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There are a few concerns that I take the time out of my busy day to truly worry about. Two issues that I care deeply for are The Welfare of the Earth is one, and Frugality is another. I group these two together on this page because they really are more closely related than most people care to ponder. I find myself increasingly thinking of the two as one intertwined subject. I have found that generally, when you do things to save money/energy/products/whatever you lessen the strain on the environment without even trying! This page is dedicated to things that I do that YOU can do to save the earth by saving in general. Some of this information is common sense to some people but a complete surprise to others, so I put it here for my own peace of mind. And no, I'm not loony, just environmentally concerned... & tight. Call me a treehugger or scrooge if you wish, but in any case, read on...


    Electricity
  • Buy compact fluorescent bulbs for the light fixtures that you use frequently. These cost more at first (about $8.00 at Home Depot) but they use less energy than your standard bulb, and last for about 7-10 years. Each bulb will save you approximately $23.00 over its lifetime. I know it's not much, but it's money you wouldn't have had. And you can feel like you're doing something good, because you are.

  • For lights in general, it makes sense to turn out a light when you leave the room if you are gone over 1 minute for standard bulbs and 5 minutes for fluorescent bulbs.



    The EVIL that is Natural Gas
  • 43 days after we moved into MSM, we finally received our first gas bill. After I put out the fire that was shooting out of my ears, I immediately turned the heat OFF. We stayed under electric blankets until I had had it out with the Public Services Commission and Georgia Natural Gas. After much bitching, I finally received the .69¢/therm price that I was originally promised. That amounted to a credit of ~$100.00 on my account. You better believe I'll be switching companies in June.

  • If you have gas heat, get into the habit of turning the thermostat down to 60°F at night, and 50°F when leaving for the day. We generally keep it lower that these recommended figures, but -hey- I'm cheap.

  • Do look for a company that has a fixed rate... and make sure you lock in that rate in the summer months.



    Water
  • Drought is serious! According to the ACC Water Business Office, our water bill is about 60% of what usage is for most families our size. This makes our bill lower, and makes me happy for conserving money and water. For those of you who live in the country & have wells, you may think that you don't have to worry about water conservation because you're not paying a water bill. But your well may run dry, as many did this past summer. Be kind!

  • Buy yourself a water cutoff valve for the shower, and use it... when you soap up, wash your hair, etc.

  • Get low-flow showerheads.

  • Do not let the water keep running when you are not using it, like when you're brushing your teeth.

  • When I am rinsing something like a pitcher out at the kitchen sink, I take the water that fills the pitcher and I water houseplants with it. The same goes for basins of water that I have used to wash vegetables or fruit.

  • You don't really have to flush EVERY time. Your family will still love you.

  • Something that I haven't done yet but plan to before spring gets too far along is to make a rainwater reservoir. You can use a plastic trash can to catch rain water, and if you want to get fancy, you could even hook a faucet and a hose to it near the bottom for easy water of the garden in drought-restriction times.

  • I have read studies that say a dishwasher actually uses less water than washing dishes by hand, provided the dishwasher is full. I do this, but catch a lot of flack from Barry. "There aren't any clean spoons!!" So I picked up a few spoons at the Salvation Army.



    Finance
  • I am a hawk when the bills come in. I scrutinize every charge. And I call the company when I have trouble understanding a calculation. If they give me grief, you better believe they regret it.

  • Reconcile health insurance statements with the receipt/bill from the pharmacy or physician. At the end of this past year, I recovered over $50.00 from my pharmacy and about that much from various physicians. That's $100.00 that belongs to me that might not have ever been returned unless I brought it up! Many businesses simply don't have the time or don't make the effort to get your credit back to you. Make it your responsibility.

  • Don't pay a bill without making sure the responsibility is yours. I have been haggling over a hospital bill for months. I have paid the portion that I KNOW I'm responsible for. The insurance company WILL pay that final $22.37 because I know it's theirs.

  • If you can't pay a bill in total, you MUST call the company. They WILL work with you. Don't just pretend like you never got the bill. That's not very nice.

  • Pay that damn credit card bill in full every month. We use ours mainly for big purchases in case something goes wrong. We never put on it anything we won't be able to pay up in no more than three months. That said, I know it's hard to stay afloat with credit card debt... I have SO been there.



