Yee Haw!!!

[Deleted]

The sun beating down on our West facing window, even with the vertical blinds closed, was causing the AC to constantly run. So, I taped heavy tin foil over the window.

It might look funky from the outside, but I don't care. It feels so much cooler inside. 

What Yee Haw things have you done to save money?

[Blonde Granny]

We bought an electric lawn mower from Amazon.  Even though it cost us money, we paid no shipping of $68 and no 10% sales tax of $20.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

I saved money today by not going anywhere to spend it. Does that count??

[3catslady]

I haven't bought any groceries yet.  I am cleaning out the freezer and the pantry.  I may have instant mashed potatoes and baked beans for a meal but I won't buy anything until the last can of anything is used up.  Then I will start fresh.

[Iggy aka IG]

Several months ago I switched the dishwasher to air dry, instead of heat.

[kittensaver]

I've started seed saving in my vegetable garden.

[Tiny]

Lonewolf and others, you can also use tissue paper - the kind you use when you wrap a gift - instead of the tinfoil. You can then put up pretty colors or patterned paper so it doesn't look so bad I put up tissue paper on the top half of my southern facing windows, that combined with shades and curtains makes a huge difference. The tissue paper also lets me still open the double hung windows for the days I don't have the A/C on.

I've started riding my bike for short errand trips (like to the bank, the grocery when I have a short shopping list, to a friend's house) instead of driving my car. I guess I'm saving on gas - I'm using the bike for about 5 miles a week.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

That would also allow light to still come though the window, yet act as a "buffer" against the heat of the sun - unlike foil - which would darken a room inside.

Tinfoil on the windows also looks (to me anyway) tacky.

[Deleted]

Jun 3, 2014 13:18:45 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Several months ago I switched the dishwasher to air dry, instead of heat.

Doing this will actually dry your clothes? Please, tell me it will. Our electric bill is out of sight.

[Deleted]

Jun 3, 2014 14:30:47 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

That would also allow light to still come though the window, yet act as a "buffer" against the heat of the sun - unlike foil - which would darken a room inside.

Tinfoil on the windows also looks (to me anyway) tacky.

Yup...it probably does look tacky from the outside. From the inside the foil is behind the blinds. 
I love the idea of the tissue paper and will use it next year.
It's already 3:30 and we haven't turned the AC on yet. My foil is really working.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

A few years ago, we put up some of that "heat reflective window film" on some of our windows .... it really helps a lot, makes it nearly impossible to see INSIDE the windows during the daylight, but still lets a lot of light inside. solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Window_Film/Solutions/Markets-Products/Residential/Sun_Control_Window_Films/    We also have outside blinds in front of our dining room and living room windows ... which means I can still see out during the daytime, but no one can see in. We don't have those up to block the sun ... they are up because stupid birds kept crashing into our windows.

I spend most of my time at home in our family room, so we've got strategically placed fans that face me when I'm at the computer (plus a ceiling fan, of course). They do a pretty nice job of keeping me from getting TOO hot, most of the time. I also keep a spray bottle of water next to me, and when I need a cool-off, I spritz myself.

I try to air and line dry (inside) a lot of things to minimize dryer usage. When I do use the clothes dryer, I wait until night time so as to not heat up the laundry room too much. I also wash most clothes on cold.

Actually, I do anything and everything I can to keep our electricity usage as low as possible since we pay upwards of 35 cents per KwH.... which is ridiculous. With the swimming pool pump, about $125+ a month is just for that.  We do have a front porch light that goes on dawn-to-dusk and it's an energy efficient one. We also installed solar motion lights out front.

When I am waiting for the shower to warm up, I save the cold water in a big bucket and use it for my tomato plants

[busymom]

We've got several windows on the South side of the house, so we get lots of sunshine when the sun is out. I've learned to open the blinds in the winter to let the sun help to heat the house, & I keep them closed in the summer to help keep the heat out. Surprisingly, our heat bills in the winter HAVE dropped some by "borrowing" the sun.

