Update on goals from earlier this summer

Goal #1: reduce electric usage

Pretty pitiful actually. I suspect the pet sitter may have turned up the a.c. way more than the damned cat needed. We were gone most of July and yet we used the same amount of electricity as the year before, when we were gone only half of July. Hmph.

The kids still don't turn out lights. I haven't been cooking... er, preparing cold foods for meals often. We leave our computers on a lot. Hubby leaves the phone charger plugged in all the time. And we still haven't installed a programmable thermostat.

Must be nice still living in the pre-Peak Oil world. Ahhhhhhh.

Goal #2: improve food storage

This is going well. I cleared out three large shelves in the laundry room for food storage. We are getting things rearranged in the garage to even more improve storage out there, so more non-perishable things can get out of the laundry room, and we can acquire more if we feel necessary.

Working on actually using some of this food -- like the giant bags of rice my husband bought. I still need to get some extra-large containers to keep that in after I open a bag.

Goal #3: Acquire some stuff

We've bought a few things. Need to get more. I have a list for Home Depot for after I get a gift card from there I am expecting as a rebate.

Goal #4: Start a compost bin

Still a work in progress. I did get a rain barrel. And I have a small bin in the kitchen that we can put scraps in during the day to later take out to the compost bin, once we have that. And we bagged up 2 large garbage bags of pine needles that will start up the compost bin. They are probably already decomposing in those black bags sitting out there in the sun...

I also labeled a large food container with "Soup Dump Bowl" and put that in the freezer. Now when we have leftover veggies or boneless meat, we can throw it in there, and every once in awhile make a big pot of soup.

If Hurricane Gustav hits us, we'll be seeing how well we did on goals 2 and 3.

Goal #4: Start a compost bin

I have a new garbage bag setup in the kitchen. We'll put food scraps in the recycled grocery bags (since I forget to use my green reusable bags half the time -- we still get plenty of these!). And we'll take our food out to the compost bin.

This will help with next fall's goal of a larger veggie garden.