Monday, April 20, 2009

Blessings from the clothesline

Last month, my father in law mentioned that his power bill was back down to $50 where it should be.  I asked him how he did that because my power bill is never less than $100 and that is even with the air conditioner not running.  He said he doesn't use his clothers dryer.  I  thought, " Wow, if I could save $50 a month, I'd hang my clothes out to dry, too."

I decided to give it a try, thinking it was going to be very inconvenient, but worth a try.  The first day, I was excited, thinking about the money I might be saving.  As the days went by, I started to see some amazing benefits of not using the dryer. 

 First, I started to notice that some of the clothes we were wearing were not worth the effort  it took to wash them.  I started getting rid of even more clothes than I already did. I began to see the laundry as individual items, instead of a load of clothes that I put in the dyer.

Next,  I noticed that laundry was not piling up on the couch, waiting to be put away.  I did not want the clothes to stay out in the sun too long or stay outside and get dirty all over again, so I always brought them in and put them away.

I began to have a better laundry routine.  I needed to get them out in the morning sun, so I could put them away by lunch time, other wise I would forget about them, or get too distracted.  So every morning I was quick to get a load done and out on the line.  I even made sure to do a load before I left the house for the day, because I wouldn't be able to do it at night.  And I didn't want the laundry to back up.

I enjoyed an excuse to get outside.  I had just read Amy Grant's memoir, and she said that every day, the first thing  in the morning, she step  outside  and talked to God.  I found myself doing the same thing, and feeling refreshed.

Today, I am doubly blessed.  I opened my power bill to find a $59 bill.  I really didn't think it was right. I checked and double checked.  It was for a 30 day cycle and appears to be accurate.  Who knows what our bill will be next month, because I have only been hanging out the clothes for a few weeks.  


So what I thought would be a burden has become a double blessing!

13 comments:

singingintherain said...

Had to laugh about the line that some clothes were not worth washing. Freddie's electric bill is @ $18. Want to try that?

Tiffany said...

That's really impressive. I think I need a clothesline. I also love the other advantages, how it makes you get into a routine and enjoy the morning with God.

DebiH. said...

Wow! I have been thinking about it for a few weeks but haven't gotten around to getting one put up! Thanks for the inspiration!

MYstory of HIStory said...

Impressive! The weather is finally getting nice enough here to do that. yeah! (it was a looong winter!) I enjoy hanging out clothes too :)

Julie said...

I've been hanging our clothes for about a year (although not every single load). Years ago we'd had clotheslines on and off and it did always seem like a burden, but now I really enjoy it too!

Kirsten said...

ditto what you said. I love my clothesline. When we first started the clothesline and turning the air off in Nov we saved 200 dollars!! Big savings.

Leisa said...

I love my clothesline. I have been using it solely and have seen a hundred dollar a month decrease in our bill. I also have the girls help hang out the clothes on multiple load days.

Sonya said...

We've hung out our clothes for the past 10 years.... way too long. But I love it! When the sky is clear & there is a slight breeze, I feel like I need to have something on the line. I'm wacked, I know!

Don't know how much we've saved through the years. I know that I have only used the dryer 3 times so far this year.... darn rain.

GardenofGems said...

You definitely inspired me with your $59 bill. I have been hanging my clothes out the last two days. So far it is not as bad as I thought it would be. I also am attempting to stop using the dishwasher. I don't know why, but that one is a little harder for me.

amy w. said...

Okay all my clothesline friends here is a question. I have a child w/ really bad seasonal allergies. When the pollen count is high have any of you noticed allergy symptoms? the home we are moving to has a gas dryer so maybe the electric might not be to bad???

Smith Schoolhouse said...

very cool! I have been wanting ot do that now for a while. I think that would help tremendously with our power bill and we could use all the help we can get! Thanks for sharing!

Smith Schoolhouse said...

and Amy W. allergies is one reason I have not hung clothes in the past and I am still not sure if it is a good idea but I'm gonna give it a try. Jacob plays outside a lot anyway and I always see the exposure as an alternative to allergy shots where they pump the allergens straight into their blood.

Unknown said...

You are a better woman than I am~I am lucky to get things washed and then switche dover to the dryer...butit definitely is a money saver