Are you one of those Frugal Friday people? Not me.
I cannot share my tips each week about being frugal because you would be disgusted and think that I am an all-out kook and then never come back and read my words because I have discredited myself.
I am that crazy type of person that did not get a dryer until we’d been married 11 years. I dried everything outside. Even the cloth diapers. And that is just one thing I’m willing to share. Oh, here’s another. I cut all the dryer sheets in half before using them and then reuse them and reuse them until they don’t have any smell left. Sometimes there’s four partially-used dryer sheets in one load. And I don’t use a dryer sheet for every load. And I won’t buy them without a Costco coupon.
I’m so frugal that I will overcome my embarrassment and daintily pick up a flattened aluminum can in a parking lot to take to the recyclers. It’s difficult to publicly pick up trash, but I have to think to myself, “It’s okay. It’s for our trip to Europe. And besides, I’m so green that I deserve a medal.”
But this is one great Frugal Friday tip: Use a hot box to cook and save on your utility bill! I guess it takes about half the energy that it would otherwise. Go and look at the hot box. For me, that’s just way too extreme. That link also has other links to hot box web pages. I think it’s called fireless cooking. But I just can’t imagine waiting all day for our potatoes to be cooked for our mashed potatoes. I’m not saying that I’ll never try this, but right now, it would drive me bonkers. Where would I put it while the food cooked? For us, right now, I think we can spend our human energy on saving the earth’s energy by employing other methods.
Here’s one thing that I’m doing right now. I don’t turn on any lights without first asking myself, “What would Jane do? [That’s WWJD] Would Jane Austen light a candle right now?” Then I look around and decide. And when I don’t flip the light switch I think, “Awww. How nice. I just saved a lump of coal from being turned into air pollution. Aren’t I a philanthropist? I can now buy some smaller shoes for my carbon foot.”
NOTE: Place T-shirt over the clothes line so that you can place the clothes pins in the underarm. Result: no visible marks on the shirt indicating that you dry your clothes on the line.