Can I really not spend "ANY" money

So here is your first lesson. Let me define free. In this case it means not spending any more money than you normally would. NOT ONE PENNY MORE! Monthly, weekly even daily we give away money both intentionally and thoughtlessly. Well to prepare yourself for this ecoficient event you will need to make some decisions. Basically, the decisions will create savings for you and whatever you save you can choose to put in your savings account, treat yourself or loved ones to something special or perhaps use some of it for the ecoficient celebration fund. The idea is to minimize your consumption in order to increase your available free assets "money".

The first area is energy. Here are a few ways to reduce energy consumption and reduce your electricity bill.

• Wash as many loads as possible in cold water. (90% of energy cost for washing clothes is due to hot water consumption. Cold or Warm water is sufficient unless clothes are really dirty)
• Dry clothes consecutively to utilize heat already stored in the dryer
• Keep the thermostat at 68 degrees (in winter)
• Close the blinds on the north side of the house, open the blinds on the south side of the house (in winter)
• Unplug the cell phone charger when the phone is not plugged in to it.
• Turn off the computers at night
• Use pots and pans that fit the burners. Keep oven and burners clean.
• Cover pots and pans when cooking (water will come to a boil faster if you put the lid on the pot because less energy is lost thus faster results)
• Let food cool before putting it in the refrigerator(the fridge will not have to use extra energy to cool the food)
• On the refrigerator check the gasket (the soft plastic piece that seals the door to the body of the refrigerator) for gaps and improper fit. The door should close firmly against the gasket. If it doesn't, cold air will leak out of the refrigerator. You can check the tightness of the door by placing a dollar bill between the gasket and the door. Close the door and then pull out the dollar. You should feel a slight drag when you pull it out. If you don't (or the dollar just falls out when you let go of it), the gasket may be worn and should be replaced.
• Unplug appliances or use a power strip and switch off the power strip to cut all power to the appliances. ( In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. ie. laptops, toasters, blenders, tv's etc.)

I got most of my info from the following link http://www.eere.energy.gov/

If you can save money on your electric bill in the next 2 months you could use some of that money for food or gifts for the celebration. Then you would not spend any more than you normally would have that month. Is this making sense? Let me know, post a comment.