I don’t have to tell you that the news has not been particularly good lately. The bad times are going global, and about the only good news is that the price of gas is going down.
Are we headed for another Great Depression? I hope not. However, do you know how the last one started? Here is an excerpt from a commentary posted at CNN: “The Great Depression resulted from a series of economic and financial shocks -- the end of a housing bubble in 1926 and the end of a high-tech bubble in 1929 -- but also from truly breathtaking neglect and incompetence on the part of policymakers.”Sound familiar?
So while governments and the World Bank rush to bail out the big guys what happens to the rest of us? For me, the only thing that comes to mind is a line from an old Beatles song: “I get by with a little help from my friends.”Family, friends, neighbors. We’re going to have to pull together to get through this. I’ve been using the barter system for some of my medical care, I’m hoping to use it now to trade for other essentials. Here’s a few other suggestions:- Carpool with neighbors when going to the store to save gas.
- If you don’t have to go very far, consider walking or riding a bike.
- Check out the public transportation available where you live.
- Save money on food by cooking up a couple of big meals then freeze them in easy to heat portions. It will give you the convenience of take-out at a much lower price.
- Instead of buying books, magazines, or newspapers, visit your local library.
- Team up for savings. I needed to have my roof replaced, but it turned out that two of my neighbors had roofs of the same age as mine. By having all three done at once we were able to get a great deal from the roofer. The roofer saved too by having his team working in the same area.
It’s a tough world out there, but if we just pull together we should be able to get through this.
My post last week was about alternative ways to produce energy for yourself. While there were many good suggestions there, what do you do if you don’t have the money to purchase one of those systems? Well, whether you rent or own, you can make some simple changes to where to live that can save you hundreds of dollars in energy costs over the year. Let’s take a look at a few of these cost saving measures.Lighting:- Here’s a no-cost solution: turn the light off when you leave the room. Unless you need the light for security reasons, turn off lights when they are not needed.
- Replace incandescent bulbs with efficient, compact fluorescents. The new compact fluorescents produce the same amount of illumination for a fraction of the energy requirements. My power company posts the following information comparing the energy costs of the two types of bulbs for 10,000 hours of use: incandescent bulbs cost $51 to use while compact fluorescent bulbs cost just $12.75.
- Don’t need all the illumination all the time? Consider installing dimmer switches (solid-state are best) to save money.
In the kitchen:- Match the size of the cooking element to the size of the pan. If the pan is too small for the element you are just heating the air and wasting energy.
- Use a toaster oven or microwave when cooking/heating just one item instead of your big oven. Save the big oven for when you have a number of items to cook.
- Let carry-over heat do part of the work. You can turn off a burner, toaster oven, or oven several minutes before the food is done cooking. The existing heat will finish the job for you and you will have saved some energy.
Home laundry:- Use cold or warm water to wash clothes. Modern laundry soaps don’t need hot water to get your clothes clean. Unless I’m washing rag cloths, I only use cold water when doing the laundry.
- Get a clothes drying rack. Not only do you save money by not running the dryer very long, but your clothes last longer and you don’t have to iron as much (save money and time that way!). I put shirts and pants in the dryer for about 10 minutes and then transfer them to the rack. This is a big money saver.
- Keep the dryer exhaust vent and line clean. Not only will you save money but you reduce the likelihood of a dangerous dryer fire.
Heating & cooling:- In the summer just turning the thermostat up a couple of degrees can save a lot of money. If your home has ceiling fans, use them to keep you comfortable. In the winter drop the temperature a few degrees and put on a sweater to save money.
- Replace the filter on a regular basis. When it gets clogged your heating/cooling system will have to work harder and use more energy.
- Use the sun to your advantage. In the summer keep curtains closed when the sun is shining to reduce heat. Because I live in the deep south, I’ve installed a solar shade on my west-facing windows; I can still see out, but the heat of the sun is greatly reduced. In the winter let the sun in for some additional heat.
Looking for some more ideas? Check out these Web articles:
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