Humans have always told stories. Remember how native Americans use them to teach their kids? They are meant to inspire us. That doesn't mean they are true. This story in particular is not true.
Your County department of Weights and Measures does routine inspections (both undercover and visible) of all registered gas sales locations, and if you suspect you are being ripped off, and report it to the agency, they are required to investigate (same goes with price scanners in all retail stores). Some county departments also give a list online of local businesses that have been found out of compliance for a certain period time (San Diego definitely does).
Last year, I scored a $25 reduction in one electric bill for permitting the electric company to install a smart "attenuator" on my A/C system. The device would reduce A/C when local demand peaked, thus preventing rolling power outages.
It was installed on the outside unit of my A/C system in under 30 minutes.
I grew up in the West Indies (Anglophone Caribbean for geography challenged Americans) with no air-conditioning. We had the temperatures that never exceeded 83 degrees (we have no seasons), low levels of humidity, and breezes (the Trade Winds) that never stopped. No need for air conditioning.
Now I live in New Jersey. Near 100% humidity, summer temperatures that often exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit and no breezes. Yes, I want .. no, need my air-conditioning to survive.
I grew up in Philadelphia -- BEFORE A/C. I now live in Denver, where last summer it was over 100 for over 2 weeks; I did not use my A/C at all last year -- BECAUSE I did what my Dad used to when I was a kid.
I have also used this approach for 20 years in Washington DC and Dallas without any lasting negative side effects.
I used 2 large exhaust fans (bought at Sam's club years ago), ran them all night in 2 windows to push out the hot air inside the house and pull in cooler air through other windows. I watched the news and internet weather to see when the outside temp got below 75, and turned on the fans then.
I set my alarm to turn the fans off before sunrise, and at the same time, I closed the windows, shades, curtains, and went back to sleep. Sometimes, the house was under 60 in the morning, depending on the cooling overnight. Since I keep my house at 65 in the winter, I was happy with 60. My house stayed at least 20 degrees below the outside temp.
I also had a box fan blowing across my bed for a cooler feel. Since I work at home, I use the same fan to move air as I worked.
As a kid, before we went to bed, and throughout the day, we sprinkled baby powder on our bodies or on our sheets which made us feel a lot less sticky. Now, I also wet my hair and let it air dry -- feels much cooler, and sometimes I even dampen my clothes to feel cooler! When your bodyu uses energy to evaporate the water in your clothes, you feel cooler.
Yes, I was hot, and I $aved a lot! For me, the discomfort was worth the $aving$.
In Denver, our utility company tells us to keep our air about 78 to save money. Raising the temp in the summer is like lowering it in the winter.
I agree that for some families, billing is a more suitable option. However, my kids are still very young, and except for the 10-year-old, don't earn much more than their weekly allowance (which they work very, very hard for.) I don't think my almost six-year-old would understand the concept of docking his $1.50 a week allowance as well. But it will depend on the family.
I also find that running our home like a business I'd want to work for suits us best. I personally would not respond well to a boss who told me, "If we can't cut costs by X%, I will start docking your pay" -- especially since these things are hard to prove on an individual basis. But if my boss said, "If we decrease costs by X% you'll all be treated to a big fat bonus" -- you better believe I'd be happy to participate. It's all a matter of perspective, and what motivates an individual.
For years we did NOT have A/c and I hung my clothes to dry. But with late onset asthma, this year particularly bad I need to both the A/C (to clean the air coming inside and the dryer (to keep pollen off my clothes.) Its a bummer but its reality. Being healthy is very important and going to the hospital is far more expensive than using these ywo items.
About your last suggestion... how nice of you! But turning the lights off/conserving energy generally doesn't earn someone money, but rather it saves them from paying more bills.
When I was growing up (I'm only 26!) my mom would CHARGE me if I threw any recyclable cans in the trash when the deposit system was first implemented in Maine. If she caught me, I'd have to pay her a nickle AND I'd have to dig the can out of the trash and she would also get the deposit. I learned very quickly to stop throwing cans away and to recycle them for the deposit myself.
