Just got my oil bill, am down to three gallons of fuel oil a day

[hatredisnotavalue]

And I heat my hot water with oil. And have two teenagers who love their personal hygiene routine in the a.m. and p.m. And I live in Maine in a 12 room house. I do have two wood stoves. Am shooting for two gallons a day this month.
One thing I found was changing my clothes washer setting from warm to cold. I probably do ten loads of laundry a week. Big, big difference in how much oil I use. Passing this on to those who are looking to cut down on "their oil addiction."

[Deja Q]

1. Kewl.

I do cold water-only washing myself.

I also live in an apartment building where heating is being paid for. But I'm still findful of it all. (pity more people here aren't... )

[hatredisnotavalue]

2. Good for you!

I have never used cold water in the washing machine before. I don't think I could get away with it with the kids football, soccer, softball and baseball uniforms, but their regular clothes come out just fine. I do add a tablespoon of bleach to some loads to get rid of any smelling bacteria. I am truly astonished how much oil I have saved by such a simple thing.

[MissB]

13. A front loader will do wonders for those types of stains.

I always use cold water now that I have a front loader. Clothes last longer and I don't have to pretreat dh's Levis after he's been working in the yard all day.

[skygazer]

3. Wow, that's impressive

Good for you. I found that I did pretty well with it when I used a wood stove for my primary heat source and the oil furnace as a backup. It's hard to heat exclusively with wood if you work or have to leave the house for extended periods.

You might consider sending your post to the white house.

[hatredisnotavalue]

6. That's the thing

We both work at home. But I get such great wood, a full stove will last sometimes 12 hours. Do you think I could get an invite to the next State of the Union, as a " housewife who is doing her part to combat the war on terror by switching her washing machine setting from warm to cold?" Wild applause!!!!

[Lisa]

11. you would if I were President!

You would be right up there in the front row of the gallery, seated next to "the parents who organized a rotating neighborhood shift to walk students to school, in lieu of driving", and "the girl who put on a sweater and turned down the thermostat".

[hatredisnotavalue]

16. I am also chairman of the monthly "bake sales for education"

in my town where instead of holding a traditional bake sale to raise money for school things, all of the moms say "f*ck it" and we just throw ten bucks into the fund and don't bake a thing.

[Lisa]

21. sounds good to me!

I'm tired of emptying bags of Dad's Oatmeal Cookies into Tupperware containers and pretending I stayed up all night baking them!

[caty]

4. Also, find ways

to cut your electric bill to off set you oil bill. I changed all our light bulbs to the energy saving type. I also turn my computer off every night.

[hatredisnotavalue]

9. I am so cheap

I took out every other bulb in the bathroom and in the track lighting. If the kids would agree, I would outfit everyone in the house with a headband halogen light so we would never, ever have to turn on a light in the house.

I also store the soda in the "cold corner of the kitchen" or outside, to cut down on the number of times a day the fridge is opened. My electric bill is about $125 a month/ but we both work out of the house.

And if anyone wants to turn up the thermostat, they have to vacuum every room in the house or fill the wood box before I will allow it. That activity usually heats them up enough to forget about the thermostat.

[Gormy Cuss]

14. You are frugal.

Nothing wrong with it. Cold water wash is better for dark clothes because the dyes don't leach out as quickly. I can't stand lights on in every room, water left running when the dishes are being scraped or washed, or houses so warm in winter that a light sweater is uncomfortable, but then again, I was raised by a woman who could squeeze a quarter out of a penny -- cheap comes naturally.

Do you hang the laundry out to dry in winter? If not, there's some more cheapness for you. Nothing like cracking the ice off the clothes left outside overnight... :+

[Texasgal]

5. This is so odd for this southern girl...

I had never heard of this heating "oil" until I read about it on DU! :)

[MadHound]

7. Not to be rude or anything,

But I don't think many Texans have heard of insulation either. I visited a couple friends three years ago in early March, and as we rolled into the apartment complex I noticed a sign saying "Freeze Warning, Please Drip Your Faucets" I asked my buddy about this, and he said it was standard practice not to put insulation in the walls of the housing down there. And whenever there was a freak cold snap, lines froze easily.

I can understand this OK if insulation was just for keeping cold out, but during the summer it is also good for keeping the cool in and the heat out. Why do your contractors down there build like this:shrug:

[Texasgal]

8. I have no idea!!

I actually had extra insulation blown in my attic when I purchased my home.

I guess these builders down here are just cheap! :)

[MadHound]

10. Oh, well hell then, that's everywhere

Up here in Missouri, deep in the heart of tornado alley, contractors are building new houses without a single nail. Spike strips and glue, that's what's holding these new McMansions together. And then the big wind comes through, not even a tornado, and they are just ripped to shreds. Absolutely amazing, such idiots are everywhere. Thanks for reply:hi:

[Lisa]

12. they must be the same contractors who do the West Coast condos

Without waterproofing, so as soon as it starts to rain in the winter, the roof leaks like a sieve -- and of course the contractor is nowhere to be found.

[hatredisnotavalue]

15. I forgot to mention that I have a log home

Why aren't they building log homes down there. My house is a beast. And it was $50,000 for everything except the plumbing, wiring, and furnace and the slab. And for a two car garage.

Here's a pic

We are still in construction mode, so the outside is a bit rough.

[WolverineDG]

23. the pipes aren't buried as deeply either

that's another reason to keep the faucets dripping & the main reason why pipes break.

dg

[huskerlaw]

17. I also do cold-water only laundry

even though I haven't even turned on my heater this winter.

Tide has detergent specifically for cold-water washings. It works fabulously.

[LynneSin]

18. Tide has detergent especially for cold water washing

I mean the thing with cold water is the fact that the hot water helps kill those nasty germies especially in your white clothes that tend to be undergarments.

My heat is paid for by the apartment but I'm thinking of getting in the practice of using the cold water for laundry so I can into the practice. I'm a confirmed Tide user so the switch wouldn't cost me anymore

[hatredisnotavalue]

19. That's why I put a tablespoon of bleach in the whites

I used Tide for years, but my son got a rash from it so had to go back to the Arm and Hammer stuff. But I buy all white socks, towels and underwear, so the bleach will kill anything nasty out there.

[LynneSin]

20. But I can't use bleach

The smell of bleach makes me nauseous beyond belief. My mother had to use Ivory Snow detergent for my whites.

[hatredisnotavalue]

22. I can't stand the smell either

But a tablespoons is enough to kill the bacteria without the smell. :)