Cutting out expenses and reducing our footprint on the earth for 2009. help us?
@frenchcountry (134)
United States
February 10, 2009 8:36am CST
Our goal for 2009 in to reduce our expenses , pay off bills , and cut down on our footprint on the Earth.
We are looking for your ideas and what you do to accomplish both.
We have eliminated all table and floor lamps and installed 1 ceiling fixture in each room with a 13 watt compact florescent bulb.
We have stopped purchasing ready made foods and are preparing from scratch then saving leftovers in portion size containers to microwave at home or work in the future.
We do not have television so we do not have that bill. We only have dial up internet , basic phone service , and no cell phone.
We use white vinegar as fabric softener in the washer then have some in a spray bottle to spray into the dryer before we start it instead of buying dryer sheets and fabric softener. Drying clothing on the line is not an option for us.
We are looking for anyideas you have to help us pay of debt sooner, reduce our impact on the earth , and earn more money . Thanks in advance for all your expected help.
3 people like this
3 responses
@danrunsfast614 (1396)
• United States
10 Feb 09
You are doing very well it sounds like and more people should be following. Make sure to recycle, and try to not use plastic when you have a choice as well.
2 people like this
@frenchcountry (134)
• United States
10 Feb 09
We really dont have much waste since we make things from scratch and we do recycle. It is so much better for our environment. I get so angry when we get fuel and the waste cans are filled with plastic soda bottles. Reduce Reuse Recycle
@momtrying2makeit (3270)
• United States
10 Feb 09
This sounds like some really good ideas. I like the part about using different light bulbs, I have been told it will reduce your eletric bill costs. I have been thinking about ways to reduce my waste. I think that I recycle and I like that I do that I feel that helps the earth. And I make money while I am doing it as well. I think you are doing a lot of things that will get you to your goals as well. Happy mylotting and have a nice day.
@frenchcountry (134)
• United States
10 Feb 09
Thanks for your response. We arent paid for our recycling here it goes to our community. I really dont have much waste other than some light cardboard from baking supplies , small glass amount , and the plastic my coffee beans come in and veggie oil , milk jugs , vinegar. most of the small wrappes we burn in our outdoor burner for heat generation. We have even bought plans for a hasa to generate hot water and heat for our buildings next winter according to current users you can heat your hot water for 2 days with a small bag of houshold trash.
We also use fabric napkins as hankies nad paper towels i just have a special bin for the used ones and do a large load of them one time per week we have reduced our paper consumption tremendously that way
@tammytwo (4298)
• United States
10 Feb 09
Unplug appliances when not in use. Buy a hot water heater cover and make sure your windows are well insulated, to keep air from entering or escaping the home. I also read we lose a lot of our air through the outlets. There are supposed to be rubber gaskets for the outlet to put in between the cover and the wall. This should keep the air from escaping, cutting down on heating and cooling.
1 person likes this
@frenchcountry (134)
• United States
10 Feb 09
I hadn't thought about the windows and outlets. we do actually shut the power off at the breaker box(as ours is convenient ) when we are not using the hot water heater , stove , dryer. And we dont have anything other that the computer , a radio ,washer , microwave and our alarm clock plugged in we did away with all other plugged in items when we got rid of our table and floor lighting. We even shut our pole light off at the breaker and got a solar spot light so we can see to get in from the barn after dark.
thanks for your response
