a lot of greenness.

Well the part that gets to me is. I have a friend that has an old clunker, (early 90's car) that she depends upon to get her to/from work. However it only gets 12miles per gallon. There is really no public transportation where she lives. So because of her battered, no mileage car she hunts for jobs close to home. $$ is tight & has always been for her. She is constantly throwing good $$ after her vehicle. Gee other than the fact that she NEEDS a new vehicle, even a friggin USED one, but something has to give in her life.
BTW, she didn't participate in the cash for clunkers program because she has always been dead set against Obama! Hm, I don't know gang. Try to give someone a helping hand UP/& they refuse in spite of themselves & their situations. Just my 2 cents worth.

Isn't that cutting off your nose, to spite your face, mentality?

Yes, yes, yes,....someone agrees with me! Thank you! Thank you, dear Lady friend of mine!




Shsss don't tell anyone, but she's a ...a .....a....



Scorpio!

1. Don't EVER wash blue jeans, barring spills on them. (They last longer if not washed - look it up.)

2. Wash all clothes in cold water.

3. Don't use dryers to dry clothes completely. Use drying racks instead. These racks are particularly good for bright colors and/or high end (Boss, Klein, 2xist) undies and lingerie. 20 minutes on fluff dry removes lint, then hang on the drying racks. Any clothes treated this way will look brand new two years later and colors won't fade.

4. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents or LEDs. Be sure to go UP in wattage when switching from incandescent to CFLs. Replace 60 watt incandescent with 75 watt CFLs. You will still cut energy usage by more than half, even if you do up the wattage, but still have the level of brightness you require.

5. Use lasagna gardening, aka sheet composting (recycling yard waste) in flower beds or Ruth Stout's methods (the garden IS the compost pile) or the Interbay mulch methods.

6. Don't buy plants for your garden. Grow from seed instead. Buy seeds in mid to late July, when they are marked down to 16-25 cents a pack.

7. Trade seeds with others into gardening. This spring, I only purchased two varieties of tobacco seed. Those two varieties turned into 17 varieties, including some exotic Turkish strains, by trading with friends online. The only cost involved was postage.

8. Plant native plants in your garden. This is particularly true in areas prone to drought (see xeriscape). Not only will you save money on your water bill, you will also save time in maintenance/watering. Better yet, do no-lawn landscaping and never have to mow again.

9. Replace older appliances with newer, energy efficient appliances and HAGGLE when you do buy them. Even at Home Depot, you can buy a $600 refrigerator for between $300 and $350 if you play it right. Don't buy extended warranties, however.

10. Buy summer clothes in August. Buy winter clothes in February. This past February, I bought a $350 wool coat for $67 with tax. Another $35 in alterations (they are ALWAYS too wide in the waist!) made it fit like a glove. I found a second winter coat made of wool, for $38 (marked down from $200) in early March. That one required NO alterations.

11. WORK the clearance racks in places like Marshall's, Ross or TJ Maxx. Hit them regularly and you can dress well for pennies. A $58 pair of Calvin Klein jeans can be had for $20, while a $78 pair of Kenneth Cole jeans can be had for $20.

12. Buy sporting goods used. A set of used weights can be had for $50, while a used bench can be had for $45.

13. Haggle on everything, especially if you are paying with cash. This is particularly true when buying furniture.

14. Call your credit cards regularly to check the interest rates. If the interest rates have recently gone up, play one company against another. The more cards you have, the better you can play the game. Play each company against the other, until you drive your interest rate as low as possible. Don't buy so-called 'credit protection' on your credit cards. In effect, they only serve to double the rate of interest you pay.

15. Shop around for mortgages & car financing. It's possible to save 10 grand or more on the life of a mortgage. Play one company against another to negotiate a better deal.

16. Ditch cable internet for wireless. You can cut your monthly internet bill in half, particularly if going from Comcast to Clearwire.

That's all I can think of off-hand.

HappyKweer wrote:1. Don't EVER wash blue jeans, barring spills on them. (They last longer if not washed - look it up.)

Okay, I can believe this, but what do you do about them smelling funky? Not to press the point unduly, but sweat running down certain lower portions of the body makes clothing smell more like wild animals than wildflowers. After about a week of wear, hubby's jeans would be simply rank.

*nod* They might last longer than your friends do, if you get my point.

DotNotInOz wrote:
Okay, I can believe this, but what do you do about
them smelling funky? Not to press the point unduly, but sweat running
down certain lower portions of the body makes clothing smell more like
wild animals than wildflowers. After about a week of wear, hubby's
jeans would be simply rank.

I dress for the weather. In other words, if I know I will be outdoors in the summer, I don't wear jeans. I LOVE the heat of summer when I am dressed for it. I DETEST the heat of summer if I am not dressed for it.