I used to buy presents for ALL of the family members.  This included all of the aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, etc.  Over the past few years, I have cut back quite a bit and only buy for the immediate family and the children in the extended family.  This year I am cutting back even more.

We just moved to a new area last week.  I’m still busy cleaning, unpacking, and organizing our home.  In addition to this, our previous home hasn’t sold.  As you can imagine, this is a big financial strain.  Because of the stresses of moving, as well as our financial situation, I am making some big changes.

We won’t be home for Christmas so I have decided NOT to put up a tree.  This was a huge decision for me because I really enjoy having a tree.  I like to look through the ornaments and reminisce as I hang them.  I also know that my kids enjoy having a tree.  This decision won’t change, unless I find a good deal on a small 3 foot tree.

I have also decided not to send out Christmas cards.  I’ve been sending out cards for about 14 or 15 years.  I’ve gone back and forth on this decision and I’ve just decided that it’s too much. 

I can help but to feel a bit guilty for these cut backs, but I feel that they are necessary.  How about you . . . Are you cutting back any this year?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

This article gives more information about why we set our clocks back each year.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Due to our current water shortage, I thought we could all use a reminder of ways to conserve.

25 Ways to Reduce Your Water Bill

Picture from oakharbor.org.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Anyone is free to join in and try this.  You can view the rules, join a support group, and review FAQ.  For more information, go on over to Frugal for Life.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

1.  Keep your blinds closed as much as possible.  Opening the blinds allows the heat of the sun to come right into your house.  I leave my blinds closed while I’m gone and then open a few blinds later in the day.  I tilt the blinds upward to allow me to see outside and get a litttle natural light, but not heat up my house.

2.  Change your air filter every month.  Dirty filters make your air conditioner work extra hard and can increase your bill 20%.

3.  Bump up the thermostat 2-3 degrees. 

4.  Get a thermostat with a timer.  If you’re gone from 8-5, then have your thermostat go up a few degrees while you’re gone during the day and have it come back down shortly before you get home.

5.  If you’re going on vacation or going to be out of town for a few days, turn the thermostat up.  You don’t need to keep your house on 72 while you’re out of town. 

6.  Use ceiling fans to circulate air.  Ceiling fans can make your rooms seem much cooler. 

7.  Plant trees or shrubs around your a/c unit to protect it from the sun (but not blocking the air flow).  A unit out of the sun can use up to 10% less electricity.  Also, clear away any leaves or debris that may clog your unit.

8.   Don’t place lamps, tvs, or other electrical equipment near your thermostat.  They let off heat and make your thermostat think it’s hotter than it is.

9.  Don’t cool unused rooms.

10. Caulk windows and door frames and use weather stripping.

These are just a few ways to save money on your electric bill.  What ways can you save?

image sxc.hu

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

1.  Open blinds during the winter.  This allows the heat from the sun to come in and warm up your house. Close blinds or curtains at night.

2.  Change filters every month.  Dirty filters can increase your bills by 20% each month.  Ouch!  Also, get a “tune up” for your furnace.  You will save money if it is working properly.

3.  Try to keep your furnace on 68 degrees.

4.  Make sure your fireplace damper fits properly and close it when not in use.  Leaving a damper open can suck a lot of heat out of your home.  Install a glass door fireplace screen.

5.  Put caulking and weather strips around doors and windows.  Put plastic sheeting around older windows or windows that have a draft.

6.  If you’re going away for a few days, turn your thermostat down to about 55 degrees. 

7.  Put your thermostat on a timer.  Have the temperature drop 2-3 degrees while you’re gone to work and set it to warm back up before you arrive at home.

8.  Consider replacing some things in your home that are not energy efficient.  Homeowners have until the end of 2007 to take advantage of a one time $500 energy conservation tax credit.  Check out the IRS website for more information. 

9.  Close the vents and the door to unused rooms.  We quit heating and cooling our basement.  It’s a bit chilly down there, but we’re not in the basement for very long anyway.

10.  If possible, remove window air conditioner units during the winter.  These let a lot of cold air into your home.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

So, every year we do this thing of turning our clocks forward and back.  It is quite annoying and has become even more frustrating now that I have kids.  After the time change it seems to take a few weeks to get them on schedule again. 

I find myself questioning this time changing event each time it occurs.  I wonder why in the world we are doing this.  Could we not just leave the clocks alone.  Why couldn’t we just move the clocks 1/2 hour and compromise, leaving it there all year?  I was talking to one of my friends today about this irritating subject, and we did some online research.

During my research, I found that the main reason for Daylight Savings Time (DST) is to conserve energy.  The energy that we use is directly connected to when we go to bed.  When we go to bed, we turn out the lights, the televisions, and whatever else we were using.  This is what the California Energy Commission has to say about it:

In the average home, 25 percent of all the electricity we use is for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs, VCRs and stereos. A good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurs in the evening when families are home. By moving the clock ahead one hour, we can cut the amount of electricity we consume each day.

Studies done in the 1970s by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that we trim the entire country’s electricity usage by about one percent EACH DAY with Daylight Saving Time.

Study done in the 1970s????  Wow!  That’s a long time ago.  We have so many more electronic gadgets and gizmos now then we had in the 70’s.  I’m sure by cutting off the computers and such we are saving more energy now then we were then.  Then again, maybe not.  Before I go to bed I usually run a load of clothes in the washer or turn on the dishwasher. Either way, the whole idea of the Daylight Savings Time is to conserve energy.

Daylight Saving Time “makes” the sun “set” one hour later and therefore reduces the period between sunset and bedtime by one hour.

We use less electric during the spring and summer because of the longer daylight time.  People are able to do yard work, play outside with the kids, have cookouts, etc.  A lot of people use these longer days for outside activities.

The amount saved by each household is small, but when added up the savings become huge.  Some states have even made a state law to observe DST in order to conserve energy.  In 2005, Indiana made a law to observe DST because only half of the state was using it.  California asked for approval to move to a year round DST in 2001 because of the energy crisis.  The request was not acted upon by Congress because of the world changing events of September 11th.

For more information about DST and the history behind it, you can visit the California Energy Commission website. 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy