So, it's been 4 weeks since my husband came home and announced the income reduction. We began shaving expenses immediately. And we have now received the first natural gas bill since those changes.
This bill really only reflects about 2 1/2 weeks of our more fervent efforts of reducing use (out of a 4-week billing cycle), but still the results were impressive.
Adjusting for length of bill cycle, we saved $10 off the gas bill, from the same time period last year!! Last year's bill, for the same month was just over $40. This year's -- $30.79. Woo hoo!
We use gas for the cook top (but not oven -- it's dual fuel), the furnace and water heater.
Common sense with the cook top
With the cook top, I've been doing all the things commonly suggested -- careful to use just the amount of flame needed, turn the flame off entirely a minute before items are completely cooked and allow to finish cooking in the hot pan/pot, and using lids always.
I been using my microwave oven more. I made a very delicious corn bread in the microwave last night. I had planned on making some corn cakes on the gas griddle, but the microwave was quick and easy, and saved on gas.
Obviously, in summer, we're not using our furnace. We shut it off in early May, and leave it off until October. But we do use natural gas for the water heater.
The water heater
A few months ago, we set the water heater to its lowest safe temperature (where bacteria and other microbes can't become a threat to our health). Oh, I heard a couple of grumbles in the house, about how the water wasn't quite as hot. But I knew I was doing the right thing. And it turns out, this measure was important after all.
One thing I have yet to do, as I just haven't researched it yet, is to drain the water tank, to remove sediment, so the water will heat more efficiently. This has never been done on our 17 year-old water heater. So I think it's in order. Has anyone here done this before? Have any advice?
Going cold-turkey with the wash water
To curtail the use of heated water, we have switched to doing all of our laundry in cold water. Good Housekeeping did a study and found that in many washers, a cold wash gets clothes as clean as hot. They also noted that a cold wash is actually better at getting out mud, grass, egg and mascara stains. I would add that cold water is also better on blood stains. Anyone with young kids, ripping around the playground with constantly-skinned knees, already knows the cold water trick.
My one complaint concerning cold-water washing, is cheap, powdered laundry soap (Dollar Tree Sun brand) doesn't dissolve thoroughly in cold water. This isn't as much a problem with light-colored clothing, or when using the tumble dryer. Light-colored clothing hides any streaks of laundry detergent, and the tumble dry will remove the white residue of detergent from the dark loads.
But I am also now air-drying all our laundry, including darks. I was finding streaks of detergent on some of our clothes. However, I have found a workable solution for my budget.
As the washer fills with water, I heat a half mug of water in the microwave, for about 30 seconds. It doesn't need to be boiling, just hot. Then I stir in the laundry powder, until dissolved. I pour this over the wash load, shut the lid and allow the machine to wash. This seems to do the trick ( I have yet to find any undissolved laundry soap streaks on the darks since), and is minimal work for me.
Shortening the hot showers with a kitchen timer
The shower situation is another area that we've addressed yet again this year. (With teens I think loooong showers are just an on-going situation.) We use a kitchen timer, in the bathroom, for showers. I'm not sure this timer has ever seen a kitchen. We've just had it in the bathroom for as long as I can remember.
Anyways, here are the alloted times we've come up with for teenage girls.
My girls have uber-long hair, and it takes several minutes to wash and condition. When washing their hair, they get 15 minutes from the time they turn the water on, until they *have* to shut the water off. (One of my daughters has agreed to try turning the water off while lathering up her hair. It's working okay for her.) When not washing hair, they get 5 minutes from the time they turn the water on.
For myself, I find I can get in and out of the shower in about 3 minutes, if not washing hair. But I do have to implement one trick to get myself out so quickly. I bribe myself with a treat for getting out so quickly. I either plan a pleasurable outing, like a walk down to the beach, or a treat (preferable a hot one, as that's the main reason I linger in the shower) like a nice cup of tea, or my second cup of coffee, or a cup of cocoa, for when I get out. This seems to motivate me to get in, get it done, and get out.
And we've found Sunday mornings to be the most efficient time for our hot-water use. We are all trying to get ready for church in a hurry. By taking showers one right after the other, the only person who has to wait for the hot water to get down to the bathrooms, is the first person in. The rest of us have the luxury of just turning the shower on, and hopping right in.
Hand-washing in cold water
We've all been training ourselves to use the cold tap when washing hands, rinsing dishes or hand-washing a pot or pan. The tap water temperature is actually fairly comfortable in summer. I'm not sure how well this will go over in winter, when the tap water feels icy. But for now, cold water washing is a help.
With our current situation, it's important for me to celebrate every success we have. Sometimes I feel quite beaten down by this struggle to reduce our expenses, and try and make the ends of our budget meet. It feels like a strap of rubber, around a large object, when pulled very tightly, both ends can meet for a second at most, then it springs back to its original size.
This $10 savings may just be a drop in the bucket, but I have to celebrate it. I always ask my kids and hubby, "if you saw a $10 bill on the ground, would you just leave it there, or would you pick it up?" The answer is always a resounding "pick it up!" I trudge on with the knowledge that every last little bit will help.
So, electricity savings of $35/mo, plus natural gas savings of $10/mo totals a savings of $45/month.
