Frugal Tips For March 2010
Grey Water Recycling
Gray water recycling is something everyone can do with little or no cost. Washing up water, Bathing water and cooking water can be collected in a large container in the garden and used for watering the plants and vegetables. Rain water can also be diverted from your gutter downpipe and also collected. Why use perfectly good clean drinking water for watering the garden?
Rain water contains more nutrients that plants require for healthy growth than does chlorinated drinking water, collect it in a water butt and save yourself some money on your water bill.
Solar Cooking (Cooking with the power of the sun)
We have covered 'Solar Cooking' previously. March is a great time here in the UK and across Europe to think about making a DIY Solar Cooker. The sunshine is getting warmer and the days longer. It is perfectly possible to cook yourself a four course meal using nothing but the power of the sun!
Great meals for solar cooking include Stews, casseroles, whole chickens and turkeys, joints of meat and vegetables.
If you are sure the weather is going to be sunny all day then why not prepare a meal in a hot pot and place it in your solar cooker before heading off to work for the day. Providing the weather has been fine you will return to a ready cooked meal as tender as anything you can make in your oven.
Planting Out Your Vegetables
If you have not started germinating your seeds already then March is the time to get going! Chatted potatoes can be planted out in the garden in march in the UK. I have been growing Chilies from seed inside in self watering veg boxes since February, they are ready to go out into the herb garden now and look great!
"The Squashes are indoors and are seedlings right now, I'll be giving them a week or so and they too will be going outdoors, straight into the vegetable patch."
If you do not have a garden you can still grow your own vegetables and save considerable amounts of money on your monthly shopping bill. Fine leaved salad such as Rocket is really expensive yet can be grown in plant pots indoors as can lettuce and chilies. Seeds are really cheap and you don't have to plant the entire packet, try staggering them over a 2 week period so you have a constant supply of fresh, organic vegetables.
Solar Hot Water
For those of you who are looking for a return on your investment then may I suggest Solar Hot Water. Solar hot water panels work really well in the UK and across Europe, many people still think they are inefficient but with the latest evacuated tube installations they perform really well, especially on a crisp winters day!
You can greatly reduce your hot water bills and save money in the process. A typical installation will cost in the region of £3,000 - £4,000 GBP and could provide 100% of your hot water needs in the summer months whilst reducing your winter bills dramatically.
In Summary
So we have covered saving money on your water bills by recycling your gray water, cooking without electricity or fire (Other than the sun of course!) to growing your own organic fruit and vegatables and finally a sound investment of Solar Hot Water Panels we can all do something to help with the mounting bills, live a little more frugally and be more self sufficient.
Any frugal living articles and tips are always welcomed here at HomeBrewPower, if you know of an interesting website worth a mention please do drop me an email (See bottom of every page for address)
Article by Andy Mahoney | 26th March | 2010