Hubby and I had this same conversation, we'll creep it down by 2 degrees today. We're currently at 65, but the power bill shocked us this month. We rent a poorly-insulated condo, and placed insulation in obvious cold gluts, and closed the vent and door to the 2nd bedroom, curtains, towels at the windows/door. But we can't do what is really necessary - cut holes in the walls to blow insulation in!
I know some people keep the heat at 75! That shocked me. Seriously, what is their heat bill like?!
I live in Saskatchewan, Canada... it can get below -40c/f (same difference at that point) parts of the winter. While I wouldn't keep my heat completely OFF during the winter, I do keep the temperature around 15c in my home ("room" temperature is considered 21c, sorry I don't know the conversions) during evening/night and any time that I am not home and the warmest it gets when we are home is 17c. I have friends who can't STAND to visit because they feel that if it is cold outside they should be WARM inside and no amount of telling them to wear a sweater seems to get through to them. BUT i have been able to cut my heating bill almost in half in the year and a half I have lived in this suite -- my payments LAST year (based on what the former tenants used)were $80/mth and this year have dropped to $53/mth...
Keeping it cooler isn't that hard for us... my kids have gotten used to wearing warm clothes inside, socks to bed, and we have invested in extra throws and blankets and duvets for beds and seating areas!
*I* give to the Dyslexic Kittens Association, the Paraplegic Puppies Fund, the Swordless Ninjas Benevolent Society, the Pirates without Peglegs Global Network and the Fish-Out-of-Water Federation.
A few years, a friend challenged me to see how low I could go. At first I was sceptical, but I kept getting comfortable with lower and lower temperatures (of course adding clothing layers). When I'm not home, I set the temp to 50 degrees; when I'm home, I set it to 54 degrees. This is perfectly comfortable. If I'm not feeling well, sometimes I use a small portable electric heater just in one room.
What I've noticed is that I get sick A LOT less. My friend had told me this way back when, and I've experienced the same thing. Don't know why this happens. I recommend trying this out, exactly as described in the blog. It feels good and saves money.
ALSO--on WNYC they have a house expert call in show once a month. The experts said that most thermostats are set up so that you can't turn it down too low (too low for the pipes to freeze). They confirmed that 50 degrees is fine. I think my thermostat goes down to 45 degrees. Hope this helps.
He's announcing tax credit proposals for next year. We're a year into the announcement of a recession and his "fix" is to put off his fix for another year.
This is a plan designed just to look like he's doing something. I'd be willing to bet this goes nowhere.
if it were up to me, I'd probably be in survival mode right now (just made a cross-country move, have a bit in savings, but am currently unemployed), but my fiance is generous as they come. he recently had us stop and buy a wheelchair-bound man a baby bib set he couldn't afford from Ross, and I can't tell you how many dollar bills for the bus we've given out.
I want to have a PB&J in my purse at all times, to give to the homeless. I'm one of those people who loves giving, but would rather not just hand out cold hard cash.
We are slogging through our first winter in coastal Maine in a 150 year old house. I am fine layering up during the day and sleeping cold at night, but I am constantly warned/admonished that we have to worry about our water pipes (drinking and heating). I've had two friends have pipes burst this winter. How low can we reasonably turn the heat down at night to save on oil, before we start running up plumbing bills? The former owners suggested we shouldn't set the thermostat in our sunroom (no basement) below 60!
I am trying to do more where I donate my time and not money. I meet with a woman in a nursing home each week as a friendly visitor.
I have payroll deduction through work for United Way.
Besides our regular budgeted giving, I've been trying to skim a bit off our grocery money and set it aside. This has allowed us to give to people with specific needs anonomously. An older friend confided in me a month ago saying God has been providing, and that a deacon gave her a cash envelope out of the blue just when they needed it. We kept talking a bit, and then it hit me, that was the cash we gave them. How cool is that? Usually we don't find out the outcome, unless we share from our pantry or do hand me downs, so it's encouraging to know what you do makes a difference.
