Growing your own food at home can be economically beneficial if you take the time and grow the proper foods in the proper manner. With our economy in the condition it is in, everyone is trying to save money any way they can. First you have to decide what you want to grow and then choose how you want to grow it. We have a small garden in our backyard. I don’t try to grow all our fruits and vegetables but I am able to grow a substantial amount of tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, and green beans. The kids help with the gardening chores and actually look forward to harvest time! I’ve listed a few methods for growing your own food at home, depending on the amount of space you have, as well as the amount of time you want to spend gardening:
Window Gardens
Window gardens are the most popular because they require little or no maintenance to keep them growing. These are grown in small containers or trays. Because the containers needed to grow herbs and sprouts are so small, they can be grown in your kitchen window as long there is sufficient light. The plants will need plenty of light in order to thrive and grow to their full potential and will need to be watered every day. They also should be picked when they start growing in order to keep it producing what you may need.
Small Gardens in Your Yard
Growing vegetables and fruit in small gardens in your yard can be productive. These gardens can produce vegetables such as tomatoes and corn, along with fruit such as strawberries and watermelons. This type of food growing needs only to be watered if Mother Nature doesn’t come through. They need to be weeded out every so often so that the fruits and vegetables can breathe and grow. Yard gardens require more maintenance than any of the other types of gardens. This is the type of garden we currently have but we are going to be trying a raised bed garden this Fall.
Raised Bed Gardens
Raised bed gardens are easy to make. Using this type of garden for growing food at home is fairly easy, as it does not require as much work as a traditional garden does. The soil is piled above the ground rather in the ground. This makes the soil easier to work with. A raised bed garden can be boxed to help support the garden or it can just be loose and in a pile above the ground. I was lucky enough to find a raised bed garden starter set on clearance at my local Wal-Mart.
Layered Gardens
Layered gardens are good for those that care for the environment. To make a layered garden all that is required are things that might be lying around the house or yard. Basically you just to put layer after layer of newspaper or junk mail down to make the garden bed. Leaves, leftover vegetable pieces, or any kind of paper can also be used. Layered gardens require no digging or tilling and are very easy to maintain. As a matter of fact, besides the window garden, this is the easiest to care for.
(2006-2010 "Not Made Of Money")
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
5 Ways to Lower Your Water Bill
We use water every day for a number of reasons, but the bottom line is that water is a necessity. It can quickly become expensive if not monitored. With today’s economy, we are trying to save money wherever possible. There are a variety of ways to save money around the house that do not require much work and the water bill can be a good place to save a fair amount. I’ve listed a few tips that might be helpful:
In the Bathroom
Everyone likes to unwind in the shower after a hard day at work, but taking long unnecessary showers will definitely rack up that water bill. Instead of taking a twenty minute shower try taking a ten minute one. Changing the shower head to a lower flow is a money saving must. It uses less water, but not less pressure. Talk to your family and make a schedule or put a time limit on showers. For those of us that like to relax in the tub, try only filling the tub half way. A fully filled tub uses up a lot of unnecessary water. T he shower is not the only place to save; the toilet can be just as costly. Make sure there are no leaks or that the water doesn’t run constantly in the toilet.
Turn the Water Off
Many of us don’t really pay attention to what we do in the morning after just waking up. When we go into the bathroom to brush our teeth we just let the water run. Try turning it off while you brush your teeth. The same goes for letting the warer run while we wash dishes. Try filling the sink up, wash the dishes, and then rinse them all at one time.
Go to the Car Wash
Many of us like to wash our vehicles at home, but this could be costly. It will be much cheaper in the long run to go to the car wash or even collect rain water to use when washing your vehicle.
Washing Machines and Dish Washers
Only wash full tubs of laundry. Filling up the washing machine for only a few items will definitely keep your bill high. Only run the dishwasher when it’s full too. A dishwasher uses more energy because it only uses hot water so by running it less often not only will you save on your water bill you will also save on the energy bill.
