Thinking Cash

Was thinking about the weather we've had over this winter so far. It reminds me of the one winter during my life that I spent living in Virginia. My dad had been transferred there by a company he worked for.

That winter I never needed more than a jacket. It would snow overnight and would melt and be gone by noon. I can recall one day I was riding with my dad in the car and other drivers were slipping, sliding and having problems driving. Coming from the north my dad just went around them and had no problems at all.

We've gotten many snow falls this winter here, but it immediately warms up and melts the snow. The mud though is a different matter.

I'm beginning to wonder just how bad the bug population will be this coming summer. Without the long below freezing temperatures that normally kill the sleeping creatures, I suspect we will be waging a war against many nasty biting insects.

Over the years I've observed bug populations do really well when we get a quick spring warm up. Normally it warms a little and bugs begin to hatch. Then we get hard freezes which gets rid of them before the summer warm up. Those years we have few bugs to contend with.

So here I get to survive yet another year to see something that could be very interesting. Though I guess it could be costly too with the need to purchase more bug spray.

Also I've noticed the supply and demand theory has been blown to heck.

It's been an easy heating winter. Haven't needed the furnace anywhere near as much as normal. The furnace hasn't had to run as constantly either. There are times during the winters here that the furnace runs all hours of the nights.

Now this shows me that in this area people are not using anywhere close to the amount of heating fuel they usually do. Yet I just had my oil tanks filled. $1900.08 to fill my tanks... Like I said, so much for supply and demand being the factor which drives cost. Nope, it's like many other things in this life, costs are now driven by greed!

I'm noticing that many more coal furnaces are being bought and installed. Heck the one that was in this house is still here on the farm and in storage. It may well get put back in. It may be an inconvenience to use, having to put the fuel in by hand every few hours and carrying out the ashes, but at the prices of fuel oil... I'm beginning to see the value!

From past experience I know that when the weather isn't really cold I can burn wood in the coal furnace and it keeps the house hot. The wood can come from out woodlots and costs very very little other than time. The huge benefit is that what it costs the most of is what we all need the most. The physical exercise to carry the firewood from the woods to the truck and then the physical energy to unload and stack the firewood.

That could be a way to save some cash and get healthier.

We burn wood from our woodlots every year anyway. But it's in a wood burning furnace that isn't hooked into the hot water radiators and once it gets really cold it's only a very small help. So by hooking up the old coal furnace and having it more evenly heat the house, I probably wouldn't have even had to buy coal for the winter.

Saving around $4000.00 to $5000.00 to heat for the winter would sure be worth the effort for a weeks worth of time cutting, carrying and stacking. Then also I wouldn't have so many dead young trees or older diseased, sick trees just laying in the woods rotting.

So how are you saving cash for your heating season?

Saving cash always helps add a brighter smile to my face and I'll bet it helps you too. Have a great day!!!