What's clear from the comments is that people are trying their best with what they've got. Keep it up.
we are leaving in a couple of months to travel the west coast of the USA for a year. we will be working our way through on farms for room and board, and traveling with 2 dogs. i have budgeted $6K for the entire year. so, we will travel for a year or until the $$ runs out!
Some people have large bank accounts and therefore are often limited with smaller volunteering accounts. Others have large volunteering accounts (time) and smaller bank accounts. The world needs both; and both are equally as important. We are blessed with larger volunteering accounts, and thus work as a family with church and community giving. We also have been working on recycling and reducing thus ultimately giving back to the planet and others! Do it joyfully and you'll get back more than you realize!
I haven't donated anything lately except used clothes and shoes to the salvation army. Times are hard and money is too tight right now to give. I am using reward points and coupons and sales to purchase gifts for family members and everyday needed items at huge discounts. I would love to help out more but my family can't swing it right now, especailly with a new baby.
My husband has been unemployed for almost a year now. We have very little extra money right now to donate to charity. We did give a small amount to the Salvation Army this year. I have been giving away baby toys, clothes and the baby bed my son just outgrew to people who needed them. We also donate food to the local food bank several times a year. I am able to get food items for very little money sometimes through the use of coupons.
With a budget, or spending plan, if you prefer, there are practically zero fights about money!! My husband and I have been married for 14 years, and have lived on a budget that entire time. I cannot think of one fight we have ever had about money. We discuss money and go over our budget at least yearly, if not more often, but agree with what we've decided together in our budget. Neither of us goes behind the other's back, spending more than we have set aside. We each have money every month that we are free to spend how we please. If that is gone, we are done spending! No fights, no arguments. And if there is something larger, we decide together based on our budget! Peace and harmony are definitely worth it!!
I love to budget and know exactly where my money is going. I also feel very blessed. My husband and I spent six months without a steady income while he searched for a job, and when he found one, I decided that we were going to give back as much as we could.
Even if you can only budget in $10 a month to give to someone who needs it, at least you're trying. Then you'll see that you can live without that $10, and maybe try giving more.
My motto is to give to the people closest to me first though. If your parents or siblings or children are in need, help them out first before anything else. So half of my budget goes to help my aging mother so she doesn't have to work so hard.
One more idea. This year, I decided to start knitting mittens at the beginning of the year so that when next winter comes, I'll have a bunch of them to give away to children who truly need them.
This past year, we had several financial setbacks which resulted in an almost 20% drop in our income. But at the end of the year, I found that our charitable giving had remained almost the same as the years before. We believe in honoring God with what He has blessed us with and giving to those in need of a blessing. It has been a wonderful thing for my family to support people and ideas that we believe in and I'm glad that we chose not to cut out the giving, but things far less important like eating out at restaurants instead. I have to admit I've missed eating out, since we only did it about once or twice a month and it was a treat, but the good one can do giving far outweighs any "treat".
I like to give at least 10% to my church, and at least $2000 to charity, I find that the more I give the more I really do receive. It's not just a catchy slogan, it's really worth it to give more no matter how bad the economy is in my opinion.
Letting in oxygen and stray organism is a bad thing, if you are making beer or wine. It alters the flavour, sometimes a great deal. You would ideally not open the top. Since you are distilling, it has less, but still an effect. I have read and watched some educational shows that show the old timers would have just a cloth over the opening. This would allow for natural yeast to get it, usually on the legs of flies.
You should be ok to use it. BUT,,,,, (there is always a but) remind him not to look. If he wants to see activity, watch the bubbles in the air lock.
When we can we buy food items for our local food pantry, Faith in Action. They also provide clothing and toys to those in need, all free of charge, so we donate those items as well.
Hubby and I had this same conversation, we'll creep it down by 2 degrees today. We're currently at 65, but the power bill shocked us this month. We rent a poorly-insulated condo, and placed insulation in obvious cold gluts, and closed the vent and door to the 2nd bedroom, curtains, towels at the windows/door. But we can't do what is really necessary - cut holes in the walls to blow insulation in!
