Dear Friends and Family,
I'm out of obvious things to do. And, I want to keep on track to complete twelve things this year. Originally, I was going to focus on only electricity consumption changes for 2007, but, then, I decided I'm okay with letting gas, gasoline, water, and consumables into the picture.
My next action item is - I'm putting myself on a budget. This, by definition, reduces how much stuff I buy. Less stuff means less stuff needs to be manufactured. Less stuff needs to be transported. And, less stuff needs to be recycled or disposed of. It's not good for the economy, but it is good for the environment. And, by being on a budget, I can afford a new car next year! I want a hybrid. Mr. mouse wants a diesel. Either way, we'll go from our two cars down to one car. And, that one car will have a smaller carbon footprint than either of our current cars.
My budget? It's $500 a month ($100 a week plus $100 flex for the month). Some families live on less than that for the whole family. Still, it will reduce our expenditures. It'll include clothing, shoes, haircuts, gas, lunch at work (if I don't brown bag it), dinner out (if I go out with friends), my Weight Watchers subscription, my gym membership and any miscellaneous purchases I make. It won't include utilities, travel, groceries, or Mr. mouse's purchases. Those will be another action item. This, right now, is about me.
This week will be $100. Then, next week, I'll kick off the new month. I decided to go with fiscal weeks and months (4-4-5) with my week starting on Monday to keep it easier to track. The 5 week months I won't have a flex. I'll have to budget more carefully those months.
2007 Action Plan
Cheers!
mouse
I'm out of obvious things to do. And, I want to keep on track to complete twelve things this year. Originally, I was going to focus on only electricity consumption changes for 2007, but, then, I decided I'm okay with letting gas, gasoline, water, and consumables into the picture.
My next action item is - I'm putting myself on a budget. This, by definition, reduces how much stuff I buy. Less stuff means less stuff needs to be manufactured. Less stuff needs to be transported. And, less stuff needs to be recycled or disposed of. It's not good for the economy, but it is good for the environment. And, by being on a budget, I can afford a new car next year! I want a hybrid. Mr. mouse wants a diesel. Either way, we'll go from our two cars down to one car. And, that one car will have a smaller carbon footprint than either of our current cars.
My budget? It's $500 a month ($100 a week plus $100 flex for the month). Some families live on less than that for the whole family. Still, it will reduce our expenditures. It'll include clothing, shoes, haircuts, gas, lunch at work (if I don't brown bag it), dinner out (if I go out with friends), my Weight Watchers subscription, my gym membership and any miscellaneous purchases I make. It won't include utilities, travel, groceries, or Mr. mouse's purchases. Those will be another action item. This, right now, is about me.
This week will be $100. Then, next week, I'll kick off the new month. I decided to go with fiscal weeks and months (4-4-5) with my week starting on Monday to keep it easier to track. The 5 week months I won't have a flex. I'll have to budget more carefully those months.
2007 Action Plan
- 07.20: I pledge to make a difference.
- 07.20: I will track my electrical consumption.
- 07.20: I will keep the house at 78°+ for the summer.
- 08.16: I will unplug the blow dryer.
- 09.01: I will try compact fluorescent light bulbs.
- 09.02: I will replace the dishwasher.
- 10.11: I will keep the house at 54°/76° for the winter.
- 10.29: I will start a budget, reducing my purchases.
Cheers!
mouse
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