Kill-A-Watt

My daughter's college is having a contest among the dorms to see which dorm can reduce their energy usage the most. The program is called Kill-A-Watt. The dorm that wins the contest (lasts from February - April) is given the amount of money they save to spend as they choose. We started our own Kill-A-Watt program in our home this winter after seeing our November electric bill. While our usage had not really increased terribly, the rates had. And, it was time to seriously address the amount of energy we use in our home on a daily basis.

We began with an awareness campaign... my daughters called it nagging. Turn off anything you aren't using. Unplug anything you won't be using for a while.

It worked. We reduced our usage by 1,000 kW for the month of December. That was 1,000 kW less than the previous month's usage and almost 1,000 kW less than the same period one year ago... although this year the average daily temperature was 10 degrees colder.

One big factor was our supplementing our central heating source with a fire in our wood stove. This helped significantly. But, the other steps we took were not insignificant. We often discount how much energy that forgotten lamp is drawing or that those appliances that aren't in use but are plugged in are constantly pulling watts from the energy lines. Simply going as unplugged as possible adds up to several watts saved.

Of course there are several things one can do to reduce their energy usage including purchasing energy efficient appliances and reducing heat or A/C loss through caulking and sealing areas in the home. One can even use solar collectors or passive solar to heat spaces.

Then, there are the little things, several of which I've mentioned here and there in this blog. They include using the oven when it's cold outside and then when you're finished opening the door to let the heat in the room. Not using the drying cycle on the dishwasher, but again, opening the door and allowing the heat and moisture (winter is dry) into the room. Not using the dishwasher and handwashing dishes (gasp!) can save energy.

My oldest daughter suggested we hang-dry jeans and other items that take longer to dry... something she picked up from not wanting to spend more quarters in the dorm laundromat. This has the added frugal bonus of helping our clothes to last longer. A simple rack can be made or purchased from Linens-N-Things which makes hanging your clothes inside a simple, organized task.

Presenting energy savings as a Kill-A-Watt challenge can be fun and spark creativity. I was surprised at how my family has responded to our call for energy reduction at home. But, I'm even more surprised and inspired by what's happening at my daughter's college. These young women are really working to reduce their energy usage and I'll be interested to hear some of their creative methods for achieving their goals.

The Bargain Store

Yesterday I went shopping. It was time to stock up on some staples. And, after writing about the bulk chicken, I was craving barbecue chicken sandwiches. I did grab a bag of chicken quarters and tossed them into the crockpot last night. I make a habit of beginning my grocery shopping at our local bargain store. I think they are popping up in towns everywhere. They are stores that buy the dented boxes of cereal, the overstock food before it expires, etc.

I'm able to stretch my budget and have some "luxury" foods through my strategic use of the bargain store. Since I never really know what I will find there, it helps to start my shopping there and then go to the other store. Sometimes my cart is overloaded and other times I only have a few items. Yesterday it was overloaded.

My youngest daughter is a senior in high school and captain of the swim team. As the captain's mom, I'm to provide swim team snacks for some of the meets. When trying to find healthy snacks for 25 swimmers, it can get costly. But, yesterday, I hit the jackpot at the bargain store. They had an overstock of Planter's Honey Roasted Peanuts individual 5 oz. bags 5 for $1.00, rather than $1.59 each. I also found that some of their fruit snacks were not only inexpensive, but because they had such an inventory they'd also marked them 2 for 1! I managed to get individual bags of apple chips, the honey roasted peanuts, propel powder and yogo rollers, a total of 30 individual servings of each, for about $13. Oh yeah!!!

My oldest daughter is in her freshman year of college. She lives in the dorms and has the meal plan, but this only provides brunch on the weekends... and no late night snacks. They have a decent kitchen in the dorm and she knows how to cook. So, I was on the lookout for stuff to send her. She loves asian food (actually the whole family does). When looking for ethnic foods and healthy foods, I often get lucky at the bargain store. It seems they just aren't that popular here in the Ozarks. I picked up some Simply Asia Thai meals for $1.29 each, some Far East Couscous for $.50 a box and some other miscellaneous items. She'll be happy when she receives this care package!

You do have to shop wisely at the bargain store. Look at the expiration dates and have a good idea what's okay if it's expired and what's not... and what's a reasonable time frame after the expiration date. For example, the 1 lb bag of Archway ginger snaps I picked for $1.29 had expired in mid-December. I'm eating them right now and they are fine. But I passed on the 6-months-past-expiration-date pancake mix... I don't like to find bugs in my flour products and weevils seem to thrive here. It just wasn't worth the risk. Although, the local bargain store will accept returns with a receipt should you find such a disappointment.

It's worth the effort to shop there. I find little treats and rewards I wouldn't otherwise purchase. Tonight I'll enjoy a bowl of Ben and Jerry's Vermonty Python ice cream (a pint for $1.19!) and I won't even care that the container has a dent at the bottom!

Bulk Meat Saves Time and $

You know those big bags of chicken leg quarters sold inexpensively at the store? It's a 10 lb bag for about $5. Most people skip past them unless they are hosting a barbecue or have a huge family. I think they are overwhelmed by the size. Some frugal folks do purchase them and then repackage them in appropriate portions for their families and freeze them. But, what else can you do with these bulk bags?

Well, I discovered a few years ago a very nifty way to use them. I place as many as will fit into my crockpot, put the lid on and turn it to the "high" setting. I don't season them at this point... though you could salt and pepper them. I leave them to cook for several hours, until the meat is falling off of the bones. I drain the juice and fat into a container and debone the chicken. The juice and fat can be used to make chicken stock and frozen or poured over dog food (especially in the winter when they need extra fat).

The deboned chicken is then packaged. Some goes into vacuum sealed bags and into the freezer for later use and some goes into the fridge for immediate use. I use the pre-cooked chicken in a number of ways:
- Add barbecue sauce and make barbecue chicken sandwiches
- Place with cheese between two tortillas and grill for chicken quesadillas
- Use for chicken salad
- Use in recipes such as chicken enchilada casserole

The same concept can be applied to bulk ground beef. Simply brown the ground beef, drain the fat and juices (I pour it over the dogs' food) and repackage it. Then it's available for many recipes as well:
- One-dish-meal
- Spanish Rice
- Sloppy Joes
- Taco's (I like to go ahead and season some for tacos and label the package accordingly)

For just a few dollars, I've got the base for several meals and I've saved myself time. It's great for those days when we have a lot going on and want to grab something quick.