This week hasn't been as much of a frugal success as I would like. I wish I could say I'd saved a lot. But, over time, every little bit adds up to a lot of money.
1) We have a "Time of Use" meter for electricity. We get charged more for using electricity during peak periods of use, and charged less for using electricity during non-peak times. Since it's summer time, our electricity rates go way up during the business day, and way down at night and on the weekends. Since we finally turned the a/c on this week, this is what I've done to help keep the cost down:
* I keep the a/c turned way down at night (72). During the day, we have the thermostat set at 80*. I keep the ceiling fans on during the day, and keep the sheers closed. On the southwest side of the house, I close the heavy curtains once the sun hits that side of the house. We live in an all brick house, and the masonry does keep the inside of the house at a pretty consistent temperature.
* I run a load of wash before I go to bed at night. In the morning, I take the wash outside and hang it to dry. We also run a lot of laundry on the weekends, when the rates are lower.
* Our dishwasher has a time delay. When I fill it at night, I set it to start washing after 11 p.m.
* I've switched any baking to the toaster oven. Heavy duty baking is done at night, once the outdoor temperature starts to go down. The bread maker, microwave, and grill are also getting a decent workout as using them keeps the house cooler.
2) Matt works at a camp over an hour away from here. His weekends are Monday evening to Weds. morning. I arranged a carpool with another family so that each of us is only driving up and back once a week. Good for the environment, good for our wallet.
3) We made our own pizza crust for dinner last night. We made the dough in the bread maker, and cooked it on the grill. Not quite brick oven pizza, but gas grill pizza is still good!
4) Cooked dinner from scratch every night this week. No pre-prepared or convenience foods went into making dinner!
5) I used the leftover strawberries that didn't get made into jelly in strawberry muffins and strawberry smoothies, and strawberry popsicles.
6) I took our leftovers from dinner and froze them into meals for the oldest child, who is working on campus this summer, and is living off campus. Our leftovers are not going to waste by being thrown into the trash, and he does not have to pay for groceries on his very limited earnings.
7) I found a chain grocery store that does not accept credit cards. Cash or Debit only. (You also have to pay a 25 cent deposit for a cart!) Their prices are significantly lower than the other grocery stores. Let me tell you, when you know you only have $60 in your purse for groceries, you find a way to stay inside of your limit!
8) This one might seem a little silly: 4 years ago, when we bought our then 16 year old his first cell phone, I went ahead and bought the insurance plan that the cell phone company offered. His cell phone died two weeks ago. It had a nice, white spot in the middle of the screen. We took it back to the carrier last week and guess what? New cell phone, covered by the insurance. It's not a smart phone. But, it's the closest model to the previous cell phone that the company makes. It is a really nice phone. And yes, I bought the insurance for this phone, too. (Estimated savings on the cost of the new phone: $150 for the new phone - $25 insurance = $125 savings.)
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