Friday is a Busy Day For Us
The end of the week, we clean the house, prepare home-made bread and finish up work and school work.
Today there was a spelling test for two of our girls and it's not their favorite thing.
Energy Rate Increase and Frugality
Beginning this month (March) our electric company is charging a premium for our electricity during "peak hours" between 3 - 7pm. This is our peak time also for cooking and baking, so we're trying to come up with ways to help offset this unexpected additional cost of living.
We use a lot of energy in our home, because we cook our own food, run a dehydrator, cool the house in summer months, these can really add up quickly.
Our main electricity usage is dinner time around 5 - 6, right in the middle of "peak hours". We are experimenting with ways to lower our energy usage during dinner time, but it's a challenging proposal and results in a very stressful change of behavior.
Lacking in understanding, all I understood was "Peak Hour Rates" without actually comparing our current energy usage to the new rate schedule. I assumed that our bill would suddenly become completely un-affordable, since rates were going up. We have never been mindful of time/energy and we would prefer to ignore such things. But here we are.
I've been expecting energy rationing at some point and we're seeing the first signs of it happening now. I may have over-reacted. The stress of placing unreasonable restrictions on our behavior (no cooking between 3 - 7? That's ridiculous!) isn't worth the financial savings, but being mindful of the rate increase is good to remember.
It's amazing what a little self-educating can do to put things into perspective. What I discovered is that the rates would likely go up about $0.70 - $1.80 per month, without changing our behavior at all. By restraining ourselves during peak hours, we could save a few dollars per month. Not much, but it does add up! It's going to be trickier during the summer months when "Peak Rates" go up substantially. Managing AC will be tricky.
Living a frugal life is not a sign of being poor, it's a sign of being frugal. Rewarding yourselves with something special, using the funds you've saved up from being frugal, is a reminder of why it's good to be mindful of such things.
I admit, I fit the stereotype of the father who is constantly tweaking the thermostat and turning off lights. We have a saying around here "Lights are for people, not for empty rooms" Makes sense, right?
I'm not a tyrant, I want my family to function in a pleasant and low-stress environment. I think there is a way to be mindful and frugal, while also living a comfortable and pleasant and low-stress life.
Bless the Most High!
Teach Your Children Liberty from Sin
We encourage parents to teach their children principles of Godliness, beginning with the Word and an understanding who God is and what His Son has done to form a relationship with us.
No one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. 1 Corinthians 3:11-13
Teach Your children Liberty from Tyranny
Second to this is the principle of self-determination and freedom, lest we loose the ability to teach our children the first principle in future generations. Our children read the Tuttle Twin books, specifically to learn libertarian principles, which most people learn later in life. These books are useful for our family, and yours, to teach children concepts that seem complicated, but are made simple in these books. I am an affiliate for Libertas Publishing, your purchase will help our family grow financially.
Use coupon code FORTY for 40% off your purchase! Check out the books here.
"Politicians like problems because they can claim to have solutions... but their solutions often create even more problems."