Thursday, February 5, 2009

Blankets and Wool Sweaters are Free!

We like to think of ourselves as frugal...as opposed to merely cheap. We also happen to believe that when it's cold outside, you pull out the winter clothes. Likewise, when it's hot outside, the tank tops and shorts make an appearance. As a result, we keep our house cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer than most do. This, of course, helps our energy bills immensely! 

What does mean in actuality? Our thermostat is set to 64 degrees 24/7 right now. That's fairly cool; we wear layers, wool sweaters, and warm socks! At night, we bundle up under blankets. Our kids actually do better in the cooler temperature; more dry heat only dries their sinuses out and give them MORE congestion. We began this winter at about 66 degrees and have dropped a degree each month....we worked up to it so to speak. And those sweaters and blankets we already own are free to operate! 

As you evaluate your budget and seek to reduce costs, consider your energy bills. It's amazing how much you can save over fairly small changes: one to two degrees on the thermostat, bathing your kids every other night insead of every night, turning off lights when you leave the house, etc. 

1 comment:

Bridgette said...

Another investment to consider is a thermostat that changes during the different times of day or days of week. They are relatively inexpensive for how much they can effect your energy bill. We have it set to 61 during the day when we are not home and at night (we also bundle up) and then 65 or 66 in the morning, evenings, and weekends.