image by: programwitch

Take a moment and look around your home. Do you have multiple lights on? Is the television on while you are on your computer?  Do you leave everything plugged in even though you don’t use it regularly? Do you recycle? Over the last few years, Pete and I have tried to be more conscientious of how much we waste as a family. I would not say we are ready to join the Freegan movement but we do try to do our part to be mindful of not wasting.  We keep the thermostat set at 68. We drink filtered water versus bottled water. We turn off everything before leaving a room and unplug appliances not in use.  We plan out meals for the week and use our leftovers for lunches or turn them into a new meal such as a casserole. I am working to use sale circulars to determine our menus for the week to keep the cost of food down as well. When we first relocated to NJ we were renting a house. Last year we decided to move into a town-home which saved us $125 a month on rent and cut our energy costs by 40%. We will not be staying in NJ, so by cutting our costs while we live here, we can save for the house we plan to build.  I was watching an episode of Oprah from last week, where she challenged families to live with less. I was embarrassed for the Dominguez family.  They were so wasteful, that the father was borrowing money to cover their bills. They were paying $1000 a month just for gas and electricity. They were throwing away garbage bags filled with wasted food, while spending a minimum of $200 a week on groceries. I just thought it was a shame that the mother and kids knew there were financial problems, yet did nothing to help the situation. The family had to follow the following rules for ONE week:

1. No eating out and no wasting of food that is brought into the house.

2. No bottled water.  A Brita water filter was given to the family.

3. No disposable plates, cups, or napkins.

4. Only one hour of television a day. No IPODs or Video Games.

5. Computers could only be used for homework.

6. The thermostat is set at 69.

7. Only wash clothing that is dirty.

8. No shopping for anything other than groceries.

9. Showers are not to exceed 8 minutes

The family estimated they saved $400-$600 dollars that week by following these rules. The experience seemed to open the eyes of the mother and children to their financial situation as well as to the amount of waste they generated. I would be interested to see where they are in a year. Could your family follow these rules for one week? I would love to hear how you and your family are living with less. Please leave ideas in the comment section!