Cutting the Cable

I never thought the day would come where my husband would be willing to get rid of his beloved satellite dish.  When we first started dating, he told me that he had one requirement: cable TV!  Since we’ve lived with each other, we have had that one recurring bill each and every month that I hated to pay, because I never saw it as a necessity.  Most of last year, we paid $93/month for our satellite service (that is $1,116/year!!)

Todd was starting to get sick and tired of nothing being on TV, so he downgraded our package to the “bare minimum” for $46/month (still too much, if you ask me!)  When he did this, there still wasn’t anything we were interested in watching on TV.  That downgrade didnt even last a full month before we looked into our options.

At the beginning of the year, someone at work talked about getting a Roku.   This is a little box the size of a puck that enables you to watch shows from the internet wirelessly through the TV by using either their free channels or from a service like NetFlix or HuluPlus. 

At first, I didn’t like it.  Then again, I don’t like change, so it’s no wonder.  I didn’t like the fact that we had to get a subscription to HuluPlus to be able to watch some of the shows that we enjoy watching.  Once we tried the HuluPlus one week free trial, we noticed that we weren’t watching the satellite at all! 

There were a couple of weeks that Todd was dragging his feet to cancel the dish, but I decided to take it upon myself and do it. I was able to cancel the dish within 15 minutes.  Once I told them that no matter what they offered, we weren’t interested, they gave up. 

Now, a month later, we are not missing out on anything.

We pay $7.99/month for HuluPlus to watch some of our favorite shows every week at our convenience.  It is like having the TiVo: we can watch a show when we want to!  There are also a lot of other programs on HuluPlus that Todd is watching to get his SciFi and History fix. 

The initial cost wasn’t too terribly bad.  We bought the high-definition, top of the line Roku for the Family Room for $89.99 along with a less expensive one for the bedroom at $59.99.  We also paid a $175 early termination fee from our satellite company to get out of our contract.  Add that all up, and we are still saving a lot of money each year in cable!

My father asked the other day, “What next?  Are you going to cut your electric?”  Believe me, if we could, I would!  That is our next highest recurring bill each month that I am trying to decrease.  But contrary to what many people believe (like my dad,) cutting the cable is easier than you may think! 

The argument my father has is the news and football.  To be quite honest, Todd and I rarely never watch the news.  And if we need to get the weather, there is a free channel on the Roku that is dialed in to our zip code and gives a 5 day forecast whenever we need it.  Football can be watched online if Todd ever wanted to, but he’s been so frustrated with his team over the past couple of years, he has given up on football.  We could always hook up the TV’s with the analog boxes we have and get our local stations for the games in the future, but at this point, it is not a priority.

Have you cut the cable?

What was your experience?

Saving Money on Heating Costs

People cringe when I tell them that our thermostat is set to 55 degrees during the winter months.  Many mention that I am taking my frugality to the extreme, but there is a method to my madness.

Our home is a 1890 sq. ft. ranch with a large footprint.  This means that it is quite a distance from one end of the house to the next, and our furnace is located at one end of the house…outside!  When we purchased our home back in 2007, the furnace that came with the house was not functional, and actually caught on fire at some point before we bought the home.  Needless to say, we needed to replace it, but at the time, we didn’t have $6,000+ to get a high-efficiency furnace. 

Handy hubby did some research and found an outdoor furnace for less than $2,000.  We decided to purchase the furnace with the understanding that we would keep the thermostat low and heat only the rooms we were using.

Pot Bellied Stove (that needs painted!)
The fans are to help circulate the air.

Todd installed a pot bellied wood-burning stove at one end of the house and there was an existing fireplace at the other end of the house.  It just so happens that the pot bellied stove is in the living room which is directly in front of our bedroom.  We stoke the fire and stay nice and cozy in our bedroom (it also helps that we have a heating pad on our mattress to keep us warm at night). 

We have purchased only one cord of wood since we’ve had the wood-burning stove for over 4 years.  We go through about a cord a year, and the remaining wood has come from trees that have been cut down or fallen due to storms around our property.  We have enough firewood to last us a good 2-3 years, and that is not including the 3 trees we expect to take down next year.

