Are you Ultra Efficient in Other Parts of Your Life, Too?

[ChewChewTrain]

Besides playing the "Fuel Savings Game", I'm efficient with food and apartment space.

EFFICIENT WITH FOOD
I hate wasting food. I never toss spoiled food from my refrigerator, because I make sure I eat it. The best advice was this: When opening the 'fridge door most people wrongly ask, "What do I FEEL like eating?" To avoid wasting food ask, "What CAN I eat?"

EFFICIENT WITH SPACE
In my apartment, I loathe bedrooms, because it's an inefficient application of space that sits hugely idle during waking hours. When you fall asleep, you could easily do that in a smaller space than a bedroom. Well, I can't change the layout of my apartment walls so I dual-purpose my bedrooms.

For example, one of the smaller bedrooms has a double-bed, loft bed, which gives me floor space underneath to create the Worlds Smallest Movie Theater with a big screen TV with 5.1 sound.

Another bedroom with a bunkbed (twin bed above; futon sofa below, which pulls out into a double bed) doubles as my office and another Worlds Smallest Movie Theater (not as nice as the other, though).

I can't figure out a dual-purpose for the third bedroom. Any suggestions? It would be too typical to turn it in sex slave chamber. I want something different from the rest of you!

I also make use of space by storing small stuff in easily accessible plastic boxes slid under the living room sofas.

And, I created bench seating around the dining table and under the living room window, which opens up to provide storage inside.

So, besides being efficient with fuel, I'm efficient with food and living space. You?

Doug
Oakland, California USA

[Draigflag]

Sort of, everyone could do more. If you want to be ultra efficient, watch some documentaries about the cities of Japan, Tokyo in particular. They are so far ahead in every way, we have much to learn.

I too never waste food. Trick is to do 1 shop a week, buy enough food for one week. Not enough and two trips is a waste of time and fuel, too much and stuff will bypass is sell by date. Food waste is recycled here as is everything else, but always better to use it than to loose it. Avoid buy one get one free offers as you will end up with more food than you need.

My house is pretty old, no cavity walls, no insulation and no double glazing. It's a listed building so has restrictions, they like it to look and feel like a 200 year old house which I respect, but kind of annoyed at too as it probably has a larger carbon footprint than a modern house. Having said that, it's a terraced house so I am sandwiched between two houses, so I'm only loosing heat through two walls. I try not to have central heating on much and use the open fires, like the Victoriana used to, burning wood as often as I can as it's renewable and greener than coal. Remember to close all interior doors as the heat will retain better and won't spread between rooms. Also, on hot days, consider closing blinds or curtains as this will reflect light and heat away from your house, in winter it will reflect heat back into your house. All my lights are either energy effecient or LED. My spare rooms aren't really used much sadly.

[ChewChewTrain]

Draigflag, have you considered wearing a climate controlled astronaut's spacesuit. In the US at the flea markets near NASA in Houston, you can pickup up a slightly used, last year's model, spacesuit pretty cheap.

[benlovesgoddess]

Ha ha ha! Yeah, perfect for fancy dress, Led Zep! Sadly, in all other aspects of life I am an efficiency mess. I have an uncontrollable wife, so decision making is also out of my control.

[Draigflag]

No space suits, but British people have this "thing" Where if it's cold, we just put an extra layer on. Sometimes I just leave my coat on and there's no need to put the heating on. Sounds tight, but us Brits love to pinch a penny or two!

[gundamit]

Originally Posted by Draigflag

Sounds tight, but us Brits love to pinch a penny or two!

If Scotland gains independence the British may lose a bit of that reputation.

Apologies in advance to anyone offended by this stereotype.

[Draigflag]

Sorry that's a bit before my time, an inside joke? What's MD?

[gundamit]

It's kind of a old sterotype of Scotts that seem to survive.

Still beating out sheep, which is probably a good thing. Anyone offended should send their complaints to everyone who searched Google for Scottish stereotypes.

MD is a brand of toilet tissue that must have thought at one point it was okay to market their *** wipes by leveraging the Scott's reputation for being thrifty.

[Draigflag]

Here you go guys, this should make you proud. Just had a comparison from my gas/electric Energy provider. I knew I was more energy efficient than most people, but didn't realise by THIS much! Not bad for a fairly old house with wooden rattles windows, stone walls and no insulation, like living in a cave sometimes

[RobertV]

Originally Posted by Draigflag

Here you go guys, this should make you proud. Just had a comparison from my gas/electric Energy provider. I knew I was more energy efficient than most people, but didn't realise by THIS much! Not bad for a fairly old house with wooden rattles windows, stone walls and no insulation, like living in a cave sometimes

That's hilarious.
I think in EVERY bill (even when I went out of my way to not use the AC/Heater and conserve energy use) my electricity provider says something along the opposite of that. "You're using X amount more than 98% of households in your area".
I lol every time. I recall my parents saying the same thing when I lived at home with them.
Sounds like your provider gives you encouragement to "keep up the savings/good work" while over here they want to make us feel bad about it.