Family cuts laundry, food bill
EVERYONE PITCHES IN | Wash cold, hang clothes outside
Debra Brandt has a laundry list of things she does to save her family money, and laundry is on it.
"I hang the laundry out to dry when weather permits," she said. "It keeps the clothes smelling fresh and saves on electricity and gas as well as dryer sheets."
(Brian Jackson/Sun-Times)
Brandt, an adjunct professor who teaches math part-time at Moraine Valley Community College, estimates she's saving roughly $200 a year. (And she always uses the cold wash now to cut energy costs.)
She and husband Dan, a carpenter, have five kids, four of whom live at home and are ages 2, 6, 7 and 13. Gas and food costs have been among the biggest pocketbook challenges for the family this year and prompted changes.
Debra, who usually does two loads of laundry every other day, said she hung a clothes line out back a couple of years ago, just kind of for fun, but didn't really like to use it much.
"The last few weeks, the only thing I put in the dryer was towels," she said, noting she's trying everything she can think of to cut costs.
That's included cutting back on milk, which she said she's paying $1 more a gallon for this year, compared to last. The family used to go through at least seven gallons a week. But Brandt has reduced that to four and has the kids drinking more water since her monthly grocery costs rose by $75.
"I set the table with smaller cups, so they don't drink as much milk," she said. "I make them use smaller bowls for cereal.
"We really have cut back on the food and the types of food that we eat," she added. "It's more ground beef and cheaper cuts of meat now definitely."
In response to the higher gas prices, the family has canceled a road trip this month to Colorado, where they'd planned to stay with her aunt.
"I drove with the kids there two years ago and it cost me $600 in gas," she said. "This time we figured it would be at least $1,000 we'd need for gas. That's a bit too much for us."
To cut back on gas costs, they're doing more biking and walking.
"We walk to the local grocery store," she said. "We pull our youngest in a wagon and the other kids ride bikes."
Here's a list of some other things she says she's doing:
"I try to mow my lawn every two weeks. If you let your lawn grow a bit long once in a while, it will re-seed itself and you don't have to buy any.
"I'm trying to get the kids in the habit of turning the water off when brushing their teeth.
"I unplug my son's game chargers, the battery charger for my camera, things that we're not using so much because if it's plugged in it sucks energy.
"I use less detergent in the load. I have two containers of fabric softener. When I buy a new one, I pour one half into the empty one and fill both containers with water. When I put it in the washer I only use one half of a cup. My clothes still smell as good and come out as clean."
What are you doing to make ends meet? Write to psmith@suntimes.com