Garage Door Insulation

As of late, we have been attempting to make our home more energy efficient. Last month, hubs and I worked on the attic. We went to Home Depot and rented a "blower" to blow in recycled paper products into the attic. The insulation is also available at Home Depot. When you purchase as least 20 bales of insulation, the rental of the blower machine is free.

The job was tedious and dirty. Hubs entered into the crawl space through the garage access and dragged the hose to the far end of the house (attic). I would then turn on the blower and start breaking up the insulation product while hubs aimed the hose to the areas that needed it most.

The project took about 6 hours. This includes set up, actual blowing of product, and cleanup. Clean up was more than we expected. The insulation was ALL OVER the garage!!! It was a good reason to clean out the garage, so it all worked out for the best.

Our latest project is to insulate our garage door. We have a double car garage, it the door faces directly west. The afternoon sun beats down on that door and heats up the now clean garage. So hubs went back to Home Depot to pick up a product called "Reflectix Insulation.

The product comes in a roll. It is a foil with a bubble middle. The roll is about 50.00 dollars ( I do not remember how much a roll covers about 25 feet I think) but we bought two. Hubs has cut and installed the pieces into the door.

Let me tell you, It drastically cuts down on the heat in the garage. So when you walk out into the washroom which is attached to the garage you don't instantly break into a sweat! It is wonderful!! As summer is directly upon us, the energy savings will be great!

Check out more great ways to save at Sisterly Savings

A Working Vacation

Hubs and I took off last week to get caught up on a few household projects. Projects never go away, they just seem to grow and multiply! We did get many of the tasks done, which is a great relief to both of us. The best project that we finished was blowing more insulation into the attic. The level of insulation that WAS in the attic was only about 4 inches. Ridiculous considering we live in Florida!

Anyway,we went to Home Depot and rented a blower and bought about 30 bales or bundles of eco friendly insulation. ( it is just shredded phone books). When you buy at least 20 bales of insulation (at about 8.00 dollars each) you get the rental for free.

So, hubs crawled in the attic with the 100 foot hose and I manned the blower and bales of insulation. I have to say the job makes a huge mess!!! And when we finished, hubs was almost unrecognizable and the garage was covered in insulation residue! Yuck!

The job is done, we added at least 15 to 20 inches of insulation which brings us to an R-value of about 35. Some places a little more, some a little less.

After all is said and done, the insulation should reduce the elec. bill about 20 percent each month. Yea!! Will we ever do this type of project again??? Oh No! Never. We will call around and get the best deal next time!

What Happened???

I don't know how I did it. But somehow I managed to DOUBLE PAY my electric bill this month. How does that happen?? I was shocked to see the amount due next month is only 40.00 dollars. Jeepers, how I wish that was my amount due EACH and EVERY month.

I imaging it occured when I did not have computer access for a week in late September. I was changing the internet/cable over from my son-in-law's name to mine. He and my daughter moved out and he took the employee discounted cable/internet with him. No biggie, except I did not have access to my online Banking. I don't keep a checkbook register ( the above is a very good reason why I should) and I have usually kept track of my balance by checking my bank account each morning.

Well, there you go. I now know why I was feeling a little "pinched" right before this upcoming payday.

Electric Bill Update

The most recent electric bill reflects well on our efforts to reduce our consumption of energy. As a family ,we have been incorporating the use of the umbrella clothesline in our daily routine. We also replaced all the light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. The actual bill was for 170.00 dollars. The power company in our area allows you to participate in "Budget Billing ":

Budget Billing is a free service that lets you plan your monthly payments and helps you keep your budget balanced. It's designed by Progress Energy Florida to help you avoid unpredictable bills.

How It Works:

Your monthly Budget Bill amount will be based on the average of your actual bills during the last 12 months (including local taxes, franchise fees, private area lighting and energy management credits). This amount will stay the same for at least three months.
Because we continue to read your meter every month, your monthly bill will show exactly how much energy you used, the actual bill amount and the deferred balance on your account.
The difference between your actual bill and your Budget Bill amount each month will be shown as a deferred balance. This may be a credit or a debit amount.
Every three months, your Budget Bill amount will be recalculated to reflect the average of your last 12 months actual bills and your deferred balance



My average bill is currently 237.00 dollars. This is due to the HOT summers in Florida. The AC runs nonstop. So, In the summer my bill was reaching close to 300.00 dollars!! But I was only having to pay around 225.00 due to average billing. The remainder amount was put into a balance that I eventually will pay back under the Budget Billing program.

