I've now shifted to taking AC Transit (bus) into San Francisco 4 days a week in order to save money on gas as well as wear-and-tear on our 2nd car. In the past 3 years, I've driven my car less than 3,000 miles. So the net impact of high gasoline prices for me personally is about an extra $10-15 per month, since I fill up the gas tank about once every 6 weeks now.
Based on these facts, I called an auto insurance agent to get a quote for insuring the second car. I'm paying nearly $1000 a year to insure my car, which means that my car insurance costs more than all of the other combined costs (gasoline, and maintenance) for operating my car!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Lee's Deli Does the Right Thing
Whenever I don't bring lunch from home, I make it a point to go to Lee's Deli in San Francisco for two reasons:
1) They're cheap - I can usually get lunch for under $5
2) They "pay" me for using reusable containers
a) Soup - I bring in a SF Soup company reusable soup bowl, and they give me 50 cent discount every time I use it.
b) Salad - I bring in a Quizno's take-out salad container, and they round down to the nearest dollar, which averages to a 50 cent discount per lunch.
Also, I never accept either a paper bag or plastic utensil from the cashier.
1) They're cheap - I can usually get lunch for under $5
2) They "pay" me for using reusable containers
a) Soup - I bring in a SF Soup company reusable soup bowl, and they give me 50 cent discount every time I use it.
b) Salad - I bring in a Quizno's take-out salad container, and they round down to the nearest dollar, which averages to a 50 cent discount per lunch.
Also, I never accept either a paper bag or plastic utensil from the cashier.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Water, Water Everywhere
We recently received notice from our water company, East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) that our water rates will be headed higher, thanks to a drought. Naturally, my response is to cut back on our water usage, which averages about 16,000 gallons (55,000 liters) per month year round. Here's what we're doing:
1) Lawn Sprinklers - Roughly half of our water usage during the summer months comes from watering our lawn and garden. Last night, I cut the number of sprinkler minutes from 10 down to 9, and set the timer to go off one hour earlier (which will mean less evaporation). Every week, I will check the lawn/garden, and reduce sprinkler time by 1 minute as long as our plants stay in good shape.
2) Bath - I've cut the amount of water I use during my nightly bath by 50%. This means no more soaking in the tub.
3) Toilet - Last month, our upstairs toilet broke. In order to flush it, I have to manually open the water valve at the base of the toilet. Due to the time it takes to fill the tank, I now flush the toilet only after Russell. Punky and I pee into the toilet, both in the morning and at night.
4) Dishwasher - I only run the dishwasher once a month, down from once every 2 weeks (it's an energy hog!). When I wash the dishes by hand, I now use a reduced flow of water.
5) Car Wash - I no longer wash the cars. I never did, anyway.
6) Laundry - I used to do my laundry without mixing my clothes with the rest of the family. Now I mix my clothes with the others, which I think means the washing machine is full most of the time.
I'll let you know what happens to our water usage in a couple of months.
1) Lawn Sprinklers - Roughly half of our water usage during the summer months comes from watering our lawn and garden. Last night, I cut the number of sprinkler minutes from 10 down to 9, and set the timer to go off one hour earlier (which will mean less evaporation). Every week, I will check the lawn/garden, and reduce sprinkler time by 1 minute as long as our plants stay in good shape.
2) Bath - I've cut the amount of water I use during my nightly bath by 50%. This means no more soaking in the tub.
3) Toilet - Last month, our upstairs toilet broke. In order to flush it, I have to manually open the water valve at the base of the toilet. Due to the time it takes to fill the tank, I now flush the toilet only after Russell. Punky and I pee into the toilet, both in the morning and at night.
4) Dishwasher - I only run the dishwasher once a month, down from once every 2 weeks (it's an energy hog!). When I wash the dishes by hand, I now use a reduced flow of water.
5) Car Wash - I no longer wash the cars. I never did, anyway.
6) Laundry - I used to do my laundry without mixing my clothes with the rest of the family. Now I mix my clothes with the others, which I think means the washing machine is full most of the time.
I'll let you know what happens to our water usage in a couple of months.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Plastic Forks and Bags
Last night we had our monthly dinner to Sam Won's Korean Restaurant in Oakland. At the conclusion of our meal, I took the unused plastic forks that the waitresses place on our dinner table (for the kids) back into the take-out utensils container. The waitresses smiled at me and thanked me.
Today at Quiznos, I ordered a chicken sandwich (I ran out of bread at home) to go. When my order was ready, the clerk offered me both a paper bag and a napkin, which I politely declined. The owner of the store, Howard, came up to me and thanked me.
Signed,
The Real No Impact Man (a.k.a. Low Impact Man)
Today at Quiznos, I ordered a chicken sandwich (I ran out of bread at home) to go. When my order was ready, the clerk offered me both a paper bag and a napkin, which I politely declined. The owner of the store, Howard, came up to me and thanked me.