    The Thrift Store Shopper
  • I know it's not for everyone, but I LUV thrift stores. This is a love affair that started in 9th grade and has been burning strong ever since. You can save money by buying good-condition clothes there and even housewares and linens, etc. You occasionally find an item that you will never have a use for, but is just so far out that the item MUST become yours. (Obviously, this isn't a phenomenon that is unique to me; Barry says that the horse-dog came from a thrift store.) In high school, I would go to thrift stores with my friends and sometimes almost pee my pants, I'd laugh so hard.

  • Goodwill stores are great, but there are none in Athens. There are a few in Anderson, SC. Most stores you just have to go and take notes on how it fares. Some things to keep in mind are the offerings, the filth level, and the prices. Some thrift stores are over-priced, others are too creepy, and others just don't have jack. The only Salvation Army worth a darn in Athens is the one on Hawthorne. I generally steer clear of those "resale" shops that see retro clothes. They shop the SA, then turn around and triple the price to YOU, the loyal customer.

  • I could take you on a tour of our house and point out all the stuff that came from thrift stores... and you may be surprised. All the retro-style stuff that's so popular at Target now can be found in your local Salvation Army... and it might actually be worth something if it comes from the SA. One of our latest finds was a cool 50's lamp in an aqua blue with a drum shade. Three bucks to rewire the thing, and it was good to go. Total cost: $8.00.

  • You can find some groovy books at thrift stores.

  • I am a name-brand shopper, in general. I know certain brands to be high-quality, so when I see something at a thrift store, I can judge that the item, though used, is quality. Most of the stuff I get is JCrew, Gap, Liz Claiborne, etc.

  • Sometimes you can find kids' clothes. But I haven't had much luck in that department. Most kids' clothes seem to be completely worn out... but I'm looking for boys' clothes, after all, so I expect that.

  • Do wash the clothes before you wear them. I also try to clean and disinfect any non-clothing items I find, as best I can. In addition, I take baby wipes along when I go, so that I can wipe off any grime I might pick up.

  • If you itemize your taxes, donate those unused housewares & items in your closet! You can generally deduct the price for each item that the store might receive if it sells an item... like $3.00 for a ladies' shirt, or $5.00 for Levi's. There are lists on the web to help guide you.

  • Lastly, a few points on the "save the earth" aspect of TS shopping. When you buy from a thrift store, there is generally a charity that benefits from your business, rather than corporate America. Secondly, you are reusing items that might have been landfill fodder. And finally, you're avoiding the rampant cycle of comsumerism that seems to pervade every aspect of the American lifestyle these days. HISSSS!!!



    Shopping the Normal Way
  • Some of my favorite places for clothes are: Rich's, Belk's, Old Navy, Gap. I rarely buy anything full-priced, always preferring to hit the deep clearance racks. Rich's routinely has coupons in the paper, and these can add up to serious clearance-rack discounts. Belk's has really good sales. Old Navy and Gap are owned by the same parent company. The clearance racks at each routinely have items for $9.99, $6.99, $3.99, $1.99.

  • Hit the outlet malls in Commerce... and shop the clearance racks. There are JCrew, Old Navy & Gap outlets in Commerce. We recently went and I racked up at Old Navy. Love Old Navy. Loch likes Magic the Dog.

  • For kids' clothes: I'll buy the $3.99 stuff on the out-of-season racks at Old Navy for Loch. I buy winter/fall stuff for the next year at the end of this winter. If he's wearing a 3T now, I'm buying a 4T for next year. Janelle & I also finds deep clearance stuff at Target for him. The pair of shoes he's wearing now, I found at Target for $3.79. He was wearing a 6 at the time, and I bought an 8 for later. See how it works?

  • For Groceries: I shop at Kroger, mostly. I fervently clip coupons from the Sunday paper, and use them nearly every trip. Kroger doubles coupons up to $1.00. Another Kroger goodie is that if you catch an overcharge, they give you that item free. I have a talent: I make a mental note of how everything is priced as I shop, and I watch the register as it rings up my items. I swear, the Kroger people hate to see me coming. I get an item free nearly every time. Once, it was a package of diapers. They hated to give me that one. Ingle's and Bell's also double coupons in this area. Publix has the same overcharge policy as Kroger. I got a sippy cup free the last time I went there.

  • Speaking of overcharges, I watch the register wherever I shop. If it says "25% off" I know what I should be charged before I even reach the register.

  • I buy in bulk when I can for groceries. Canned goods are the best for this. There is a place to store it at home, you just have to find it. Who says that bags of cat food can't go under the bed? Those larger packages of meat can be broken up before they go into the freezer to make enough for three or four dinners.

  • If you have a nearby co-op or a health food store that sells bulk grains and herbs/spices, this is generally the cheapest way to get that sort of stuff. And it's usually fresher.