Indoor and Outdoor Gardening
Using recycled water is ideal for plants and gardens. Save cooking water or collect rain water in buckets. You can even use bath water for watering the garden. Instead of letting the kids run through the sprinkler buy a small pool. It will be more fun for the children and helps you save money.
(2006-2010 "Not Made Of Money")
In the Bathroom
Everyone likes to unwind in the shower after a hard day at work, but taking long unnecessary showers will definitely rack up that water bill. Instead of taking a twenty minute shower try taking a ten minute one. Changing the shower head to a lower flow is a money saving must. It uses less water, but not less pressure. Talk to your family and make a schedule or put a time limit on showers. For those of us that like to relax in the tub, try only filling the tub half way. A fully filled tub uses up a lot of unnecessary water. T he shower is not the only place to save; the toilet can be just as costly. Make sure there are no leaks or that the water doesn’t run constantly in the toilet.
Turn the Water Off
Many of us don’t really pay attention to what we do in the morning after just waking up. When we go into the bathroom to brush our teeth we just let the water run. Try turning it off while you brush your teeth. The same goes for letting the warer run while we wash dishes. Try filling the sink up, wash the dishes, and then rinse them all at one time.
Go to the Car Wash
Many of us like to wash our vehicles at home, but this could be costly. It will be much cheaper in the long run to go to the car wash or even collect rain water to use when washing your vehicle.
Washing Machines and Dish Washers
Only wash full tubs of laundry. Filling up the washing machine for only a few items will definitely keep your bill high. Only run the dishwasher when it’s full too. A dishwasher uses more energy because it only uses hot water so by running it less often not only will you save on your water bill you will also save on the energy bill.
Indoor and Outdoor Gardening
Using recycled water is ideal for plants and gardens. Save cooking water or collect rain water in buckets. You can even use bath water for watering the garden. Instead of letting the kids run through the sprinkler buy a small pool. It will be more fun for the children and helps you save money.
(2006-2010 "Not Made Of Money")
5 Tips To Lower Your Electric Bill
The current state of the economy combined with rising electric bills has just about everyone searching for efficient ways to control their expenses. We find that during the hot summer months here in Florida our power bill slowly creeps up. We try to keep on top of the situation by constantly monitoring our energy usage and evaluating where we can make changes to reduce our costs. Here are a few tips we’ve used to help reduce our monthly electric bill:
Make It A Habit To Turn Things Off
We try to stay vigilant about turning off the lights when leaving a room and turning off the television when no one is watching. I’ve heard that an easy way to keep the lights off when not needed is by installing motion sensors and timers. These motion detectors turn lights on and if there is no motion for a certain period of time, then the lights will turn off. While we haven’t used this method, I think that it’s worth investigating, especially if you have a family with members who habitually forget to turn off the lights.
Using Power Strips and Unplugging
Using a power strip and turning the power off at the strip will use less electricity. DVD players and computers, even in standby or sleep mode, still use a small amount of energy. Not only can using a power strip reduce your energy costs, but unplugging unused appliances can help too. Appliances that are turned off and still remain plugged in consume 75% of electricity usage.
Insulation, Caulking and Sealing Air Leaks
Inexpensive and easy to do caulking and weather stripping all openings, seams, and cracks can help reduce the 10% of air loss from leaks. Sometimes referred to as “sealant,” caulk is one of the best ways to seal air leaks around windows and doors. Caulking comes in silicone (often said to be the better of the two) and acrylic latex. The differences between the two types of caulk are silicone cannot be painted while acrylic latex can be. Installing door sweeps at the bottom of doors can adjust the gaps, thereby helping cut down on air leaks.
Regular Filter Change
Monthly change of the heating unit and air conditioner’s filters will conserve energy and keep the units from working harder, causing more wear and tear on the motor. Filters can trap dust, pollen and small particles which can cause concerns with irritants and allergies. We make a note on our family calendar to remind us to perform this monthly task.
