A friend who grew up in a country where they have no central heating told me this trick:
Put super hot water into an empty 2 liter soda bottle.
Cover it with thick towels.
Put it at your feet or wherever you get cold.
Cover with blankets and stay cozy and warm for hours!
I may try that soon if this freezing weather continues.
I thought about using a heating pad until she told me her idea.
Heating pad uses a bit of electricity, but the above uses none - except to heat the hot water..so it's gotta be cheaper than the heating pad even!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
keeping warm frugally
Brr!! It's below freezing here the past few nights.
That's why I will never buy plants for the yard that are susceptible to freezing - too much trouble and risk of losing the money spent on them. There are plenty of hardier plants that will suit my purposes of a pleasant yard.
We're empty nesters so if you have kids, some of my ideas may need to be modified of course!
Last night slept in a room that stayed around 68 or a bit lower, with little electric usage, and felt very toasty and warm.
Moved to the family room which has a comfortable couch for sleeping.
It has 3 inside walls which provides great "insulation". Moved the couch several inches away from the window so it was away from that one outside wall and older, non efficient windows. (Weatherstripping and caulking are coming soon!)
I had used my nifty radiator style/oil filled space heater to take the chill off the room.
I also closed tightly all vents in the other rooms of the house, so when the central heat did come on a bit, it would quickly heat just this room - where the thermostat is- which is perfect!
This morning after a cold 27 degrees during the night outside, this room was 68 and the other rooms were 50! Mission accomplished.
Pput a thermal blanket as a bottom sheet and covered with one plus a soft thick bedspread. We also have a down comforter which may be used tonight.
I wore my knit hat since most heat is lost through the head. Double layer of socks, sweat pants and sweat shirt for pj's - here in FL I don't even own thick flannel pjs and I won't buy any. They would be more clutter and we seldom need them.
Kept a thermos of hot "sleepy time" tea near my bed for a few sips in the night too which was fun!
I will do my paper work etc here in this warm room today. May do some baking in the kitchen where the oven will warm that room! Goal is to not need that "kilowatt hog" central heat! Hubby can heat his office with another space heater as needed.
Time to warm my heart with an exciting time in my daily Bible Study! Using J Vernon McGee Thru the Bible in 5 Years, from the radio. About a paragraph a day. Love pulling out my Study Bibles, and using the notes, plus Matthew Henry Commentary. I've learned to write down all I'm learning so it sticks in my head and my heart much better. I try to do this before listening to his show - which also comes online at my convenience if I miss the radio time.
Heat up your tea or coffee and join me! We're in Malachi 1: 13-2:2 today.
The joy of the Lord is my strength! (Happy) My steaming green tea is waiting! (healthy)
Room continues to stay 68 with no electricity being used (frugal)
Warm Hugs
Patty
That's why I will never buy plants for the yard that are susceptible to freezing - too much trouble and risk of losing the money spent on them. There are plenty of hardier plants that will suit my purposes of a pleasant yard.
We're empty nesters so if you have kids, some of my ideas may need to be modified of course!
Last night slept in a room that stayed around 68 or a bit lower, with little electric usage, and felt very toasty and warm.
Moved to the family room which has a comfortable couch for sleeping.
It has 3 inside walls which provides great "insulation". Moved the couch several inches away from the window so it was away from that one outside wall and older, non efficient windows. (Weatherstripping and caulking are coming soon!)
I had used my nifty radiator style/oil filled space heater to take the chill off the room.
I also closed tightly all vents in the other rooms of the house, so when the central heat did come on a bit, it would quickly heat just this room - where the thermostat is- which is perfect!
This morning after a cold 27 degrees during the night outside, this room was 68 and the other rooms were 50! Mission accomplished.
Pput a thermal blanket as a bottom sheet and covered with one plus a soft thick bedspread. We also have a down comforter which may be used tonight.
I wore my knit hat since most heat is lost through the head. Double layer of socks, sweat pants and sweat shirt for pj's - here in FL I don't even own thick flannel pjs and I won't buy any. They would be more clutter and we seldom need them.