I know some people keep the heat at 75! That shocked me. Seriously, what is their heat bill like?!
I live in Saskatchewan, Canada... it can get below -40c/f (same difference at that point) parts of the winter. While I wouldn't keep my heat completely OFF during the winter, I do keep the temperature around 15c in my home ("room" temperature is considered 21c, sorry I don't know the conversions) during evening/night and any time that I am not home and the warmest it gets when we are home is 17c. I have friends who can't STAND to visit because they feel that if it is cold outside they should be WARM inside and no amount of telling them to wear a sweater seems to get through to them. BUT i have been able to cut my heating bill almost in half in the year and a half I have lived in this suite -- my payments LAST year (based on what the former tenants used)were $80/mth and this year have dropped to $53/mth...
Keeping it cooler isn't that hard for us... my kids have gotten used to wearing warm clothes inside, socks to bed, and we have invested in extra throws and blankets and duvets for beds and seating areas!
*I* give to the Dyslexic Kittens Association, the Paraplegic Puppies Fund, the Swordless Ninjas Benevolent Society, the Pirates without Peglegs Global Network and the Fish-Out-of-Water Federation.
Any chance I could get a link to the NYT article?
A few years, a friend challenged me to see how low I could go. At first I was sceptical, but I kept getting comfortable with lower and lower temperatures (of course adding clothing layers). When I'm not home, I set the temp to 50 degrees; when I'm home, I set it to 54 degrees. This is perfectly comfortable. If I'm not feeling well, sometimes I use a small portable electric heater just in one room.
What I've noticed is that I get sick A LOT less. My friend had told me this way back when, and I've experienced the same thing. Don't know why this happens. I recommend trying this out, exactly as described in the blog. It feels good and saves money.
ALSO--on WNYC they have a house expert call in show once a month. The experts said that most thermostats are set up so that you can't turn it down too low (too low for the pipes to freeze). They confirmed that 50 degrees is fine. I think my thermostat goes down to 45 degrees. Hope this helps.
He's announcing tax credit proposals for next year. We're a year into the announcement of a recession and his "fix" is to put off his fix for another year.
This is a plan designed just to look like he's doing something. I'd be willing to bet this goes nowhere.
if it were up to me, I'd probably be in survival mode right now (just made a cross-country move, have a bit in savings, but am currently unemployed), but my fiance is generous as they come. he recently had us stop and buy a wheelchair-bound man a baby bib set he couldn't afford from Ross, and I can't tell you how many dollar bills for the bus we've given out.
I want to have a PB&J in my purse at all times, to give to the homeless. I'm one of those people who loves giving, but would rather not just hand out cold hard cash.
We are slogging through our first winter in coastal Maine in a 150 year old house. I am fine layering up during the day and sleeping cold at night, but I am constantly warned/admonished that we have to worry about our water pipes (drinking and heating). I've had two friends have pipes burst this winter. How low can we reasonably turn the heat down at night to save on oil, before we start running up plumbing bills? The former owners suggested we shouldn't set the thermostat in our sunroom (no basement) below 60!
I am trying to do more where I donate my time and not money. I meet with a woman in a nursing home each week as a friendly visitor.
I have payroll deduction through work for United Way.
We give to Am. Heart and Am. Diabetes Associations. If the kids give we will match their contribution dollar for dollar.
I just tried this exercise. I feel so much lighter now...
Besides our regular budgeted giving, I've been trying to skim a bit off our grocery money and set it aside. This has allowed us to give to people with specific needs anonomously. An older friend confided in me a month ago saying God has been providing, and that a deacon gave her a cash envelope out of the blue just when they needed it. We kept talking a bit, and then it hit me, that was the cash we gave them. How cool is that? Usually we don't find out the outcome, unless we share from our pantry or do hand me downs, so it's encouraging to know what you do makes a difference.
