Mama Zoe
use blankets for sleeping in the winter and keep the heat down at night. if you can program it... set it to come on half an hour to an hour before you wake up, so that it's warm when you get up to get dressed... and to go off (or significantly lower, at least) about an hour to half an hour before you go to bed so that you're warm getting into the covers, but won't be wasting energy keeping you warm when you've got lots of cozy blankets to do that job 
Keep a nice fuzzy robe and slippers by the bed in case you have to get up for the bathroom in the night.
If you're going away for the day/weekend/etc., turn it OFF... you can wear a sweater til it warms up when you get home!
Posts by Mama Zoe
shop thrift stores ;)
...just cuz it MIGHT have been worn a few times doesn't mean it's garbage or gross! wash it, and you're good to go... and let's face it... your wardrobe will be way more unique if you don't shop "the latest look" every season at the GAP. lol. And you can often find brand names and designer stuff for like... really really cheap!
teach your kids to turn off the lights when they leave a room, to turn off the tv, not to let the water run, or waste paper, to scrape their OWN leftovers into the Green Bin (our city/province? has a compost program called the Green Bin, and they pick it up with the recycling every week!), and teach them to recycle, and why. our kids are our future... and what we teach them now, even if it's not what we did as a kid, we want them to understand and to work for a better future for our grandchildren.
lol tara I had a friend back in high school who used to eat nacho cheese doritos dipped in yogourt. I always thought it was odd, but then again I never tried it. hehehe...
I love a bagel... with real cheese on it, melted... and then dipped or topped with garlic-mayo.
I know... REALLY fattening... but... comfort food, y'know?
It helps a LOT... not only because it helps you keep track, but it holds you accountable for every penny lol
I made a program in Excel for home budgeting ... quite a bit easier than any commercial programs and allows for pocket money and such that you don't typically keep track of. Lets you make "envelopes" - which means set a certain amount that you'd like to attempt to stick to for the month for things like groceries, clothes, etc. And allows for you to add savings to deduct every month, regular bills, etc.... works quite well... and lets you fill in your "expected" numbers to compare with your "actual" numbers so you can see what kind of difference there is between what you COULD have left at month-end, compared to what you actually do, so you can try and change it. Keeping track with something like this makes things SO much easier and organized. And really easy/fast. I'm adding a tutorial on the first sheet of the Excel doc which I hope to have finished by the end of December.... if anyone would like a copy of the Excel document, drop me a message cuz I'd be happy to send it to anyone who wants it.
reuse old bath scrubbies for tub scrubbies.... I'll post a how-to when I make one. You unravel 'em, and attach'm to a cut-off handle from a detergent jug.
One of my fav. "mommy" tips;
This year's jeans/pants = next year's capri's... at least from age "baby" to about age 4-5. The reason why it works is because the small sizes account for diaper space... which they no longer need in later years. My girls wore the same pants as capris for about 2 years past when they were too short as pants... just rolled 'em up once or twice for style ;)
What about a "3 R's" board... Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is a huge thing nowadays and a lot of us have been making things out of used stuff... it might be cool to have a board where we can discuss different ways to reuse and recycle items in crafty ways