Forward Thinking

The funny thing about this newly-discovered WIFI connection out here in the country is that it is super fast at night but I can barely stay connected in the day time, and sometimes I can’t connect at all. We still don’t know where the WIFI is coming from, but I guess I’ll just enjoy it while I can. Who knows if it will last?

If I’m surfing the ‘net to find a signal booster, which I really need for my cell phone out here, or the best acne treatment, to tell my grandson about, so far I can go online and find the information I need. I really do not want to get another land line. DSL is available out here, but I’m already paying monthly for the wireless aircard so I don’t want to add yet another bill to my budget.

Technorati Tags: WIFI, signal booster

Even in this high-tech age, the laundry monster must still be subdued. For me, it is especially a challenge now because I don’t have the appliances I need to get the laundry done. So, I’ve resorted to something more primitive - washing my clothes by hand.

It’s not that hard and I have done this before. My main problem is wringing them out enough so they aren’t dripping wet when I hang them up to dry. Truth is, I just can’t get the water wrung out of the clothes sufficiently to prevent this. It occurs to me that I need a wringer. Really, I need a washing machine, but for now, if I had a wringer I could do a little better.

I have some clothes hanging in the bathroom now. After my shower, I washed a few items and put them on hangers in the bathroom, over the tub. It’s supposed to be rainy Wednesday, which means I don’t want them hanging outside just getting wetter. Besides, I have to have a couple of the items for work in the morning!

I suppose I could say I’m living “green” by hand washing my clothes, and that does make me feel better.

Technorati Tags: laundry, appliances

After we started getting settled in this house, we discovered that our cell phone signal was next to nothing, and actually nonexistent most of the time. Only from certain locations in the house can we connect by cell phone, and even then the call is frequently dropped. Incoming calls seem to fare a bit better as do voice mails and text messages, but dialing out is an exercise in futility.

As you can imagine, getting a connection on the laptop with the aircard is just as difficult. However, we were surprised to find out that we can actually achieve a Wifi connection out here instead of a regular wireless connection. I’m still not sure exactly why, but when we move the switch on the front of the laptop to “radio” and try the Wifi, it works. Well, most of the time. Sometimes the signal gets dropped, but for the most part I can still go online, just as I am doing right now.

I am certainly happy we found this option out here in the country. I can still blog and surf without having to pack up my laptop and go back into town. Television watching is another matter, though. There is a TV antenna, but it only picks up one channel. There is also a satellite dish, but I haven’t subscribed to satellite reception and don’t have a receiver. So, it wouldn’t matter if I had a top of the line HDMI switch and all the bells and whistles, I’d still only be able to watch one channel or my own collection of movies.

Technorati Tags: cell phone, laptop, aircard, Wifi

I’m finally partially moved into the house I rented from Older Daughter. I still have quite a bit to move, but some of the basics are here now which means we can stay here and get things in order between shifts at work.

I’ve got some living room furniture, my television, part of the home theater system and a few kitchen items put in place. I’ve also got my bed in the bedroom and some of my clothes. Son has some of his clothes in his bedroom, his playstation 3, television and a few other items. We’re both still very anxious to get all of our things into the house so we aren’t so limited on activities like cooking and eating!

See, I don’t have my dishes or cook ware in here. Just the coffee pot and a single coffee cup. I did get some bread, peanut butter, jelly, and milk so we could snack a bit, but there’s no cooking to be done until I get the kitchen fully equipped again.

Technorati Tags: furniture, television, home theater system

Buying a house is on hold for awhile because I don’t have any credit history. None. Nada. Zip. The mortgage guy tried everything he could to get us a USDA loan to buy a particular house, but in the midst of all our efforts, USDA changed the rules. Before, if you had a good pay history from a variety of resources, you could get a home loan. Now, they also want a credit score.

The thing is, all my married life, things had been in my late husband’s name. Now, I’ve got to build my own credit history. I’ve applied for my very first credit card. Yes, I’m 56 years old and never had a credit card. One is on it’s way now. I’ll charge only what I can pay each month. Probably, I’ll use it to pay for things I normally buy with cash anyway. That way, nothing extra comes out of my budget and I know I can pay it all off each month.

Once I have a credit score, we’ll resubmit for the loan and see how it goes then. All my other sources are good with good pay histories, so that’s in my favor. I’m good with my money, so I won’t have to be concerned about foreclosure at a later date. I pay my bills on time and I don’t mind sacrificing something to make sure the bills are paid. They come first.

I think I’m well on my way to really being a homeowner in the near future.

Technorati Tags: credit history, mortgage, USDA loan, credit card, budget

Yesterday evening we headed over to Older Daughter’s house to give her the first month’s rent on the house. She mentioned that the electric bill there seems rather high. I think I can keep it low with a couple of little tricks.

One is to put the compact fluorescent bulbs all through the house. Those cut at least $75 off my light bill at the old place. I’ll also make sure I have curtains I can close over the windows when the sun is shining in. This will reduce the heat in the house. As much as I love the look of the huge windows and the view out of them, I want to save that electric bill as much as possible.

I’ll set the thermostat on the heat pump so it’s comfortable, but neither too cool in the summer nor too hot in the winter. I’ll also make good use of the ceiling fans in the house to create breezes and reduce the need for air conditioning.

I want to keep the utility bills as low as possible all around. I will be getting a compact washer and dryer pair. Low water usage and low power usage combined will help keep the utilities at a bare minimum. This will make it a lot more pleasant when they arrive in the mailbox!

