One Small Change: December, January, February and March

It's been a while since I've posted about our Small Changes, but that doesn't mean we haven't been thinking about our environment or making any progress toward reducing our footprint.  So here's a recap for December, January and February as well as a plan for March.

Thermostat: We have been very successful at holding the house temperature to 60 degrees F.  Our beds have extra blankets on them, we wear extra layers and each have a blanket for lounging.  We often wear a (hand knit by me) hat in the house too.  A couple of days when the temperatures were extremely cold  (-15F) we talked about raising the thermostat, but didn't and our energy bills have rewarded us in a big way.

Hair Color: I have been coloring my hair for nearly 20 years.  I love the brightness fresh highlights can give, especially in the spring and the dead of winter.  But last time I got my hair cut, I did not have any highlights added.  I had been thinking about foregoing the color for a year or so and letting my hair grow out.  So who knows?  I may change my mind once all of the highlights have been cut out, but for now I'm enjoying the natural color and grey that is plentiful.

Paper Plates:  We had bought a huge stack of paper plates for a series of parties we had last spring and summer and since they were around we were using them for regular meals.  Then it seemed we were buying and using paper plates a lot.  Eventually we ran out several weeks before we were able to get to the warehouse store.  I decided I wasn't going to buy them.  Hubba questioned it when we passed them then decided he didn't like the idea of throwing them out either.

For March:  Mending Clothes

The zipper has broken on one of Hubba's vests, I have a few small holes in a sweater and I've noticed some socks that could benefit from a little darning.

I remember my Grandmother being a wiz at these sort of mundane tasks.  But me on the other hand... well, I can replace buttons with the best of them, but when it comes to zippers and darning I have a few things to learn.  March seems like the perfect time to get started.  :-)

If you're interested in seeing what others are doing to improve their affect on our environment or would like to participate, please head over to the One Small Change Blog, new folks are always welcome.