Official SS Poll: What do you do to eliminate bills / cut down expenses?

[Wannabefree]

That actually sounds smart to me...some folks are just weird

 

[lcertuche]

Brilliant!

 

[tortoise]

I like your feeding system for your horses! I could manage feed for my ewes better...

 

[Denim Deb]

Another thing I do is to let my horses graze in the parking area. After all it's mainly grass (and weeds). The more they eat of that, the less hay I have to buy. Plus, it makes the grazing in my field last longer. I just clean up any mess they do so the area stays clean.

I've been seeing some barn swallows in the run-in. Last year they built a nest, but I never saw them in it. Today, I saw the once come flying out. Some people buy fly predators. I have fly predators that I don't have to buy.

 

[Dianna Starr]

best idea was instead of buying an instant on hot water heater, cost is about $400.00, to $500.00 , so to help cut down the electric bill, we put in an on & off switch in the bathroom to the electric hot water heater, we had a gas hot water heater but going out to turn that on & off every night for showers then back out to go turn it off again was simply to much, so lucky we had the electric one we took out to put in the gas hot water heater in Ha,so gas turned out to be not such a good idea , plus that gas was just another bill , so we reinstalled the electric hot water heater & hooked it up to an on and off switch , which is about as good as the instant on hot water heater , we turned it on every night one hour before we took showers, and then turned it right off a total of 2 hours on every night plus we asked the light co which times were the most expansive for using the electric & our's is 12 noon to 7 pm that was the most expansive so we changed our electric use to the hours that were cheaper..! we showered & did the laundry & dishes after 7 pm plus we had some fairly hot water all the next day long in the hot water tank , this took down the electric bill pretty good, so this was what we did wile saving for solar hot water and our electric bill went from an average of $185.00 a month to around $78.00 a month, so the effort was worth it i must say. and now since my husband has passed away in march my electric bill i further cut it back and its been down to about $30.00 to 40.00 a month, but i do have a cooler on in the AZ heat, i don't use any heat in winter, so it averages out well for the year, then when i cook that heats up my home just fine until around 9 pm & after that its off to bed to keep warm, with electric blankets a good idea for very cold nights , but one thing my parrot Burt always has a small heater on in winter to keep him warm that's why he lived to age 42 because he is always kept at a constant 70 degrees. so that's some of the ways i keep the bills down. next is an all solar home..! with solar hot water heated floors & water cooled floors..! plus a lot of other ideas i cant wait to use to live a bill free life wile living & learning

 

[sumi]

That is a great way to save money! I remember my parents started doing this when I was in my teens. Turn the hot water heater off during the day and also when we were gone for a weekend, or holiday. I wonder how many people think of doing that.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I have been asking my husband to do that. He is convinced it'll take too much electricity to re-heat when we then it back on. Hmm... Haven't tried it yet but now I really must!

 

[Mini Horses]

Been doing this with my water heater for years. Makes a big difference. Adding to this, limit the amount used DURING a shower. I wet down, turn water off, lather, then water on & rinse. (RV camping taught me this) My water heater, used this way, keeps enough hot for 2-3 days without flipping switch back on so long as I don't run dishwasher, lot of hot water for something else, etc. Next two BIG users of power -- clothes dryer & electric stove -- on day to day basis, that is. Of course, heat is always a concern IF electric.

So, clothesline, inside racks. Solar oven. Or cook in batches to freeze in smaller portions & reheat. As said, cook & use oven heat to warm house for that time of use. Cook far less in summer, limited AC use. I open windows when cool at night & close in day to keep cool inside -- shades on South windows (plus they are multi-pane, gas filled, e glazed, etc).

My whole house heat system is electric heat pump. I have a propane heater (looks like wood unit it replaced) which heats entire downstairs very nicely, far less expense. Upstairs I close off in winter as unused. It's always above freezing up there but cool for daily use. Rare use.

I don't get extreme or uncomfortable but use methods such as these to reduce use of utilities when possible.

 

[Mini Horses]

I have been asking my husband to do that. He is convinced it'll take too much electricity to re-heat when we then it back on. Hmm... Haven't tried it yet but now I really must!

Don't share, just do. Unless you forget to turn back on...he'll never know. You can cut off all day...on early evening....back off before bed. The water WILL still be hot for AM/PM showers. That's probably only time he even considers hot water.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Yeah he for sure isn't doing dishes! I guess I would have to figure out how to turn it off

I have an app for my electric company that shows electric usage by the hour, so I'll be able to tell quickly if it helps!