Alternative, Reduced Expense "Investments"

[Nords]

mathjak, we have an old light post in the front of our property shown in this picture:
There is no on or off switch for this light.

This would drive my inner engineer crazy.  

I'd be tracing wires all the way back to the breaker panel and adding a switch, or I'd be checking every seldom-used lightswitch in the house with a test bulb.  And, yes, I've done the latter in our house-- those three-way switches to just one of a two-receptacle outlet are pretty tricky...

 

[TromboneAl]

Driving More Slowly:

I've started driving more slowly.  Cut 5 MPH off your speed, and it's like getting a price break of 20 cents per gallon.

Below is a chart showing that it doesn't help much to slow to less than 55:

It's 25 miles to town.  If I drive at 55 instead of 65 it takes 27 minutes instead of 23 minutes.  That is, it takes four minutes longer.   A little more relaxing, slightly less chance of a serious accident.  We get around 40-42 MPG.

Guess I'm officially an old geezer now.

I don't always drive at 55, but I rarely go 68 which used to be my normal speed.  Nice not to get nervous each time I see a cop.

Main disadvantage is that you get some people driving up to you at 70 MPH and passing at the last minute.

 

[Nords]

I've started driving more slowly.  Cut 5 MPH off your speed, and it's like getting a price break of 20 cents per gallon.
Guess I'm officially an old geezer now.

Good thing, too, because according to the life-expectancy calculators you're gonna live a lot longer!

 

[Martha]

Main disadvantage is that you get some people driving up to you at 70 MPH and passing at the last minute.

Sorry.

I have been driving back and forth to Minneapolis a lot, about 150 miles one way. The diesel Jetta gets really good mileage, easily 50 mph. But if I went 60 or 65 I am sure I would do better than going 85.

 

[mathjak107]

This would drive my inner engineer crazy.  

I'd be tracing wires all the way back to the breaker panel and adding a switch, or I'd be checking every seldom-used lightswitch in the house with a test bulb.  And, yes, I've done the latter in our house-- those three-way switches to just one of a two-receptacle outlet are pretty tricky...

let me tell you im a motor control specialist and do all kinds of complex control circuitry but i got to tell you,i once but a 4-way swich in my house in conjunction with 2-3 way switches.talk about a rubics cube

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

This would drive my inner engineer crazy.

Five bucks says there used to be a duplex outlet/switch somewhere in the house and a prior owner stood one day flipping the switch for half an hour while checking what it turned on and off, and couldnt find anything, then replaced it with a standard duplex ac outlet so he could have an extra outlet.

Look for a waist high or higher duplex ac outlet somewhere near the front of the house. Take off the cover. Bet you find the usual in and out and a mysterious third set of wires hardwired in. Might also have been wired in with the regular front porch light and someone decided they just wanted the post light on all the time and split it off and hardwired it to the AC.

I had to say it, and there it is...my first fluorescent failed in the garage yesterday. Of course, its the ten+ old double tube style that was about 6" long, and it was mounted in a garage door opener (plenty of vibration) and the garage gets to 100+ regularly during the summer...BUT THATS NO EXCUSE! Cheap piece of junk!

 

[Martha]

Five bucks says there used to be a duplex outlet/switch somewhere in the house and a prior owner stood one day flipping the switch for half an hour while checking what it turned on and off, and couldnt find anything, then replaced it with a standard duplex ac outlet so he could have an extra outlet.

Look for a waist high or higher duplex ac outlet somewhere near the front of the house. Take off the cover. Bet you find the usual in and out and a mysterious third set of wires hardwired in. Might also have been wired in with the regular front porch light and someone decided they just wanted the post light on all the time and split it off and hardwired it to the AC.

I'll look around when I come home from work today. The place was built in 1903 so it is no fun looking at wiring.

EDIT: odds are you are going to owe me the five bucks as I don't think we have any outlets at all waist high or above. Most all our outlets are on the floor.

 

[Nords]

I'll look around when I come home from work today.  The place was built in 1903 so it is no fun looking at wiring. 
EDIT: odds are you are going to owe me the five bucks as I don't think we have any outlets at all waist high or above.  Most all our outlets are on the floor. 

I'm never complaining about our "old" house again!

Next time you consider a renovation you might call "This Old House" and the Smithsonian...

 

[kz]

Wood heat has been a huge saver for us. Of course having all the free firewood we want from a friend's land helps immensely.

When we built our home 20 yrs ago we went with a state certified energy star home. We were inspected by the energy company along with the state's dept of energy on a regular basis. I calculated the savings last yr based on our home size, location, etc. and on avg we should use $2500 worth of utilities. We used just under $1500. Add that up over the 20 yrs and it has saved us a bundle.

Just recently we traded in a 6 yr old vehicle that got 18-20 mpg for a new vehicle that is rated at 26-30 mpg.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I'll look around when I come home from work today. The place was built in 1903 so it is no fun looking at wiring.

EDIT: odds are you are going to owe me the five bucks as I don't think we have any outlets at all waist high or above. Most all our outlets are on the floor.

If your wiring hasnt been updated at all, it might be the old cloth covered knob and tube wiring...which should be a nice fire hazard by right about now. In fact, some of it might have shorted together, causing the light to stay on...

If you cant find an outlet thats waist high (and I get to define what height "waist" is, since mine and yours are substantially different), then i'll bet someone couldnt figure out what the switch was for, took it out and plastered or wallpapered over it at some point...

So when you're done with the in-wall sonograms and the full rewiring project, if you still cant find it, drop by and i'll give you the five bucks...

 

[bosco]

Wood heat

I get a logging truck-load of logs dumped on the yard. Provides exercise and 3 years or so of heat.

As an added bonus, the basement woodstove happened to be situated just below the furnace air return, so I cut an air intake directly above the stove and run the furnace fan without the furnace. It forces heated air all over the house--it's amazing how well it works!

 

[astromeria]

Scr3w the lightbulb Martha, what a beautiful garden!