What's clear from the comments is that people are trying their best with what they've got. Keep it up.
we are leaving in a couple of months to travel the west coast of the USA for a year. we will be working our way through on farms for room and board, and traveling with 2 dogs. i have budgeted $6K for the entire year. so, we will travel for a year or until the $$ runs out!
Some people have large bank accounts and therefore are often limited with smaller volunteering accounts. Others have large volunteering accounts (time) and smaller bank accounts. The world needs both; and both are equally as important. We are blessed with larger volunteering accounts, and thus work as a family with church and community giving. We also have been working on recycling and reducing thus ultimately giving back to the planet and others! Do it joyfully and you'll get back more than you realize!
I haven't donated anything lately except used clothes and shoes to the salvation army. Times are hard and money is too tight right now to give. I am using reward points and coupons and sales to purchase gifts for family members and everyday needed items at huge discounts. I would love to help out more but my family can't swing it right now, especailly with a new baby.
My husband has been unemployed for almost a year now. We have very little extra money right now to donate to charity. We did give a small amount to the Salvation Army this year. I have been giving away baby toys, clothes and the baby bed my son just outgrew to people who needed them. We also donate food to the local food bank several times a year. I am able to get food items for very little money sometimes through the use of coupons.
With a budget, or spending plan, if you prefer, there are practically zero fights about money!! My husband and I have been married for 14 years, and have lived on a budget that entire time. I cannot think of one fight we have ever had about money. We discuss money and go over our budget at least yearly, if not more often, but agree with what we've decided together in our budget. Neither of us goes behind the other's back, spending more than we have set aside. We each have money every month that we are free to spend how we please. If that is gone, we are done spending! No fights, no arguments. And if there is something larger, we decide together based on our budget! Peace and harmony are definitely worth it!!
I love to budget and know exactly where my money is going. I also feel very blessed. My husband and I spent six months without a steady income while he searched for a job, and when he found one, I decided that we were going to give back as much as we could.
Even if you can only budget in $10 a month to give to someone who needs it, at least you're trying. Then you'll see that you can live without that $10, and maybe try giving more.
My motto is to give to the people closest to me first though. If your parents or siblings or children are in need, help them out first before anything else. So half of my budget goes to help my aging mother so she doesn't have to work so hard.
One more idea. This year, I decided to start knitting mittens at the beginning of the year so that when next winter comes, I'll have a bunch of them to give away to children who truly need them.
It is really an eye opener to discover how resturants save money. I could insist on better deal next time.
This past year, we had several financial setbacks which resulted in an almost 20% drop in our income. But at the end of the year, I found that our charitable giving had remained almost the same as the years before. We believe in honoring God with what He has blessed us with and giving to those in need of a blessing. It has been a wonderful thing for my family to support people and ideas that we believe in and I'm glad that we chose not to cut out the giving, but things far less important like eating out at restaurants instead. I have to admit I've missed eating out, since we only did it about once or twice a month and it was a treat, but the good one can do giving far outweighs any "treat".
I like to give at least 10% to my church, and at least $2000 to charity, I find that the more I give the more I really do receive. It's not just a catchy slogan, it's really worth it to give more no matter how bad the economy is in my opinion.
I'm in survival mode. With a husband unemployed for over a year and two kids in college, I'm watching my pennies. Maybe in the future ...
Letting in oxygen and stray organism is a bad thing, if you are making beer or wine. It alters the flavour, sometimes a great deal. You would ideally not open the top. Since you are distilling, it has less, but still an effect. I have read and watched some educational shows that show the old timers would have just a cloth over the opening. This would allow for natural yeast to get it, usually on the legs of flies.
You should be ok to use it. BUT,,,,, (there is always a but) remind him not to look. If he wants to see activity, watch the bubbles in the air lock.
Preety good info about how to better understand ones asset.
Thanks.
When we can we buy food items for our local food pantry, Faith in Action. They also provide clothing and toys to those in need, all free of charge, so we donate those items as well.