 The fireplace is in the family room, which is also really handy, because we spend most of our time as a family in this room.  This fireplace is not a wood-burning fireplace due to maintenance issues and my fear of the house catching on fire.  We decided to purchase propane logs for less than $250 to help heat this room. 

Ceiling fans have helped us tremendously to circulate the heat around our home.  Every room in our home has at least one ceiling fan.  Not only does it help circulate the heat in the winter, but it also helps to keep the house cool in the summer!

One day, when the windows are replaced, when we get more insulation in the attic and insulate the walls, we will get a high-efficiency furnace.  I cannot guarantee we will turn up the thermostat past 60, but I can guarantee that we will get a new furnace at some point.

We pretty much live in two rooms of the house, and both of those rooms are very close to our heat

sources.  I don’t see the sense in heating the rest of the house that goes unused. ((This makes it sound like we need to downsize, but I feel our home is the perfect size for us and hopefully a few children in the future!))

As a side note, I hate the thought of cutting trees down to keep our home warm.  We have plans to plant bamboo which grows quickly, burns hotter and creates less ash than wood. We have enough wood to last us the next several years, but we have plans to plant bamboo in 2012 and start to harvest it to use as a fuel source. 

Do you use alternative heat sources to heat your home?

2012 Garden

It is January, and we are starting to really “dig into” what we would like in our garden.  In years past, I was responsible for the garden.  My wonderful hubby would do the brunt work while I planted seeds and squealed with delight at the first sight of sprouts, flowers and later the actual fruit/vegetable.

Over the past several months, I have been contemplating what I’d like to do/learn in 2012.  We talked about getting 6 more chickens, but we don’t want/need the additional eggs.  I wanted to start keeping bees for honey, but my husband absolutely positively hates bees.  We are both actively trying to get healthy and eat more “raw” food, so I thought that I could focus strictly on making the most of our garden.  Last year, I gave up on our weed-bed garden far too early in the season, and I would like to be able to focus on the garden solely this year with no other distractions.

Once Todd decided that he wanted to help me with the garden, I knew I was in trouble!  My husband does not do anything half-heartedly.  Me, I just buy some seeds, plant them and hope they germinate and put some food on our table.  This would not suffice for Todd.  To be honest, I’m glad that it doesn’t suffice for him because I am looking forward to undergoing this pretty big project with him! 

Our list includes:

• Asparagus (perennial – planted 2011)
• Strawberries (perennial – planted 2011 : may plant more from seed)
• Spinach
• Snow Peas
• Onions
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Jalapenos
• Green Beans
• Tomatoes
• Green Peppers
• Cucumbers
• Spaghetti Squash (from seeds we saved)
• Pie Pumpkin (for the chickens and for us!)
• Concord Grapes
• Herbs / Mosquito Repellents

When my husband and I sat down to write out what we wanted to grow, it didn’t seem like that much.  Now that it is written out, it seems like we are going to have our hands full this year!

I have been looking into what are called “vertical gardens” this year to help grow up instead of out.  We are moving our garden to an area with much more sunlight and much better soil, so I am hoping it does much better!

I am looking forward to learning, growing, harvesting and preserving this year with Todd.  I think this year we will have the biggest and most productive garden yet!

Are you starting to plan your garden for 2012? 

This post is linked up with Homestead Revival's Blog Hop #44.

Purge-A-Palooza 2012: Bathroom (Before)

I mentioned on Sunday that I am going to be doing a Purge-A-Palooza this year around our home.  Each month, I will be working on getting rid of unwanted items and organizing the area.

In January, I am working on our bathroom.  The bathroom has alot of stuff in it (that shouldnt be in the bathroom!)  I have lotions and beauty products from over 5 years ago residing in the bathroom that I have had a hard time parting with in the past.  Now, they just get in the way and are collecting dust.  So, I am going to see what I can do about it in January!

I am a bit embarassed to show you what lies behind closed doors in our bathroom, but here goes!

Bathroom Closet (Top)

Bathroom Closet (Bottom)

Medicine Cabinet (minus 10 bottles of vitamins I found last month that had been expired!)

