One of my regular readers, Kara, sent me this fabulous tip that I wanted to share with you: "A few years ago we found out that 2 of our family members have allergies galore. We went out and bought a $250 air purifier for our home. The cost, cleaning, and sound always bothered us. It became another product that just wasn't worth it. The following year I started raising the simplest of house plants: Snake plants, philodendrons, and some others. These plants keep our home full of fresh air … [Read more...]
Moving Towards Reuseable Bags
Walmart announced this week that it will reduce plastic bag waste by 1/3 by the year 2013.At first I was impressed, but then I was thinking, that's all? Only 1/3? That's five years from now!And then I thought about my own habits. Yeah, I guess that is a reasonable goal.You see, I haven't converted to reuseable bags yet. I am starting to amass a collection of various bags, but I just haven't gotten into the habit of using the reusable totes.In my heart, I know it is the right thing to do. I … [Read more...]
Saving on Energy Costs
The chill is in the air, and soon it will be heating season in Northern Minnesota. I always have a bit of anxiety this time of year because I'm always afraid that we'll have a bitterly cold winter and spend a lot of money to heat our home.So I've been thinking of things we could do to save on energy costs:Make sure the furnace/hot water boiler is in great condition. Change any filters and make sure the chimney is clean. This is a good time to check those smoke detector and carbon monoxide … [Read more...]
Heading Out of Town? Shut off the Hot Water Heater
Note: The following is a guest post from my frugal friend Susan B. She's written some other great posts for Northern Cheapskate, too, including this one on saving money on gas. Don't you think she should start a blog? Because I am a teacher, I get the summers “off." However, since my parents own a fruit farm, I do more work from June to August than most folks do in 6 months. Because we start picking every early in the morning and because my mom does laundry when I am there, I stay with my … [Read more...]
Saving Money & Energy: My New Clothesline
Yes, I know it is September. In northern Minnesota.But I figured it was better late than never when it came to putting up an umbrella clothesline.I'm pretty excited about my new clothesline. We've lived without one for three years and I've really missed it. This one was on sale at a hardware store that was going out of business.... three years ago! Glad to be able to cross "putting up the clothesline" off my list of things to do!Clotheslines provide an excellent way to save energy and money. … [Read more...]
Reflecting on a Year of Budget Billing
I've just completed my first full year of being on my electric company's budget billing plan. Here's how it works. When you sign up, the utility takes the total amount you paid them for the year and divides it by 12. They then use this number as an estimate for your monthly bill. The perk to this program is that your power bill is exactly the same every month, no matter how much electricity you've used.Every August, looks at what the actual readings versus what you have been paying each month. … [Read more...]
Internet Limits My Need to Travel
As I pondered the cost of going to town (about $8 for this rural dweller), I realized that there are so many things I can do without ever leaving the comforts of my own home. All I need is the internet. I can do my banking and pay my bills. Many banks offer online options that include online bill pay. This saves me money on postage. But when I do need to mail something, I can... Get postage online. Using the United States Postal Service website, you can print your own postage or order … [Read more...]