Kept a thermos of hot "sleepy time" tea near my bed for a few sips in the night too which was fun!
I will do my paper work etc here in this warm room today. May do some baking in the kitchen where the oven will warm that room! Goal is to not need that "kilowatt hog" central heat! Hubby can heat his office with another space heater as needed.
Time to warm my heart with an exciting time in my daily Bible Study! Using J Vernon McGee Thru the Bible in 5 Years, from the radio. About a paragraph a day. Love pulling out my Study Bibles, and using the notes, plus Matthew Henry Commentary. I've learned to write down all I'm learning so it sticks in my head and my heart much better. I try to do this before listening to his show - which also comes online at my convenience if I miss the radio time.
Heat up your tea or coffee and join me! We're in Malachi 1: 13-2:2 today.
The joy of the Lord is my strength! (Happy) My steaming green tea is waiting! (healthy)
Room continues to stay 68 with no electricity being used (frugal)
Warm Hugs
Patty
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Time vs Money
I spent time to save money...but not sure it's worth it.
Time can never be increased - the quantity of time we have is set in stone. We cannot increase the amount of time we have. We can only use it wisely to make it "go further"....
But, "frugal" is my middle name in this blog right?
SO...I'm referring to money and frugality in this blog.
I saved money, maybe $25.00, by purchasing new opaque plastic, instead of black, to place on top of weeds to kill them in a non toxic way. I read online that clear, opaque, or black plastic all would work.
I frugally used black lawn bags I already had on hand on some parts of the yard however.
Sure enough, the black plastic killed the weeds better, quicker, more thoroughly!
It's quite time consuming to lay down the black bags, then to anchor them down with bags of compost or the few bricks I happened to have on hand.
Looking back, I now realize I should have spent the extra money to buy the black plastic in sheets.
I could have more quickly put the black plastic all over huge sections of the yard, etc. And more weeds would have been more quickly, more thoroughly destroyed it seems to me.
But I won't beat myself up! I am human, and it's ok to make mistakes and to learn from them.
And I do feel good about saving the money.
In the middle of the extra work out there, is when I get those feelings of " I want to spend more money to save more work next time!"
Also re: time -- I'm thankful I have forced myself to "just begin" in the yard, the past few cool mornings. Just an hour each time...and there is progress, progress, progress!! Hard to begin since the job seems so overwhelming...but so exciting to see how it IS progressing. Bit by bit, week by week... month by month...next spring it may look very nice!!! The main goal is that five or ten years from now, it will look very nice, with little time or money needing to be spent on it after this initial investment of time and money.
More than one neighbor has made friendly comments to me! They each seem very positive and interested in my non- toxic mindset! Those have been extra boosts to my energy and attitudes!
Time can never be increased - the quantity of time we have is set in stone. We cannot increase the amount of time we have. We can only use it wisely to make it "go further"....
But, "frugal" is my middle name in this blog right?
SO...I'm referring to money and frugality in this blog.
I saved money, maybe $25.00, by purchasing new opaque plastic, instead of black, to place on top of weeds to kill them in a non toxic way. I read online that clear, opaque, or black plastic all would work.
I frugally used black lawn bags I already had on hand on some parts of the yard however.
Sure enough, the black plastic killed the weeds better, quicker, more thoroughly!
It's quite time consuming to lay down the black bags, then to anchor them down with bags of compost or the few bricks I happened to have on hand.
Looking back, I now realize I should have spent the extra money to buy the black plastic in sheets.
I could have more quickly put the black plastic all over huge sections of the yard, etc. And more weeds would have been more quickly, more thoroughly destroyed it seems to me.
But I won't beat myself up! I am human, and it's ok to make mistakes and to learn from them.
And I do feel good about saving the money.
In the middle of the extra work out there, is when I get those feelings of " I want to spend more money to save more work next time!"
Also re: time -- I'm thankful I have forced myself to "just begin" in the yard, the past few cool mornings. Just an hour each time...and there is progress, progress, progress!! Hard to begin since the job seems so overwhelming...but so exciting to see how it IS progressing. Bit by bit, week by week... month by month...next spring it may look very nice!!! The main goal is that five or ten years from now, it will look very nice, with little time or money needing to be spent on it after this initial investment of time and money.
