Homesteaders

[Chicken girl 15]

Those quonset houses are neat looking. We have talked for several years about getting one.

 

[Beekissed]

Those things seem to last forever. Don't know what it is about them but they seem to have incredible longevity without the need for maintenance....maybe it's the quality of metal they use in them but they just never seem to rust or deteriorate in any way.

 

[lazy gardener]

All a mighty plus IMO.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I found a ton of old water pipe in my garden yesterday. Since it has thawed out here and rained a bit I figured to get the garden worked a bit. I found a wheelbarrow full of glass and pipe sitting on top of the mud not to mention the 5 gallon bucket of small chunks of metal. This is year 5 of putting the garden in the same area and every year there is more crud in it. We have found old mattress Springs and rusty tools even an antique car jack.

On the good side of it we have also started to build a rock wall around the garden with all the NY rocks we have dug up. It's starting to look nice.

 

[abigalerose]

Does anyone have any tips on saving money on electric? During the fall my bill stayed around $150, last month it was $320! I live in an old farm house. My roommates moved out so I've got all the extra doors shut and blocked off now, got the pellet stove up and running, it had been broken (but I hate buying pellets, my parents own the house, I'm trying to convince them to let me put a wood stove in), and my dad's coming out next week to blow insulation the ceiling because it doesn't have any. So it's going to drop significantly, but I'd still like to get it lower.
Also, does any one have any ideas for a cheap fence that still looks cute? (Pallet fences tend to look ugly, also need it to keep little chihuahuas in)

 

[Beekissed]

Does anyone have any tips on saving money on electric? During the fall my bill stayed around $150, last month it was $320! I live in an old farm house. My roommates moved out so I've got all the extra doors shut and blocked off now, got the pellet stove up and running, it had been broken (but I hate buying pellets, my parents own the house, I'm trying to convince them to let me put a wood stove in), and my dad's coming out next week to blow insulation the ceiling because it doesn't have any. So it's going to drop significantly, but I'd still like to get it lower.
Also, does any one have any ideas for a cheap fence that still looks cute? (Pallet fences tend to look ugly, also need it to keep little chihuahuas in)

One thing to understand about electric is that little things add up. A lot of people think that all the little things couldn't possibly matter, so they concentrate on the big things only, like energy efficient appliances, adding more insulation, etc. I'm someone who regularly saw electric bills of around $35 a mo. or lower....sometimes down to $13. And that was with two teenage boys in the house and not an energy efficient appliance to be found.

Put things like the TV and other related gadgets on a power strip and turn the whole power strip off when not in use. Same with kitchen appliances like toasters and microwaves...these items all draw phantom loads of power all the time they are plugged in, even when not on. Be aware that the charge for power decreases by a certain time in the evening, so save doing laundry until at night, particularly if running the dryer. Anything that generates a lot of heat takes a lot of power, so if you can hang out your clothes, do it....even if you just hang out the big items like towels, linens, jeans, rugs, etc. it will save you on electricity.

Change all your lightbulbs out to the squigglies(CFL) or even the newer LED lights...these will definitely draw less power than the traditional light bulbs. Watch this vid of a simple demonstration of just how much power is used by a simple incandescent light bulb vs. the LED. Remember, it all adds up.

Putting your hotwater tank on a timer helps also...no use heating hot water all the time you are at work and all through the day. Turning off computers when not in use, turning off all lights when you leave a room or when not in use, using a water saver shower head that you turn off while you lather your hair and body, then turn back on to rinse....all these things add up.

Reuse laundry...if it doesn't smell bad or look bad, reuse it. Don't use dryer sheets or fabric softeners in your laundry....these will create an oily film on your dryer lint trap and can cause a fire even when the dryer is not in use, but they also make your dryer struggle more to dry the clothing.

If you have a dusk til dawn light outside your home, have the power company remove it....BIG waste of money. Instead, install motion sensor lights at strategic points that come on only when necessary.

Do dishes by hand, not in the dishwasher. Heat with wood. Try to use fans instead of an AC unit. Don't use a heat lamp to brood chicks, use a heating pad instead. Keep refrigerator coils clean, keep dryer vents and lint traps cleaned out, plan evenings of very little power usage....build a fire outside and sit outside around the fire in conversation instead of watching TV or time on the computer. Put plastic over drafty windows and doors in the winter months, grow shade items on the sunny side of the house in the summer, charge your phone while in the car and not in the house, dress warmer in the house in the winter, try to avoid the use of electric heaters.

I'm sure there are many more things one can do to improve energy use, like jacketing the hot water tank and such, but it's late and I can't think of them right now. Above are all the things I've actually done and they work...they honestly do work.

 

[abigalerose]