Signed,
The Real No Impact Man (a.k.a. Low Impact Man)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Ziploc Bags and Straws
We use a lot of Ziploc bags, so it makes sense for me to wash them out after using them. I'm happy to say that we reuse each bag about 10-20 times before it wears out. And even Jenny has started to wash and reuse them!
The kids also drink using straws, so I wash them out every time they use them. Again, I can make a bag of 100 straws last about 2 years, so that saves us money, too.
The kids also drink using straws, so I wash them out every time they use them. Again, I can make a bag of 100 straws last about 2 years, so that saves us money, too.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Top 10: What I've Noticed
During this holiday season, we've visited quite a number of people's homes. Here's what I've noticed:
1) Television - Everyone has 2 or more flat-screen televisions - From what I've read, the newer TVs use quite a bit more electicity than older CRT TVs. My household is the only one I've seen that has only 1 TV. And ours is about 20 years old. The remote control barely functions.
2) Lights - Most people like to keep the lights on throughout the house. We rarely keep more than 2 sets of room lights going at once. That;s one reason why our electric bill averages $20 per month year-round.
3) Heating - We set our thermostat to no more than 65F during the day, and 63F at night. I usually see 68F in most houses.
4) Electronics - Ours is virtually the only house without a video game console. And the only one without a high-end stereo/video system. One family we know doesn't have a video game console (they have girls).
5) Cars - Most families we know have minivans or large SUVs, and more than 2 cars. We don't have a minivan, and could probably drop our 2nd car (see communting strategy below).
6) Toys - Most families we know have a huge amount of toys. Our boys have relatively little.
7) Wal-Mart - Few people we know will admit to shopping at Wal-Mart as we do. Instead, most people seem to prefer Costco. I prefer Wal-Mart because I don't like buying huge amounts of stuff that we don't need. Plus Jenny tends to cook our meals from scratch, rather than heat-and-serve dishes so common at Costco.
8) Computers - Most people we know have more than one up-to-date computer. I usually buy a computer once every 5 years, the cheapest model from either Dell or HP.
9) Home Office - Ours is the only home without a separate home/office room. Our desk sits in the living room, with the laptop in a drawer. We don't have WiFi, or wireless internet.
10) Blog - I'm the only one with a blog. Three of them, in all!
UPDATE - Did I mention that we are the only ones I know without an Ipod in the house?
1) Television - Everyone has 2 or more flat-screen televisions - From what I've read, the newer TVs use quite a bit more electicity than older CRT TVs. My household is the only one I've seen that has only 1 TV. And ours is about 20 years old. The remote control barely functions.
2) Lights - Most people like to keep the lights on throughout the house. We rarely keep more than 2 sets of room lights going at once. That;s one reason why our electric bill averages $20 per month year-round.
3) Heating - We set our thermostat to no more than 65F during the day, and 63F at night. I usually see 68F in most houses.
4) Electronics - Ours is virtually the only house without a video game console. And the only one without a high-end stereo/video system. One family we know doesn't have a video game console (they have girls).
5) Cars - Most families we know have minivans or large SUVs, and more than 2 cars. We don't have a minivan, and could probably drop our 2nd car (see communting strategy below).
6) Toys - Most families we know have a huge amount of toys. Our boys have relatively little.
7) Wal-Mart - Few people we know will admit to shopping at Wal-Mart as we do. Instead, most people seem to prefer Costco. I prefer Wal-Mart because I don't like buying huge amounts of stuff that we don't need. Plus Jenny tends to cook our meals from scratch, rather than heat-and-serve dishes so common at Costco.
8) Computers - Most people we know have more than one up-to-date computer. I usually buy a computer once every 5 years, the cheapest model from either Dell or HP.
9) Home Office - Ours is the only home without a separate home/office room. Our desk sits in the living room, with the laptop in a drawer. We don't have WiFi, or wireless internet.
10) Blog - I'm the only one with a blog. Three of them, in all!
UPDATE - Did I mention that we are the only ones I know without an Ipod in the house?
Take Out Containers
I've finally got Jenny hooked on those GLAD reusable food containers. For the past 3 restaurant visits, I've brought these plastic food containers for our leftovers (along with a plastic bag). I'm all for the upcoming ban on take-out styrofoam containers.
From the Alameda Journal:
From the Alameda Journal:
Soon, restaurant owners in Alameda may not have a choice about what kind of containers they use for their food. The city is considering a ban on polystyrene food containers, and it may happen as early as next month.I do wish they would also consider giving people like me a 10 or 25 cent credit for bringing in my own containers.
A meeting to discuss the proposed ban and get public input will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Ave. Prohibited items would include take-out food containers, bowls, plates, trays, cartons and cups, according to a press release the city issued last week.
In addition, restaurants, food vendors and city facilities will be required to use containers that can break down in nature, unless an affordable alternative is not available. The city has suggested that restaurants and food vendors could charge a "take-out fee" to customers to cover the cost difference for purchasing the alternative product.
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