More than one neighbor has made friendly comments to me! They each seem very positive and interested in my non- toxic mindset! Those have been extra boosts to my energy and attitudes!
progress/weedy thoughts
Looking at my pics, I see progress in my yard has happened!
But when working out there, it seems like it is so s l o w and laborious.
Most of the previously weedy green section is brown!
Amazing however, that some green weeds thrived under the opaque plastic.
I decided to yank those stubborn babies out by their roots manually.
Except, maybe only half of the time the whole root came out...sigh
So, of course those plants with roots remaining could return.
Reminded me of sin - unless I get to the root, it returns easier.
And also, unless I at least remove the top flowering parts, they spread and grow.
So, at least working on sin as much as I can, could help it from spreading...
Meanwhile, back to the plant topic- I will cover the area with newspaper, cardboard and mulch so even those roots will likely not develop into plants! Not sure what the spiritual anaology to this is so I won't even try right now.
Covering them that way, they will be "nipped in the bud!" so to speak...
But when working out there, it seems like it is so s l o w and laborious.
Most of the previously weedy green section is brown!
Amazing however, that some green weeds thrived under the opaque plastic.
I decided to yank those stubborn babies out by their roots manually.
Except, maybe only half of the time the whole root came out...sigh
So, of course those plants with roots remaining could return.
Reminded me of sin - unless I get to the root, it returns easier.
And also, unless I at least remove the top flowering parts, they spread and grow.
So, at least working on sin as much as I can, could help it from spreading...
Meanwhile, back to the plant topic- I will cover the area with newspaper, cardboard and mulch so even those roots will likely not develop into plants! Not sure what the spiritual anaology to this is so I won't even try right now.
Covering them that way, they will be "nipped in the bud!" so to speak...
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
yard update
My yard has been covered in thick plastic for about a month. A lot of the weeds underneath are very brown. But some were green!
To kill the green ones,
I mixed up a non toxic "Round UP' alternative and sprayed it last weekend.
I boiled down a gallon of regular vinegar that is 5% acidic. Boiled down to 16 oz or 1/4 the amount, so I think that should have quadrupled the acidity to make 20% acidity. That's considered "herbicidal strength". I added a dash of liquid dish soap and a T of rubbing alcohol. Used my pressure sprayer. Will let you know! I hope this kills the weeds, root and all. Regular vinegar kills the tops of weeds, but if big weeds, they come back...
To kill the green ones,
I mixed up a non toxic "Round UP' alternative and sprayed it last weekend.
I boiled down a gallon of regular vinegar that is 5% acidic. Boiled down to 16 oz or 1/4 the amount, so I think that should have quadrupled the acidity to make 20% acidity. That's considered "herbicidal strength". I added a dash of liquid dish soap and a T of rubbing alcohol. Used my pressure sprayer. Will let you know! I hope this kills the weeds, root and all. Regular vinegar kills the tops of weeds, but if big weeds, they come back...
frugality with buying paper towels, and toilet paper
How do you compare the myriad of choices for paper products to find the best bargain?
How do I know if a coupon makes it cheaper or not?
I began my notebook writing down the total square meters per package and price. Then I'll figure out price per square meter. It gets a bit tricky due to varying quality of the products, but that will come.
Will let you all know, dear readers, what I discover!
It took about an hour at Sam's Club, then another hour at Walmart writing down the stats on all their products for paper towels and toilet papers. (I can't believe how many different types of packages Charmin makes!)
It is tedious work so I have to take breaks!
How do I know if a coupon makes it cheaper or not?
I began my notebook writing down the total square meters per package and price. Then I'll figure out price per square meter. It gets a bit tricky due to varying quality of the products, but that will come.
Will let you all know, dear readers, what I discover!
It took about an hour at Sam's Club, then another hour at Walmart writing down the stats on all their products for paper towels and toilet papers. (I can't believe how many different types of packages Charmin makes!)
It is tedious work so I have to take breaks!
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