5 Silly Things I’ve Stopped Doing Now That I’m Broke: Frugal Fridays

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Now that we’re super-tight on money and we definitely have to watch every penny, I started to truly pay attention to the habits I have and it seems I have some silly ones, especially with regards to our utility bills. Granted, many of the following changes won’t amount to much besides a small difference in our overall bills but it never hurts to try and, besides, I feel better about myself already…

1. I stopped letting water running all the time

It doesn’t seem to matter what for, from washing dishes to washing my hands, shaving, and even letting the shower heat up to a nice, cozy temperature… “let the water flow,” I said! Now, I see fewer reasons to let the water run and more reasons just to stop up the sink.

Of course, I knew darn good and well that during an emergency (where power is out and utilities no longer function) that this practice would change. And, yes, I had a plan for that but I didn’t have a plan for just needing to be more frugal because we can’t afford NOT to be. Now, even though I’m aware of my water usage it’s a darn hard habit to break!

2. I instinctively reached for the hot water tap

This was something that I didn’t realize how often I did… and I did it a lot. In fact, more often than not I reached for the hot water lever even though I knew darn good and well that I wasn’t going to get any hot water at all for the simple fact that it wasn’t running long enough to reach me. How silly of me.

This alone is probably a significant long term waste because all I was doing was forcing the hot water heater to work harder. Again, it didn’t matter whether I was washing my hands, brushing my teeth, rinsing my razor blade when shaving… you name it. I reached for the hot water knob almost instinctively. Now, I try to remember to use the cold tap most times.

3. I stopped running a less than full dishwasher and washing machine

As I have a bit of OCD in me–and because I’m the stay-at-home caretaker–I tend to want to ensure our home is a “well oiled machine” and a part of that in my mind meant clean dishes and clean laundry, even if it meant running these appliances when less than full. Now they’re jamb-packed! Oh, and I tend to use less laundry and dish soap too without any obvious complaints from “the boss.”

4. I now use ONLY cold water for laundry, no static sheets in dryer

Although I had been better about it recently (and regardless of having been shit-canned) there are very few reasons why you need to use hot (or warm) water when doing the laundry. In fact, I remember reading somewhere that the hot water doesn’t actually get hot enough to kill germs, though, it may help with the soap to work better. I’m not honestly sure what the truth is about that one. In most cases, however, cold water works just fine and we haven’t seen any ill-effects because of it.

In addition, those wonderful static sheets (e.g., Bounce sheets) aren’t really necessary. Yes, they do help immensely to keep things from clinging together which is a nice benefit, especially in the winter, they’re truly not needed. Granted, static sheets don’t cost much but we’re penny-pinching here. Besides, I like to make my kids fold the laundry and watch them shock themselves on occasion… that’s my entertainment these days. 😉

5. I (and my family) were horrible about leaving on lights, tv, radios, etc

I’ve had a weird habit ever since I was a kid that I preferred to have something on–usually a television but it could be a radio–while I was doing homework and, these days, working from home. That’s just wasteful of resources I don’t need to consume.

Similarly, my kids are notorious for leaving lights (and more) on and then leaving a room for an extended period of time. (Gee, you’d think they know by now to turn lights off.) I’m nearly as forgetful… not anymore. In fact, I might be called the “light police” these days. Really, the same can be said for any electronics.

Final thoughts

Yeah, I know the above changes are not going to amount to a whole lot but it never hurts to try and save on what I can where I can, especially when it’s just me having to change my own habits. Maybe you can change your own too. And if you have any good tips I can employ I would love to hear them. Thank you.


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My latest book, The Survival Blueprint: How to Prepare Your Family for Disaster, can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJ49Y5X4

Comments

10 responses to “5 Silly Things I’ve Stopped Doing Now That I’m Broke: Frugal Fridays”

  1. Linda Spradlin

    I have a couple suggestions for ya’ll. Let me tell you all first that I raised five kids who are all grown now, I have 6 grandchildren right now and I have three more on the way!
    First, I haven’t heard anyone mention a slow cooker or a solar oven. I taught my kids how to cook foods in the hot car (solar) during the summer months and to use the crock pot in the winter months. That saves a ton of money by avoiding the oven!
    Second, I taught all of my kids to stand in front of the fridge with the door shut and imagine what they want to see when they open their eyes. If they couldn’t tell me what they wanted, the door was never opened. If they knew and we didn’t have it, the door never opened. I put snacks within reach, like fresh fruit, dried apples, bananas and pineapples as well as crackers. It was a game at first but I knew what I needed to get for them next time I went to the store.
    Third, I bought wool yarn and wrapped it in to tight balls – washed them in hot water and dried them in a hot dryer to fuse them together. I added a few drops of lavender to the finished balls and they remove all static as well as make the clothes smell good. The balls last a lifetime and all I’ve ever done is add more drops when the smell goes away.

    1. Good thoughts, Linda. I used to post weekly about using my sun oven and also wrote a post a while back about “why a slow cooker should be part of your preps” so they’re both good suggestions. As for cooking in the car, I’ve never tried that one! But I like it. 🙂 I also like you stand in from the fridge advice. Fortunately, my kids aren’t so bad… they’re in a out most of the time. I also like the yarn ball idea. I can’t sew worth a darn so that one probably won’t happen. Thanks again for the ideas!

  2. Brian

    There are these “dryer balls” — plastic balls with lots of protrusions — that you throw in your dryer with the clothes. They do a great job of separating clothes so they dry quicker (likely 15% less time) and getting rid of the static. I now use them and don’t bother with the dryer sheets.

    1. We did use them but lost one of the three a long time ago… may need to invest in them again. Thanks for the suggestion!

  3. Rev. Dr. Michael E Harris

    I grew up in a frugal household, so I learned most of the above as a kid. I have never lived (as an adult) where it was wise to dry my clothes outside–red clay dust, HEAVY pollen, HOA restriction, etc.

    My new washing machine has a load sensor, so it knows how much water to use. I do full loads because going up and down the 12 steps to the basement is a real pain in my knees. My shower takes about 3 seconds to attain the correct temperature–it just clears out the water in the pipes.

    I know that I save energy and my electric bills are very low.

    When my daughter lived with me (last two years of high school and first two years of college), my utility bills were high. After she left the state to finish her BS, my utility bills dropped by $500 a month. She was very wasteful with our resources.

    1. Seems technology can do some good after all. We have a front-loading washing machine too but I don’t know if it senses water load… I assume it must. With regards to your daughter, that’s shocking to say the least. I can’t imagine what she was doing to spend $500/month around the house!! Must have taken an awful lot of hot showers and left every light on in the house!

  4. Donna

    I am always having to tell the grand kids to shut the refrigerator door, they stand there with it open looking for something…they don’t know what. It just takes longer to cool back down and using more electricity. I will break them from the habit!

    1. My kids tend to do the same thing and I’m sure I did as well. It’s even worse around my house since my kids seem to eat every hour on the hour!

  5. Marquita Martin

    I use white vinegar in the final rinse in the washing machine. It helps keep that static cling from forming in the dryer. I wish I lived in a place where I could hang the clothes out to dry. My kids (young adults) have decided that dirty jeans are better than clean ones. There’s some talk going around that it isn’t good to wash your jeans. Works for me. Now if I could just get them to turn the lights off when I’m at work and they leave the house!

    1. Will have to try adding vinegar to the wash as I’ve never tried it. Thanks for the suggestion!

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