After talking to my husband about my plans for this year and the Purge-A-Palooza, we decided that we are going to re-do the bathroom.  We bought our house in February 2007 with a personal loan for the purchase price of the house at a really high interest rate.  Todd worked really hard to get the house into a presentable condition so that we could secure a home equity line of credit to pay off the personal loan as well put in a new septic that was required by the County in which we reside.  When doing rennovations on our home, we were trying to do things as quickly and as inexpensively as possible.  Because of this, things are starting to fall apart and we have agreed that it's time to re-do things right this time.

We have big plans for the bathroom, and I am excited about this rennovation!  I am hoping that it can be complete in the month of January so that I can show the before/after pictures!

This is what the bathroom looks like right now:

Looking into bathroom

Looking to the left when coming through door

Sink & Countertop
(minus one lightbulb that just burnt out)

Very old vanity that has been repained and the drawer wont close

So, there you have it.  That is our bathroom.

If you would like to link up for the Purge-A-Palooza, please feel free to do so below.
Happy purging and organizing!

Purge-A-Palooza 2012

purge/pərj/

verb.  cleanse - purify - clean - clear - refine – scour

In 2012, I vow to have a cleaner, less cluttered home!  The thought of going through every room with all of our “stuff” is daunting, but this year, I am going to do it.  The only way I will be able to tackle this is room by room, drawer by drawer and closet by closet. 

Every month in the year of 2012, I will focus on one room and work on cleaning out the clutter.  I am calling this Purge-A-Palooza 2012 in hopes that by January 2013, our home will have less “stuff” and will be easier to maintain.

At the end of each month, I will provide pictures of the before and after of each room as well as a linky tool that will be available if you would like to show us your progress!

This will be the schedule by month:

January: Bathroom(s)

February: Master Bedroom

March: Family Room

April: Kitchen

May: Dining Room

June: Bedroom #2 / Spare Bedroom

July: Bedroom #3 / Office / Misc. Room

August: Laundry Room

September: Living Room

October: Hall Closet / Pantry

November: Room of your choice

December: Basement / Garage / Shed

Would you care to join me on this journey of less?


This post is linked up with the Week-Long Blog Hop over at Homemaker by Choice.

It’s Never Too Late to Follow Your Dreams

There was a major event in our family this past Saturday that I feel is noteworthy.   My father, at the age of 55, graduated from my alma mater, Kent State University, with his Bachelor’s Degree!  Not only did he get his degree, but he graduated magna cum laud!!

My dad with his fellow graduates

To give you a little bit of background, my father graduated with his Associates Degree many many years ago.  He has always excelled in his position at a large nation-wide retail establishment, which is why we moved so much while I was growing up.  My father would whip a store into tip-top shape and then be transferred to work on another.  After 25+ years with said retail establishment, they let him go after giving him unreasonable numbers to hit.  It was pretty much a sham to get him out.  After all, they could pay someone 30 years old a fraction of what this long-timer was making (even if the results were dismal.) 

Many people talk about how bad the economy is and how it is “impossible” to find a job.  My father took this opportunity to do something he’s always wanted to do – get a degree in Accounting.  With the support from his wife, he did just that.  My father took two years to get his degree.  In that time, he was invited to several dinners to meet very notable speakers (for instance, Jerry from Ben & Jerry’s ice cream,) received several awards and scholarships due to his excellent grades, walked around a campus with the majority of the students 8 years younger than his youngest child, tutored students in need of help, and interned for a large accounting firm in Cleveland, OH, ultimately being offered the position to begin work just two weeks after graduation.

When the final graduation date was set, my father asked if I’d like to go.  He stated that if he were me, he wouldn’t want to waste a few hours of my Saturday to sit in a graduation ceremony.  Todd and I both attended the ceremony, not even thinking that it was a waste of time.  This man has made such a huge sacrifice and put in so much hard work to be able to accomplish his dream of becoming an Accountant.  We are both so very proud of him and what he has been able to achieve.

It was pretty incredible to watch my father walk across the same stage I walked across 9 years ago.  Todd and I wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for the world. 

Congratulations, dad, on all that you have done!  I am so very proud of you!!!

My dad with his mother (my grandma) on graduation day