Weekly Column: Save the Environment, Save Money, too!

If you follow these columns, or if you’re thrifty by nature, you may have noticed that being frugal sometimes means more effort on your part. Save money on food by cooking from scratch, go through your statements and cancel fees, shop around for insurance, make a menu-plan and use coupons--there are many ways to save money when you are willing to do some of the work yourself. After all, wouldn’t you take on an extra hour or two of work per week if it was well paid? Then why not make the same effort to trim your budget?

Although this might infringe on leisure time, it prevents the sense of boredom and “entertain me” attitude that too much leisure time can cause.  Let’s not forget that when we have leisure time we often spend more. If we purposely start filling our spare time with little habits that save, it needn’t feel inconvenient or like work at all. An added bonus is that reducing spending quite often reduces waste and, in turn, can be very good for the environment.

Reduce Waste

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Have you considered how much money you spend on things that you use once and throw away? Is there an alternative to this wasteful practice? For instance, have you got worn out t-shirts or towels that can be made into rags and reused rather than buying disposable wipes? Sandwich bags, paper plates and plastic cutlery exist only so that we save time on dishes—how about saving money instead? If you don’t have a potable source of drinking water at home, or if you prefer bottled water, consider that you can refill five gallon jugs of water for $3 at a water store as opposed to the high cost of individual bottles that need recycled. 

On the subject of water, it really makes sense to reduce consumption in the home and teach your kids not to waste this valuable resource. Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth, don’t leave water running the whole time you wash dishes, and only use your dishwasher or washing machine when you have a full load. Have a look at your metered water bill, if you have one, and make it a family challenge to reduce your consumption and thereby the bill. Washing clothes in cool water saves on heating the water, and using a clothesline in summer gives you a bit of exercise while the sun and breeze do the rest. If you don’t like crunchy towels, give things five minutes in the dryer before hanging them out.

Save Energy

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You can save on energy costs by turning your heat down a degree or two in winter. Wear socks, sweaters and snuggle under a blanket in the evening. Likewise, keep your home cooler in the summer by closing blinds, take advantage of shade and breeze by opening windows until the sun hits them. Use air conditioning as a last resort and when you do, keep it a degree or two warmer than usual.

If you have a spare refrigerator chugging away in your basement or garage, consider whether running it is worth the cost. The extra storage is nice but if it isn’t holding anything essential you can save by simply unplugging it. Food will continue to cook awhile in a hot oven even if you turn it off a few minutes early to save power. Once you remove the food, leave the oven door open (consider the safety of small children and pets first!) to take advantage of the heat.

If you are planning to be away for a few days, turn your water heater to vacation mode so that it isn’t continually reheating the tank full of water while you are away. Finally, have a look around your home and note how many chargers, electronics and appliances are plugged in that are only occasionally used. Take the kids around the house and take turns pointing out things that can be unplugged. Encourage your family to use less power and finally understand why your own parents preached at you to “shut off the light when you leave the room!”

Get in the Habit

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You might say that frugal habits such as these won’t make a difference in your financial situation, and perhaps that is true. It is likely, though, that they won’t make your problems any worse and they might give you a sense that you are doing everything you can to live consciously and reduce unnecessary spending and waste. If you have extra time, spend it doing more for yourself, learning new skills and being choosy about where your money goes. Reducing waste and “going green” is a great place to start.

Hangin' Out

I was quite happy to get some laundry hung out to dry on the clothesline yesterday. Happy in that it is the end of April and it is finally warm enough in the afternoon sun that something might get dry, and also happy that we could open the side door of the house. The snow had drifted halfway up the door and it was blocked off all winter.

We had company for the weekend so laundry had piled up, and it is nice to put a load out to hang while the dryer works away inside. In the summer I try not to use the dryer unless it is to work some of the crunchiness out of things...I've found that about 5 minutes in the dryer before hanging outside really keeps soften the laundry.

Yesterday I left some blankets and towels out most of the day, which reached a high of about 6 degrees Celsius. Today I have some floor mats out there. I hung them in the morning; by about 2 pm the sun has made its way around to hit the clothesline. Although it's not that warm yet, I have time to wait and I'm enjoying the last few uses of my clothesline here. In our new house the laundry room is on the second floor (along with all the bedrooms). I worry that the stairs will dissuade me from hanging my laundry outside as much as I like, so we are thinking of having the line go out the laundry room window. For now, though, I'll just be glad to see the snow bank between the house and fence melt away!

