So, I didn't make as big of a dent as I thought I would. Granted, two of the five things I'm tracking I didn't have figures for, so I just gave us the average 100% usage, but still the numbers weren't that great. Overall, we only dropped around 6%. But, I think that's only because we used less than the 100% in the two categories that I just estimated for the previous month. Also, our natural gas usage went up in August. How that happened, I'm not sure, but I've got to figure out some more strategies.
Here are our numbers so far:
Category Nat. Avg. (100%) Our Avg. July 2011 Aug 2011
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Gasoline 84 gal 63 gal/75% 84 gal/100% 70gal/83%
Electricity 1100kWh 740kWh/67% 1130kWh/103% 1037/94%
Nat. Gas 70ccf 20ccf/28% 6ccf/8.5% 10ccf/14%
Water 3900gal 4400gal/113% 5236gal/134% 5236gal/134%
Trash 160lbs 20lbs/13% 40lbs/25% 20lbs/13%
Our six month average puts us at 60% of the national usage.
In July we were at 74%.
In Aug. we were at 68%.
We are running very far below in natural gas and trash, but our water and electricity is way too high. (especially our water!)
I tried only washing the diapers every other day, but not only do we not have enough covers for that, but I realized that while most people with one baby in diapers can get away with washing every other day, for me to do it with twins would be like washing every four days. It wasn't practical. I'm hoping that we can get something figured out for a rain water collection system soon. We also need to get better at reusing the grey water.
As far as electricity goes, I've gotten hooked on the clothes dryer again. Most days I don't have the time to hang the clothes. Though, I really need to get back into the habit. And, for days that it's raining or when it starts getting too cold, we're going to put a drying rack in the bathroom.
But, it's only been a month. And, I just have to keep reminding myself that this is a year long project/process.
Anyhoo...
New projects I'm looking into are preserving and keeping chickens. As I don't normally work (only working a part time/seasonal job right now), I potentially have lots of free time. So, instead of spending it shopping 2-3 times a week, I want to start making and preserving or freezing my staples for the pantry. Things like tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, cream soups, chicken broth, etc. We are going to look into getting some chickens this spring for fresh eggs and to help fertilize the garden we plan to start back up at the same time.
By spring we should have enough compost ready to get my elevated garden going. (it always amazes me every time I look in the compost bin that all that 'dirt' is from the food we've been putting in there for the last year and a half! Never did think too much about where dirt came from.) I've never been terribly successful with growing things, but I've got to keep trying. I don't think that being able to keep a garden is a special gift, like being artistic, I think it's a learned skill. Sure, some people are probably awesome at it right from the start, but I know that everyone should be able to grow fruits and vegetables.
Maybe if I get a good garden going, and actually figure out what the hell I'm doing, we'll start a bigger one out in Republic. Since, that's where we're going to end up, anyways. Though, it will be a couple of years before I'm able to do that. Gotta wait till the babes are old enough to be able to help, or at least occupy themselves.
So, that's all the news for now. Other than getting adjusted to working again, which after three years of not working outside the home is an adventure all in itself!
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