Back to Basics

     Good morning! Did you hear it is supposed to be 94 degrees here in Phoenix...oh please, someone shoot me now.  For those of you who do not know me personally, I detest the heat....I hate "glistening" when I go out to check the mail, I hate being blasted by the hot air in the car, I had red faced kids who can only play outside for 15 minutes at a time, I hate seat belts that scald your leg...ugh...I hate ice that melts in my glass 5 minutes down the road and I hate that we get to do all this from April until October!  Now I know, some of you will say, "it is not that long, it is really only 3 months" but you are fooling yourselves!  All of this starts when the weather hits 95 and it stays this way for sooooooo long....aaahhhh.
     Now for the positive side of this wonderful weather we have...I have started using my clothesline.  Yes, I said it, my clothesline.  I figure, since we have all this glorious heat, I might as well quit paying for it in the form of my dryer while I pay for cold air in my house.  I figured out this morning that by doing two loads of laundry each day (which is what I need to do to keep up with this family of 5), I use about 10 kwh each day just with the dryer, I pay $.10 per kwh, so only about $1 a day.  But, that is $30 per month and $360 per year.  That is quite a few Christmas presents at the end of the year. 

    Now I know, I stay home, so this is easier for me, but let me tell you what I do and maybe you can save a little as well.  I had Mike install a retractable line on my patio ($15), if I had to walk way out in the yard and stand in the sun, I would just go ahead and pay for the heat!  I wash a little bit smaller loads so the clothes will fit on my line and I put the load in the dryer for 10 minutes prior to hanging.  I do this to remove lint and such before hanging.  I timed myself and it took me 6 minutes to hang the clothes.  Once we hit the 90's, the clothes only take about 20 minutes to dry and then I fold them as I take them down.  I remove the clothes by family member, so when I bring them in, they are ready to be put away...that does not take me any longer than folding out of the dryer.  To tell you the truth, I kind of like hanging the clothes, the kids do not bother me because I might ask them to help, so I have a few minutes of peace and quiet and it is a calming chore.  Also, the clothes are not wrinkled because they are hanging and the sun is natural stain fighter.  My whites are soooo bright one I start line drying.

     So, think about it, could you implement a clothes line into your day?  Or even just a couple of times a week?  Even $12 a month would be a nice savings!    Every time I hang clothes, I can hear my mom telling me not to hang her underwear on the outside lines where the neighbors will see...this always tickled me.  Unfortunately, the way my clothesline is, the neighbors see all the undies if they want to!     Notice I did not post a picture of the undies!  :)