Good Bones

Our Wish House is going to be wonderful. There are many bonuses in it that I will enjoy so much (big wall pantry, study with bay window, covered porch out back). These features will give us the room we need as well as suiting our lifestyle. The big pantry will be such a treat after storing groceries in the boot closet, on the basement stairs, and in a corner cupboard that I almost have to lay down to see the back of. We added the back porch so that we can cook, eat, and entertain overlooking our yard with the benefit of some shade. It is built so that, when the time comes, we can close it in without major renovation. It was important to us that we keep the price as low as possible now while still making smart choices for the future.

Like most people, we have rented before finally buying our first home together. Taking the place "as is" and planning what you will change when you have time and money is much different than trying to get it right the first time. We went to a little extra expense now in hopes of saving money over time: namely, triple pane windows and an upgraded house wrap that ups the R-value of the insulation. Although it cost more, we knew that doing the wrap later would require residing the house, which makes no sense. Rather than going for expensive cosmetic touches, we have invested in the energy efficiency of the home in order to save over time. With that in mind, we are also getting an ICF (insulated concrete form) basement. Please note: links are provided for information only and are not affiliated with or advertising for anyone! Our goal is to get it right now so that we don't have to spend money fixing later on.

The electrical walk through was my first good look at the house. Thank goodness two experienced tradespeople walked me through the process (Husband was away working) as there really is so much to think about. A well-placed switch will be appreciated daily, whereas one in the wrong spot will be a constant source of annoyance (especially considering I made the call where things should go!). I think that everything has been placed practically, conveniently, and that we have ensured we won't need to redo things later at further expense.




foyer, and stairs up to second floor

 I was thrilled to see our house the other day. When Husband gets home we intend to take the boys in for a look. It will be fun to see what progress has been made, and hopefully it will be a warmer day as it was 20 below Celsius when I was there. Here are a few more pictures:




kitchen and dining room

 The cabinets, counter tops, hardware and paint are all finalized! Now to be patient and wait for it to come together!


master bedroom

 Happy Easter weekend, all!

Authenticity, Commitment and The Blog

You won't normally find grand statements or opinions expressed here. This is a place where I want to find positive connections between myself and what I'm doing. For that to happen, I want to strip this platform of any inclination to preach, complain or boast. And I want it to honestly illustrate my attempts at a more authentic life, including the failures and bugger-ups.

When I talk about authenticity, I mean the real me--the timid, terrified, self-conscious child the woman struggling with confidence that resides within. I mean the kitchen that needs swept, the baby that needs a bath, the supper I've made 100 times that suddenly doesn't turn out. I am no expert on any of the topics I've written about. I've got no discernible talent at all, really. I forget when to use an apostrophe and I take most of my pictures with my phone because it's one step closer than the camera. But yet I choose to write a blog.

This blog has already forced me to ask myself: how committed am I to keeping our home/ lifestyle/ choices environmentally friendly? The reality is it is often less expensive to chose less environmentally friendly options. In the short term it is tempting to save the money and commit to doing it "later". We have had to go with power and natural gas since solar and geothermal would add upwards of $55,000 CD to our mortgage. Cost is a very real barrier to making major lifestyle changes that we would otherwise make. As I find rebates and grants I will provide links and information. As it is, the geothermal grant ends this month and the shelterbelt program, after 111 years, has been discontinued by the Harper Government. Discouraging, really.

It is easy to write a post about what we want to do. It is quite another to go about doing it. So I'm using this blog to keep me honest. I tidy a couple feet of counter top in order to take pictures for the blog. It's tempting to come across like my whole house is spotless but it isn't--not usually--especially when I'm taking time to write and take pictures. My recipes are not the best ones out there, they are the best ones I have. I have felt inadequate a million times before realizing that a craft or recipe or flowerbed or home has been prepared and displayed on blogs and websites (read: pinterest!) to look its very best. It's like the burger in the commercial that has had the cheese melted and ketchup placed just so. But when you go to the drive-thru and some kid tosses it in the bag without so much as a hello, goodbye, or go screw yourself acknowledgement of any kind, there's your real life. There's your authentic. I'm not saying real life can't be beautiful and touching, I'm just saying I (and this blog) won't just be showing what turned out. Sometimes you learn more from what doesn't turn out--this site is about the learning.

I'm done now, I have to go make supper. I'm putting it out there for myself to remember: keep trying to do better, forgive yourself when you don't, and then try again. And blog about it.

Before and After: The Kitchen

February is a hard month to write about gardening. Everything is dormant under a blanket of snow, and my new garden only exists in my mind. But who doesn't love a before and after?

