Oh, the little things we do...

Again in the interest of "mind the nickels and dimes and the dollars will mind themselves," I used a black marker to highlight the "normal" load amount on my laundry detergent scoops. Otherwise, it would be too easy to just guess...and end up using more than is necessary. I ALWAYS wash in cold water these days, but for loads containing sheets, towels and undies, I add a scoop of non-chlorine bleach alternative. Laundry detergent is yet another of those one-time-use products that I have always tried to spend as little on as possible, but these days there is evidence it's even hard on the clothes to use too much detergent. According to the WSJ article "The Great American Soap Overdose," too much detergent makes our "clothes dingy and our machines smell." And gotta love the quote in the article that says for many loads, we could do without soap altogether!

It's enough: Minimal light

At night, instead of turning on the overhead lights for quick trips to the kitchen or bathroom, we have these little CFL nightlights, which throw off a surprising amount of light for so little electrical output (1.6Watts). Maybe not a big saving in the grand scheme of things, but as a frugal Ursuline friend of mine always says, "mind the nickels and dimes and the dollars will mind themselves."