TanyaL

Will you share your receipe for dog food?

misseva

me - besides i buy store brand veggies and they're cheaper than brand name even with coupon. and the quality is just as good. i only buy canned goods when they're on sale at our local (and only) mad butcher. used to travel 20 miles to walmart but with gas so high it doesn't pay.

dreamer2009

recycle~~~buy at garage sales.

ThayerRags

Divide your home up into different temperature controlled areas, especially if you have CH/A.

I posted about this on another thread (discussing cooking) last month, and if your floor plan allows it, it could be another frugal method of saving energy in your home.

We’re in SW Oklahoma where it’s hot during the summer. A few of years ago, we decided to quit trying to cool the kitchen. We prepare nearly all of our meals in our kitchen (except when I cook on the wood grill out in the backyard), including the ones that we take to the shop for our lunch. In the hot part of summer, preparing meals daily created a lot of heat that we in turn had to spend money to cool back down with the AC. Add to that the gas range pilot lights, the dishwasher heating element, the compressors on two refrigerators and a freezer, the gas water heater, the coffee pot that’s on every morning, and the clothes dryer (only one or two days a week). All of these appliances are in the same kitchen and adjoining utility room area.

We installed a clear plastic curtain between our kitchen and the rest of the house (arched doorway without a door), and disabled the AC cooling in the kitchen. I got the idea from a warehouse that I visited that use the plastic strips hanging in some of their doorways to control air flow between two temperature controlled areas. Our house happened to have a floor plan that made it work for us with one small curtain. The clear curtain allows light to pass through, and you can see through it well enough to avoid colliding with another person. Now we don’t care how hot it gets in the kitchen, we’re still cool in the rest of the house. The fridges and freezer may run a little more this way, but we can see a huge savings in our summer energy use. Preparing the evening meal gets a little warm, so when it gets too hot in the kitchen, simply step behind the curtain for a bit.

CD in Oklahoma

JADE D

Have been reading the posts about hanging laundry outside. I agree, great idea. However, with 90+ temperatures here the resulting medical bills would outweigh the energy savings.

incoming2me

Our HOA does not allow outdoor clothes lines.
It's a rather strict HOA, but at least they don't come measure your grass with a ruler.
(Yes, our HOA when we lived in TN measured your grass with a ruler!)

FirstQuilt

Vermont legislature passed the "clothesline law." Everyone can have a clothesline in the yard, even if Homeowners Association by-laws say no.

kso

Coupns! Coupons! Coupons! My husband just shook his head the other day when I came home with 6 bottles of laundry detergent that only cost me $1 each. I even find coupons for horse feed occasionally.

We dropped our landline phone and only use cell phones, like so many others have said. We have minimum cable TV and seldom rent DVDs or go to the movies.

We live in AZ so we use the clothesline alot. I keep the swamp cooler set to 80 in the summer and I set the furnace to 55 in the winter. I don't care if they complain! They can wrap up in a quilt to watch TV.

We discontinued trash pick up and take our trash to the local landfill. Have replaced all the light bulbs with energy miser bulbs. Always turn off the computer when not in use.

I also dilute all the shampoo 50% with water and I buy generics as much as I can. Thrift shops are your friend as is freecycle and craigslist.

Since we live in the country we try to combine trips into town and run multiple errands at one time. We drive fuel efficient cars and have parked the Ram pick up.

Our lifestyle used to be easy to maintain on two incomes. Now my husband works 3 jobs and I work 2. Who says there is no inflation??

Peckish

From-scratch pancake mix (instead of Bisquick)

2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

mix and store in airtight container.

For pancakes, add:
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
approx. 2 cups milk or buttermilk

for waffles, use only 1 egg

If you use buttermilk, the pancakes end up being SO light, fluffy, and soft!

LyndaK

[quote=TonnieLoree]If you live where the temperatures are very cold in the winter, you should fill your tank. It cuts down on the condensation in the gas line which can cost you in repairs and vehicle downtime. At least that is what my husband says....