Have I gone mad?

[Dancing Lotus]

Okay I think I might have gone over the deep end. Today I cleaned out my second fridge and loaded everything into the house fridge, unplugged it and I am going to sell it. I also turned off the AC , it's 7:30 on an april night and the temp in here is already to 81. Not sure how long I will be able to hold out on the AC.

I also went threw the house and took all the light bulbs out but one in each and every fixture. I put a timer on both the kids night lights. My normal electric bill is 145.00 and I am hoping to get it to 100.00. Thats for everything we don't have gas.

I did a load of wash and stuffed twice as many clothes in as I normally do then hung them out. I hate line dried clothes, they stink and are stiff but I did it anyways.Thinking about unplugging the dryer so I won't be tempted. I even went as far as removing one of the cat pans so I would have to buy less cat litter. I will just have to remember to scoop the other one every single day. I am also going to stop using the auto feeder for the cats and measure the amount of food they are getting.

Tomorrow I plan on going threw my older dd's clothes and seeing what I can alter to fit little dd. I was recently able to find them new name brand shoes for only 4 dollars. And I got them a pair of 1.00 flip flops for at home. SO I think they will both be ok for the summer.

Dh has agreed to give up his morning oj ritual and he said not to buy any beer. We will only drink coffee , tea and water. I already have enough tea to last for a decade so there will be no cost for that. The girls will drink cool aid for the summer. I make it with half the sugar so I guess I don't have to feel that bad about it. So that brings my beverage budget to almost nothing.

I thinking about some more things I could do........... I told you I lost it.LOL

[Holly]

I love the smell of line dried clothes. It smells of summer and sunshine.
You gotta do whatca gotta do..

[Dancing Lotus]

That line dried smell must be a regional thing cause mine just smells of dirt! So many people say the love line dried sheets but I just don't get it cause they scratch my bum when I line dry them.

[BetterLateThanNever]

Hey at least you realize you need to conserve $$$ and you are lucky enough to have a husband who will support you and work with you. You're smart enough to do something about it. Wish ceratin someone in my family would see the light before it's too late. Good Luck finding more ways to cut down on your bills!

[mickee311]

Line dried stuff to me is the same. Smelly and scratchy. I have to use my dryer or else I can't stand it.

Good for you for going crazy though!

[larabelle]

You do not sound crazy to me...you sound like one determined lady to live within your means with limited income which is to be applauded.
I think you ought to whatever you have to do. By the way...I line dry everything and no problems with smell but it is a little stiff...but I can live with it.

[justpeachy92]

I don't like my laundry dried outside, but I have bought a couple of the wooden clothes rack and use those in the house. I put it by the air vent so the heat/AC helps it dry, and make sure to use fabric softner so it isn't stiff.

[Buc-O-Mama]

You go! From one FL girl to another, I don't know how you are doing the no AC thing, I admire you for it. As far as hanging out laundry, I agree with you about the smell. You could literally toss hang dryed laundry in the dryer with half a dryer sheet for 5-10 minutes to cut the smell and soften the load. I do it with towels too and takes the edge out of them. You haven't lost your mind, in fact we all need to stop and make some waves more often.

[peanut]

I don't think you're over the deep end...just determined. And that can be a good thing.

Your laundry issue might be the detergent you are using...what are you using? I use liquid Purex for cold water at half strength and mine (air dried) smells fine. I can pick the Purex up at Walmart on sale. My little sister picks hers up at Superstore. There are often sales on it. It was $1 off when I bought mine...making 60 loads of laundry cost $5cdn...and I'm sure we missed counting a few loads.

To help with stiffness, try putting a bit of vinegar in the rinse water of your wash...maybe 1/2 c. Also, when you take things off the line, shake them a bit with a snap of the wrist. That often helps.

If you have problems adjusting to no AC right away, try gradually lowering it over the course of a few weeks, until everyone adjusts to warmer temperatures. We live in a continental climate (extreme cold and heat) and have never had AC. Our neighbors say they can't live without theirs. But once you get used to it, you know summer isn't all bad.

You learn to use alternate ways to cool the house...like layering blinds, sheers and drapes over windows (1/2" between each layer), and keeping them closed when the sun is on that side of the house. As soon as the sun goes round, you open them all up and the windows too (and any doors...assuming you have a screen door to keep critters and little kids in!).

Also, we found 3 speed fans to actually be cheaper than our neighbor's AC. We have 3 we use. A small one in each of the two bedrooms used upstairs, and one big sucker on the main floor to redirect air.

Hope that helps some. Hang in there!

Jean

[prairiewife]

Ann, I don't think you've gone mad! I just think you're channeling all your creative frugal energy!

I think unplugging the second frig will be a big savings for your electric bill. I have a small chest freezer we don't keep much in and I've been thinking about moving the food to the small freezer in the refrigerator and unplugging it to save on our electric.

I also like line dried clothes. Ours are sweet smelling and I like the crispness. But, you could try running clothes in your dryer for about 10 minutes then hanging on the line. I've heard this makes them softer. And only using your dryer 10 minutes each load would save a lot on electricity.

[Its_Donna]

You Go Girl! I admire your "Umpfa"!

[ukbb]

My normal electric bill is 145.00 and I am hoping to get it to 100.00. Thats for everything we don't have gas.

UKBB

[G'MaDebbie]

Ann,
The other day I was feeling really bad for you cause you were so stressed out about wanting a steak and you just didn't want to be frugal anymore.....
Now today you are cracking me up.....I am envisioning you going thru every room in your house to see what you can get rid of or unplug to save money, you sound so much like me, determined not to give up and to make things better. I am new to all of this and it is hard, I have to watch our money carefully because our mortgage takes over 50% of our monthly income!
Just wanted you to know that I am with you on this one.
Take Care
Debbie

[FrugalMomof3]

Ann,

I dont think you've gone mad either, just being smart and conservative. I dont like line dried clothes either, mostly the towels as they are stiff. As for the light bulbs and stuff like that, we do that here too and our electric bill is less than $50 a month and I am a conserver so i dont turn on the AC till it's too hot to handle, lol (no pun intended).

I think your being very smart and with your talents and your strong will, you will be just fine

[momof2joys]

Sounds like a wonderful idea, please keep us posted on how things are going