Inspiration from Extreme Cheap Skates

Over the past weekend, I watched the entire season of Extreme Cheapskate show on Lifetime (via Netflix, of course...no cable.). I am addicted and can't wait for the second season to be uploaded on Netflix. Some of them have really good ideas such as keeping track of water, gas, and electricity usages in the household.

In fact, I've been really good at doing laundry after peak hours and unplugging everything every time I exit a room. The house is completely dark most of the time. So far, my gas has dropped this month to $22.96 versus last cycle's $75. We were turning on the central heating system constantly, so the bill was around $75 for two months, which is inexcusable because we live in sunny southern california where the winters aren't harsh. Electricity bill went from the range of $30-$40 to $25 a month. What a difference little things make.

On the other hand, my s.o. is very irritated with me nagging him about unplugging everything, taking shorter showers at a much lower water heater setting (he LOVES hot showers that last 30 minutes) and doing laundry only once every 2 weeks.

I also am going to try to make a DIY laundry detergent once the current detergent runs out. Hopefully, I can keep a happy man and still learn from the cheapskate lifestyle.