Light Bulbs!

Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs

Have you thought about them at all?

When we moved to the mid west in the mid '90s we bought several when we moved in.  They were about $13.00 a light bulb and we had them on in our living room, which was in the lower level of the house, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 7 years until they burnt out.  I can not tell you what kind they were, or where they were made, but they were well worth the $13.00 a light bulb.

We try to use them now, but aren't always successful in finding a size and shape to fit the use of the light.  They are less expensive now, about $4 to $7, and they don't last 7 years.  Maybe 3.

I've been talking with Dear Darling about finding some that will fit into the kitchen light,(which has 5 bulbs) the dining room light (which has 5 bulbs) and into our hanging bathroom lights (which is two bulbs).  He said it was difficult to find dimmer bulbs in CFL.  We have dimmers on the switches in the kitchen and the dining room.

I explained to him that not only did I want to change this lighting because of the savings to our electric bill, but also to help conserve electricity as a whole.

While at Lowe's this past weekend, we took a few moments to look at the light bulbs to see what was "new" in lighting.  We found two different kinds of bulbs, which we purchased to give a try in our kitchen and our bathroom.

For the kitchen, we purchased two Utilitech Pro LED bulbs. I did not realize that reading a light bulb package is kind of like reading a food package.  They now have "THE FACTS" about the product. They have a brightness of 300 lumen's, a usage of 4.8 watts, and are equivalent of a 40 watt light bulb.  It says it is a warm light and it is dimmable.  The cost per bulb is $14.98, and the package says its estimated energy usage is $.58 per year, using the bulb for 3 hrs per day, and has an estimated life of 27.4 years. (I find this one hard to believe, but we'll see).  They do not contain any bad metals in them, such as mercury, and can be recycled or disposed of without threatening the environment.

The bulb is made in China, which is NOT a plus for me, but we could find no bulbs made in the USA.  In the FINE print, it does offer a warranty of three years or it will be replaced.  So I have saved the packaging and the receipt and believe me, if this bulb dies before then, I'll be going to get another!

We purchased two bulbs for the hanging lights in the bathroom as well.  These are Utilitech  CFL bulbs,  The lighting facts are per bulb, they are bright white, 900 lumen's, Estimated yearly energy cost $1.57, lifetime is 9.1 years and it uses 13 watts to provide the equivalent of a 60 watt bulb.  It is also made in China and it has a two year warranty.  The price was $6.28 for the two pack.  These do contain MERCURY and when they are done you need to dispose of them properly and not just throw them in the trash. (Something I never knew before)

So far, we like the two added bulbs in the kitchen fixture and we will replace the rest of those bulbs, plus those in the dining room fixture a little at a time.  Not that $14.98 is that much money, but 8 more bulbs at once is.  We are also happy so far with the bulbs in the bathroom fixture.  They don't seem quite as bright as the others right away, but after a few minutes, they are quite bright.

I will be sure to keep you up to date on our findings with these bulbs.

Have you considered converting?

This weeks experiment

Every week I try to pick something to improve upon to either save money, the environment or to use our resources to the best of our ability.

This week, at least Monday through Friday evening, I have decided to make it a no TV week.  I have not turned on the bedroom TV in the evenings in over a month in an effort to save electricity.

It's winter here, and there is snow on the ground, and it gets dark at 4:30 in the evening.  So believe me, this isn't easy.  Usually I have the TV on as background noise or something "to do" when the nights are long.

There are a few reasons for my wanting to try this, first I want to see if I can.  Secondly, I want to see how much this will change our electric bill.  And finally, I really need to get some of my holiday knitting completed for gifts that I am planning to give.

I have gone without TV before.  When we were kids, we had a house at the shore and we had no TV and no telephone.  Growing up back in the 60's and 70's, you didn't really need a TV to keep you busy or for company.  You went outside and found your own adventures, you played board games on rainy days, or you read books that took you to far away places.

I have managed to get through quite a bit of a sock, that will be for my husband, and I have finished reading two of the garden books that I took out of the library.

These are a pair of socks I did for myself last year.

Lights

I have been giving a lot of thought to electricity, what else we could do to reduce our usage and light bulbs or lighting.

I like having timers on a number of lights in the house, that I change frequently.  We also have two outside lights on timers as well that help with when we are out at night so we don't have to come home in the dark.

Before I really began to think about all the electric usage, they were all on quite often and for many hours.  I have cut back all lighting drastically, except for one small, low watt bulb in the dining room.  When it is on, it lights up a majority of the area and can be seen all the way from our bedroom at night so that if you need to get up you aren't in total darkness.

