Draft Dodgers

We, along with most of the country, have been experiencing  REALLY cold weather this past week. Our furnace has been working overtime, even though we have it on a timer, keep it set no higher than 68,  and don't heat our bedroom on the attic level. Despite our frugal, energy-saving efforts,  we're  not looking forward to seeing the next gas bill.  I'm always interested in ways to keep our house warmer without turning up the thermostat. Here are some ideas:

1. add or replace weatherstripping to windows and doors. This link lists the types of weatherstripping available, the best uses, the advantages and disadvantages and the comparative costs.  Weatherstripping can deteriorate or  become dislodged over time, so this isn't a once-and-done solution.
2. look for air leaks on outdoor walls behind light switches, electric outlets,  phone jacks and cable junctions. These leaks can be plugged using various types of insulation including foam gaskets. Just make sure whatever you use is fireproof and meets building code regulations.
3. remove window air conditioners for the winter. If you can't remove it, wrap the unit in an insulated cover.
4. consider using an efficient electric heater in the room or rooms you spend the most time in, rather than turning the heat up throughout the house.
5. make sure the damper on your fireplace fits well and is closed whenever the fireplace is not in use.
6. close blinds, curtains and draperies at night to keep warm air from escaping.
7. add a few rugs, even over wall-to-wall carpet. This is especially helpful if the space below is unheated, or if the room is on a slab.
8. leave the oven door open after you've baked something, and you've turned it off to let the warm out into the room. However, NEVER use the oven to heat the house. 

Sitting by the fire, while not always frugal, and not particularly green, is another way to beat the chill. What house-warming strategies are you using this winter? Please share.

Sav-on Soap

For many years our family used regular grocery store soaps like Tone, Caress, Ivory and the more old-fashioned sounding Palmolive. Back in those days, I typically bought whatever was on sale, though we avoided deoderant and highly-perfumed brands. And I wouldn't buy Irish Spring because I hated the TV ads.

Over time, I began to notice that the soap, even the giant yellow bars of Tone, disappeared quickly, seemingly foaming away to nothing after what seemed like only days on the shelf in the bath tub. A few years ago, the soap did its normal disappearing act, but on a day when there weren't any replacement bars in the cupboard. I went to the stash of  hand-milled soaps that had been, until then, saved for use by guests in the powder room. Everyone noticed how different the "fancy" soap was. It smelled wonderful. It made our skin feel smooth and soft. And the bar lasted a really long time.

When that first bar was finally used up, we tried another one from the powder room. This one too got great reviews, and lasted just as long. We were hooked. Now, we only use the high-quality soaps. They are expensive, though you can get great bargains at places like Marshall's and T.J.Maxx; and we are fortunate to often receive them as gifts. At some of the specialty stores like Sabon in NYC, where my wonderful niece Jaya works part time, the experience of trying samples and buying beautiful soaps that are cut from a huge mother soap, are worth the extra expense as a special treat. Farmer's markets and craft fairs are another source for local, artisan-made soaps.

Though I'm not sure I can really call the practice truly frugal, high quality soaps do seem to last much longer. I believe the final cost may be about the same as the grocery store soaps.

I did a little price comparison at our local SuperFresh to get a better idea. For example, two bars of Tone soap (a total of 8.5 oz.) was priced this week at $2.99. Two bars of Lever 2000 (4.5 oz) cost $2.77. Palmolive was a bargain at $1.49 for three bars (9.6 oz). And Ivory was on sale - four bars (18 oz. total) for $1.99. By comparison, three bars of Pecksniff's grapefruit & citron peel moisturing soap (10.5 oz total) was $3.99 at T.J. Maxx just before Christmas. It's more than twice as expensive as the Palmolive and more than three times the price of the Ivory on sale. But, my experience is that each bar of the posh soap will last about three or four times as long as the other brands. A little bit of research produced an interesting fact: Ivory soap has air whipped into it, which is why it floats. It may be that other shorter-lasting brands also have lots of air. And they may have higher percentages of water, which is an ingredient in most soaps.

So is the higher quality soap less expensive? Probably not. Is it more pleasant to use? Yes. I go for the far more pleasant experience, while probably paying slightly more.  I also like the fact that if I use fewer bars of soap, I am unwrapping fewer packages so there is less packaging waste. I still have to get over the transportation issue of using imported soaps (though shipping by sea, I'm told, uses less energy than trucking). And if I buy local, artisan-made soap, I can feel good about supporting the local economy and not creating extra transportation carbon.

