Tips

I thought I would share some tips I have been taught by various people in my life.

They are not only earth friendly but save you money on bills as well. I have simplified my life in ways not many understand.

I agree it's more time consuming this way and that some would not go this far, but for me and my family, it's perfect for us.

I am not perfect. I am in a modern world so there are some things that are hard to do without, such as cars and electric companies. I would love to live where there are no modern luxuries but unfortunately, unless I want to move that's not possible.

So here are the ways I reduce bills and help the environment.

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. They last up to nine years and use less energy than regular light bulbs. I use them throughout my house and an 18-watt compact fluorescent bulb equals 75 watts of light. Wal-Mart and other stores now carry a cheaper brand that still does the same thing as the expensive brands.

I open my curtains during the day and use no light bulbs period and at night, I use minimal lights or candles, although I am going to invest in more oil lamps to use at night in my room. I would never use them in kids' rooms, but you can teach your children about conserving energy.

Turn your thermostat down a few extra degrees at night and then back up in the day if you have to, 65-68 degrees is good at night since most people wear covers. Like I said, you can always turn it back up in the day. In summer, open your windows and turn off your air units as much as possible. I know sometimes, it gets super hot if you have an upstairs so if you can keep it from escaping down stairs, then just turn the air on then as low as you can.

If you have several in your family, consider buying some things in bulk such as flour, sugar or whatever else your family uses a lot of. It does add up and save a lot of money in the end. You can buy a quarter, half of a whole cow or hog at the butcher. Yes, it's more money up front, but it's so worth it because it lasts a lot longer, therefore saving money.

There are many places that do this and it doesn't cost a fortune.

Plant a garden. You have fresh veggies that you don't have to buy at the store and I freeze and save mine and the only veggie that cannot be frozen is cucumber.

Whether you live in an apartment or have just a tiny bit of yard, every little bit saves money and seeds are very, very cheap. I bought mine at Rural King for 15 cents per pack. Most anything can be canned, frozen or blanched and frozen.

Seal the inside and outside of your windows by caulking them on the inside and out. This helps a lot and you can always use the plastic sheeting they sell to seal them on the inside in winter if need be.

Wash your clothes in cold water when and all possible. I make my own powdered laundry soap and I use cold water and it still works great and that makes our hot water heater work less, reducing our electric bill. You can always turn your hot water heater down to save on this as well.

Get rid of bills for things you don't use often, such as cell phones, cable, satellite, etc. We have a prepaid cell phone my husband uses for emergencies as he drives to and from work or if I do go somewhere. I don't have cable or satellite and that saves us almost $200 a month. If there is something that you don't use, get rid of it.

Use resale sites to sell your items that you no longer need. There are tons of these sites that you can post items at no cost and sell your items on there or give to a local food pantry because they give the stuff to families that need it for free. Also, if they are baby items, give them to your local crisis pregnancy center. They give them free to those who need it.

You can buy things from those sites and it's cheaper and you get a good item that you needed for less.

Use free movie sites such as hulu.com. I have had no trouble with this site and all movies are free. If you live in a city that offers free library cards, then take advantage. I live outside Brazil city limits, so I cannot have a card for free, but there are sites online that offer great services for free.

If there is anything that you would like me to blog about, let me know. My e-mail address is jnrodgers@iendeavor.com.