Thanks for the advice! Reading your post I realize I may be over reacting and overthinking it. Me and my roommates moved in at the same time (so I've not yet been alone in the house) and they just finished moving out yesterday so I have yet to see how much it drops, but thinking back on it, they were using A LOT. They had at least 3 heaters going (plus I had one), 2 tvs plugged in at all times, and one going all day and another for part of the night, coffee machine, washer, dryer, tools that plug in, they would leave the lamps on all night (pet peeve for me!), electric fence that used an extension cord (mine is solar), etc.
Now that it's just me, well I have no tv, although I am getting a little one with a DVD player so I can put in a movie if a friend comes over, but it'll be unplugged 90% of the time because I don't watch tv so I'm not bothering with getting cable. I'll have one heater going, just a small one in my room with the door shut. The pellet stove uses some, but I leave it on the lowest setting. I have one lamp, and it's off the majority of the time, and in the whole living/kithen area (it's all open) there's only one light (it's an OLD house lol). I don't mind leavening the microwave unplugged. My water heater is propane. I don't have a washer and dryer, my grandma lives 2 miles down the road and she lets me do my laundry there, and I'm all for laundry reusing, at least in the winter when I don't get sweaty. I don't have a dishwasher.
I do have an outside light that stays on all night, and that sucker is BRIGHT, I should probably have it removed, but my parents own the house and I think they like that it's out there. I need to change out my light bulbs though.
I already have plastic on the windows and I always always keep the lights out unless it's really dark and I'm trying to sit in the living and do something.
Two things that will be plugged in 24/7 unfortunately is the fridge and the wifi router, I do have to have wifi because I raise dogs (and Siberian cats) and I spend ALOT of time advertising and talking to potential buyers, way too much time to not have wifi, but I do it on my phone, so I never have a computer plugged in at least. I don't even own a computer.
The worst thing about winter and trying to keep the bills low is the toilet seat is super cold, and I worry about the pipes all the time. I guess I could start going out to the well house at night and shutting everything off if it's gonna get really cold, would that work, to keep the pipes from freezing?
I've got lots of shade trees too.
I do plan on running a very small window unit in the summer, but only in my bedroom with the door closed, and the kind that shuts off when it reaches the temperature you want. I'll close all the blinds and curtains and just let the rest of the house stay toasty.
So I guess, maybe I can get my bill to dip down below $100, especially if I change a few light bulbs and convince the parents I need a wood stove.
Oh, and I'm keeping your heating pad idea in mind for next time I raise chicks. I like that. But I don't raise them very often.

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks for the advice! Reading your post I realize I may be over reacting and overthinking it. Me and my roommates moved in at the same time (so I've not yet been alone in the house) and they just finished moving out yesterday so I have yet to see how much it drops, but thinking back on it, they were using A LOT. They had at least 3 heaters going (plus I had one), 2 tvs plugged in at all times, and one going all day and another for part of the night, coffee machine, washer, dryer, tools that plug in, they would leave the lamps on all night (pet peeve for me!), electric fence that used an extension cord (mine is solar), etc.
Now that it's just me, well I have no tv, although I am getting a little one with a DVD player so I can put in a movie if a friend comes over, but it'll be unplugged 90% of the time because I don't watch tv so I'm not bothering with getting cable. I'll have one heater going, just a small one in my room with the door shut. The pellet stove uses some, but I leave it on the lowest setting. I have one lamp, and it's off the majority of the time, and in the whole living/kithen area (it's all open) there's only one light (it's an OLD house lol). I don't mind leavening the microwave unplugged. My water heater is propane. I don't have a washer and dryer, my grandma lives 2 miles down the road and she lets me do my laundry there, and I'm all for laundry reusing, at least in the winter when I don't get sweaty. I don't have a dishwasher.
I do have an outside light that stays on all night, and that sucker is BRIGHT, I should probably have it removed, but my parents own the house and I think they like that it's out there. I need to change out my light bulbs though.
I already have plastic on the windows and I always always keep the lights out unless it's really dark and I'm trying to sit in the living and do something.
Two things that will be plugged in 24/7 unfortunately is the fridge and the wifi router, I do have to have wifi because I raise dogs (and Siberian cats) and I spend ALOT of time advertising and talking to potential buyers, way too much time to not have wifi, but I do it on my phone, so I never have a computer plugged in at least. I don't even own a computer.
The worst thing about winter and trying to keep the bills low is the toilet seat is super cold, and I worry about the pipes all the time. I guess I could start going out to the well house at night and shutting everything off if it's gonna get really cold, would that work, to keep the pipes from freezing?
I've got lots of shade trees too.
I do plan on running a very small window unit in the summer, but only in my bedroom with the door closed, and the kind that shuts off when it reaches the temperature you want. I'll close all the blinds and curtains and just let the rest of the house stay toasty.
So I guess, maybe I can get my bill to dip down below $100, especially if I change a few light bulbs and convince the parents I need a wood stove.
Oh, and I'm keeping your heating pad idea in mind for next time I raise chicks. I like that. But I don't raise them very often.

When my teen age grandson moved out in June, we saw a big dip in our electricity. We have LP for cooking and hot water, so... hot water was not even part of the equation. One thing I do to provide double bonus is this: in the winter, both hubby and I leave the bathroom door open a bit when we are showering. That brings all of that lovely moisture laden air into the rest of the house to help with the dry air. I also hang all of my large objects from laundry in the house: When ever I do a load of heavy stuff, I'll drape all of the pants over the doors. Hang any shirts that won't get stretched at shoulders while they are still wet. That will cut the dryer use, and it will put yet more moisture into the house. There are 2 nice beefy hooks in the bathroom over the tub for hanging stuff. I also think that hanging clothes makes them last longer than they do if they are flipping through the dryer every week. In the warmer months, I love to use the clothes line. But, if my work schedule makes that impractical, I don't sweat it too bad. With your bedroom AC unit, you can simply use it only when you are in there. It takes very little time for a room to cool down.

 

[GardenNut]

@abigalerose You're going to see a big dip in your utility bill with your roommates gone! Like LG, when my daughter moved out, my utilities dropped $100/month! I recently moved to a much bigger house, and I've been trying all kinds of things to lower utilities.

Good luck!

 

[abigalerose]

Yes I might just run the AC in my room at night, because I'll most likely be outside all day taking care of the animals, gardening, riding horses, etc. so no reason to leave it on all day.
Before I posted I hadn't thought through what a difference no roommates would make, but I bet it's a pretty huge difference. They weren't very good roommates (and they're family, ugh) and they were careless about electric and stuff like that. So it will be nice living there alone.