Invest in a Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat, which can be set to lower in degrees while away from the home and in the evenings while asleep, offers a significant savings in the utility costs. A heat thermostat set to regulate the energy usage during the winter at 68 degrees while in the home, 65 degrees while away for a short time, and 58 degrees when away for more than 5 hours can make a great reduction in cost.
(2006-2010 "Not Made Of Money")
Make It A Habit To Turn Things Off
We try to stay vigilant about turning off the lights when leaving a room and turning off the television when no one is watching. I’ve heard that an easy way to keep the lights off when not needed is by installing motion sensors and timers. These motion detectors turn lights on and if there is no motion for a certain period of time, then the lights will turn off. While we haven’t used this method, I think that it’s worth investigating, especially if you have a family with members who habitually forget to turn off the lights.
Using Power Strips and Unplugging
Using a power strip and turning the power off at the strip will use less electricity. DVD players and computers, even in standby or sleep mode, still use a small amount of energy. Not only can using a power strip reduce your energy costs, but unplugging unused appliances can help too. Appliances that are turned off and still remain plugged in consume 75% of electricity usage.
Insulation, Caulking and Sealing Air Leaks
Inexpensive and easy to do caulking and weather stripping all openings, seams, and cracks can help reduce the 10% of air loss from leaks. Sometimes referred to as “sealant,” caulk is one of the best ways to seal air leaks around windows and doors. Caulking comes in silicone (often said to be the better of the two) and acrylic latex. The differences between the two types of caulk are silicone cannot be painted while acrylic latex can be. Installing door sweeps at the bottom of doors can adjust the gaps, thereby helping cut down on air leaks.
Regular Filter Change
Monthly change of the heating unit and air conditioner’s filters will conserve energy and keep the units from working harder, causing more wear and tear on the motor. Filters can trap dust, pollen and small particles which can cause concerns with irritants and allergies. We make a note on our family calendar to remind us to perform this monthly task.
Invest in a Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat, which can be set to lower in degrees while away from the home and in the evenings while asleep, offers a significant savings in the utility costs. A heat thermostat set to regulate the energy usage during the winter at 68 degrees while in the home, 65 degrees while away for a short time, and 58 degrees when away for more than 5 hours can make a great reduction in cost.
(2006-2010 "Not Made Of Money")
Find an extra $1,000 for emergency savings
Commit to trying one or a combination of these strategies for a couple of months and see how the savings add up. Take the savings and put it in a special “INVESTMENT ENVELOPE” or savings account.
1. Spend no money on snacks or lunches out. Bring snacks along when you go on errands. In this article I divulge how I easily save $400 per year.
2. Say “no” to the kids for those little toys that wind up in a pile on the floor. Enlist their help in saving money.
3. Save gas by cutting back on driving; car pool, bunch errands, and walk.
4. Cut back on groceries by eating vegetarian for a few meals per week.
5. Put off discretionary spending for a while.
6. Make family activities low cost; games, hikes, apple picking, $1 movies, use your imagination.
7. Work some overtime.
8. Sell some stuff on eBay or Craigslist.
9. Take on a part time job over the holidays.
Author: Barbara Friedberg
1. Spend no money on snacks or lunches out. Bring snacks along when you go on errands. In this article I divulge how I easily save $400 per year.
2. Say “no” to the kids for those little toys that wind up in a pile on the floor. Enlist their help in saving money.
3. Save gas by cutting back on driving; car pool, bunch errands, and walk.
4. Cut back on groceries by eating vegetarian for a few meals per week.
5. Put off discretionary spending for a while.
6. Make family activities low cost; games, hikes, apple picking, $1 movies, use your imagination.
7. Work some overtime.
8. Sell some stuff on eBay or Craigslist.
9. Take on a part time job over the holidays.
Author: Barbara Friedberg
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