It gets more and more humorous to have strangers question “how do you afford those children” when I think of my friends, with more children than we have, who are doing amazing things to be more resourceful, saving money hand over fist when those questioning are often up to their eyeballs in debt.
Two of these ladies in particular are real governors of their homes. They take their jobs seriously, in many departments, constantly inspiring me, but saving money is one I wanted to share with you.
My friend Jane, mother of 9 was inspired by our friend Sherry, mother of 13 to see how much she could save on her power bill. Read her post at Seeds to Sew to see the first entry of her experiment.
(If I can talk Sherry into an interview, I may post on what their family is doing to save–it’s amazing.)
It’s taking saving money to a whole new level–well, for me it is! It’s so fun to think differently, to try to figure out where we can still cut back, better use our income and all the while we can be”COOL” for being green 😉
This uncertainty in the economy has been the perfect incentive to rethink some areas as we prepare for the unknown.
“Do you know there are some simple really easy things you can do to cut your power bill? We may have gone a little overboard over here :), but if you want to learn some simple ways that you can save, read on. But…. be forewarned it gets additive. Once you see your kilowatt hours dropping you’ll soon be flipping those breakers off :0.”
Read the rest at Seeds to Sew
We’re off to the zoo for my son’s birthday! I think we’ll shut off some electricity!
5 comments
Hello! I read your post on cutting your power bill, and then read this: http://simple-green-frugal-co-op.blogspot.com/2009/03/energy-efficiency-and-saving-money.html
(that blog was started by the person who writes Down To Earth)
Btw, I totally loved watching the Before and After cleaning videos, and I am looking forward to meeting you once we both get to heaven – though if it could be before heaven that would be nice too 🙂
Kelly,
When people ask you how can you afford all those children…what a great opportunity to share with them your convictions of being a Christian.
If they’re already Christian…well that’s okay. Perhaps God will use your sharing to open their eyes on so much.
Blessings to you,
Deanna
I read the article and really liked it, save one thing. Turning off the water heater at night has shown to be energy efficient because most heaters either require a big burst of energy anyways to keep the tank heated, or a steady stream of energy to keep the water hot to counteract heat loss. However, turning off the fridge is not the same at all.
It takes an enormous output of energy to get everything cold again and the temperature regulated. Any money or energy you saved during its ‘off’ period is spent and sometimes more when you turn it back on. It is better to choose a fridge with an energy star rating, not overpack your fridge, and keep it at a safe temperature. The other thing about turning off your fridge is that when temperatures vary up and down, it can lead to increased food spoilage and bacterial bloom. From a frugal standpoint, food spoilage = bad. From a health standpoint, food spoilage and increased bacteria = bad. And from a frugal and energy efficient standpoint, it’s not worth it either. Just throwing that caution out there 🙂
The best thing I ever did was install a programmable thermostat! It cut both our power consumption and our oil bill dramatically. It cost about $25.00 and was so easy to install that I did it myself with only basic electrical knowledge.
Just dont touch my healthcare Mr. Harper or i can promise you, you will pay dearly at the polls in 4 years.