To make soap last even longer, I make a point of keeping it out of the direct stream of water from the shower. It also helps if I let the bar dry out between uses - not that practical if your family members take serial showers. And when the bar is reduced to just a sliver, I break that little piece into even smaller pieces and add it to a soap dish by the sink in the hall bath (see the photo above). It looks kind of pretty and eventually, even those little shards will be used up so there is no waste.

One more thing. I avoid using anti-bacterial soaps because of the issue with superbugs. Here is an interesting piece on why plain soap with out anti-bacterial ingredients is the better choice.

Saving vs. Hoarding

I have a confession to make. I am fascinated by the TV show Hoarders, a scary look inside the homes of some seriously troubled people who have unhealthy relationships with their stuff.  http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/photos/ 
   
The photo above is not from the TV show - rather it was taken in an otherwise ordinary home in a pretty neighborhood. The owners wanted to sell their house, but it was so full of debris, they were unable to allow showings. When a buyer agreed to purchase the property without seeing the interior (this was awhile ago when the market was very hot), the sellers held up the transaction for weeks as they tried to divest themselves of the boxes, litter, trash, and who knows what. Eventually, after enormous effort, apparently great emotional turmoil and even legal action, they hauled most of their possessions out of the house. And, still, before the new owner could move in, she had to remove several Dumpster loads of  junk from the house.

It would be simplistic to say that a hoarder is someone whose proclivity for collecting, saving and storing objects has gotten out of control. Hoarding is actually a difficult-to-treat mental disorder. And most savers aren't at risk for becoming hoarders.

Saving or storing stuff often makes lots of sense. There are many things that aren't needed today, that may come in handy next week, next month or a few years from now. For example, sewers may save bits of fabric that will eventually become a quilt. Parents save their older children's clothing to pass down to the younger ones,or store their books and toys until they have grandchildren. Frugalistas save wrapping paper, boxes, gift bags, tissue and ribbon for future gift giving; creative cooks clip recipes and collect cook books; thrifty people store no longer-needed equipment, furniture, books and other objects for a summer yard sales; overweight optimists save their size 6 clothing with the hope that they'll fit in them again someday.

I save and collect old sweaters that I have been slowly repurposing into scarves, neckwarmers and felted items; leftover yarn from knitting projects; no-longer-needed decorative items and collectibles for a future yard sale; evening bags that I am unable to pass up at yard sales, thrift shops and flea markets, but rarely use (though I lend them to friends pretty regularly);  and good quality second-hand clothing that I keep thinking I will tailor to fit me. And of course, there are the newspaper and magazine clippings; wrap and ribbons; single socks (the mate will turn up eventually, won't it?); worn out towels and sheets - I'll think of a good use for them...).

What do you save, store or collect? Are there things you can't part with because you know they'll be useful some day? Please share.

Baby it's cold...inside

Yesterday's super storm dumped more than a foot of snow here. So today I worked from home (Sundays are usually work days for many real estate agents like me). It's been a while since I've been home when it's really cold out. And I had forgotten how chilly our house gets during the day. We keep the heat on a timer - it goes on at about 6 am, set at 68 degrees so the house is reasonably warm when we get up. Then it goes back to 65 for the day. At 4 pm it kicks back on until about 10:30 or 11. And most evenings in the winter we have a fire going in the family room. The heat generated from the fire fools the thermostat into thinking the furnace doesn't need to be running. We've been able to keep our gas bill fairly low with this strategy. But I'm finding this unexpected time at home during the day a tad uncomfortable. Perhaps if I were moving around a lot, I wouldn't feel as cold. But being on the computer and trying to do some Christmas gift knitting is tough when my hands are numb! A cup of hot tea is a big help. And the rest of me isn't too cold thanks to a fleece top, warm socks and my shearling-lined slippers. Because of my frugal mind set, I would rather put on more clothes and take a few minutes to move around the house - up and down the stairs, for example - than turn the heat up. And after awhile, I think one's body gets used to a cooler environment - at least that what I am telling myself. I've found that, since we stopped heating our bedroom (it's on the attic level of our house with it's own heating zone, which we haven't turned on in a few years), the little bit of warmth that rises from the rest of the house makes for very comfortable winter sleeping. Our room has gotten as cool as 59 degrees in the early morning hours, but with a couple of wool blankets and a down comforter on the bed, we don't need the heat. Not only are we able to keep our heating bills down, but we know we are also making an effort to not have our carbon imprint surge in the winter months. Do you have any special strategies for keeping your heating bills down? Please share.