Saving on Utility Bills

by Amy Clark

Some of our bills can be eliminated as being “extras”, but utilities are just not one of these. If you are noticing an increase in your utility bills it is time to review what you may or may not be doing to cause this increase. Here are some helpful tips for ways to decrease your utility bills.

Saving on Water Bills

* Check to make sure none of the faucets in your household are leaking/dripping. A slow dripping faucet can accumulate over two gallons per hour.
* When watering the garden, set a schedule and try to water in the early morning hours to help minimize evaporation (between 6am-8am)
* Take shorter showers. Did you know that a shower uses approximately 6-10 gallons of water per minute? Think of how much money you could save if you shaved a few minutes off of your shower.
* Use your dishwasher and washer only when you have full loads.
* Contact your utility company to see if they offer reduced rates at certain times of the day and either timer-delay your washer/dishwasher or wait until that time to do your loads.
* Recycle your water from fish tanks and use it to water your plants. Fish emulsion is a good and inexpensive fertilizer. It is high in nitrogen and phosphorous. Just think what you will save on fertilizer and water.

Saving on Gas Bills

* During the winter use your fireplace. This will heat up the room at a much lower cost.
* Lower the temperature on your gas water heater. It is not necessary to have your water heated up to 180 degrees. You will find that by lowering it that you will in turn lower your bills.
* Invest in a water heater timer if you have an electric water heater. By turning the heat off during the time it is not in use you will save money on your bill without even making a sacrifice.
* Turn your thermostat down just three degrees. By doing so you will save approximately three percent on your heating bills.
* Weather-strip your doors and windows along with insulating your attic. This will conserve the heat in your home a lot more.
* Close off the rooms that aren’t in use in your home. This will help keep the rooms you do use warmer.
* Close vents in the rooms that have one or more in them. If one room is always warmer you can close the vent to force air into the rooms that are cooler.

Saving on Electric Bills

* When purchasing new appliances always try to get the ones that are energy efficient. You can save hundreds of dollars a year by spending the extra money to get the energy efficient models.
* Get in the habit of turning off all lights and appliances that are not being used. You'll be surprised at how quickly the energy savings will add up.
* When not watching television make sure that you keep it off. This is the number one electricity waster in the world.
* The dryer will use less energy if you dry loads of clothing one after another because the dryer will already be hot. What an easy way to save money and get your laundry done more quickly.
* Use low-wattage light bulbs or energy efficient fluorescent lighting. Compact fluorescent bulbs typically last ten times longer and they use 75% less electricity.
* Call your utility company to find out if they have off-peak hours and when they are. Many companies charge less for your electricity at night and more during the day. By doing your laundry and dishes during off-peak hours you could easily save money off of your utility bill.

Saving on Phone Bills

* Compare the prices of various long distance providers. A great place to look up information on lowering your long distance bill is LowerMyBills.com

* If you have a cellular phone that offers state-to-state long-distance, use this instead of calling. Always make sure that you can call nationwide, the minutes you have available to you each month, and what hours are free (evenings, weekends) before making calls. I have made this mistake before and it was a costly one when I discovered I had no long-distance. Always be clear
about the terms of your plan.
* Take advantage of the internet and email instead of calling your friends and family. You can also use great instant messaging programs and still feel like you are having a telephone conversation without the high bill.

Homemade Fabric Softener

2 cups baking soda
2 cups vinegar
4 cups water

Be careful when adding the baking soda, do so very slowly as it will foam up. Cap and shake gently from side to side, opening the cap to allow air to escape (you may need to do this several times). Add about 20 drops of essential oil if you want it scented. Shake side to side before each use as the baking soda will settle.

(Alternatively, you can also add vinegar to a bottle of fabric softener that is 1/4-1/3 full. It works great, and will leave your clothes with a mild softener scent. You could also use only a little bit of softener, then fill your dispenser the rest of the way with vinegar.)

I dilute it about half & half with water in my dispenser in my washer. There isn't any residue left behind. My clothes are static-free and soft.

