rathbone
Lovin' The Homestead
SSDreamin Blessings and curses
- Thread starter SSDreamin
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- #182
SSDreamin
Almost Self-Reliant
Well, I made a list of all the things I REALLY need to get done, to help me keep track. Yeah, I guess it would help if I actually LOOKED at the list, instead of avoided it like the plague! 
I have managed to check off a couple things:
Made a batch of 'test' dog food (thanks Pinkfox!!) to see how it's tolerated. He scarfed it like it was a treat! Guess he'll do fine
Canned up 12 more half pints of Velveeta, plus 12 half pints of butter.
Mixed up a batch of HM shower cleaner to try (didn't like it), modified it to test out as carpet cleaner (was only slightly better than as a shower cleaner), so decided to use it as an all purpose cleaner, which actually worked pretty well.
Was supposed to can up the remaining precooked venison burger in the freezer, but was tired of canning. I added some taco seasoning, then made taco rocks with it instead.
I hung an insulated curtain in our hallway, between the 'game room' - that has two leaky doors, and the rest of the house. We have, despite the milder winter weather, been averaging $800 per month for heat. We did go from 850 to 750 by turning down the thermostat to almost freezing (OK, maybe not, but I do have to wear a coat IN the house now!), but I am hoping the curtain will help more. We noticed a different, air temp wise, almost immediately
Then I checked off a bunch of things that I had to do anyway, but listed them so I'd feel like I had accomplished something
I wish I could say it's more than half way done now, but it isn't - guess that's what you get when you've been a slacker for too long!
I have managed to check off a couple things:
Made a batch of 'test' dog food (thanks Pinkfox!!) to see how it's tolerated. He scarfed it like it was a treat! Guess he'll do fine
Canned up 12 more half pints of Velveeta, plus 12 half pints of butter.
Mixed up a batch of HM shower cleaner to try (didn't like it), modified it to test out as carpet cleaner (was only slightly better than as a shower cleaner), so decided to use it as an all purpose cleaner, which actually worked pretty well.
Was supposed to can up the remaining precooked venison burger in the freezer, but was tired of canning. I added some taco seasoning, then made taco rocks with it instead.
I hung an insulated curtain in our hallway, between the 'game room' - that has two leaky doors, and the rest of the house. We have, despite the milder winter weather, been averaging $800 per month for heat. We did go from 850 to 750 by turning down the thermostat to almost freezing (OK, maybe not, but I do have to wear a coat IN the house now!), but I am hoping the curtain will help more. We noticed a different, air temp wise, almost immediately
Then I checked off a bunch of things that I had to do anyway, but listed them so I'd feel like I had accomplished something
I wish I could say it's more than half way done now, but it isn't - guess that's what you get when you've been a slacker for too long!
rathbone
Lovin' The Homestead
The insulating curtain should help. Our electric is absurd during the summer. We all still co-sleep in th same room (children are in their own beds) and that way we are not cooling the whole house. It helps out a lot.
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- #184
SSDreamin
Almost Self-Reliant
We used to do that in our old house (during the 1-2 weeks of 'summer' heat we got ) This house will be a problem where that's concerned - all of the windows are casements (crank outs), so no place to put an a/c. I was in here working, in August, and - if I kept the windows closed during the heat of the day - it stayed fairly cool. That gave me overly high hopes for winter though. I thought the reverse would be true - it would hold in the heat and cost less to keep warm. Boy, was I wrong 
We did also come from a house half this size, so that is part of it as well(expectation of the same costs for twice the space). Never mind that we didn't have time to add extra insulation, caulk & tape the windows and doors, blah, blah, blah I am ALSO sitting here, looking at a nice, warm looking woodstove. Set up in my livingroom. BEGGING to be used. But, we (and by we, I mean the hubster) couldn't finish connecting it to the fireplace and we (this time I mean me) decided a professional installation was required, so we didn't die in our sleep! Once those things are 'checked off our list', we'll have a much easier time heating this place!
) This house will be a problem where that's concerned - all of the windows are casements (crank outs), so no place to put an a/c. I was in here working, in August, and - if I kept the windows closed during the heat of the day - it stayed fairly cool. That gave me overly high hopes for winter though. I thought the reverse would be true - it would hold in the heat and cost less to keep warm. Boy, was I wrong We did also come from a house half this size, so that is part of it as well(expectation of the same costs for twice the space). Never mind that we didn't have time to add extra insulation, caulk & tape the windows and doors, blah, blah, blah I am ALSO sitting here, looking at a nice, warm looking woodstove. Set up in my livingroom. BEGGING to be used. But, we (and by we, I mean the hubster) couldn't finish connecting it to the fireplace and we (this time I mean me) decided a professional installation was required, so we didn't die in our sleep! Once those things are 'checked off our list', we'll have a much easier time heating this place!
CheerioLounge
Dessert Dreamer
That's seems so odd to me that your electric is high in summer. Do you use A/C? We use a swamp cooler and our electric bill in summer is never over $40/mo. My bill for mid Dec through mid January was $133.00. Since then we wear sweats and thermals in the house and double/triple up the blankets on the bed. The only heat comes from cooking. Why y'all think I bake so much?rathbone said:
rathbone
Lovin' The Homestead
Yes we definitely use the AC.
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- #187
SSDreamin
Almost Self-Reliant
Wish they sold swamp coolers here - I quit asking when they kept looking at me like I had a third eye!
I think our biggest issue with heat is that we now have a boiler system, with baseboard water heat. Had hoped it would reduce the dust that DH tracks in (I call him pig-pen, with affection, of course ) but it hasn't. Our boiler, stove and hot water are all propane, so no matter what I do, we suck down gas :/ We turned down the H/W heater to its lowest setting, we use down filled duvets for sleeping (got them on close out at Sears - $25 each, any size!), and I combine my baking/cooking whenever possible. On the up side, I got my electric bill today - it dropped from 110 to 91. Yay. I spend almost $1,000 per month in utilities. Yippee. :/
I think our biggest issue with heat is that we now have a boiler system, with baseboard water heat. Had hoped it would reduce the dust that DH tracks in (I call him pig-pen, with affection, of course
) but it hasn't. Our boiler, stove and hot water are all propane, so no matter what I do, we suck down gas :/ We turned down the H/W heater to its lowest setting, we use down filled duvets for sleeping (got them on close out at Sears - $25 each, any size!), and I combine my baking/cooking whenever possible. On the up side, I got my electric bill today - it dropped from 110 to 91. Yay. I spend almost $1,000 per month in utilities. Yippee. :/
CheerioLounge
Dessert Dreamer
Is it humid in the summer where you are? If so, a swamp cooler won't do a bit of good. In late July into August we get the monsoonal flow from the Southeast and and humidity shoots way up. The swamp cooler is useless then.
rathbone
Lovin' The Homestead
The old houses here have sleep rooms built up on top. Floor to ceiling screened walls. Inguess it is the equivalent of the southern sleep porch, but here there is basically no breeze so the room is built on top of the house to maximize the opportunity to catch a little wind. They used to hang wet sheets to catch a breeze. Our house of course doesn't have a sleep room. Would that it were.
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- #190
