Did you join in the lights out for Earth Hour Saturday evening? Homes and businesses around the world turned out the lights from 8:30 to 9:30 pm to save energy. We decided to use the opportunity to teach our boys about conservation, and to enjoy the experience together. We lit candles (approx. a dozen) and made some ice cream sundaes. Then the kiddos took a bath by candlelight before heading off to bed. They had so much fun (and in a cheap, simple way,too!) that Bradyn asked me if we could have "Earth Hour" every night. I'm not sure that I could handle that, because there were so many things I wanted to do that needed electricity...laundry, dishes, ironing...that I was a bit lost without my lights! It made me appreciate the fact that we do HAVE electricity available, even if we do have to pay for it. So often I grumble about the numbers on our bill, but I imagine I would be doing more grumbling if I had to haul water from the retention pond to clean with, and/or lug my laundry down there to wash it! On that subject, we have been trying to cheapen up a bit without sacrificing creature comforts. On my list of "to-do's" is procurring a clothes line. We aren't technically allowed a clothes line in our development,but I am thinking maybe a retractable one won't get me in tooooo much trouble with the home owner's association. We switched out the majority of our bulbs to the new energy efficient type a year or so ago, and I finally turned down the thermostat for the month of March. Hopefully it will warm up soon and we won't need to use the heat or ac for awhile. It's not that we can't afford it, but it's quite annoying to spend money on basic things when we could use it somewhere else! How do you save money on the basics? Not just energy costs, but on groceries, clothing, etc.