The floors in the kitchen and living room are linoleum tile, which is cool underfoot in the summer but too chilly in the winter. I’ll get area rugs to place around in the traffic areas. This way, I can put them away during the summer and put them back down during the winter, when I’ll really need them.

I’ve got great solar driveway lights that I can really put to good use outside now. Also, the solar flood lights will be great aimed at the front deck and steps so we can see when we go in or out at night.

Technorati Tags: electric bill, compact fluorescent bulbs, thermostat, solar driveway lights, solar flood lights

I’m finally moving. It will be into a house owned by my older daughter. It’s in the country, which everyone knows I love, but will add miles to my commute. This should be for only a few months, though, and then I’ll be buying for sure.

One thing about this house is that it’s roomy and airy, well insulated, and Older Daughter says I can decorate however I want as long as I don’t paint the wood. The living room area is done in knotty pine beaded board panels which are beautiful. I’d never want to paint that, it’s such a lovely look. It has exposed pine beams and give the feel of a lodge when you’re in it. I love it.

The house is energy efficient, too. It has a heat pump which saves electricity. The downstairs area stays fairly cool anyway due to plenty of shade trees, though I remember that the upstairs has some heat gain in the summer.

I’ll be using my compact fluorescent bulbs all through the house. I’ve got great coupons for more of them if I need more for the lighting, but these will save electricity and have low carbon emissions, too.

Because the rooms have floor to ceiling windows that don’t open, I’ll plan on having some curtains that will block the sunlight in order to save on the cooling bill. My sofa is fudge brown and I have cranberry throw pillows for it, so I’ll get cranberry twin sheets to use for the curtains. They’re inexpensive and fit the windows perfectly. I know this because it’s what my daughter used!

I can dedicate a space for the computer and have a small home office in the living room. Or, if we don’t rent a room to someone, I’ll just dedicate the smaller bedroom upstairs to office space.

We’ll probably be moving this week, so maybe in a few days, I’ll be posting here from my new digs! Then, whether I’m mulling over Chevy grills or shopping for a new bed, you’ll hear all about it from my new location!

Technorati Tags: house, commute, heat pump, compact fluorescent bulbs

I woke up this morning with the whole side of my face swollen. Ugh. It doesn’t really hurt, but it does feel strange. I’m going to have to visit the dentist, but when? I have to work today and the next few days which means no time for a dentist visit.

I will call, though, and see if I can be squeezed in at some point. Maybe the dentist can give me something to bring down this swelling until he can really take care of the tooth problem. I’ve been needing to do this for awhile anyway so maybe this is just a wake up call for me.

At least with no pain so far I don’t have to be concerned about taking prescription pain medications. I’ve known people who wound up in drug rehab from abusing them, which I would never do intentionally. But I sometimes wonder if those same folks started out innocently enough and it just got too big for them to handle on their own?

Technorati Tags: dentist, prescription

While I still haven’t heard the final word on the home purchase, thoughts of reducing my own pull on electrical and other power sources still occupy my mind. After reading Zero Energy House Award Winning Design, it occurs to me that a lot of people may be thinking that off-grid living is for those hearty souls who want to live in cabins out in the woods, with no modern conveniences.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. You don’t have to sacrifice to the point that you are carrying water in buckets from a stream or reading by candlelight to live off grid. The whole point of this movement is to find and utilize energy resources that are sustainable, renewable, and green while at least partly eliminating dependence on fossil fuels.

It wasn’t until the 20th century that people began to really depend on fossil fuel for energy needs. Then the race was on to see how many ways these sources could be discovered, pumped, piped, trucked, and sold in as profitable and quick a manner as possible. No thought was given to their limits or to the impact on the environment as a whole. I suppose it was assumed they were in endless supply and that since they came from the earth, they couldn’t hurt the earth.

Today, competition is high to get the most dollars from every barrel of oil and every truckload of coal that’s produced. And we, the consumers, are the ones really paying to line the pockets of those who deliver these energy products. Yes, I know. We will also pay to line the pockets of those who produce alternative energy equipment. However, once produced those aren’t things we have to replenish daily, weekly, or monthly.

If and when solar energy, biodiesel, wind power, and hydro-power begin becoming more in demand, the prices will drop significantly and the competition in our free market economy will be on go. This is always good for consumers. We get to pay less for things we want, simply put, when there is spirited competition among producers of consumer goods.

To bring this competition to the front means consumers must be more demanding. It’s up to us - you and me - to insist on renewable energy sources and to turn away more and more from fossil fuels. There are a few pioneers out there doing their part. What are you and I doing?

Technorati Tags: off grid, energy resources, fossil fuels, environment, alternative energy, solar energy, biodiesel, wind power, hydro-power, renewable energy sources

Saving some money on your utilities by using alternative energy sources and developing more conservative habits probably won’t make you suddenly rich. However, you will have a little more left in your pocketbook and the satisfaction that you are part of the solution to environmental concerns. You can be satisfied that through these efforts and better budgeting, you may even be able to give more to those you love. Things like energy saving electronics or even luxury watches will be within your financial reach if you are willing to reduce your unnecessary spending in other areas.

Concerning the big picture, you can also be satisfied that you are preserving resources and reducing your global impact so that your children and grandchildren will have clean air, clean water, and sustainable fuel sources in their futures as well.

Technorati Tags: alternative energy, energy saving electronics, resources