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[supermom]

I thought it would be interesting to see what everyone is doing around their home to save money. Perhaps we can help each other out with new ideas.

Here is mine:
I cut my dryer sheets in half. I have not noticed any difference. However, in the winter, I have to use a whole sheet due to static, but during the spring, summer, and fall I save a lot!!

[BigRedDog]

We bought a more fuel efficient car and try to make fewer trips...

do more while we're out on one trip and don't go out as often...

[CatLady]

All leftovers are eaten or feed to the dogs.

Also, do more while out on one more trip....no more running to the grocery every couple days.

Have a garden and freeze the vegetables.

Don't use the credit cards much and when I do, use the one with the lowest interest rate.

[The Fuzz]

I have learned to drink Dewar's scotch instead of Glenfiddich single malt.

[CatLady]

Now that's suffering!

Reuse plastic bags (after washing, of course).

[T-M-T]

I have learned to drink Dewar's scotch instead of Glenfiddich single malt.

Fuzz: I highly recommend this to make the transition a little easier:



If you look around you can get it for under 60 bucks.

[CatLady]

60 bucks!  I'll stick with beer and wine - they even go on sale!

[Paula Wethington]

I've been blogging for 2 1/2 years at Monroe on a Budget about saving money ... and sometimes even I think I'm running out of ideas.

One of the things I'm doing more frequently these days is freezing leftovers rather than putting them in the refrigerator. I'm more likely to find a use for a leftover item in two or three weeks rather than the next day. I eat leftovers for lunch - but my husband packs a sandwich and chips so he doesn't have to wait for a microwave at his workplace's break room.

For example, a couple of frozen spaghetti sauce portions will contribute to another pasta dinner without opening a new can of sauce.

I also have a bread machine now, and slice and freeze the fresh bread right after it's done cooking.

[SidecarFlip]

Lets see:

I ride my KLR as much as possible on errands, gets 60MPG, easy to park and freeway legal.  With perserverance, you can ride right through the winter unless it's real cold or the road is snow covered and icy.

Do the garden thing and freeze everything (not cabbage. comes out gross).

Put up sauerkraut.

Leave the heat off until we absolutely need it (electric blanket is cheaper)

Use flourscent lights instead of incadescent

Eat at home instead of going out.  Eat leftovers, leftover leftovers go to the dogs.

Wear long undies in the winter and keep the heat down.

Our electric water heater is on a Edison controlled shut off meter an a greatly reduced rate.

Most of all, I heat with a solid fuel appliance, aka Biomass stove.  Keeps the house at least 65 degrees and costs about 1/3rd of a conventional heat plant to operate.  I paid for my biomass stove in 3 years in fuel savings.

I even know people living in the City of Toledo, in town, that use biomass appliances to heat their homes.

[The Fuzz]

Flip.....how do you have the biomass stove situated in your house?  Placed for optimum radiant heat, or have you tied it into your furnace system somehow?

[Zellar]

Cut the Comcast bill down to basic cable.
Got rid of the home phone and now only use mobile phone.
Eat out only once a week instead of four to five nights.
Brown bag lunch.
Keep sprinkler system off (let grass die and save on gas for lawn mower)
Open windows instead of A/C
When cold weather gets here, dress warmer indoors and keep heat lower
Turn hot water heater down after morning shower to low (no sense heating water all day long when I'm not home)

Best purchase was a programmable thermostat at home. No forgetting to adjust at night or when you leave home for the day.

[Jim Richards]

Cut the Comcast bill down to basic cable.
Got rid of the home phone and now only use mobile phone.
Eat out only once a week instead of four to five nights.
Brown bag lunch.
Keep sprinkler system off (let grass die and save on gas for lawn mower)
Open windows instead of A/C
When cold weather gets here, dress warmer indoors and keep heat lower
Turn hot water heater down after morning shower to low (no sense heating water all day long when I'm not home)

Best purchase was a programmable thermostat at home. No forgetting to adjust at night or when you leave home for the day.

And many of the ideas to save money is what is killing the economy. Hardly anyone is spending money, or their spending habits have been drastically reduced. The result is a recession, or worse.
If you don't have it, you can't spend it.
Not a bad thing for individuals, but the economy is suffering because of it.

[SidecarFlip]

Flip.....how do you have the biomass stove situated in your house?  Placed for optimum radiant heat, or have you tied it into your furnace system somehow?

It's a freestanding unit.  Sits in the Northwest corner of the living room on a brick hearth on the first floor.  It's rated conservatively at 50K BTU's per hour, burns wood pellets, cherry pits, pelletized switchgrass, shelled corn, or soybeans, whatever is cheaper.  I tend to burn shelled corn and pellets mixed and I run the furnace in the basement on blower only to distribute the heat throughout the house.  because the unit runs 24/7 during cold months, 50K BTU handles the whole house because the heat is constant, mostly convection and some radiant from the front of the unit.  It has blowers in the cabinet.  It's all computer controlled and thinks for itself plus it's very safe with shutdown monitors if a malfunction occurs.

I do have it on a remote digital thermostat but I tend to keep the thermostat at 70 and the house stays about 68.  The only time I used the furnace is if we have a stiff wind from the west and then I'll allow the furnace to help out a bit.  It's on a digital thermostat as well.

I consumed about 200 bushel of corn last winter and 4 ton of pellets running 24/7 from mid September until mid may.  That's about 1300 bucks or about a third of what I'd pay for propane for a year.

This year I got propane substantially less than last year, I own 2-500 gallon tanks, so I filled them.  Corn is around 100 bucks a ton (56 pounds to the bushel @15% moisture and pellets are around 210 a ton so I won't be at a third, maybe 1/2 this year.

I've been heating with renewable fuels/biomass for 13 years now and I like the independence and the cost difference.  Nice warming heat that you have complete control of, both in cost and amount.

Units are made that can tie into your central heating system, be it forced air or hot water/low pressure steam.

I don't sell them but I have lots of contacts and websites.  If you are interested, PM me and I'll provide them.

[ell]

I have learned to drink Dewar's scotch instead of Glenfiddich single malt.

Let's not get too carried away here Fuzz!

[The Fuzz]

Let's not get too carried away here Fuzz!

It's making me cry, ell!

I point to the glenfiddish on the shelf, and ask for the Dewars.