What about charging kids when they leave lights/TV/etc on and they aren't using it/leave the room? A quarter or a dollar every few days, and they'll learn... right?
The book has been on my to-read list for a couple of months.
Google is a fascinating company, and I've followed their progress closely. It's interesting to see how their public rep has morphed from The Savior Who Will Deliver Us from The Dark Force (Microsoft) to Yet Another Dark Force.
All of the posturing aside, they still run what I think is the best search engine and have released an incredible set of free tools.
My DH is a more enthusiastic a/c'er than I am. I've recently noticed that if I turn our (central) a/c fan on and the a/c itself off without (ahem) mentioning to him what I'm doing, he doesn't (ahem) notice and, oddly enough, the house continues to cool down (I typically do this around 6 p.m. as the outdoors is starting to cool down naturally a bit here in central NC). I'm not quite sure why this works or what the effect on our bill will be, but it seems like it must be an improvement, cost-wise. Time will tell. I then turn in back to a/c shortly before we go to bed, allowing it to run cold (again) for ~30 minutes and then to shut off while we sleep.
Those committed to reducing hot water use and in an area where such behavior is practical can do what I sometimes do on (car) camping trips -- fill a couple of clean gallon jugs with water and leave them in the car with the windows rolled up, ideally in a sunny spot. Let the interior of the car (and thus the water) get hot. Find a private spot, pour 1/2 of one bottle over yourself. Soap/shampoo up. Use the remaining 1.5 gallons to rinse.
On the crockpot tip -- ours gets hot to the touch (it's a combination crockpot/deep fat frier, depending how it's used), however, any crockpot can easily be placed outside in a safe, covered location (like a screen porch) and works just as well outside as in.
I think the tip about purchasing smart power strips is extremely important. These can help cut down on costly phantom electricity.
Phantom electricity refers to electric power consumed by electronic appliances while they are switched off or in a standby mode.
It is money spent that is wasted. Some of the biggest offenders are computers and there peripherals.
Some experts estimate that and around 10 percent of total residential consumption is related to phantom electricity use.
Some of the devices that draw this phantom electric power even when they are turned off include DVD players, set-top boxes, computers, monitors, printers, and video game monitors.
A simple solution is to simply by power strips or surge protectors that allow you to cut the electric current to devices. In this way you can truly cut off several products at the same time.
I do much better by just getting rid of stuff. I can fit all of my tools nicely into the tool boxes I already own, but until I make an effort to get rid of the ones I never use, I will perpetually have to reorganize them after every project. I let all of the stuff I don't (or seldom) use get in the way of the stuff I use regularly in the name of organizing it. Then I mess the whole lot up getting at the stuff I want at the time.
Most certainly an option, and I appreciate you bringing it up. If you can find online billpay for free in your area (we currently do NOT have it for any local banks), it is a very good way to be sure that you pay on time and aren't imposed any additional fees. As a self-employed person, I don't have automatic deposit for much of my income, and setting up bills this way is a bit more of a hassle. I would definitely consider it if I was getting paid with direct deposit from an employer, however. (For now, I've been able to pay via my debit card over the phone in a pinch.) Thanks!
@SimpleLife
It does bear repeating. We have been fortunate to not have to turn on our A/C for much of the summer these past few years. It gets very hot and humid in Nebraska, but my husband and I would rather sleep in the living room, where it is cool, than upstairs in our stuffy attic bedroom and fork out the extra $150 a month. Since health, age, and geographical considerations are important, I would certainly take the decision to forgo A/C seriously. For many, however, it is a modern convenience alone. Appreciate the reminder!
If all your clothes fit in a couple of suitcases, I'd say it's perfectly reasonable to buy a dresser. If all your books are stored in a few cardboard boxes, it's a perfectly reasonable time to buy a bookcase or two.