We bought this house four years ago, in fact, when we move out it will be four years to the day. Before moving in we painted while the house was empty and put down new laminate to replace shag rug in the master bedroom.After that we did things as we could afford.

Kitchen before:

 It took a year and a half to decide (and save for) what we wanted to do with the kitchen.



note the icky California-style ceiling


What we ended up with is this:

This picture shows the old stove, and the window has not yet been replaced. Once spring (finally) arrives and we get that window switched, I will update with a new picture. A new window will help with drafts, as that old one is no longer efficient.

I'm so pleased with how our kitchen turned out and, if you're interested in a similar update in your own home, the figures were approximately:

laminate countertop $1200
paint, primer $220
hardware $90
lighting $100
new window $350
backsplash $65

My figures are approximate, but this is basically what we paid. We were very fortunate that the ceiling above the ceiling tile/flourescent lights was finished the same as the rest of the house, otherwise it would have been hard for us to complete this project on our own. We painted the cupboards with a 10 month old in and out of everything, and I'm so proud of the job we did. We had the help of Husband's brother (wiring) and my mom (painting, hardware installation, childcare, sanity saver). I did not include the price of the appliances in the overall makeover budget because the fridge and dishwasher that came with the house died on us within weeks of moving in and we were forced to replace them then. I got a new stove and exhaust fan on kijiji this winter to complete our renovation. I would say the grand total is approximately $3200 but the difference in the style of our home is priceless.

Have you given your home any major updates or done anything to make it more energy efficient?

Using What We Have

I have a couple different types of tea that I enjoy, and the Husband has one alone that he likes. We are out of all of these, and since our local Co-op had to close due to issues with the building, it is 65kms to town for groceries. (We could go 13kms to the nearest town but would pay higher prices). In February, and with two kids to bundle up and haul along, it is my intention to use up what we have before going anywhere.

The tea we still have to drink

There are many reasons to use up these last bags of tea, although we would prefer to go buy our favourites. For one thing, we will be moving in a few months and I can't see packing them up, hauling them, storing them, unpacking them, and then still probably not drinking them. It's either use them up or throw them out. As I mentioned, getting groceries is a distance in the cold, on often slippery roads, with two children. I go once a week or even less often if possible. Until we have a sizable list, we aren't venturing out on the highway at this time of year. Another reason is the cost of fuel and the intent to make the most of our miles. We grab our groceries on the way to gramma's house.

These remnants of tea are just one example of the things I intend to use up before we pack and move. There are a couple bags of rice that we didn't love that eventually worked their way to the back of the pantry, some cans of vegetables, likewise in the freezer. The list goes on. It is easy to just pick up more of our favourites when we get groceries, but if we find ourselves here in a snow storm with what we have, we thankfully use it up. I want us to carry that attitude forward this year: be glad to have it and use it up so that we don't waste time, fuel, money and food.

Getting Started

To blog or not to blog? It's a thought that has crossed my mind over the past several months...there are a few blogs that I follow that I enjoy very much and the temptation is there to mimic what I like about them. Instead I wish to write for myself, to document the new beginning that my family is embarking on. We have a quarter section of land (the South East quarter of Section 33, as it happens, and hence the name) on the Canadian prairies. This little blog is where I hope to plan, learn, discuss, and share our journey towards a sustainable, green, frugal life together on the land.

Initial plans to go solar and geothermal have been tabled due to the reality of the budget. Our lowest quote on a geothermal system was $30,000 Canadian. Yikes. It so happened that natural gas would be less than $5000 and we felt we had to go the less expensive route at this time. But for those who would have to spend 20-30k bringing gas to their yard sites I do feel geothermal is a no-brainer. Likewise with power--our hopes of going solar and selling power back to the grid have been tabled, for now. It ended up that the extra $14-20,000 necessary to get started in solar needs spent elsewhere. With all the expenses involved in having a home built, my husband and I just couldn't afford to do all the we thought we would do. In the future we do hope to set up a system and become self-sufficient and hopefully sell power back to the grid. For now, our focus is reducing our everyday energy use and planning out our new home and yard throughout the winter months.

Above is the old house in the yard site where we will build a basement and have a Ready-to-Move home hauled in. It was a little sad to see the old place reduced to rubble and then burned and buried. It's been there longer than I remember and is part of my childhood memories. Time marches on, however, and soon that yard with the big old trees will ring again with the laughter of children and the activity of a family.

Have you started a yard and home from "scratch"? Along with the excitement, did you feel nostalgic about the change to the landscape?