And no, they don't smell like vinegar. I've read that vinegar actually helps rid your clothes of any detergent residue. The vinegar smell is completely gone once the clothes are dry and you've saved money (and avoided unnecessary chemicals) in the process!

Master Grocery Shopping List

Make a master grocery-shopping list.

Organize the items you buy regularly in the same order they are located in the store. Leave some open lines between each category so you can list additional items where they belong.

Make lots of copies and always keep one on the fridge.

This will take you an initial investment of time, but will save you SO much time when you go to the store that it will all be worth it. Trust me.

My mom did this when we were kids. And my mom is simply awesome. So there you have it. :)

RedRoko Giveaway!!

RedRoko is having it's first giveaway! They are giving away a super-cute valentine card kit you can do with your kids. It makes 30 valentines!

Head over there and enter... And check out their site while you're at it. It's loads of fun!

Reheating Pizza & Easy Pizza Crust Recipe

When reheating pizza in a microwave, sprinkle water on the bottom of the crust first. The water creates a small amount of steam that keeps the crust from becoming hard and leathery.


Speaking of pizza, here is my favorite pizza crust recipe. It's as simple as throwing a few ingredients together and pressing the dough into a pan.

Super Easy Pizza Crust

• 3 cups flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water
  

Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired. Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Kids' Play Dough Recipes

OATMEAL PLAY DOUGH

1 part flour
1 part water
2 parts oatmeal

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Knead.


KOOL-AID PLAY DOUGH

1/2 cup salt
2 cups water
2 tbsp. salad oil
2 cups flour
2 tbsp. alum
Kool-Aid for color

Boil salt in water until salt is dissolved. Add Kool-Aid for color. Add salad oil, flour and alum. Knead or process until smooth. Keeps for two months or longer.


COLOR PLAY DOUGH

1 cup flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
Food coloring

Mix all ingredients in saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly until ball forms. Knead until smooth.


SIMPLE PLAY DOUGH

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups salt
6 tsp. cream of tartar
3 cups cool water
3 Tbsp oil
Food coloring

Mix dry ingredients in a big cooking pot. Blend liquids together in a bowl. Combine with dry ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when dough pulls away from the sides of the pot and can be pinched without sticking (about 5 min.) Turn onto board or counter and knead until smooth play dough consistency. Store in an airtight container.

Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

• 2 cups Bar Soap (Fels-Naptha, Ivory, Sunlight bar soap, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile, or Zote -- nothing heavily perfumed)

• 1 cup Washing Soda

• 1 cup Borax

Grate bar soap to a fine powder (a food processor works best). Mix all ingredients well and store in an airtight plastic container. Use 2 tablespoons per full load (if you have hard water, you may need more).

All ingredients can usually be found on the laundry aisle.

Presidential Inauguration

Today, it doesn't matter who I voted for. It doesn't matter what my "political affiliation" is. Today I am proud to be an American. Today I salute President Barack Obama and look forward with hope and faith in the future of our new president.

Click here to view video of President Obama being sworn in.

Click here to read President Obama's Inaugural address.

Click here to view a slideshow of Presidential Inauguration photos.

God Bless America!!

Homemade "Febreeze" Fabric Refresher

2 cups liquid fabric softener
2 cups baking soda
4 cups hot water

Purchase a large spray bottle. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water; allow to cool completely. Put fabric softener in it and fill the spray bottle. Spray it lightly on furniture, curtains, carpets and bedding for a nice fresh scent.

Pancakes, Part 2

To answer a few questions and share more Pancake Propaganda...

PANCAKE RECIPE: I haven't really found a recipe I simply LOVE for pancakes. I prefer them from scratch but haven't decided that I really prefer one recipe over the other, but honestly I fall back on a boxed mix more often than not. Maybe "Stamps Family" who commented on my first Pancakes post would be willing to share her recipe?? [Email me and I'll post it - yum!] For now, check out AllRecipes Top 20 Pancake Recipes.

