Switch to cold water.
Almost 90 percent of the energy used to wash clothes is used to heat the water, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Save money and energy. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water, instead of hot, using a detergent formulated for cold-water use.
Turning the dial from hot to warm will cut your energy use by 50 percent per load and save you up to $63 a year, according to the Alliance to Save Energy
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
CVS Shopping Tips - #2
Green bag tag
What is a Green bag tag?
This is a small tag made from a corn-based material - an annually renewable resource that can be purchased for $.99 at CVS and attached to a reusable bag.You can buy these in the store or online HERE. Sometimes they even offer these free with ECB's.
Why purchase a Green bag tag?
Every 4th visit you earn $1 ECB to use on your next visit, and you are helping to save our environment by not getting a plastic bag.
How do you use it?
Attach to a reusable bag, a plastic bag from a previous purchase or just hold it in your hand and use no bag at all. Have the cashier scan it each visit that you decline a plastic bag. After the 4th visit you will will receive an ECB for $1 which will print at the bottom of your receipt. After 4 visits the tag pays for itself. Please note that you must have an Extra Care card linked to the tag.
* NOTES - From cvs.com To earn Extra Bucks® for a transaction in-store, your ExtraCare® card, Green bag tag, and reusable bag must be presented with purchase at checkout. Limit of one Green bag tag use/scan per day per household. Every fourth purchase your Extra Bucks reward will print at the bottom of your cash register receipt as a $1 coupon good for your next purchase. Extra Bucks can be used until the expiration date shown on the coupon. Extra Bucks are not redeemable for alcohol, gift cards, lottery, money orders, prescriptions, postage stamps, pre-paid cards and tobacco products. Extra Bucks can only be used when presented in conjunction with the ExtraCare card associated with the rewards. CVS/pharmacy reserves the right to modify or terminate the Green bag tag program without notice. Green bag tag rewards cannot be earned with CVS.com® purchases.
What is a Green bag tag?
This is a small tag made from a corn-based material - an annually renewable resource that can be purchased for $.99 at CVS and attached to a reusable bag.You can buy these in the store or online HERE. Sometimes they even offer these free with ECB's.
Why purchase a Green bag tag?
Every 4th visit you earn $1 ECB to use on your next visit, and you are helping to save our environment by not getting a plastic bag.
How do you use it?
Attach to a reusable bag, a plastic bag from a previous purchase or just hold it in your hand and use no bag at all. Have the cashier scan it each visit that you decline a plastic bag. After the 4th visit you will will receive an ECB for $1 which will print at the bottom of your receipt. After 4 visits the tag pays for itself. Please note that you must have an Extra Care card linked to the tag.
* NOTES - From cvs.com To earn Extra Bucks® for a transaction in-store, your ExtraCare® card, Green bag tag, and reusable bag must be presented with purchase at checkout. Limit of one Green bag tag use/scan per day per household. Every fourth purchase your Extra Bucks reward will print at the bottom of your cash register receipt as a $1 coupon good for your next purchase. Extra Bucks can be used until the expiration date shown on the coupon. Extra Bucks are not redeemable for alcohol, gift cards, lottery, money orders, prescriptions, postage stamps, pre-paid cards and tobacco products. Extra Bucks can only be used when presented in conjunction with the ExtraCare card associated with the rewards. CVS/pharmacy reserves the right to modify or terminate the Green bag tag program without notice. Green bag tag rewards cannot be earned with CVS.com® purchases.
Homemade Fire Starters
Homemade Fire Starters
These work great and you only need 1 or 2. I love to use these in my wood stove.
Dryer Lint (yes dryer lint!)
old candles or leftover wax from candles
pot
container, pot or boil to melt wax
cardboard egg carton
Fill each egg cup with dryer lint. I put wax in an old coffee can and set in a pot of water until it melts.When melted pour wax over egg cups. Let dry. Cut apart into individual starters and store in a container or ziploc bag. Take out 1 or 2 as needed as use as you would a store bought fire starter.
Go green with your thermostat
Install a programmable thermostat.
If your house is empty for long periods of time while your family is at work or school, a programmable thermostat may make
sense. It allows you to use less heat or air conditioning when you're away from home or sleeping.
Programmable thermostats start at about $30, are easy to install and will shave about 10 percent off of your heating and cooling bills, says Ronnie Kweller, spokeswoman for the Alliance to Save Energy. The average annual savings is about $100
A little warmer, a little cooler.About 47 percent of the average household's annual energy bills stem from heating and cooling. Every degree you raise your thermostat in the summer will reduce air conditioning bills by about 2 percent. Lowering the temperature by one degree in winter will save you 3 percent on heating bills. Regular maintenance and a tune up every two or three years will keep your heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, system operating efficiently, saving energy and money. A programmable thermostat -- excellent for a family that spends a good part of the day at work or school -- will shave 10 percent off your bill.
Adjusting your thermostat is free, easy and can yield big savings. A programmable thermostat starts about $30 and produces an annual savings of about $100.
If your house is empty for long periods of time while your family is at work or school, a programmable thermostat may make
sense. It allows you to use less heat or air conditioning when you're away from home or sleeping.
Programmable thermostats start at about $30, are easy to install and will shave about 10 percent off of your heating and cooling bills, says Ronnie Kweller, spokeswoman for the Alliance to Save Energy. The average annual savings is about $100
A little warmer, a little cooler.About 47 percent of the average household's annual energy bills stem from heating and cooling. Every degree you raise your thermostat in the summer will reduce air conditioning bills by about 2 percent. Lowering the temperature by one degree in winter will save you 3 percent on heating bills. Regular maintenance and a tune up every two or three years will keep your heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, system operating efficiently, saving energy and money. A programmable thermostat -- excellent for a family that spends a good part of the day at work or school -- will shave 10 percent off your bill.