    Kitchen
  • When I prepare something like tomato sauce (for my pizza!) I make a lot of it all at once. I let it cool, then spoon it into yogurt/sour cream containers for the freezer. (You know I'm not going out & buying Tupperware.) I use a sharpie to mark the item & date it, & into the freezer it goes. It makes sense to keep your freezer full; it cools more efficiently that way. Using this method, I use the stove only once, rather than many times, and I save time by doing the same task all at once.

  • Use the microwave rather than the stove/oven when ever you can. It uses a fraction of the energy.

  • In the winter, leave the oven door open after you are finished with it. You might as well use that heat.

  • Take those vegetable scraps to the compost pile!

  • We try to eat a mostly-vegetarian diet. Meat is on the menu maybe two times a week. We don't like to fool with meat, so it's sometimes on the menu at the restaurant. I personally try to eat less because I feel sorry for the animals! (I know, I'm silly.) And then there's trichinosis, salmonella, mercury poisoning and mad cow disease. Anyone for BBQ? Eating lower on the food chain is good for mother earth, and for your colon.

  • Buy some cloth napkins. Sometimes you can find them at a TS. It produced some whining from Barry when we started a few years back, but just the other night he said that he really likes using them now. They get thrown into the laundry with all the other towels and stuff, and take up NO room in there, so it's not like it makes a lot of extra laundry. We monkeys cut down enough trees as it is.



    Laundry
  • When it comes time to replace your washer, DO consider a front-loading model. They cost more up front, but will save in the long run. They are sturdier, aren't so harsh on your clothes, get your clothes cleaner (it's true!) and use less water. Always do your research before purchasing.

  • Use no more than 1/4 of the detergent that is recommended. This is a RULE in our house. This means only 1/4 of that little detergent cup! Your clothes get just as clean, the detergent washes out more fully, and your box lasts longer. And more importantly, all that detergent isn't going into our water table.

  • Line dry your clothes if you can. Or buy one of those drying racks. This is especially good in winter, as it humidifies your home. If this is not an option, dry in the dryer most of the way, then air-dry your clothes the rest of the way. Your clothes will last longer when not subjected to the dryer so much.

  • Wash your clothes inside out. They will look better & last longer that way.

  • Vinegar is really cheap and deodorizes your stinky laundry well. It also helps to set dye in new clothes or newly dyed clothes.

  • I wash nearly everything in cold. Have some common sense with this one. Obviously, if it has Troll poopie on it, it needs to be washed in hot water.



    Garden
  • Compost. There is so little real science to it. And pile of leaves or whatever IS a compost pile. Ignore what you read about, "you have to have this & this..." Just start piling stuff up. There are really only five rules, and you don't even have to follow them all:
    • About 50% green stuff and 50% brown stuff. Green stuff is vegetable scraps & peels, grass clipping, etc. Brown stuff is fallen leaves, twigs, etc.
    • No meat, dairy or greasy cooked foods, please. (Unless you like possums and the smell of rotting meat.) Plain pastas, bread, vegetable matter, egg shells, are all OK. I put in food that has been cooked lightly as well (with very little oil), like grilled vegetables or even canned foods that I know have little or no oil (like Loch's untouched vegetarian Spaghetti-O's.
    • The Poopie Rule: Poopie from vegetarians is OK, carnivore poopie is a no-no. This means cow manure, etc is OK. No doggie or kitty poopie.
    • You really are supposed to stir it up every week or so to make it break down faster, but I don't. I just drop in the green then put a few handfuls of leaves on top & walk away. My pile right now doesn't really have a good support system, and is trying to creep into the yard, so that's another reason I don't stir it - it might get away from me.
    • Keep it damp, but not soaked. This is something else I don't really practice. The appropriate amount of water will help it break down faster, but I'm the nonchalant gardener... My pile relies on mother nature for a good soaking now and then.
    By composting, you are keeping good, usable trash out of the landfills, and helping your yard at the same time.

  • I want to start a worm bed, as they make really good stuff for plants. Barry and I are still talking this one through. He doesn't want a dog, and he doesn't want worms. *sigh*

  • You MUST plant drought resistant plants. Since we have just moved into our house, I have no idea what this summer holds for us. I don't know about the characteristics of the plants we now own. I DO know that I will take a "survival of the fittest" approach. Those plants that don't make it will be replaced with ones that can.



    The Damnable Internal Combustion Engine
  • Coming soon.



  • page last updated 3.12.2001