I do the Costco chicken too. Or I buy in bulk when the prices are good, last fall Costco had whole chickens at 70 cents a pound, so I bought 5 double bags of them. Froze one, canned a few and made chicken noodle soup which I canned also.
We got an Edenpure heater for our wedding present. We kept it on 24/7 in the bedroom (we live in a trailer-ugh), we have one in the living room too, which we turned on low when we had to leave for a few weeks, to keep the house from freezing up while we were gone. It was in the single digits and teens. Our electric bill without the heaters is usually $60, it went up to a whopping $88. Not too shabby, our little palace has 2 inch thick walls with one inch thick (stringy) insulation, so one heater will only keep the living room/kitchen about 25 F warmer than it is outside. The one in the bedroom keeps it toasty though, as the room is only 12 x 12.
My fiance' mom heats her entire upper level 3 bedroom home with one, and she doesn't have insulated windows. Her gas/electric bill dropped about $50 a month. We all have the 1000 models.
We only air dry our clothes, I use oxyclean as a laundry booster, buy Costco's brand laundry detergent (far cheaper than Tide or Gain, even when they have coupons). It works fine, though I love my Downey so still buy that.
We use paper plates usually, though how much more does it cost to wash dishes after washing utensils and pans? I use the largest dirty item, pot, pan, bowl, as the soap water container, and wash dishes out of that. It just seems such a waste to use a sink full of water.
When I take a shower I only turn the knobs to the point the spray is effective, I've never used them full blast as I like long, hot showers (I'm cold all the time) and I never run out of hot water that way.
I buy jeans at Costco at $12 a pair, rarely buy anything not on sale. I bought some LED Christmas lights, round clear acrylic globes, 4 five inch round lights for $5 on sale at Costco, figured we could use those for lighting outside in the summer. We use CFL's in the house (hate em but they are cheap to run).
I put down throw rugs over the carpet to protect it, it's cheaper than a new carpet. I got a bunch of old crocheted chair and sofa doilies to protect the back and arms of the sofa/chairs to keep them new looking. I invested in a Green Machine and fiance' has a good carpet cleaner, both save on cleaning bills. I use shampoo instead of expensive carpet cleaning solution in both, and rinse with a bit of linen spray in the water to freshen things up.
We don't have satellite or cable, but we do have almost 500 movies. Fiance' loves SciFi, so he buys the sets of Atlantis at Walmart after the new seasons come out, and he watches them several times if he's bored. We buy movies from the $5 bin at Walmart, and I've got quite a few good shows and movies at the $ store. I also get them at yard sales.
We buy our milk, eggs, cheese and other items at Costco, freeze, can or dry what we can't immediately use. We buy in bulk when possible, especially if there's a good sale on meat or we can buy a half a beef.
I make my own bread, and use that bread machine for everything, mixing home made noodles (invested in a noodle machine for $15 at Ross, it's worth it), mixing cookies, mixing pie crust, I use it a lot. Making your food items from scratch whenever possible is the cheapest way to go. I buy 50# bags of flour and 25# bags of sugar and transfer them to plastic 5 gal. buckets. Beans, rice, same thing. Lots cheaper.
I rarely throw things out. I have clothes put away from years ago, and rotate them out when I want something different. I buy at Macy's upper floor-I can get $200 pants for $5, designer clothes for pennies on the dollar. They are classic and remain 'in style' for years, well made, excellent quality fabrics, they're a steal.
We turn down the pellet stove when we leave the house, to about 60/65F, have no air conditioning for summer.
Refrigerators consume a lot of electricity, as I hear it. If you've got an old one, consider getting a new one, but be sure to consult with members here, I remember a thread on new appliances here and the horror stories.
Wash your clothes inside out, it keeps them looking new longer and the dyes seem to last longer as well. Always air dry socks, bras, underwear-the dryer ruins them quickly.
Trade seeds, buying packets is expensive. I saved lots of seed to give away in case someone needed some. We're still eating hard squash from last year's crop, I still have about 6 zucchini that need processing.
Grow a garden if you can. Cover it if possible, it will increase your yields and protect your plants. Buy garden things like plastic or supports in increments, if you are cash strapped or wait til after season sales on what garden items are left for clearance prices. Guess that isn't January advice, but most people are buying their seed now, so I guess it's pertinent.
Swap unused or un-needed items with neighbors, family or friends. You can host a swap. Send out invitations, and on them put some of the things you need, and list a few of the items you have to inspire others.
Women, buy some clothes in the men's sections, it's always cheaper. If you can sew, alter them if needed.
cuts down on guests too
