We're always looking for creative ways to live more and waste less. Yes, it saves money and helps the environment, but a lot of times it can be fun! We love planning, growing and harvesting our garden in the summer and the kids even enjoy helping. When it's warm we also like to ride our bikes to the park, or on outings if we can. The cold weather forces us to be a bit more creative. More and more I'm finding that we're not the only ones looking to help out the environment ... and our wallets. So in this time of economic crisis, what are you doing to stay afloat? It seems everyone is doing something to save money and spend less, so I'm wondering what are you doing at your house?
It will be interesting to see all the different ways we can cut spending in our everyday lives, so please be sure to comment and share your tips on saving!
Here are just a few of the things we're doing ...
* heating the house with the wood burning stove, we've hardly used the furnace at all this year!
* eating at home!
* making gifts ... Christmas, birthday, Valentine's, you name it!
* enforcing the PJ rule: the kids wear their pajamas all week (unless they get something icky on them)! I think so far the record is 4 days ... I'm just sick of washing one pair/kid EVERY day and I know this has got to save on soap and energy!!!
* cook in large quantities (cheaper to buy a turkey and carve the meat for sandwiches than to buy deli turkey)
* turned off water and are using H20 from the creek out back (ok, totally kidding!!! but knowing us, we'd probably do it if we could figure out a way!)
My biggest luxury I've had to do without since the recession ...
* hair maintenance ... sad but true (look around, you'll notice a lot more women these days w/ roots growing out! Ryan thinks gray hair is sexy ... I just made that up to make myself feel better ;)
What will we NOT give up (short of living on the streets ... or me getting a job ;)
* high speed internet, cell phones, and DVR (seriously, how else would I get to watch Desperate Housewives EVERY week?!) AND dishwasher ... I won't say names, but somebody I know is hand washing all their dishes in lieu of using their perfectly good dishwasher to save on energy costs!
Hello world!
3 years ago
6 comments:
Well since being homebound, I have been cooking EVERYDAY and I have tried to get creative as well. I have made up a couple casseroles every week and it will end up making two meals for the boys and I. Since I'm cooking this much, my dishwasher is on at least twice a day so I won't live without anytime soon.
I'm replacing two-three windows evey few months and that will help out with my heating/cooling so I'm trying that way as well.
Of course we have been recycling paper and cans now for over a year with so I feel good about that.
So your right, every little bit helps out with our wallets.
This is a good post!
I'm trying to be more aware of recycling things. We have had major recycling programs here for years and years, so it's not a new thing for us, but I'm trying to ensure everything I throw in the garbage is not recyclable.
I stopped buying water bottles. We used to live off of them and go through so much because I was afraid of the tap water. I've gotten over my fear and we only drink tap water now. I will put a big jug of it in the fridge so I don't have to let the tap run for a few minutes while it gets cold.
I try and wash all my laundry in cold water instead of hot...unless I have a particularily dirty load, which is inevitable with 3 kids...especially in the summer. Usually it's only my load of whites that I wash in hot.
This year I'm going to compost all of my food scraps. DH has been against it because he doesn't want it to stink. But it doesn't stink if it's in a composter!!! I'm saving on garbage PLUS saving on having to buy dirt to put in my gardens.
I use re-usable grocery bags.
We never eat out, so that's not an issue. And I don't buy alot of packaged stuff. I cook everything from scratch, including cookies, waffles, all meals etc etc. I started this mostly for allergy reasons, and it's also better for you not to eat the processed packaged junk, and there's less packaging to throw away.
What a timely post. I just put patches on the knees in Colby's jeans. Last year I would have just bought him a new pair of jeans and cut the holey ones up for his summer shorts. This year, I decided I had better patch the holey ones until summer comes along!
Is it bad that we are actually doing better financially right now? Anyhow, the biggest reason for that is that we are following Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. If you don't know it then you have to check it out. It is heaven sent for sure: daveramsey.com We just enetered Baby Step #2!!
And thanks for the tips on my blog. At least I think it was you. The profile was kept private.
Oh and I am not giving up those same things on your list. I could give up cable, but my hubby would wither away and die if I did!
Actually, hand washing your dishes wastes water -- a dishwasher is MUCH more water conservation friend. So I've been told, anyway.
I'd give up the DirecTV before I give up the high speed internet. Can't survive without the internet. How sad is that?
Using the creek water- Haha!
I also just read this weekend in a magazine -an article "ways to save money" was to use the dishwasher. It saved $36 a year. My hubby didn't believe it though. We never wash anything by hand.
Good tips. I also try to have the kids wear the same PJ's 2 or 3 nights.
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