And, yes, it's possible that a file cabinet and a package of empty manila folders will help turn an unintelligible pile into a neatly organized file drawer. But if what you've got is two piles, a heap, an overstuffed desk drawer, an old grocery bag, and a box labeled "File these first (June, 2003)," I don't think there's any "storage solution" in the world that will do the trick. I'd recommend transforming that mess into a pile (preferable an intelligible one) first, and only then deciding if you need another file cabinet.
I know you mentioned it, but I feel that it must be repeated. If you live in certain states, turning off the AC in summer isn't an option.
There are states like FL, TX, AZ, that if you try to live without the AC to save money, you would end up with a moldy house or with people dying of heatstroke. I rather spend on AC than on repairs or doctor's fees!
In your post about controlling electric costs this summer, you said that your utility does not offer online payment.
However, many banks have this service for their depositors. My Chase account, for example, allows me to set up a creditor to be paid by the bank simply by me logging into my online banking site. I can pay a specific amount, as I would with an electric bill, or if it is a recurring payment of the same amount each month I can set that to be paid automatically on the date I specify.
(Unfortunately, I can't use it as I live abroad these days). Were I back in the U.S. again, I'd make use of it in a flash.
It is a free service included with the account--and many banks offer it these days. If yours does not, check out the competition. Not only is this easier, it's cheaper, too--no check to write and no postage to pay.
I lived with a girlfriend who was totally unorganized. Periodically, she would go to a store like you mention and come back with a carload of organization gadgets. In a mad flurry of activity she would organize everything in sight and then sit and enjoy the sight of it. That would last about a month. Then everything was in the exact same state of disorder as before.
Over time I have developed very strong organizational habits. I asked here if she wanted my help in developing better habits of her own. She said yes. It didn't work. I told here that it didn't help to buy all of those gadgets if she wasn't going to make the effort to develop the habits to go along with them.
What on Earth did you expect from such a cheap product? Yes, there are cheaper products but in the realm of cameras a $100 webcam is going to be crappy and not going to have impressive quality.
However, it seems that the main beef here is that there are not Mac drivers for this cheap camera. The reason for this would be that if you already spent twice the price of an equivalent PC getting a Mac, and you want to do high-end heavy-usage things with the camera, you have the money to get a camera that is designed for this from a company that markets their cameras for Mac users as something other than an afterthought.
Why are cameras for Macs more expensive? Mac users who are doing something other than Skype and iChat are artistic types who want to produce high-quality video, and anything with "web" in the product description isn't designed for this.
Why aren't there Mac drivers for any number of hardware devices? Hardware programmers don't use Macs. Designers and musicians use Macs.
And honestly? The quality looks just like everything else on YouTube that was recorded with a "webcam". It's not bad, it's just not crisp, artsy quality. If you want that kind of quality you're going to have to get a more expensive camera.
but something about this didn't seem right to me. Obviously, a closet 'system' isn't going to suddenly make everything fit, but I could remember many occasions where the purchase of some organizational item (a shelf, a file cabinet, and yes, hooks for the garage) moved my space from an unintelligible pile to something that could at least be worked on. It was like a breath of air to be able to find the things I used every day.
I think the difference may be where you are in life. An established household with years of accumulated things and habits might see little benefit. But from the perspective of a new grad, with limited possessions, limited routines, and even more limited storage space, getting 'a place for everything' sooner rather than later helps jump start the habit of actually putting it there.
Great ideas, all! Any more ideas on how to ensure we aren't being ripped off at the pump?
Humans have always told stories. Remember how native Americans use them to teach their kids? They are meant to inspire us. That doesn't mean they are true. This story in particular is not true.
You can read all about it on our site.
As for the other blogs/copies
This is one:
http://sta12s.kosidesigns.com/items/view/445
Here's another:
http://infobusiness2.ru/node/3266
Your County department of Weights and Measures does routine inspections (both undercover and visible) of all registered gas sales locations, and if you suspect you are being ripped off, and report it to the agency, they are required to investigate (same goes with price scanners in all retail stores). Some county departments also give a list online of local businesses that have been found out of compliance for a certain period time (San Diego definitely does).