HEART-SHAPED PANCAKES: To make heart-shaped pancakes for Valentines Day, you can use a greased metal cookie cutter, set it on your hot griddle, and pour your batter into it. I've tried this, and it really doesn't work all that well unless you kind of thicken-up your batter a bit more than usual. Otherwise it "oozes" out underneath the edges of the cookie cutter. Maybe pressing down on the cookie cutter till the batter has a chance to set a bit would work too. You could also use the squeeze bottle method to make hearts and maybe even pancakes that say, "I Love You!" or "Be My Valentine" -- those would be super-cute!

PUMPKIN PANCAKES: I love this idea! Adding a 1/2 can of pureed pumpkin with a little cinnamon and nutmeg would make FABULOUS pancakes. Yummy!!

APPRECIATION: Did you know there was such a thing as the Pancake Appreciation Society? Yeah, no kidding! (It's associated with a syrup company, so maybe they're more commercial than "legit," but whatever...) They have a website with tips, recipes, and topping ideas. You can also take the "Pancake Pledge." [I dare you...!]

I don't know about you, but my mouth is watering and I'm having a sudden craving for pancakes...

Pancakes

Lastnight was "Breakfast for Dinner" (or BFD) night around here. We had pancakes and scrambled eggs. It's the one day of the week I don't really have to put all that much effort into "cooking" and I look forward to it. :)

A few tidbits about pancakes:

• Use a 1/4 C. measuring cup to spoon batter onto the griddle. You'll have perfect, 4-inch, uniform pancakes every time.

• Alternatively, you can use a turkey baster or a squeeze bottle to make pancakes into fun shapes and letters and such.

• Pancake and waffle batter will keep in the fridge for 24 hours, if you don't use it all or if you want to make it up ahead of time, like the night before. It actually is better if you refrigerate your batter for 15-30 minutes before making your pancakes. So make up your batter, pop it into the fridge, then clean up your mess and set the table before making the pancakes.
  

• Don't buy those dumb boxed pancakes or waffles in the freezer section - you can make your own for pennies! Make a double batch of pancakes or waffles next time (even putting the rest of the batter in the fridge till after your meal, then finish making them). Put pancakes or waffles, 2 or 3 together, into sandwich bags and toss them in the freezer. To reheat, microwave the pancakes for 15-20 seconds, turn them over, then another 15-20 seconds or until hot. You can also place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer, cover them with foil, and bake them at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Waffles can be toasted in the toaster (but may need more than one toasting, depending on the thickness of your waffle and the temp of your toaster). Now your kids can have pancakes or waffles for breakfast before school without the time and mess of making them from scratch in the morning, and without spending 10x what you need to. :)

• The best temperature for your griddle is 375 degrees.

• Measure carefully, and don't overbeat your batter. It's supposed to be lumpy. :) Mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another. Then mix the two together gently.

Enjoy those yummy pancakes!!

Mistakes Parents Make That Create Bad Habits

I found a great blog post over at Handprints on the Wall. They outlined seven things parents do that create bad habits that often stick with a kid for life. Wow, I loved this! The original post is HERE: "Mistakes Parents Make that Create Bad Habits" but the list (with explanations you'll have to go to the original post to read) includes:

1. Letting your child sleep in the bed with you.
2. Using "white noise" to help your child go to sleep.
3. Using a baby wipes warmer.
4. Allowing your child to carry around a special blanket or stuffed animal everywhere you go.
5. Feeding your child off your plate.
6. Never making your child drink plain water.
7. Cutting the crust off bread; always peeling apples.

I am adamant about #1. I was always terrified of sleeping with my babies/kids. Plus, I don't sleep a wink when they're in my bed. Doctors warn against co-sleeping, and I wholeheartedly agree. As for #2, unfortunately we live in a basement apartment, and our upstairs neighbors are early-risers so we have to use "white noise" or we'd all be up-and-about by 6am. No, thank you! The rest I'm fully on-board with and are things we've always done in our family.

