Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot...NOT!

Thought I'd jazz up the ol' blog! Whaddaya think? I'm not sure if I'll keep it this way, but I like it for now.
I've been on the computer a lot today. This afternoon I've been trying to create a spreadsheet for our bi-weekly budget. I'm just an old "paper and pencil" kind of gal, you know? Chuck says everything will be easier once I get it all set up, but right now, he's not here and I'm tempted to revert back to my trusty green-tinted ledger and multicolored ink pens. It's official: I've become old and set in my ways. Aye!
On a brighter note, something wonderful has come from tracking all our expenses lately (in conjunction with a little experiment I've been conducting). I made a concerted effort a couple of months ago to quit playing with the thermostat (my step-dad would be so proud!). This has not been easy for me since having kids has made my internal temperature fluctuate like a menopausal madwoman. But, alas, for the sake of science (and the all important dollar), I set my thermostat to 72 degrees and that is where it has been for a couple of months now. To help me from spontaneously combusting I have also ran the ceiling fans in the living room and bedrooms pretty much non-stop. NOTE: Just be sure that the fans are turning counter clockwise in the warmer months and clockwise in the colder months (I just read recently that if your ceiling fan is running clockwise, it is actually pushing the warmer air from the ceiling DOWN and warming up the room. Good to know... thank goodness mine was turning the right way!). I've also closed the door to the spare bedroom (but left the vent to the room OPEN) since we hardly ever use that room anyway, and I can't believe what our power bill has been... and all without sacrificing any one's comfort. June's power bill was right at $10 LESS than May's, and July's power bill was almost $9 less than June's. And it's just gotten HOTTER... can you say "Ka-Ching?!" I'm so proud of myself! Though it's not a HUGE dollar amount, over the course of a year, it could really add up! How about you? What's your thermostat set on? Are you cranking it up and down and throwing your hard earned money out the window? I challenge you to do this little experiment with me and see how much money you could be saving.