Hope that helps!
Last year, I scored a $25 reduction in one electric bill for permitting the electric company to install a smart "attenuator" on my A/C system. The device would reduce A/C when local demand peaked, thus preventing rolling power outages.
It was installed on the outside unit of my A/C system in under 30 minutes.
I grew up in the West Indies (Anglophone Caribbean for geography challenged Americans) with no air-conditioning. We had the temperatures that never exceeded 83 degrees (we have no seasons), low levels of humidity, and breezes (the Trade Winds) that never stopped. No need for air conditioning.
Now I live in New Jersey. Near 100% humidity, summer temperatures that often exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit and no breezes. Yes, I want .. no, need my air-conditioning to survive.
References:
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761555176/west_indies.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglophone_Caribbean
I grew up in Philadelphia -- BEFORE A/C. I now live in Denver, where last summer it was over 100 for over 2 weeks; I did not use my A/C at all last year -- BECAUSE I did what my Dad used to when I was a kid.
I have also used this approach for 20 years in Washington DC and Dallas without any lasting negative side effects.
I used 2 large exhaust fans (bought at Sam's club years ago), ran them all night in 2 windows to push out the hot air inside the house and pull in cooler air through other windows. I watched the news and internet weather to see when the outside temp got below 75, and turned on the fans then.
I set my alarm to turn the fans off before sunrise, and at the same time, I closed the windows, shades, curtains, and went back to sleep. Sometimes, the house was under 60 in the morning, depending on the cooling overnight. Since I keep my house at 65 in the winter, I was happy with 60. My house stayed at least 20 degrees below the outside temp.
I also had a box fan blowing across my bed for a cooler feel. Since I work at home, I use the same fan to move air as I worked.
As a kid, before we went to bed, and throughout the day, we sprinkled baby powder on our bodies or on our sheets which made us feel a lot less sticky. Now, I also wet my hair and let it air dry -- feels much cooler, and sometimes I even dampen my clothes to feel cooler! When your bodyu uses energy to evaporate the water in your clothes, you feel cooler.
Yes, I was hot, and I $aved a lot! For me, the discomfort was worth the $aving$.
In Denver, our utility company tells us to keep our air about 78 to save money. Raising the temp in the summer is like lowering it in the winter.
YES! This is a very easy way to cut costs! Thanks for your recommendations!
Linsey Knerl
I agree that for some families, billing is a more suitable option. However, my kids are still very young, and except for the 10-year-old, don't earn much more than their weekly allowance (which they work very, very hard for.) I don't think my almost six-year-old would understand the concept of docking his $1.50 a week allowance as well. But it will depend on the family.
I also find that running our home like a business I'd want to work for suits us best. I personally would not respond well to a boss who told me, "If we can't cut costs by X%, I will start docking your pay" -- especially since these things are hard to prove on an individual basis. But if my boss said, "If we decrease costs by X% you'll all be treated to a big fat bonus" -- you better believe I'd be happy to participate. It's all a matter of perspective, and what motivates an individual.
Thanks for bringing that up!
Linsey Knerl
For years we did NOT have A/c and I hung my clothes to dry. But with late onset asthma, this year particularly bad I need to both the A/C (to clean the air coming inside and the dryer (to keep pollen off my clothes.) Its a bummer but its reality. Being healthy is very important and going to the hospital is far more expensive than using these ywo items.
About your last suggestion... how nice of you! But turning the lights off/conserving energy generally doesn't earn someone money, but rather it saves them from paying more bills.
When I was growing up (I'm only 26!) my mom would CHARGE me if I threw any recyclable cans in the trash when the deposit system was first implemented in Maine. If she caught me, I'd have to pay her a nickle AND I'd have to dig the can out of the trash and she would also get the deposit. I learned very quickly to stop throwing cans away and to recycle them for the deposit myself.
