Really Use Oven

If you are cooking something in the oven, try to think of ALL the things you can cook at once, then save some of that stuff as leftovers.

We always put a few potatoes in when we cook, then save them in the fridge for later use. They fry up quickly for breakfast, or are a handy, last minute ingredient. The energy it takes to reheat is so much less than the energy it would have taken to cook them from scratch.

I read somewhere you can put a clean rock in the oven while cooking other stuff, and leave it while the oven cools. Later, take it out, put it in a clean sock, and you have a warm rock for your toes. I've been meaning to try that one, but now that the weather is getting ready to be wonderful, it's hard to think about it.

Fill Your Freezer

Fill your refrigerator too. The space in between the items loses cold fastest, and has to be rechilled more often, according to my research.

If you don't have much stuff in there, you can fill containers with water, or use wadded up newspaper. Or so the suggestions go.

I think I would be embarrassed if someone opened my fridge and saw newspaper, but I guess some jugs of water would be alright. In this cold weather, I could actually let them chill on the porch, then set them in. Maybe I will.

Play Pretend with the Weather

When heating your home in the winter (or cooling it in the summer) try to keep the temperature as close to the outside temperature as comfortably possible.

If you are doing the opposite (heating to 80, cooling to 65), you are already halfway there, you just have your seasons backward! So pretend the weather outside is opposite and enjoy your inside temperature. For example, in the winter, pretend it's summer outside, baking hot, and you are keeping your house pleasantly chilly. In the summer, pretend the weather outside is frightfully cold. Look at you, all warm and toasty in your house.

Turning the heat down at night or when you aren't at home is another way to save. Programmable thermostats are available and our local utility company has a rebate to make the switch even more attractive.