I have put my air conditioning up to 78-79 degrees in the summer for years..and I live in Charleston, SC, a real bear in the summer time..and in the winter I keep it at 60-62 degrees ..I just wear a sweater and put an extra blanket on the bed...have gotten used to it..and when I go out of town I shut the hot water heater off....it's 30% of your electric bill if you have an electric heater..it all adds up.
Boots - the husband still has a pair of Bally I got him close to 30 years ago. A less-than-attractive shade of taupe, but he's never cared while shovelling outside.... they are too warm to wear indoors : ))
We use the stove for storing pots & pans. With only 2.5 people (son at college - eats like 2 when he's home!), it's just silly to fire it up for a meal - not when the countertop model does a whole meal because it's got two racks. I can barely remember how I cooked before the microwave....
One of the damned oddest things my parents did considering the kind of people they were, was to kind of insist I spend a summer at a 'finishing school' program in Chicago. But I learned a lot of very valuable lessons, including how to buy clothing that has a timeless style, in colors that won't look outdated next year or the year after. I'm not a fashion plate, by any means, but the clothing I have is well-cut, well made, and lasts decades unless I gain a few too many pounds :) I think I'm on year nine of a very nice, well made woolen winter coat.
Yup, I buy the "classics" high-end and then any "trendy" items I don't spend that much money on since they won't be wearable too long. I'm on year 8 for several wool coats I own.
"No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible." George Chakiris
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.” Stuart Chase
I get my clothes way too dirty for cold water--with so many pets. I am gradually switching from CF lightbulbs to LED ones. I have an energy efficient house with no windows on the west side which saves considerably. My AC is energy efficient. My computers are energy efficient. My TV is. As I replace, I go for e. efficient.
I don't use a stove at all. I use hot plate, roaster oven, etc. All much less electricity.
My next big purchase will be for a metal roof. I hope to get that within a year.
I recycle.
I, too, hate appliances that don't last long. I do find that when something first comes out and costs an arm and a leg, it will last. Our first microwave did last over 30 years too. Now, I am lucky if I get 2 years out of them. Printers are another bone of contention for me. They barely last a year and a half. I also have the same issue with DVD players.
I have found that whenever I buy the most expensive things now that they still don't last that long. The $500 microwave lasts the same length of time as the $75 one.
Yeah, got a tankless water heater, unfortunately it runs on electricity; we were trying very, very hard to move away from fossils when we bought it (except for the stove). Since then we realized we needed propane to keep the livestock happy, and we would have been better off if we had just gone to propane right away.
Such is life. At least you're trying. In 3 years I'm getting a new roof and at that time I'll put a bigger vent in for the water heater then I can get a tankless and run it on propane.
My place always has a slight breeze blowing through and I've been looking at those micro wind turbines... but my electric bill, for the past 10 years, has not gone over $30 for the month.
Dave - Just a Man in the Mountains.
I am a Humanist. I believe in a rational philosophy of life, informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by a desire to do good for its own sake and not by an expectation of a reward or fear of punishment in an afterlife.
One of the damned oddest things my parents did considering the kind of people they were, was to kind of insist I spend a summer at a 'finishing school' program in Chicago. But I learned a lot of very valuable lessons, including how to buy clothing that has a timeless style, in colors that won't look outdated next year or the year after. I'm not a fashion plate, by any means, but the clothing I have is well-cut, well made, and lasts decades unless I gain a few too many pounds :) I think I'm on year nine of a very nice, well made woolen winter coat.
My own Catholic college program included finishing school aspects. Career week my senior year was devoted to this. We also had a dress code, etc. I've always been glad. Our dances included receiving lines with professors in full religious garb. We knew how to set a table, how to host a tea (or later coffees), meet and greet.
One of the damned oddest things my parents did considering the kind of people they were, was to kind of insist I spend a summer at a 'finishing school' program in Chicago. But I learned a lot of very valuable lessons, including how to buy clothing that has a timeless style, in colors that won't look outdated next year or the year after. I'm not a fashion plate, by any means, but the clothing I have is well-cut, well made, and lasts decades unless I gain a few too many pounds :) I think I'm on year nine of a very nice, well made woolen winter coat.
Yeah, got a tankless water heater, unfortunately it runs on electricity; we were trying very, very hard to move away from fossils when we bought it (except for the stove). Since then we realized we needed propane to keep the livestock happy, and we would have been better off if we had just gone to propane right away.
I wonder if the throw-away culture isn't at least partly due to false economy. DVD players were mentioned and I'v gone through several myself, because I buy cheap ones from the supermarket. OTOH, my father, who paid a small fortune for a top-of-the-line Sony player back when DVDs were still fairly new and his is still going strong. Terry Pratchett (writer, satirist) calls this the "Boots theory of economic disparity" due to the example he uses to illustrate it. A rich man spends $200 on a pair of boots and he has strong, supple boots that will keep his feet warm and dry for years to come. The poor man spends ten dollars on a pair of boots which are sort-of ok for a season or two until the soles wear through. So, over the same period, the poor man spends more and still has wet feet.
I've actually changed my spending habits because of this. In the past, I would buy the cheaper item because it fit better in my budget, but now, whether it's clothes, electronics, etc. I save and get the more expensive item because it does last longer and I'm actually saving money.
This is my general philosophy but it doesn't always work with today's electronics. I have a very high-end Toshiba DVD/VCR recorder-player and it has all sorts of glitches. I buy my electronics at Best Buy, not discount stores or grocery stores. I also sold high-end electronics for 12 years, so I am no neophyte.
I worked in high-end department store retail, but these stores no longer exist. Macy's destroyed the Federated Group: Bloomingdale's, Rich's (my store), Lazarus, Filene's, etc. Most high-end retail today is fashion-oriented; the rag-trade has higher margins.