What about charging kids when they leave lights/TV/etc on and they aren't using it/leave the room? A quarter or a dollar every few days, and they'll learn... right?
The book has been on my to-read list for a couple of months.
Google is a fascinating company, and I've followed their progress closely. It's interesting to see how their public rep has morphed from The Savior Who Will Deliver Us from The Dark Force (Microsoft) to Yet Another Dark Force.
All of the posturing aside, they still run what I think is the best search engine and have released an incredible set of free tools.
My DH is a more enthusiastic a/c'er than I am. I've recently noticed that if I turn our (central) a/c fan on and the a/c itself off without (ahem) mentioning to him what I'm doing, he doesn't (ahem) notice and, oddly enough, the house continues to cool down (I typically do this around 6 p.m. as the outdoors is starting to cool down naturally a bit here in central NC). I'm not quite sure why this works or what the effect on our bill will be, but it seems like it must be an improvement, cost-wise. Time will tell. I then turn in back to a/c shortly before we go to bed, allowing it to run cold (again) for ~30 minutes and then to shut off while we sleep.
Those committed to reducing hot water use and in an area where such behavior is practical can do what I sometimes do on (car) camping trips -- fill a couple of clean gallon jugs with water and leave them in the car with the windows rolled up, ideally in a sunny spot. Let the interior of the car (and thus the water) get hot. Find a private spot, pour 1/2 of one bottle over yourself. Soap/shampoo up. Use the remaining 1.5 gallons to rinse.
On the crockpot tip -- ours gets hot to the touch (it's a combination crockpot/deep fat frier, depending how it's used), however, any crockpot can easily be placed outside in a safe, covered location (like a screen porch) and works just as well outside as in.
Very nice article.
I think the tip about purchasing smart power strips is extremely important. These can help cut down on costly phantom electricity.
Phantom electricity refers to electric power consumed by electronic appliances while they are switched off or in a standby mode.
It is money spent that is wasted. Some of the biggest offenders are computers and there peripherals.
Some experts estimate that and around 10 percent of total residential consumption is related to phantom electricity use.
Some of the devices that draw this phantom electric power even when they are turned off include DVD players, set-top boxes, computers, monitors, printers, and video game monitors.
A simple solution is to simply by power strips or surge protectors that allow you to cut the electric current to devices. In this way you can truly cut off several products at the same time.
I do much better by just getting rid of stuff. I can fit all of my tools nicely into the tool boxes I already own, but until I make an effort to get rid of the ones I never use, I will perpetually have to reorganize them after every project. I let all of the stuff I don't (or seldom) use get in the way of the stuff I use regularly in the name of organizing it. Then I mess the whole lot up getting at the stuff I want at the time.
@Dave
Most certainly an option, and I appreciate you bringing it up. If you can find online billpay for free in your area (we currently do NOT have it for any local banks), it is a very good way to be sure that you pay on time and aren't imposed any additional fees. As a self-employed person, I don't have automatic deposit for much of my income, and setting up bills this way is a bit more of a hassle. I would definitely consider it if I was getting paid with direct deposit from an employer, however. (For now, I've been able to pay via my debit card over the phone in a pinch.) Thanks!
@SimpleLife
It does bear repeating. We have been fortunate to not have to turn on our A/C for much of the summer these past few years. It gets very hot and humid in Nebraska, but my husband and I would rather sleep in the living room, where it is cool, than upstairs in our stuffy attic bedroom and fork out the extra $150 a month. Since health, age, and geographical considerations are important, I would certainly take the decision to forgo A/C seriously. For many, however, it is a modern convenience alone. Appreciate the reminder!
Linsey Knerl
I want to win this book!
@ PlantingOaks:
If all your clothes fit in a couple of suitcases, I'd say it's perfectly reasonable to buy a dresser. If all your books are stored in a few cardboard boxes, it's a perfectly reasonable time to buy a bookcase or two.