Almost all of the lamps are the new energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.  But, I have to say, they have gone down in price over the years, and quality.  Seventeen years ago, when we began to use them, we paid $13.00 each and those lasted for 7 years.  Not bad for $13.00.  Now, the price is less, I think around $7.00 a piece and it seems they last maybe two years.

I have reduced the amount of time each light is on, and I feel this has significantly reduced our electric bill.  Where the outside lights would go on at dusk and stay on until about 11 pm, I have set the timers by day and only have them on for about an hour around the time that I feel I will be out and coming home.  Plus, if they come on and I am home, I turn them off, I don't leave them to run their full cycle.  The thing I like about these in wall timers is that they have a random feature where it will change the times that it comes on, on it's own. 

The other inside timers I now only set to come on when I know I am going to be out in the evening.  They do not come on every night.

As I mentioned in another blog post, I have been doing other things, such as unplugging appliances not in use, and my computer and printer.  The past two months our bill went down $40.00 the first month and another $10.00 the second month.  That is quite a bit of a savings, don't you think?

So, now, I'm trying to think of even another way to save a bit, I want to look into finding a portable solar light that I could put in the kitchen and our bedroom, that way I wouldn't have to use either one of those lights at night either, they would just run on whatever stored solar power they have each day.

I know that we could probably look into solar energy for the house, but I honestly don't feel we will be here in five years and so I'd like to look at that for our future, final home.

Do you have any ideas of a portable solar light that might work?

Sundays are my busiest days

I truly think that Sunday is the busiest day of the week for me.

If I haven't been able to shop for the following week, it's off to the store to do lunch shopping.  I make a weeks worth of lunches for Dear Darling on Sunday.

For the summer, he didn't want bread with his meal each day, so I only had to bake a loaf on Friday and that would see us through the weekend and maybe a spare slice or two for during the week.

Winter (fall) is another story.  I make bread on Friday and then again on Sunday.

At the market, I picked up fresh fruit.  I like for him to have at least two different fresh fruits a day.  I also make a "magic bullet" drink for him, that has lettuce, grapes and pineapple (this week).  He likes them better with blueberries, but they are SO FAR out of the budget right now.  Next year I am going to keep an eye on the price and BUY lots to freeze.  Plus two servings of vegetables as well.

I also like to make something for a home made snack.  This week is just brownies.  Yes, it's a box mix, I have some in the pantry and need to use them.  Then I will figure out how to make my own.

For lunch he will have beef and noodles, which the beef is leftover spaghetti meat sauce from dinner last night with some of my canned, diced tomatoes and I added macaroni noodles and a slice of muenster cheese on the top.  I will also give him two slices of bread for each day as well, with butter.

Lunches this week will be

A sliced orange
A sliced cucumber
Beef and noodles, plus bread and butter
Cheese and crackers
A banana
Homemade yogurt
Made at home brownies
Magic bullet drink

Oh, plus, as a surprise, I put three Hersey's kisses into each Cheese and crackers container.

It may seem like a lot of food, but he will eat some of it at morning break time.  Since he is away from home, it is so easy to grab something quick off the "lunch truck" and by providing a variety of good food and homemade snacks, the lunch truck doesn't see our dollars.

What or how do you handle lunches in your home for those who work out or go to school?

Grocery bill

We have always tried to have a stocked pantry.  In case of emergency.  And to help take advantage of when things are on sale or at a discounted price.

Now that it is just Dear Darling and I, our pantry is not nearly as big as when our Darling Boy was here with us, but I still try to keep about three months worth of staples in the pantry.

I went grocery shopping this week at our local store.  We have two in our town, which I use most often, then there are two others that are about 7 miles away that I keep an eye on their sales and we also have a SAMS club and Aldi's in that town as well.  I try to plan my trip based on what that weeks needs are.  That helps me not only save money, but time and gas as well.

Anyway, I went to the grocery store without a list.  I try not to do that, as it can make you spend a bit more, but sometimes I do like to wonder around the store to see what they got that is new and if there are any deals.  If I go with a list, I tend to just shop the list and at times, I miss the good deals.

I bought 27 items this week for a total of $60.62.  Which really is not bad, it includes no cleansers or paper products.  It also does not include milk or meat.

The two items that were treats were the ice cream I purchased that was on sale for $1.60 off per container.  They aren't half gallon anymore, like everything else, they've reduced the size.

Coffee was on sale, also not a pound can anymore, but I always purchase the one with the most ounces in it, which I believe is 11 oz to try to get the most off for the money.  I do the same thing when I do happen to buy cereal.  It must be on sale and I buy the best size box for the money.  Coffee was $1.00 off per can, $2.99.  The best price for the past few months.

