How We are Handling Inflation( continued)

We had to purchase a new washer and dryer recently. We were lucky that we only had to wait 3 months for them to get delivered. Our old set were about 16-17 years old. The dryer was overheating and the washer flooded my floor when it felt like it. So we purchased a Speed Queen TR7 washer and a DR7 dryer. They were very expensive but will eventually pay for themselves with the energy savings. They are so much more energy efficient that the old ones. They also take up less room which I love. Hubby is going to paint the laundry room before our new wall cabinets arrive. He is going to remove the wire shelf that the builder put in. The cabinets are delayed just like the washer and dryer were. I am making do till they get here. My old set had pedestals under them that had drawers so that is where I kept most of my laundry supplies. I need the cabinets to store my laundry supplies in. I have only had the washer and dryer one month but I am sure that the drop in my kwh’s on my electric bill is partly a result of them. The longest I have had to run the dryer to dry a load is 30 minutes. I try to only do laundry once a week. That way I can run successive loads which is the energy efficient way to do it. I still am hanging most of my clothes.

We only run our dishwasher every three days now. We are very cognizant of how many dishes we use for meals and try to keep down the number of pans by only cooking on the grill and in the air fryer.

We have a tankless water heater which saves us money by not having to keep a 30 gallon water tank continually hot. It gives us hot water on demand. It was one of the best things we contracted for when we had our home built.

I continue to take quick “navy” showers. Wet down, soap up, rinse off! I have timed this and I can usually do it in 5 minutes including washing my short hair. I don’t waste a lot of hot water.

We only turn on lights when it gets dark out and then we only use one in the room or rooms we are in. We do use our outside lights for security reasons when it gets dark outside and they are on a timer so they turn off just before the sun comes up. All of our lights inside and outside our home are LED’s.

I unplug my laptop when I am not using it. And it is not getting used a lot this summer. We are just too busy with company whom we are enjoying after over a year of socializing with no one.

We also took a trip to visit my son, go to my granddaughter’s junior high school graduation and spend some time with both of them. We loved every minute of it. My son purchased a beautiful colonial home a few months ago with lots of land. His home is nestled among many pine trees, maples, oaks, and birch trees. It is so peaceful and quiet there. I truly understand why he chose this home. We enjoyed some good cooking out on the grill and smores around the large firepit. We went to dinner one night at the Olde Bryan Inn in Saratoga Springs to celebrate Alexa’s graduation. We let her pick the restaurant. I was happy when she picked this restaurant because I went to lunch there many times over the years when we lived just south of this beautiful city. I miss their food. It is so good! We also did some takeout from a restaurant that my son found. There is nothing better than spending time with family and enjoying good meals! We hated to leave to go home. But we had promised to take care of West for 8 days after we got back. We had 4 days at home before he came. In just about a week my son is bringing Alexa out to spend a week with us. We are so looking forward to her coming.

Hubby and I are back to going to the library now that it is fully opened up. We rarely purchase a book or magazine.

We don’t go to the movies. We wait until we can watch them on our Roku. As one of my readers said, ” There is nothing better than movie night at home and making your own snacks! ” I wholeheartedly agree.

Lastly, there are two other things that we have done recently to save some money. We gave Alexa “Netflix” as a gift. We signed up for her and we pay the bill every month. I had gotten the premium plan. Then I realized that she could only watch one thing at a time so she didn’t need to have this plan that allows you to use it on multiple electronics in a household. So I changed her plan to one that is $4.00 a month cheaper.

Also, I am not renewing my Amazon Prime next week. I have not been happy with their delivery lately. Things that are supposed to take 2 days on Prime to arrive are taking 4-5. Not the service I signed up for. I understood items being late during the virus. But that has not been an issue here for a few months now and things are still coming later than they should. We rarely watch the movies or music either so it is really not worth the $ 119. plus 8% tax to renew it.

I also did not renew my B.J.’s Wholesale Club membership when it expired the end of March even though they would have only charged me $ 25. They are not stocked well, no real customer service anymore, and anything that I need I can get locally as cheap or cheaper than they charge.

I have Walmart Grocery Plus which gives me grocery delivery. I can also shop online at Walmart.com and they always deliver within two days and you get free shipping. Even better if you order an item on Walmart.com and they have it in your store, they deliver it to your front porch the same day with no delivery charge nor tip. It is also cheaper for a year than Amazon. So I will stick with them as long as the service continues to be so good. Almost anything that I can get at Amazon, I can get at Walmart or another store.

Well, that is it for now. When I have time and have something to share again I will.