We are answering those tough frugal questions that stump many of us in our quest to save the most that we can and be good stewards of our resources. In part one of this series, we covered whether leaving lights on when you are going back in the room saves money, and whether a shower or a bath saves the most. You might be surprised by the correct answers to these questions.
Now, we’ll cover a few more of the tough questions that may have you shaking your head or arguing with your family and friends. For example, with the price of heating water these days, are disposable diapers a better bet than cloth? And does a slow cooker save money when compared to an oven? These are just a few of the questions to ponder. Do you think you know the right answers?
Diapers
In general, cloth diapers will save you a lot of money compared to disposable diapers, even if you wash and dry them by machine. There is the initial cost of the diapers, which you can divide out over the use of more than one child to recognize a large savings. A disposable diaper, on average, will cost you somewhere around 30 cents each. You can wash and dry an entire load of cloth diapers for about twice that amount. And, if you line dry those diapers, the cost goes down. You can also recoup some of your investment by selling the diapers on Ebay or Craigslist when you are done.
Slow cooking
Does a slow cooker save you money? Well, this is a little tricker to tell. It all depends on the efficiency of your appliances. A slow cooker does use less energy than an oven to cook, but for a meal, the energy savings may all be a wash. Last year I would have said that it definitely does, but now I am not sure. This is because modern ranges are becoming more and more energy efficient. And, there is one other reason that a slow cooker may not save you money in terms of energy usage. That is because a slow cooker is always on. It stays on until someone shuts it off or the timer shuts it off. An oven, on the other hand, cycles on and off, so it actually uses less energy to cook the same dish, as long as you don’t keep opening the oven door. A slow cooker can save you money in other ways, such as by making dinner cooking easier, thereby avoiding impulse take out.
Any more questions to answer? Sure there are! What are your questions?
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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