I live in an old, VERY old, house. It was built a decade before the turn of the century. No, not 1990, 1890. The foundation is made of stone and the insulation is probably going to kill me one day. That said, my energy bills in the winter are some of the most terrifying pieces of paper that I will ever receive. What can I do to help keep some of those winter heating costs down? Simple, find out where the leaks are!
That’s right my friends, air leaks in your home are probably costing you a heck of a lot more money than you’d want to hear about, and the bad news is, it’s just going to get worse. That is, unless you do something about it, and do something now. Now, I have some good news, and some not so good news. I’ll start with the not-so-good news: Once you discover the leaks, you’re going to have to do something about them yourself. Whether it’s caulking, more insulating or finally biting the bullet and calling in a contractor or insulating specialist, that’s up to you, but you’ll have to do something.
Now, some good news. For about $40, you can find ALL the leaks in your house by yourself, saving you a ton of money on a full house inspection, and in the end, helping save you about 20% on your bills each month. The little Black & Decker Thermal Leak Detector shines a little blue light on any area of your house that’s as low as 1 degree different. Point it by your windows and BAM, you see exactly where the cold air is coming in, and warm air is rushing itself out. Plug that leak and viola, save money.
Yesterday we talked about just how great of a weekend project mulching can be. It will help your lawn, your vegetable garden, your flower beds and yes, the environment as a whole. What on Earth would stop you from getting involved?!
For some of you, there’s a pretty good chance that seeing things is a lot easier than simply reading about them, and so I went out and found a great how-to video that covers the basics of mulching. Not only does it show you the why’s and the where’s, but it also shows you the How’s. Mulching can be something that once you learn, you’ll always remember, and always participate in. Each year mulching can help insure that your lawn is at its healthiest, so without further ado, check out the video, and we’ll see you bright and early Monday morning!
It’s Thursday friends, almost Friday! That means it is almost the weekend, so what better than to present you with an extremely easy, extremely productive way of spending your aforementioned weekend! How about a do-it-yourself project that helps you, your yard, your planet and your conscious all at the same time? Without further ado, here is a cool DIY project on how to turn your common everyday autumn leaves into some very productive, yard-greening mulch with minimal effort and maximum results.
* Rake
* An Electric Leaf Shredder
* Shovel
* Mulch Bin
Step One:
Rake the leaves into a pile.
Step Two:
Get out your trusty electric leaf shredder. Don’t have one? Well, you don’t need one. The leaves just need to be thoroughly broken up. You can go over them with a push lawn mower or you can chop them apart with a shovel, but a rechargeable, battery-powered leaf shredder is the fastest way. Scoop up the leaves with the shovel and put them in the shredder.
Step Three:
Get your mulching bin or bins. These bins should be sizable enough to house all your leaf fragments. Shovel the leaf fragments into your mulch bin. Make sure that your mulching bin has a secure seal, so you can keep the leaves dry. Mulch is not compost. With mulch, you want to stop the leaves from decomposing. Mulch’s function is to insulate the soil and to prevent the evaporation of water. It also stops weeds from growing where they shouldn’t. When the layer of mulch finally does rots, it becomes compost and nourishes the plants. But initially, you need your mulch dry.
Step Four:
Once winter is over and spring has sprung, open your mulch bin. Shovel the dried leaf fragments onto the ground. Using a rake, spread a thin layer of mulch around your garden. Viola! You’ve reused your leaves.”
Remember, mulch is NOT compost. It serves an entirely different function and should be treated that way. Do these steps, keep up with it and come Spring, I personally guarantee your lawn will be healthier, greener and brighter than ever before!
I don’t know about you, but one of the worst days of EVERY month for me, is the day the power bill shows up. It’s the same song and dance each month, I see the envelope in the box, I sigh, dread opening it and reluctantly make my way inside. It’s that first glance each time that kills me, seeing the HUGE amount of money I owe just for powering my life. Each month I wonder: What can I do about this…how can I cut back?!
The good news is, there IS something I can do, and there is something we can ALL do. How excited would you be if I told you that its possible to cut your home energy bills by 80% using wind and solar power. 80%. How about instead of paying $100/month, you could pay $20. Wow. The article I just found has some very simple ideas that for not very much money, you can start outfitting your home with solar and wind power. How about a special solar power system for under $200? How about a wind turbine system that shouldn’t cost you more than about $100?
While I can not guarantee these ideas or plans will work half as well as a professionally installed system, I suppose it’s worth a try to do-it-yourself at home first, and if it doesn’t work, reevaluate and go from there. The upfront costs of solar and wind power can sometimes scare people off entirely, but the long term benefits are always going to be there. Cutting anywhere from 80-100% of your energy bill, or heck, there are even some people where the power company has to pay THEM back because of the excesses they are creating. Believe it, and get on board.
I live in an old, VERY old, house. It was built a decade before the turn of the century. No, not 1990, 1890. The foundation is made of stone and the insulation is probably going to kill me one day. That said, my energy bills in the winter are some of the most terrifying pieces of paper that I will ever receive. What can I do to help keep some of those winter heating costs down? Simple, find out where the leaks are!
