Money Saving Monday

-
Here are this week's money saving tips:  Remember it's the little things that add up.  It's a lifestyle of being careful with the resources God has provided us with.

1.  Fill a water cooler for the kids to get their drinks from throughout the day.  During these hot summer days, my children are in need of cold water.  We don't have an ice dispenser on our freezer and so the freezer door is constantly being opened and closed in order to get ice.  This uses extra electricity as the freezer has to run almost constantly to cool all that warm air being let in.  I fill old milk jugs or juice bottles with water and freeze them.  Each morning I pull one out, put it in the water cooler and fill the water cooler with fresh water.  Now they have cold water readily available for them all day long.  And the freezer door stays shut saving dollars on electricity.

The water cooler filled and ready for use.
2. Each person use the same cup for water throughout the day.  I tried having a different type of glass for each person, but this proved impractical as they didn't stack well and fit in my cupboard.  Next I tried having each person set their cup in a place where they would remember it.  This didn't work out so well either.  I still ended up with at least 20 cups to wash.  Finally, I put names on rubber bands.  Each person puts a rubber band around their cup and now we not only save money on water and energy washing cups, but we also save time washing dishes.

Glasses with rubber bands on them.
Linking up with:
The Purposeful Mom

Comments

  1. StephanieJuly 25, 2012 at 6:11 PM

    I love these ideas! I will have to do the rubber band trick! My boys have gotten better about using so many cups now that they take turns doing dishes, but I am sure this will help even more! I love your blog!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Skillet Zucchini and Hamburger

-
Image
My garden is producing peppers, onions, and zucchini and yellow squash right now.  I ran across this recipe, and the kids thought it was great.  They liked it much better then the way I had fixed the zucchini previously in a similar recipe with diced tomatoes instead of spaghetti sauce. What You Need: 1 lb ground chuck 2 lb zucchini or yellow squash, chopped in bite size pieces 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 26 ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves 1/2 teaspoon black pepper salt to taste What To Do: 1.  Brown ground chuck with onion and bell pepper in a large skillet.  Drain grease. 2.  Add garlic and seasonings.  Stir. 3.  Add zucchini and stir.  Cover with lid and cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes until zucchini is crisp tender.  Stir about every 5 minutes. 4.  Remove lid and stir in spaghetti sauce.  Co
Read more

When You Have To Let Go

-
Image
Heartache.  Deep, painful, agonizing heartache.  For a season that felt like it would never end, I carried a weight of anguish that tore at my very soul.  Parenting had been the source of immense joy for me, but at the same time there came with it intense sorrow.    Learning to handle this heartache is something that for me personally both challenged and grew my faith.  During this time I learned to appreciate the words of Psalm 77.  The lament of the Psalmist was much the same as my own heart cry to God.  It says,  I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.  In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. You hold my eyelids open ; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made diligent search:
Read more

My Battle with Depression

-
Image
"Your Mom is not the same person she was," I overheard my husband explain to one of our boys. Our son wistfully replies, "I hope she gets better soon." My tears flowed.  I was not sure I would ever be better.  How does a broken heart heal?  How is one ever the same after they are broken? Each day I rose early.  In the stillness of the morning, I sought strength from above.  I never wanted to leave the quiet.  I wanted to stay here reading His Word and praying.  But...children awoke, meals needed fixed, laundry begged washing, and somehow I walked through each day.  However, I lived angry inside...angry that my solitude had been disturbed. The reality of my life was depression.  A depression that would not loosen its grip. It took me a long time to acknowledge it though. Over a year before my medical doctor had suggested to me that I take an anti-depressant.  I had gone in for unexplained aching and fatigue in my body.  After a lot of blood work, and fi
Read more