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Posts Tagged ‘energy’

First, can someone please tell me why I decided not to get a dryer in the middle of the rainy season? Still, I have managed to hold my laundromat trips to a minimum; two precisely. And that was to dry the thicker towels and blankets. I do believe that in the nearly 2 months I have not had a dryer, that is pretty good, don’t you think?

The clothesline Samson and Jeanne made works wonderfully.

Mostly.

We are still working out a few kinks, but in the end I will have the coolest line on the block! Then everyone will be jealous. Kind of like an episode of “Desperate Housewives,” without all the makeup, drama, or women.

The secret? It is really all about time management.

I put the clothes on the line during the sunniest part of the day; for us that is mid-morning to mid-afternoon, after the fog has burned off and before it rolls back in. I leave around 8am to take Logan to school, so I throw a load in the wash before I go and then by the time I get home the clothes can go on the line to dry.

I also have found that one load a day is the best answer. I have never been a “separator.” All my clothes are washed together in warm/cold with a gentle, environmentally friendly detergent and rinsed with a little bit of white vinegar (LOVE that stuff!), so having one load a day is really no problem. Oh, and as for whites, the sun is amazing for making the whites white.

The only problem is if I am not home to do the one load a day, it backs up on me and I am back to stringing up another clothesline on the back porch. That’s when I miss the dryer. I suppose I could just have Samson stand in the laundry room and breathe hot air over them…LOL!

Now I am off to hang some clothes….no really!

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So…we have electric central heating. Dumbest thing ever. You should see the meter spin when the heater is running. In the winter it drives our electric bill from $60/month to $360. Last January our bill was $626. Yep. Innnnnn-sane.

Something had to change.

So I went on an energy-saving crusade:

  • I started unplugging appliances (like the coffee pot) and electronics (like the entertainment center) at night
  • I bought a space heater that uses as much juice as a toaster
  • We put on a sweatshirt before we turn on the heater
  • Denette made draft dodgers (She’s writing a how-to post)

Our electric bill dropped from $343 to $141 in the first month.

Then our electric dryer broke. Now I’m keenly awaiting our next bill to see how much that has managed to knock off.

You know what’s cool? Realizing just how much control I have over my conditions. I can, if I choose, save significant amounts of money by making small lifestyle changes. Okay, the dryer/clothesline switch is a BIG lifestyle change. But the others are not. The others are simple and straightforward. And an immediate boost to the budget.

Now, what to do with the extra $? Debt reduction or Hawai’i? Hmmmmmm…

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