I can only east Low Sodium Tuna, which doesn't go on sale often.  I have quite a few on the shelf, so I only added two can's this week at $2.00 a can.  This is an item that can vary greatly in price, so I always buy some when it goes to $2.00.

One item, I did not buy, was canned Red Salmon.  Dear Darling likes that, but it can be VERY pricey.  Right now it is $9.99 a can.  It is Wild Caught Alaskan Red Salmon.  I always try to keep an eye on the price of that.

I did pick up a few packages of frozen vegetables that were on sale, also some fresh potatoes and carrots that were on sale, some canned beans and some cheese.

When it comes to grocery shopping it's important to know your prices.  If you have never kept a price book of your own, I suggest that.  It truly does help to know when to buy something you use.  It also helps you learn what stores will do the price loss leaders to get you into their store.

For example, in January, Price Chopper ran Purex Liquid Landry detergent for $1.99 a 33 load container.  I bought two and got a rain check for 4 more. (Which I went back for the following week.)  Because we have a front load washing machine, I use less detergent. I still have 3 of those bottles left in my pantry closet.  It was a good deal.  I do have the ingredients to make my own, but I haven't done so yet.

Also, keep an eye on the stores sales, coupons and any specials that may be happening, such as double coupons.  Everyone shops based according to their needs.  These are just some ideas of how to save money and where.

I saved $14.15 on my order by purchasing things on sale, plus since I spent over $50.00 I got .10 in gas points.

Would love to hear any other tricks for shopping that you might have.

We burn wood

Where we live, it is common for most homes to heat with coal or electricity or oil.

Our home was built in the 70"s during the oil crisis and it has electric heat because at the time it was the cheapest way to heat a home.

Neither Dear Darling or I had electric heat growing up, but we knew that now electric heat is expensive.



 

 

Our home had a chimney but no heat source connected to it, so we bought a wood burning stove that sits in our family room and began our adventure with wood heat.

 

 



 

 

 

 

As I think I mentioned before, we get our wood in a barter arrangement.  Plus, the wood we get is from downed trees, meaning they were cut after nature had decided to fell them or they were in danger of falling and causing damage to a home.

 

I can feel good about that because otherwise this wood could have been just piled somewhere to rot or have been chipped up and used for mulch or land fill.

 

It is a lot of work, for Dear Darling and myself.  We are lucky the wood is already split when we get it, but we must load, unload and stack it once we get it home.  They say wood heats you twice, well I think it's more like three times for us!

 

So, our savings is quite large.  We have no added electric use in the winter and from what I understand, most people with a home our size are carrying a winter electric bill of $300 to $500 dollars a month.  I don't know how they do it, but I know that we sure couldn't.

 

I will say one nice thing about electric heat though, when you use it, you are heating only the room you are in.  BUT, you have to remember to turn it off when you leave the room.

My New Coat

I wanted to tell you about my new coat.

 

I am not one to have lots of clothes.  I don't like to shop for them.  I'm short and petite.  Buying clothes means trying on TONS of things that don't fit right because I have short arms and short legs and I get frustrated and usually leave with nothing!

 

The other thing I try to look for when I do shop, are clothes Made in the USA.  ALMOST impossible!

 

Here is my new coat.



 

 

Sorry the pictures aren't that great, it's not quite that bright, more of a burgundy color. The collar is brown corduroy and the lining is red, brown and green wool.  It is removable and it is MADE IN THE USA.  It is also a vintage LL Bean barn coat that I got off of eBay.  Plus, it's a Petite.



 

 

 

 

This coat was meant to be mine.  It fit all the criteria that I was looking for.  It has very little, if any wear, and the only thing "wrong" with it is on the pocket are two spots of paint, which I figured the original owner used to distinguish their coat from someone else's. It did take some searching.

 

When I found it on eBay it was a "Best Offer" deal.  I had never done that before, but the coat was listed at $79.00 and I knew that was already a decent price, but I didn't have that in my budget.  I wanted to pay less than $50.00, I could.  I also found, while looking at the ad, this seller had had this coat on their list since October of last year, so I was hoping that they would want to get rid of it.

I offered $30.00, which I felt was fair.  Under half price, but with shipping, it would bring it below $50.00.  All they could do was say no, and make a counter offer and hopefully then I could buy it.

I was totally surprised when they accepted my offer and so happy to have gotten the coat.

But, you always have that fear when buying something sight unseen that there will be something wrong with it.

There wasn't.  It was EXACTLY as described.

When I got it, I tried it on, fit like a glove!  Took the liner out, threw that into the dryer with some laundry sheet pieces.  Put the coat into the washer and then dried it for 10 minutes in the dryer and put on the drying rack by the fire to dry the rest of the way. 

(The coat looked clean and had no smell to it, but I just felt better doing it myself.)

