Today I have reset the water heater timer. It has been on all the time lately. So now I have reset it for the times when we really need hot water and will see if that can add any more saved KWH.

I discovered the last week that my main energy hogs were the dishwasher and dryer - so I am trying really hard not to use either. So far so good!!

I have a freezer that has been unplugged for awhile, decided to plug it in today to check how my kwh will do. I am hoping it's not to much higher than what it's been, as I really want to start stocking the freezer again.

By stocking the freezer, I think it will lower our grocery bill. When I can buy things on sale, especially meat. Also can make breads and snacks.

We have 2 loaves of bread left. I have decided I will make some up today instead of going to the store. I have everything to do it, and we prefer homemade bread anyways. This will keep me out of the stores again today.


No spend day today. Total of 2 for 2005!!

I think our dishwasher was our biggest electric hog - we have come down about 16 points daily since stopping using the dishwasher - let see we pay 8cents per KWH - at 480 for 30 days being saved - we are saving around $38!!! How cool is that?

Our dishwasher is only 1 1/2 years old, we bought it brand new from sears. It's too bad - it's such a energy hog - because I do like keeping dishes in there versus on the counter in the dish drainer. We will just have to keep drying the dishes and putting them away immediately.

Most of the other stuff I have done, was started a few months ago - so this has got to be it.

Of course having a dishwasher on holidays is great - but the rest of the time I think we will have dishwashing hands.

I feel the same way. That we are going nowhere. At least it feels that way - 2 steps forward one step back.

I have one son that needs dental work to the tune of $600 in the next month. First visit is in 2 weeks. Another son that needs glasses. I will need to call and make an appt tomorrow for that. It will probably cost close to $200 with exam and glasses We don't have eye insurance and the dental work is our part that the insurance doesn't cover.

I will be working on little ways to save $ here this week. Cooking more - gonna make some pumpkin bread and then banana bread
Also gonna make up a few treats to go in lunch boxes. Will freeze alot of that.

I will be making little bags with veggies for school lunches starting wednesday when the kids go back to school.

Got a great deal on notebook paper on friday 3 packs for 99 cents. Can't beat that we go through a lot of paper.

Will also be decluttering kitchen cabinets this week. I really don't need 6 HUGE bowls - yes we have a big family but I never use that many bowls. It's time to say goodbye to some of them. Will probably box some of this stuff up and offer it on the freecycle list first and if no one wants it then I will donate it to goodwill. Anything that I wouldn't want - I will toss. If someone from freecycle picks it up - it saves me gas $.

Also gonna start working on a freedom account (mary hunt) for expenses that are not monthly but tend to mess things up when they come.

I kinda do a dave ramsey/mary hunt combo. LOL It's working so far. I was really into just dave ramsey's financial peace - but have learned alot about Mary Hunt recently so will take some of her ideas and work with those too. Because just dave's ways are not getting us where we need or want to be.

Today is a beautiful day out. High will be close to 80!!
It's a no spend day here. Yeah!

Will clip a few coupons if there is anything that I actually use. Actually surprised to see coupons in the paper - since yesterday was new years.

Just straightening up a little, more laundry and that's about it today.

Ways to save today:
~eating out of pantry/freezer
~washing laundry in cold water
~mopping the house uses hot water and spic 'n span I got from the $ store.
~gonna make up some homemade furniture polish and wipe down the furniture.
~make up some iced tea to drink instead of pepsi - this is a *biggie* for me. LOL

I was able to declutter the entry way closet today. It has school supplies, wrapping paper bucket, and basically a catch all for every type of paper around. It looks great in there, and I eliminated about half the closet into the garbage can!!

I also went through our 2 drawer filing cabinet and probably could combine it all into one drawer. Anything with our name or address was shredded - everything else just tossed.

It feels sooooooo good to let things like that go!

Also cleaned the porch off and all the cobwebs around the door - not many as I do this monthly but still some.

It's easy to keep the house clean when it is decluttered. Also you know what you have, and everything has a place. So you don't buy something you thought you needed, you just didn't know where it was.

I am gonna work on one cabinet or drawer at a time to get everything decluttered once and for all. I tend to collect candles, unfortunately the ones I have tend not to smell anymore after lighting a couple times. So I will be weeding some of those out as they are just taking up space. Not all will go though, as we did need them last summer when we had no power, thanks to the hurricanes.

Something I realized during our hurricanes was that when everything was in it's place, we could find it in the dark! Amazing I know, but it helped so much!!

Want to start stocking slowly for hurricane season this year, so will start buying one package of batteries each payday - which will go on the hurricane shelf.

I went to the $ store today and got 6 rolls of christmas wrapping paper and 2 containers of spic n span for 5.33

Then we went to target, I hear tomorrow will be 75% BUT I can't go tomorrow. I got one more roll of paper that was just sooooo cute for $1.49, then got a red/white pie plastic pie tote for 2.49, lip gloss for dd 1.29. That's it.

There really wasn't anything that was a *must have* kwim? I guess things must have already been picked over, or the things I liked - I didn't like well enough to even pay half price. LOL

So even though today was a spending day - it was a light spending day.

Ok I am aiming for 20 no spend days in January. Obviously today wasn't one of them. I *will* get those days though!

Starting today I will be working on 3 goals per month. Some goals may overlap months if I haven't completed them like I think I should.

Three goals for January:
1. continue working on electric bill
2. work on getting the food budget down!!
3. declutter marathon with flylady

I have already started working on lowering our electric bill. I have kept track of the kwh for 2 years now and it's amazing how much I have saved over the last year. Adding a few more little ways is saving more $ everyday.

Lowering the food budget - I really need to learn to cook more snack type foods. Make a menu and a grocery list and stick to them. Instead of just shopping with no clue and buying whatever looks good. LOL

Decluttering with Flylady - got an email that says this is declutter month - in all honesty - this shouldn't take too long. I have been doing major declutters the last year and half, so there isn't *that* much to declutter.