Since my actual use was 170.00 this last bill, the difference between the amount due (237.00) and the 170.00 (63.00 dollars)will be credited to my balance owed to the power company.

Balance owed has been reduced to 270.00. I still have a ways to go to reduce the balance. I think in the next couple of months great headway will be made.

Swag Bucks To Date: 2439
How I am using my Swag Bucks

Electric Bill Update

We received our latest electric bill today and it was a combination of good news and bad news. Our monthly usage had decreased about 40.00 dollars. Yea!
But since we are on the average billing plan and I still have a balance of 347.00 that I still owe the electric company, my average bill is increasing from 226.00 to 237.00 beginning in January. The electric company reviews the bill every quarter and if your balance (if you have a balance) increases, then your bill will increase. But when your balance is decreasing, (and Mine is slowly....) the average bill will be reduced to reflect the decrease. Confusing? At times it is. But I like the predictability of what my electric bill will be each month, so overall it a good thing for me. But it will be better when the average bill starts to decrease!!

I attribute the decrease to the use of the clothesline and I look forward to next month's bill as that will indicate if the installation of the compact fluorescents throughout the house will impact the electric bill significantly. (Fingers crossed)

Compact Flourescent Bulbs

Last week, the hubby went out and pruchased replacement bulbs (compact flourescents) for the whole house both inside and outside. Total amount spent by him was 130.00 dollars. Yes we had lots of bulbs to replace. The bedrooms had recessed lights ( four each) and he found the ones that resemble the same bulbs we had but are actually flourescent. He also purchased new light switches as we had dimmers and dimmer do not work with flourescents. So, this will be a great way for us to reduce our electric bill.

We have also been making use of the clothesline. I think we have had to use the dryer about 5 times as oppposed to 15-20 times per week. Another great way for use to reduce the electic bill. I can't wait to see the bill over the next two cycles. All members of the house have been working together to reduce the use of electricity by using the clothesline, unplugging appliances when not in use, resisting the urge to turn on the AC,so I am very appreciateive of their efforts.

The Electric Bill

Yep, as I posted earlier, My electric bill is out of control. There are reasons for that, as my 22 year old daughter and her husbnad still with us in the garage apartment. They pay rent $200.00 per month and contribute to groceries ($30.00) a week. As of 3 months ago, my oldes son moved back home due to a pending divorce. he pays $100.00 per month and $10.00 per week. He is not at home much so I feel I am charging him fairly.

Back to the electric bill. I have bought an umbrella clothesline, clothes pins, softner and a basket. Oh yeah, cement to mount the pole.

Cost to save money: Lowes for clothes line and cement $44.00 for chothesline and $10.00 for two bags of quickdry cement. New basket $5.00, clothes pins $2.00 for two packs and softner which was &3.00. Grand Total is approximately $ 64.00 to $65.00.

Living in Florida makes hanging clothes out year round convenient. How much will we save? I hope a lot. I don't think that we will use the clothesline for every load, but for the majority of them we will. (In theory we will, I will keep you posted and we shall all see the savings!!)

It's Friday....

Well, Friday was not a "no-spend" day. Spending includes paying bills, and this morning I had to pay a couple of bills online.
Electric: 246.00 (I am on an average billing plan, and I still "owe" 399.00, so I expect that my average payment will increase the next quarter to compensate."
Phone: 46.00 ( this bill was late, I havent been late ever with my phone bill.)
Cable: 26.00.

So there you go,,, money spent on necessities. And I ordered a book online "All Your Worth" The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan. The reason I ordered it was I was reading Life Goes On (see blogs i read....) And well, I LOVE money books. It was an impulse buy, but I think it will benefit me in the long run.