It's amazing what turning off some lights will do! Matt and I got our electric bill for the month and it was 1/3 of what we actually budgeted! I can't believe it! That definitely makes me happy. We are really in the process of trying to cut as many bills down as possible. For me I thought electricity should be a good place to start, since it is summer and we aren't using the oil (except for the hot water.)
This entire past month I have been taking advantage of the fact that it is light out so early, and stays light so late. I rarely have been turning the lights on at all, and have been after Matt to keep them off as well. We also have been drying a lot of our stuff on a clothes rack, and when we use the dryer we haven't been using a heat setting, just air dry. Now, I don't know if that actually makes a difference, just using air dry instead of a heat setting, but it appears to be doing the trick.
We both have laptops, so I know they don't use quite the same amount of energy as a desktop. We also got rid of the cable, which has to save us some in electrical usage. No more TiVo, no more digital box, both plugged in constantly. Now, we haven't all together gotten rid of the TV, we have an antenna, in case there is something important on the news.
The next step is to start replacing the lightbulbs in the house with those CFL bulbs. They are expensive up front, but are supposed to save you money in the long run. Unfortunately we are going to have to buy one at a time, because we just can't afford to replace all the bulbs right off. Hopefully our cash flow will get a little better sooner rather than later. Anyways, I was just so excited about it!
In other news, I made oatmeal bread last night from scratch, not even using a bread machine! I have never made bread before, and I was so proud of myself. I would say about half the ingredients were local too, yay! Although we have already gone through an entire loaf...I may need to start making it every other day! Pictures to come soon!
1 comment:
I noticed a big difference in our electric bill too - the first time we started paying attention and turning off lights, unplugging appliances, etc. (ie I used to leave my blow dryer and toaster plugged in ALL the time, now I don't).
As far as the CFL bulbs go - that's one thing I have started in a few rooms, but not everywhere yet. I would def try doing a few rooms first - because you may not like the light. It is "orangey." I think they still have some time to go to improve them (though I'm sure there are different brands that might work better)...so we didn't change any in the bathroom/bedroom - where you look in mirrors, etc. cause the lighting is too harsh.
But I did change it in my husband's office (an overhead light) - and in a lamp in the living room (which we use more than the overhead light) - and it does take a while to "heat up" - so don't be worried if it seems not bright at first - it will get brighter.
Good luck!
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