Lost in Faith

You can’t fault Renee Seba for lack of thoroughness! Another boat load of money saving ideas from our friend and guest blogger Renee Seba. Maybe you can squeeze water out of a turnip!

I just got notice that my electric company is going to raise our rates again this year. In 2006, we were told this would happen for 6 years straight, basically doubling the cost in 6 years. Due to my location, my provider is a non-for-profit coop, and I understand the reasons behind what is happening. This does not however, make my budget balance any better. I got the notice last week, and now need to figure out how to cut $50/month from other items to pay for electricity.

This is a good test in creativity for anybody. I try to see it as a game. Each month, what can I do to save/earn $50? I write down my ideas and track my goals. This is very helpful to measure real change/progress. The following are my ideas. They may or may not work for your household, but they might get you thinking in the right direction.

Jan-Turn the heat down 2 degrees on the thermostat. My coop put it this way in the newsletter–”It’s winter, put a sweater on.” I like it warm, so 2 degrees would only be 71 degrees. Definitely not a tremendous sacrifice. Since my heat is all electric, this would cover the $50.

Feb-Cut the grocery bill by $50. It’s a short month so it’s a good time to do it. Feeding 6 people 3 times a day makes 18 plates/day. 18 plates * 3 days * $1.00 per plate does it right there.

March-Sell something. I’m participating in the “Just between Friends” sale going on this month in KC. Hopefully that will generate $50 at least.

April-Cut the grocery bill by $50 again. It’s a 30 day month (never pick a 31 day month to try this). Here’s how: Eat all that weird stuff in the cabinet/freezer that you have no idea why you bought it or kept it. Example: fish in the deep freeze from that camping trip, the jelly your aunt gave you for Christmas, the dried peas you bought for some craft project, the soy lectin granuales (what in the heck are they and why did I buy them?) , the deer steak in the freezer, the bag of coconut for some dessert never made, the last of the frozen squash from the garden, etc.

This really just takes creativity to figure out how to eat whatever. If your freezer doesn’t empty at least once if not twice a year, you should be doing this a lot! Everybody has weird stuff in the cabinet.

May-Do not buy any garden plants, flowers or seeds. Start all my stuff from old seeds indoors and see if they sprout before buying new seed. I plant a good sized garden and spend $100/year on plants and seeds. If flowers are your thing, buy half of what you usually have and trade perinneals with friends for the rest.

June-Do not turn on the AC unless it is over 88 in the kitchen. Turn the thermostat to 85 if you have allergies and cannot open the windows. Turn it down at night to 75. Unless you have an in ground heat pump, this is cheaper. Long cycles are more efficient as any HVAC guy will tell you, so it does not waste electricity to cool it down at night.

July-Pick all my green bean for the year at George’s garden in Plattsburg. They are free. You pick on halves. Half of what you pick he keeps and sells, half you keep. We eat green beans twice a week. At $0.80/bag that is 52 weeks times 2 (twice a week) times .80 for a savings of $83. I freeze and can them. Anybody can freeze a green bean. Instructions online. If you can turn on a stove you can do this. $.04/freezer bag of cost involved. George does all the investment (except the freezer bag) and weed control.

August-Participate in the “Just between Friends” sale. At least $50 I hope.

September-Harvest from the garden and cut the grocery budget $50.

October-Pick up walnuts. A kid in Plattsburg buys them and hulls them for the Stockton Walnut Company. This is his FFA project. It was about $100 per pick-up truck load last year. He will pay no matter what your amount based on weight. A garbage can, 5 gallon buckets, etc.

November-Walnuts again and the scrap metal dealer in Cameron. He pays on weight also.

December-Do respite care for foster parents twice (lots of holiday activities this month and shopping time make it hard for these families). The state pays you $20 or $25 I think. This requires doing the paperwork to become a liscensed respite worker in advance. Start the paperwork 3-4 months in advance of when you want to do be liscensed. You are baby-sitting foster care kids. You can answer no to any call, sit for only a particular family, or be on a general list.

Renee Seba