I consider myself a fairly conscientious and assertive parent. I think we all want to do best by our children, but lazy parenting is at the top of my list of pet-peeves. With that said, I'd like to add a couple more things to the list:

1. Making your child clean his/her plate. The "Clean Plate Club" is a bad idea. Teach your child to listen to his/her stomach and stop eating when they're full. Don't set your child up to have issues with food/overeating later in life.
2. Threatening something you won't follow through with. So many times I've heard parents threaten a child if the child doesn't change his/her behavior. For instance, "Johnny, we're going to pack up and leave the zoo if you don't start being nice to your sister!" That's all fine and nice if you're prepared to do just that if Johnny's behavior doesn't change, but when all your friends and their children are at the zoo with you and he KNOWS you have no intention of leaving, he's not going to believe you. Your credibility with your children diminishes drastically when you blow hot air and throw out empty threats.
   
3. Not making an effort to stop unpleasant/unacceptable/age-UNappropriate behaviors. It's one thing if your infant is crying in the store because he/she is hungry. It's another if your preschooler is crying because he/she didn't get the sugar cereal they wanted. I tell my child to stop screaming. Yup, I sure do. And I make sure they stop. I'm not mean or hurtful or threatening. But I don't stand for it. I will (and have) left my grocery cart in the middle of the aisle and taken the child out to the car for a "time out" to calm down when the behavior warrants it. It is one of my biggest pet peeves to hear a child crying/screaming from one end of the grocery store to the other without the parent making an effort to stop the behavior. Teach your children to control their emotions and deal with disappointment in an appropriate way. And screaming/crying in the store for a half-hour is NOT appropriate at ANY age, in my book.
   

With all that said, each family is individual and parents have to make decisions based on what is best for their family. I'm not here to attack anyone or tell anyone they are a bad parent. These are simply suggestions of things that I have found to be valuable in raising my own three children. Take it or leave it.

Do you have any other suggestions of mistakes parents make that create bad habits??

Meal Planning

Ever get tired of having the same dozen meals over and over again??

I recently sat down and made a list of all our family's favorite meals (or at least the ones a majority of us like).

Then I divided that list into categories such as Pasta, Sunday Dinners, Soups, Mexican, etc. Then I took a six-week grid and filled in the blanks. For us, for instance, Mondays are chicken, Tuesdays are beef, Thursdays are soup night, Fridays we have Mexican, and Saturdays are pasta (the kids' favorite). Sundays are "Sunday Dinner" items like roast, lasagna, and spaghetti & meatballs.

Wednesdays we leave open for one of three things to happen: 1) a "Leftovers Buffet;" 2) something new; or 3) Breakfast for Dinner (pancakes, waffles, french toast, etc). Hubby takes the leftovers to work for lunches, so I'm thinking that most of the time we'll probably be either making something new or keeping it simple and having BFD.

Some "days" on my six week meal planner are a choice of one item or another for a couple of different reasons. Either the two items are very similar (lasagna or chicken alfredo lasagna) or they are two items that no one is super-excited about, so I'd rather only make them once every twelve weeks instead of six. The first time I go through the planner I make the first item. The second time, I make the second item. Does that make sense?

I also took my recipes and copied them into a word document in the order I'll be using them (because they're already typed up). I stapled the calendar to the front, and the recipes behind it. I threw the whole thing into a drawer. Before I go to the store each week, all I have to do is pull that out, turn to the right week's worth of recipes, and make my list from the ingredients. How simple is that?? And I am in no way a "fancy" cook, so please don't go thinking I'm spending tons of time in the kitchen each week. :)

To get you started, here is a list of some of the meals we'll be enjoying once every six weeks (that's only twice in three months - talk about variety!):

• BBQ chicken sandwiches
• potato soup
• chicken enchiladas
• parmesan chicken
• pizza pockets
• vegetable soup
• chicken pot pie
• tacos
• spaghetti & meatballs
• chicken a la king
• chili & cornbread
• ravioli
• french dip sandwiches
• taco soup
• chicken cacciatorre

What are your family's favorite meals? Let's share ideas! :)

Organizing Winter Gear

The Happy Housewife blogged about a very clever way to store winter gloves, mittens, hats, etc. and I read about her post when I'm an Organizing Junkie blogged about it. You use an inexpensive shoe holder that hangs on the back of a door to hold winter gear. Very clever, indeed!!

