These are some things that our family has done over the years:
- keep the heat between 58*-62* during the day (65* is still living in luxury)
- used oil-filled electric space heater in living room and kitchen to lower our need for heat from the expensive oil furnace.
- bought and installed a wood stove on the first floor
- don't heat the upstairs bedrooms, but let the heat rise from the first floor (have a family slumber party in the living room on really cold nights)
- take very short showers
- canceled garbage service and drive our own garbage to the dump
- use the cheapest phone service offered and use a calling card for long distance
- put clear plastic on the inside of all the windows (this made a huge difference for us)
- prop open the dishwasher to let the dishes drip dry
- instead of using a dryer - hung wet clothes (on hangers) on the shower rod to dry
- use 40 watt light bulbs and only one light per room
- lived in an apartment on the middle floor (the bottom and top floors pay more to heat)
- block all drafty cracks with towels or toilet paper
- wear long sleeves and fleece sweaters at home, watch TV with a blanket
- use microwave much more often than the oven
- bake 2 casseroles in the oven at one time (save one and microwave it another day)
- during summer, use the ceiling fans over the beds instead of AC
- make sure that everything is well insulated (I've read that some people even put 3M insulation right up against their glass windows.)
- hang blankets over unused doors
- canceled cable TV 12 years ago (I estimate a savings of $6000-$7000)