Adjusting your thermostat is free, easy and can yield big savings. A programmable thermostat starts about $30 and produces an annual savings of about $100.
Monday, August 1, 2011
CVS Shopping Tips - #1
For the next several days I will be sharing some great tips to get the most out of your shopping at your local CVS. I am very fortunate as I pass mine 3 days a week going to and from work and can stop by whenever. Sometimes I will even break my shopping up into several days to use the ECB's that I earned on the previous trip and to scan the Green Bag Tag more to accumulate my points faster. More on ECB's and Green Bag Tags later in the week.
This is the first and most important step to begin your CVS shopping.
Extra Care Card
If you’re going to shop at CVS, you’ll want to sign up for the CVS ExtraCare Rewards Card so that you can receive ExtraCare Bucks. Every non-prescription purchase you make earns you 2 percent in ECBs, credited to your ExtraCare account. At the end of each quarter, you’ll get the value in your account back as ExtraCare Bucks to use on a future purchase! And, as if that weren’t enough, you’ll also earn $1 for every two prescriptions filled using your ExtraCare card. Many other items sold at CVS will also produce an ECB when purchased, which you can find in your local ad circular.
The best way to use ExtraCare Bucks is to combine them with a great sale price, a CVS coupon and a manufacturer's coupon (also known as coupon "stacking”). You'll get an even better deal if you can “roll” your ECBs from one transaction into the next, eventually resulting in zero out-of-pocket expense.
Here's how it works:
First, scan your local ad circular to see which products will generate ECBs. For example, let’s say Crest toothpaste is on sale; purchase one tube for $2 and get $2 back in ECBs. Use those ECBs to pay for the next transaction - a second tube, which will generate $2 more in ECBs. And so on. To maximize savings, use the ECBs you earned from a transaction to buy something in a subsequent transaction. If you can pay for an item with ECBs, then get more ECB from the transaction, even better! Just remember, you must use your individual ECBs at one time. So, if you use a $2 in ExtraCare Bucks on a $1 purchase, you forfeit the extra $1.
Once you get your ExtraCare card go online and sign up for emails and get $4.00 off a $20.00 purchase.
To view your ExtraCare rewards, print Extra Bucks and to take advantage of convenient new online features, you will need to Sign Up for an online account, and follow the steps to Attach an ExtraCare card
If you already have a CVS.com account with an ExtraCare card attached, Sign In using your Email Address and Password. You will be able to view and print your ExtraCare rewards and access your ExtraCare account information.
This is the first and most important step to begin your CVS shopping.
Extra Care Card
If you’re going to shop at CVS, you’ll want to sign up for the CVS ExtraCare Rewards Card so that you can receive ExtraCare Bucks. Every non-prescription purchase you make earns you 2 percent in ECBs, credited to your ExtraCare account. At the end of each quarter, you’ll get the value in your account back as ExtraCare Bucks to use on a future purchase! And, as if that weren’t enough, you’ll also earn $1 for every two prescriptions filled using your ExtraCare card. Many other items sold at CVS will also produce an ECB when purchased, which you can find in your local ad circular.
The best way to use ExtraCare Bucks is to combine them with a great sale price, a CVS coupon and a manufacturer's coupon (also known as coupon "stacking”). You'll get an even better deal if you can “roll” your ECBs from one transaction into the next, eventually resulting in zero out-of-pocket expense.
Here's how it works:
First, scan your local ad circular to see which products will generate ECBs. For example, let’s say Crest toothpaste is on sale; purchase one tube for $2 and get $2 back in ECBs. Use those ECBs to pay for the next transaction - a second tube, which will generate $2 more in ECBs. And so on. To maximize savings, use the ECBs you earned from a transaction to buy something in a subsequent transaction. If you can pay for an item with ECBs, then get more ECB from the transaction, even better! Just remember, you must use your individual ECBs at one time. So, if you use a $2 in ExtraCare Bucks on a $1 purchase, you forfeit the extra $1.
Once you get your ExtraCare card go online and sign up for emails and get $4.00 off a $20.00 purchase.
To view your ExtraCare rewards, print Extra Bucks and to take advantage of convenient new online features, you will need to Sign Up for an online account, and follow the steps to Attach an ExtraCare card
If you already have a CVS.com account with an ExtraCare card attached, Sign In using your Email Address and Password. You will be able to view and print your ExtraCare rewards and access your ExtraCare account information.
Zucchini Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips ( I used ¾ mini)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sour cream
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. ( I used 1 loaf pan and 2 mini loaf pans)
2.
Beat together eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil. Blend in the grated zucchini, and then the sour cream. Mix in the flour, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon. Stir in chocolate. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3.
Bake for 60 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Originial Recipe - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/zucchini-bread/detail.aspx
*NOTES - Next time I will only add 1 cup Splenda and 1 cup Sugar, substitute applesauce for oil, and use only all purpose flour
Go green with your heat/air
Turn the heat up (or down).
About 47 percent of the average household's annual energy bills stem from heating and cooling, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Adjusting your thermostat is free, easy and can yield big savings.
Every degree you raise your thermostat in the summer will reduce air conditioning bills by about 2 percent, said Jeff Deyette, energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists. Lowering the temperature by one degree in winter will save you 3 percent on heating bills.
About 47 percent of the average household's annual energy bills stem from heating and cooling, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Adjusting your thermostat is free, easy and can yield big savings.
Every degree you raise your thermostat in the summer will reduce air conditioning bills by about 2 percent, said Jeff Deyette, energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists. Lowering the temperature by one degree in winter will save you 3 percent on heating bills.
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