And, yes, it's possible that a file cabinet and a package of empty manila folders will help turn an unintelligible pile into a neatly organized file drawer. But if what you've got is two piles, a heap, an overstuffed desk drawer, an old grocery bag, and a box labeled "File these first (June, 2003)," I don't think there's any "storage solution" in the world that will do the trick. I'd recommend transforming that mess into a pile (preferable an intelligible one) first, and only then deciding if you need another file cabinet.
I know you mentioned it, but I feel that it must be repeated. If you live in certain states, turning off the AC in summer isn't an option.
There are states like FL, TX, AZ, that if you try to live without the AC to save money, you would end up with a moldy house or with people dying of heatstroke. I rather spend on AC than on repairs or doctor's fees!
Practice safe-frugality.
In your post about controlling electric costs this summer, you said that your utility does not offer online payment.
However, many banks have this service for their depositors. My Chase account, for example, allows me to set up a creditor to be paid by the bank simply by me logging into my online banking site. I can pay a specific amount, as I would with an electric bill, or if it is a recurring payment of the same amount each month I can set that to be paid automatically on the date I specify.
(Unfortunately, I can't use it as I live abroad these days). Were I back in the U.S. again, I'd make use of it in a flash.
It is a free service included with the account--and many banks offer it these days. If yours does not, check out the competition. Not only is this easier, it's cheaper, too--no check to write and no postage to pay.
I lived with a girlfriend who was totally unorganized. Periodically, she would go to a store like you mention and come back with a carload of organization gadgets. In a mad flurry of activity she would organize everything in sight and then sit and enjoy the sight of it. That would last about a month. Then everything was in the exact same state of disorder as before.
Over time I have developed very strong organizational habits. I asked here if she wanted my help in developing better habits of her own. She said yes. It didn't work. I told here that it didn't help to buy all of those gadgets if she wasn't going to make the effort to develop the habits to go along with them.
Glenn
Could be nice to explore some new ideas. Couldn't hurt, anyway.
What on Earth did you expect from such a cheap product? Yes, there are cheaper products but in the realm of cameras a $100 webcam is going to be crappy and not going to have impressive quality.
However, it seems that the main beef here is that there are not Mac drivers for this cheap camera. The reason for this would be that if you already spent twice the price of an equivalent PC getting a Mac, and you want to do high-end heavy-usage things with the camera, you have the money to get a camera that is designed for this from a company that markets their cameras for Mac users as something other than an afterthought.
Why are cameras for Macs more expensive? Mac users who are doing something other than Skype and iChat are artistic types who want to produce high-quality video, and anything with "web" in the product description isn't designed for this.
Why aren't there Mac drivers for any number of hardware devices? Hardware programmers don't use Macs. Designers and musicians use Macs.
And honestly? The quality looks just like everything else on YouTube that was recorded with a "webcam". It's not bad, it's just not crisp, artsy quality. If you want that kind of quality you're going to have to get a more expensive camera.
you do realize that the "no hormones" means that the cows do not receive hormones...right?
that is all based on the idea that cows are given hormones to make them produce an unnatural amount of milk.
I would think that's pretty obvious...but apparently not. this is a pretty ridiculous and misinformed blog.
but something about this didn't seem right to me. Obviously, a closet 'system' isn't going to suddenly make everything fit, but I could remember many occasions where the purchase of some organizational item (a shelf, a file cabinet, and yes, hooks for the garage) moved my space from an unintelligible pile to something that could at least be worked on. It was like a breath of air to be able to find the things I used every day.
I think the difference may be where you are in life. An established household with years of accumulated things and habits might see little benefit. But from the perspective of a new grad, with limited possessions, limited routines, and even more limited storage space, getting 'a place for everything' sooner rather than later helps jump start the habit of actually putting it there.
That's a great idea! I think I'll try that ...
Will let you know how it works!
Melanie