Check out the original post on The Happy Housewife HERE.

What clever, alternative uses have you found for organizing things around the house??

Need a Quick Pick-Up?

I have a very clever sister-in-law. I stole this idea from her blog. :)

Give each of your kids their own plastic bag and have them see who can fill their bag the fastest. When they're done, you can sort the toys, trash, clothes, etc. Then have your kiddos put the stuff back where it belongs.

It works every time. :)

Yahoo Web Beacons - Yikes!

I belong to a few Yahoo groups (FreeCycle, Clever Homemaker, Sunbeams Group, etc) and this was posted on the Clever Homemaker Yahoo group... I thought I'd pass it along. It kind of freaks me out that this is legal! Geez, Yahoo!! Makes me wanna "opt out" of being involved with anything Yahoo-related! Do yourself a favor and take the time to "opt out" of this disturbing practice of Yahoo's of following you around the web using "web beacons."

"As part of our continuing efforts to serve our list-members we will pass along any general Yahoo Groups-related announcements that are of relevance to all of you such as the one below:

Yahoo is Tracking Group Members

If you belong to ANY Yahoo Group - be aware that Yahoo is now using "Web Beacons" to track every Yahoo Group USER/MEMBER. It's similar to cookies, but allows Yahoo to record every website and every group you visit, even when you're not connected to Yahoo. Look at their updated privacy statement at http://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/details.html

About half-way down the page, in the section on *cookies*, you will see a link that says *WEB BEACONS*.

Click on the phrase "Web Beacons." On the page that opens, on the left find a box entitled "Opt-Out."

In that section find "opt-out of interest-matched advertising" link that will let you "opt-out" of their snooping. Click it and then click the opt-out button on the next page.

Note that Yahoo's invasion of your privacy - and your ability to opt-out of it - is not user-specific. It is MACHINE specific. That means you will have to opt-out on every computer (and browser) you use.

Please forward this to your other groups. You might complain, too, but I'm not sure if anyone is listening. I remember when they signed all users up to get spam and we had to opt out of that a few years ago--- and probably still do.

Carrot Slices for Salads

This is something I've always done for salads, but didn't think to post it here till my daughter was watching me make dinner lastnight and said, "Wow, Mom, that's a clever way to do carrots in the salad! I didn't know you did it that way!" So, here you go...

I hate big chunks of carrot in a green salad because they don't compliment the lettuce very well and they all sink to the bottom of the salad. I just can't seem to slice them thin enough. I've tried shredding them using a grater, but that takes forever and it's a lot of hard work -- plus I'm terrified I'll shred my fingers into the salad (ouch!). So I came up with this way of preparing carrots for a green salad:

1. Peel the carrots and cut off the skinnier end.
2. Using the same vegetable peeler, hold it at a 45-degree angle and "peel" bits off the end of the carrot with a quick motion, turning the carrot as you go. As my daughter pointed out, it's kind of like using the peeler to sharpen the end of the carrot (like sharpening a pencil). You get bigger pieces than a grater, but they're thin and mix into the lettuce better.

Ta-da! :)

No More Lost Hair Ribbons

When you tie a ribbon into your daughter's hair, first slip it into the hair band so that if the bow comes undone, the ribbon does not fall out and won't get lost.

Dear Abby's New Year's Resolutions

(copied from today's Dear Abby column)

DEAR READERS: Rise and shine, everyone! Welcome to a brand-new year. Today is our chance for a new beginning, the day we discard destructive habits for healthy new ones. With that in mind, I'm printing Dear Abby's oft-requested list of New Year's resolutions -- adapted by my mother from the original credo of Al-Anon.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once. I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things that I can correct and accept those I cannot.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I'll not speak ill of others. I'll improve my appearance, speak softly, and not interrupt when someone else is talking. Just for today, I'll refrain from improving anybody but myself.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will do something positive to improve my health. If I'm a smoker, I'll quit. If I'm overweight, I'll eat healthily -- if only just for today. And not only that, I'll get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it's only around the block.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions.