We are entering another weekend and once again are under a snow/freezing rain advisory. It seems as if almost every weekend since the beginning of the year has been this way.
Frugally this could be a good thing, but moral wise it is the pits!! Kris was going to come home again to actually go fishing this time, and now can't. We are all hoping for better weather for the long weekend which starts next Friday.
We may have to be extra frugal over the next month in order to pay our electric bill. The electric company here estimates for two months and gives us a reading of the meters every third month. Well this months estimate is super high. I don't think we have ever had a bill this high, in fact it is over half of Harvey's pension, which has never happened before. Electric is usually the major portion (after groceries) of our budget.
To off set this we will be closely watching what we spend throughout the month and rethinking some of the things we take for granted.
I have been very good at using things up this past week. In fact I have started to pull out and use the hair conditioner samples once again. I find I can get at least two uses out of each small bottle, sometimes three.
I have also been using up the mouthwash samples in the mornings. Since there are many sample sized toothpastes those will be put into use as well.
Harvey pulled out a thermostat he bought for one of the base heaters and installed it today (after the shock of the electric bill). It is programmable so hopefully this little frugal step will help control the heating costs. He plans on turning the heat in the family room down at night when no one is downstairs.
I have spent the last week making sure lights are off in rooms not in use, and thinking of ways to change the menu so that the oven and stove are not in use as much. Many things I planned on making can be done in the slow cooker and I may pull out the portable roaster oven to use for roasting and baking.
I will let you all know in two months if this has made a dent in our energy consumption.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
One thing that saved us electricity is only putting my clothes in the dryer for 5 minutes and then pulling them out 3articles at a time and putting them on hangers. The dryer never runs for more than 15 min. I also hang up all underwear, towels etc. I have noticed that shirts and jeans look new much longer.,we have a toaster oven that we use a lot instead of the big oven. At our previous house that was all electric, I kept the heat off in rooms that we did not need to be in. Does your electric company do an average bill so that you pay the same thruout the year? You could do it for yourself and put the extra in a separate account in the warm months so that you wouldn't take such a hit in the winter. Just some tricks that I have used.
ReplyDeleteJackie, if there is a major increase, is there a chance that there is a problem with your meter? You seem to already be very frugal with your electricity by habit...so maybe it isn't you causing the increase?
ReplyDeleteKaren, I hang up as much as I can on the lines Harvey installed downstairs for me. That is usually 3 full loads of laundry plus a bit more. The electric company stopped doing the average billing a couple of years ago...If you weren't already on tough luck on you. Good idea about putting extra money aside in the warm months. May just try that.
ReplyDeleteLin, I think the culprit is Harvey.
ReplyDeleteSince he has been home all the time he leaves lights on everywhere, turns the heat up on the baseboard heater in his man cave, and seemed to think this does not cause any problems.
He knows differently now, just waiting to see if there is a change in his behaviour.....So far other than turning down the heater not much as I still follow around behind turning off lights.