It was with great trepidation that I opened our quarterly electricity bill today. And deservedly so for on the good news front, it is down 5 kWh from same period last year. Bad news is that is a jaw dropping $347. And this is despite all the efforts I’ve made in turning off lights, using the heater sparingly, turning off at the powerpoints, etc…
Yes I know that reducing electricity consumption is good for the environment but without seeing a tangible outcome in the form of a reduced bill it is hard to maintain the enthusiasm and justify the nagging I give my family to be conscious of their behaviour.
So I’ve decided to think of ways to make conserving electricity fun. Here are my top three ideas …
1. One night a week have a “no electricity night”. Dinner by candlelight, perhaps a fire with toasted marshmallows, BBQ, reading nighttime story book by torch, tell ghost stories, daggy disco dancing, lie outside and look at the stars …. Not sure how my hubby will cope with this though unless he invents a pedal powered computer but hopefully he’ll embrace the challenge!
2. Showering in the dark. Whilst I’m a morning shower person usually there is a certain peace and tranquility that can be attained via showering in a dark room and once or twice a week I will switch off and gain some serenity. It also means that I have more time in the morning to get breakfasts, make lunches etc. And for those showers in the morning I really don’t need to turn on the lights especially now I have a lovely, freshly painted bathroom.
3. Play – find the power switch – with my 5 year old and turn them off practicing counting at the same time! The TV switch will be a challenge as I can’t for the life of me find the switch!
Does anyone have any other ideas?
I got cabin fever today. It was a wet miserable day and whilst I would have loved being curled up with either a good book or a not so good man neither was available and instead little miss discontent was demanding constant attention. Given that there is only so much one person can take trying to deal with a 6mth old learning to crawl, I had the deluded idea that going to Ikea would be preferable to being cooped up at home.
The last time I went to Ikea I was in tears at the checkout trying to push two trolleys simultaneously laden with flat pack wardrobes that I had somehow managed to get off the shelves by myself without breaking my back. So I’m not really sure why I thought this trip would be any different. And it wasn’t – just this time I had a crying baby strapped to my chest (thankfully only at the end when she got tired – the rest of the time she happily gurgled and took swipes at passersby).
In addition, I felt very annoyed with myself – as Ikea is the Mecca for those wanting low cost (translation – mass produced, short shelf life) but trendy (translation – fleeting, not design that stands the test of time) products the store should definitely be on my black list of “where not to go”. And of course buying anything there would contravene my “not buying anything new mandate”. But, and here is where I look sheepish, my parents gave me $$ for my birthday last weekend to purchase a new vanity & shaving cabinet for the bathroom and Ikea had just what I needed. I did have a look on Ebay & Trading Post for a 2nd hand version but what I wanted wasn’t there and I currently don’t have the skill to build something myself.
So I took the easy option which I guess is a big huge fail for me on my sustainability challenge.
Oh well tomorrow is another day…..
