We already live very frugal.Our average electric per month is usually under 5-6 thousand forints per month.
We shut off the water heater after a daily shower/bath so it doesn't reheat again until the next morning.If we didn't do that we would be heating the entire water tank without using it and that's just a waste of energy and money. ( A couple of times however, we forgot to turn it on and I had a chilly bath)My husband grew up this way and he rules the roost here( or so he thinks!)I grew up in a very large family and learned to shut off lights when leaving a room even if I was returning a bit later.Never keep the fridge door open for long all sorts of frugal ways of doing things.In the winters even now, I dislike the dry heat being on all night long so we shut the heat off at night and use an extra blanket if needed.I swear we do things like we are living in the depression of the 1930's.Don't run the washing machine but once a week, air dry everything.When we have access to the dishwasher, I forget it's even there and hand wash everything.Had a HU friend visit our home in Ca. once and she wanted to wash the dishes for me. ( I had a dishwasher back then)Of course I told her not to do it but she insisted.I swear she was giving me a mild heart attack the way she cleaned up.She had the faust running at full force the entire time she washed the dishes.To this day I'm not sure she did that to drive me nuts on purpose or if she was that much of a water waster in her own life. Same lady made us lunch here in Hungary and used sme fresh brocolli. She tossed out the entire stem and only used the tops.I wnder again if she was messing with my head or if she bought it by the kilo and threw half in the trash because she didn't know she could use the whole bunch if she scrapped off the hard outside? Probably more vitamins in the stock then the tops.My sister lived in London years back with a few roomates.They took turns doing housework each week.One UK lady used to just wash one side of a dish, now that's a bit too frugal and sloppy.My sister never had the nerve to tell her she was doing a bad job so she just fibbed and said she liked washing dishes and would do them for her when it was her week to wash up. My sister actually hates washing dishes, I know she used to make me to them for her as a child, or else...I think people have to recieve their first heart stopping utility bills before they learn to be frugal with energy.We are not in frugal habits just to save money but over the years it has become a way of life.I'm not afraid at all of using too much power this winter and being over charged,I still have an old fur coat around here some place...- @Marilyn Tassy
I've got my grandmother's fur coat from the 1930s. It's real fur. I couldn't even give it away. And no-one would buy it. It's a lovely thing to feel but it's made from dead animals so it doesn't go down well with anyone.
We're profligate users of resources here - electricity/petrol/diesel/plastic - all expensive unrenewable things. Drives me mad trying to get the kids to turn off the lights and put their computers in hibernate. We also have problems with them following the recycling. Gas we're not using that much - we use it for heating in winter and also for hot water. I am considering installing an electric water heater for use during the summer.
I must say impending energy rises have got me thinking. This morning I was looking up energy monitors to see how we can find out much we are using at any given moment in time. It's not that expensive to get a monitor but what could we cut back on that would make a significant difference?
I am also looking for the bills to see how much we pay out over a year. Mrs Fluffy does the bills so I don't ever look at them. Now its become more urgent.
Strange you mentioned doing the dishes. I actually do like washing the dishes but I don't like drying them. Somehow, getting absorbed in cleaning the utensils takes me away from stresses of life. It's a bit like working on my hobby car or DIY - I sort of tune everything else out. I can imagine throwing pots on a wheel and shaping the clay with my hands.
So relaxing, I'm beginning to nod off.