[Deleted]

Jun 3, 2014 23:07:20 GMT -5 busymom said:

We've got several windows on the South side of the house, so we get lots of sunshine when the sun is out. I've learned to open the blinds in the winter to let the sun help to heat the house, & I keep them closed in the summer to help keep the heat out. Surprisingly, our heat bills in the winter HAVE dropped some by "borrowing" the sun.

We once had the heavy thermal drapes, but later went with the light weight vertical blinds, as the drapes were so hard to open and close. Even when closed these blinds let in a lot of heat and cold. Now wondering if we should go back to the drapes. 

[Blonde Granny]

Jun 3, 2014 13:18:45 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Several months ago I switched the dishwasher to air dry, instead of heat.

Watch carefully Iggy for any mold build up inside the dishwasher doing the air dry. At the last house, since it was new, the builder put in some really cheap Whirlpool appliances. After 3 or 4 months of not using the heat to dry, I had black mold inside on the door where the air vent was. That was all I needed to see. I was off to Lowes the next day to buy a new Bosch dishwasher.

It would probably not be a problem if once a month or so you ran a rinse cycle with some vinegar in the water, then let it sit for a little bit before you let it get to the drain cycle. Otherwise, it's the same with me, I seldom let the heat cycle run.

[alabamagal]

Jun 2, 2014 21:31:33 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

The sun beating down on our West facing window, even with the vertical blinds closed, was causing the AC to constantly run. So, I taped heavy tin foil over the window.

It might look funky from the outside, but I don't care. It feels so much cooler inside. 

What Yee Haw things have you done to save money?

Maybe you should tell your neighbors that you are not one of those people afraid of space aliens with the foil on the windows.

[Iggy aka IG]

Jun 3, 2014 17:34:21 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Jun 3, 2014 13:18:45 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Several months ago I switched the dishwasher to air dry, instead of heat.

Doing this will actually dry your clothes? Please, tell me it will. Our electric bill is out of sight.

Unless, of course, you wash your clothes in the dishwasher. 

[Iggy aka IG]

Jun 4, 2014 7:44:39 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

Jun 3, 2014 13:18:45 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Several months ago I switched the dishwasher to air dry, instead of heat.

Watch carefully Iggy for any mold build up inside the dishwasher doing the air dry. At the last house, since it was new, the builder put in some really cheap Whirlpool appliances. After 3 or 4 months of not using the heat to dry, I had black mold inside on the door where the air vent was. That was all I needed to see. I was off to Lowes the next day to buy a new Bosch dishwasher.

It would probably not be a problem if once a month or so you ran a rinse cycle with some vinegar in the water, then let it sit for a little bit before you let it get to the drain cycle. Otherwise, it's the same with me, I seldom let the heat cycle run.

Thank you, BG!  I'll most definitely watch out for that.  And I do indeed do a heavy, empty wash load every so often now using a special cleaner and vinegar.  Since we removed the rinse arms, filters, etc., and figured out why the washer was declining a few months ago, I want to maintain it as long as possible to avoid purchasing a new one.

[Deleted]

Jun 4, 2014 10:30:56 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Jun 3, 2014 17:34:21 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Doing this will actually dry your clothes? Please, tell me it will. Our electric bill is out of sight.

Unless, of course, you wash your clothes in the dishwasher. 

Well, I tried it and all that happened was the drying continued to run forever.

[Iggy aka IG]

Jun 4, 2014 11:15:14 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Jun 4, 2014 10:30:56 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Unless, of course, you wash your clothes in the dishwasher. 

Well, I tried it and all that happened was the drying continued to run forever.

I've never tried it for the clothes dryer, only the dishwasher.

[Deleted]

Jun 4, 2014 11:31:20 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Jun 4, 2014 11:15:14 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Well, I tried it and all that happened was the drying continued to run forever.

I've never tried it for the clothes dryer, only the dishwasher.

Oh.   I thought you were referring to the clothes dryer.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I would think that putting plates and bowls and glasses in the dryer would end up with them all getting broken

[Iggy aka IG]

Same here.  Hence the reason why I bolded the word dish in reply #17.