Since I don't buy a coat, winter or otherwise, every year, I am sure this coat is going to be with me for many years to come.  I'm very happy.

Next time you need something, try to find it in a thrift store or on eBay.  Your choices become world wide then, and you can hopefully find EXACTLY what you were looking for.  And be as happy as I am with your purchase.

Update on yogurt making

I made my second batch of yogurt, which I think came out much better than the first.

 The first batch was good, however, a bit runny.  Dear Darling said it was much better by day three.

With that first batch, I did take a strainer and some cheese cloth and put the yogurt in that to drain for about an hour.  I was so surprised at the amount of whey that came off of it and how much thicker it got.

The whey that was left behind

This time, I made the yogurt with fresh, bought that day from the dairy milk.  Plus, before I added yogurt from my first batch to it, I added in two tablespoons of instant nonfat dry milk.

I found this batch to be quite a bit thicker when it was done.  We like more of a Greek style yogurt.

So, I took some of this second batch and put it in a strainer lined with cheese cloth and this time it sat in the refrigerator for about three hours.  BOY, talk about thick.  It was almost like soft cheese spread.

I'm going to have to do more research on this.  I'd like to find out what else I could do with the yogurt once I've made it.

I have found it does cost less.  We usually buy whatever Greek style yogurt is on sale 10 for $10.00.  The container size is usually 5 to 6 ounces with fruit or flavor blended in.  A half a gallon of milk from the farm is about $3.00 .  So I look at it that I'm saving nearly $7.00 a week! or $364 a year.

PLUS, this yogurt is fresh, homemade, no additives and no sweeteners!

I feel good being able to use what I have, fresh, to make wholesome delicious food for my family.

Sweet Potato Vine

I wish that I could fit the whole thing as it is into one picture, but I just can't.

This is one plant, in the pot with the coleus.  It grew to cover this whole area and then some.  It just did wonderfully here and I have enjoyed it so much this summer.

I decided to try to propagate some to have for next year so that I don't have to buy it.  One plant runs about $2.50 to $3.00 for a 4 inch pot.

I read that you could propagate them by making a cutting, removing the bottom most leaves and sticking it in a jar of water.

What could be easier?!

So I took five cutting from this vine and put them into a quart milk jar and waiting until the roots were about two inches long and then transplanted each one into a pot of potting soil and put them on my counter behind the sink. 

I know they like a lot of sun, and this window is just above where the vine grew all summer.

Have you tried to save money by propagating your plants?  I'd love to know how you made out or any tips you might have, leave me a comment.

Small things can save you big!

There are tons of ways to save money, but are you willing to do them?

Some people feel that they will be depriving themselves.  Says who?  OH, that's right, the Jones' or the advertisers.

When did we stop thinking for ourselves?

Sure, everyone likes to have a big house, a big car, a big boat.......  And they also have BIG BILLS to go along with them.  Don't think because someone has more than you, nicer than you, or bigger than you that they are not MORE in debt than you.  And why should you try to keep up?  So you can look as happy as they do, and once the doors are closed, be miserable?

We all lead the life we want.  We all make the choices we do.

We have chosen, after some curve balls, to live a bit more simply.  To not have the newest, fastest, brightest, biggest ______.  (You fill in the blank)

We want to be happy with where we are at.  We want to continue to pay down our debt and enter into the stage in life where we can put a little something more away for a rainy day.

As a couple, we decided that I would stay home and work at making our home a nice place to come to.  To have a garden, to make bread, to have healthy meals on the table.  To knit items for ourselves and as gifts.  To take care of the dog.

How do small things save you big? as the title of this post states.

Well, sometimes it's the little things, done over time that save you money.

Take the time to reuse containers.  They could be glass jars that your spaghetti sauce came in, or the containers that your vegetables came in.

Take time to remember your handmade grocery bags.  They save the environment, which is big.  You are doing something, not just for yourself, but for the world as a whole.

Before you throw something away, think if it could be repaired, reused in another way or recycled.  Such as my trough garden.  These items would have been thrown away into recycle yes, but they will have a much more productive life as a garden.

Look around your home for the appliances that you do not use everyday that are plugged in.  How many do you see?  If they aren't important, meaning the freezer, refrigerator or an appliance you can't unplug, unplug them when you aren't using them.  We have three in the wall air conditioning units.  In the off season, I unplug them.  Do I know how much this saves us?  No, I've never actually worked that out, I suppose I should, but I know that there is a little green light on the plug and it has to be using some electric if it's lite all the time.  I do the same with several lights in rooms we don't use often, as well as the coffee pot and the toaster. 

Give it a try, it's a small thing to do, but can save you big over time.