Eating Lower on the Hog
In the south when things are going well or you have just eaten a fine meal we refer to it as, “eating high on the hog.” With the economy like it is and with utilities and food prices going up it has become necessary for many of us to eat a little lower on the hog in order to make ends meet. Today I will pass along a few simple tips this old bachelor has discovered that may be of benefit to you during the winter months.
Tip #1 - Open Those Shades
In the winter months heating costs is one of our most expensive necessities. Of course we all know to lower our thermostats but in realty that is only touching the tip of the iceberg. One of the best energy savers is sitting right outside on clear days…the sun.
The sun is a great source of free heat. Each morning make sure you open your curtains, blinds or shades on the east and south sides of your house. You will be shocked at how much heat will flood into your home and keep your heating unit from running as often.
Tip #2 - Think Infrared or Blue Flame
If you are like me you tend to spend most of your inside hours in one room. Why heat every room in your house to 72 degrees if you seldom if ever go in them? Go to your local hardware or Lowe’s and purchase an infrared or blue flame heater and put it in the room where you spend most of your time. It will pay for itself within the first two months.
I keep my forced air unit’s thermostat on 68 degrees almost every day. In the room where I spend most of my time, I purchased an infrared heater with a thermostat and I keep this area a cozy 72-73 degrees all day. Not only are you saving money by only fully heating one or two rooms but the infrared and blue flame heaters are much more efficient than forced air.
Usually the question is whether to purchase infrared or blue flame. The answer is really very simple. Purchase an infrared heater if you stay in a room with a lot of furniture and you plan on spending your time close to the heater. An infrared works much like the sun, it heats objects and clothing. The blue flame heater heats only the air and works better in large open rooms. Both have the same high efficiency rating so you really can’t go wrong with either one.
Tip #3 - Use Your Ceiling Fan the Right Way
A ceiling fan will help lower heating costs if you use it the right way. Many people with infrared or blue flame heaters, wood stoves or fireplaces use a ceiling fan to circulate the heat throughout their home. Unfortunately, most people put their fan in reverse thus defeating the purpose. Remember, heat rises automatically and needs no help from a fan. Leave your fan running very slowly in forward and it will dissipate the rising heat back down on the floor and throughout your house. If you use only forced air do not use a fan at all unless you have extremely high ceilings. Forced air is automatically circulated by design.
Tip #4 - Turn that Stove Off
Every electric appliance in your kitchen is an energy hog. One of the biggest energy gluttons is your stove. Obviously the less you use it the more energy you save. I have found that cooking large amounts at once will add a few dollars to your wallet each month. Consider cooking an oven full of food such as meat or cornbread all at once. When the everything is finished cooking, divide it into individual portions and pull them out as needed. Do the same thing on your stove top with foods such as chili and soups. You will save energy, wash fewer dishes and save a lot of time. This works great if you live alone or it is just you and a spouse.
Tip #5 - Forget Fast Food
We seem to be fast food crazy these days. We all like quick and simple but the problem with that is that it’s usually expensive to live that way. It is time many people return to their roots and get back to eating beans and potatoes. I am not sure you have noticed it or not but you can eat a lot of butterbeans and cornbread for less than the price of one Big Mac. Many people will tell you that McDonald’s dollar menu is a great buy. It does sound great until you realize that you have just purchased five items just for yourself. I’ll stick to my beans and taters thank you.
Obviously there are many more ways to save money. I’ll post some more occasionally as we roll along over many different topics. For now though, feel free to pass along a few of your favorite tips in the comments section. We all may be eating lower on the hog before this economy rebounds.
All very good advice, Mark. I can vouch for every item. To save even more energy when cooking, use a crockpot to cook up enough stew, soup, pot roast, etc for several meals. Use a microwave when warming up food; it runs a lot cheaper and faster than a stove. If you plan to bake something, winter is the best time, as the oven’s heat is not wasted. Likewise, hold off baking in the summer, or do it in a countertop convection oven or toaster oven.
I follow your advice as well Jerry. It looks like we are both single and watching every penny. I don’t own a countertop convection oven. Do you use yours a lot? Is it worth the money?
Well worth it, Mark. Mine is small, cost about $40. It will evenly bake anything you can fit into it, also broil. I also have a smaller non-convection toaster oven sitting on top of it, which I mainly use as a toaster. The convec job has a timer, so I can set it and forget it for stuff like parching peanuts, etc.
Good advice. I like to cook a roast with carrots and potatoes, then use some of the leftovers for hash. (Another tip: Whole carrots peeled and cut up are much better tasting than those little sand blasted baby carrots. And they are a whole lot cheaper too.) Later in the week, I’ll use what’s left as the starting point to make vegetable soup. Then after dinner I divide the leftover soup up into small containers and freeze them. It’s very nice to get some vegetable soup out of the freezer and have it some night when Mama’s too tired to cook. Almost any soup you make ins going to be a large quantity, great for freezing.
I’ll post my recipes in Compassalabama’s recipe section later this week.
@jerry smith
I use a small toaster oven often for warming food that I want to remain crunchy. I am going to look into a small convection oven now that you’ve mentioned it. My microwave is now 30 yrs. old and keeps on working. I’ll probably hold on to it until it quits even though friends hate that it does not have a “warm” button.
We eat soup often around here. Chicken is used for chicken and rice soup and I love potato soup and a cheese sandwich.
I probably buy less than a $100.00 worth of food a month. Cleaning supplies are the killer.
Another cheap money saver is to plug child safety caps into your electrical outlets. My brother had his house tested for drafts and his electrical outlets was the #1 culprit.