Using Resources Wisely

OK, so everyone has heard over and over: turn the lights off when you leave the room, don't let the water run when brushing your teeth, use fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent, turn the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, keep the house thermostat low in the winter and high in the summer...on and on. And yet I have seen many households completely ignore these tips because it's "too hard to follow" or "I just don't care. I'll pay the higher bill to be comfortable." Personally, I don't feel it's hard because I've lived my whole life by these guidelines, and am not uncomfortable at all (except in the summer- I NEED a/c). It really does reduce utility bills, and dependence on electricity.

Here are some of my own personal tips:

1. When the sun is out, window shades are open- no lights on allowed! The bathroom is the only exception.

2. No wasting water! If you aren't going to drink all of the water you took, water the plants with the remainder. 

3. One water glass a day. Reuse the cup all day long. It reduces your dishes to wash and the water needed to wash them.

4. Load to dishwasher FULLY! It doesn't run until both racks are filled tetris puzzle style.

5. If nobody is actively watching the DVD playing on the TV (we don't watch network or cable TV), then turn it off! Kids playing is enough background noise. We don't have a fancy plasma either. Those suck more energy than a fridge!

6. Use/buy Energy Star Certified appliances whenever possible. It really does make an impact on your bills and most major appliances come with a tax rebate.

To give you an idea of what your bills could look like, my family follows all the guidelines listed in this entire blog. We have 7 people and a dog living under one roof. We go through 2 standard kitchen garbage bags of trash a week (including dirty diapers). Our average electric bill (with PGE's outrageous prices) is $95 a month for a 2211sqft house. I use the "Time of Usage Plan" where there is on-peak and off-peak hours and the price of the electricity changes according to the time used. It does take discipline to arrange when the washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher can run, not to mention showers (the water heater runs too). But it makes a drastic difference on the monthly bill. We do not have solar power (yet) but I really, really want solar panels. Our average water usage is 500 units a month (which is the lowest base charge the city will allow), whereas the average family of 4 uses 750 units. And we do not buy bottled drinking water. We use the filtered water from the fridge. We do not have cable TV or satellite. The internet has wonderful sites dedicated to TV series and movies, or watch shows straight from the network's home site. We do have internet, a land line telephone, and the adults have personal cell phones. These rates will vary depending on who's territory you're in and package deals going on. Not allowing the kids to have TV also keeps mass advertising and unwanted demoralization out of our home, and gives them the opportunity to discover the world around them instead of being parked on the couch being zombies all day.

When it comes to upgrades and getting the newest and best gadgets, we are not on the bandwagon. We wait until the object has been around for a while so the price drops and the kinks have been worked out of the system. My kids do complain because they see their friends with all this "cool" stuff, but I explain to them that what they have works just as well. We still have analog TV's. They work, so why buy a flatscreen. When they burn out, then we will get an LED widescreen, but until then...we are fine.

I love the old adage from the Great Depression, "Use it up, wear it out. Make it do, or do without." This is the motto of the frugal and thrifty. Keep in mind, this doesn't mean you live in trash or poverty. Quite the opposite. Because of living this way, you are able to use resources more wisely and rely on credit less. Your needs are sufficiently met, and can even at times help others when they are in need.

Trying many new tips at once can be overwhelming and discouraging if you don't stick to it. I suggest picking one thing you feel is doable and incorporate it into your daily routine for a month. When it comes naturally, add a new energy saving challenge to the routine... so on and so on, until you are where you want to be in your bill reducing quest. Good luck!