I received my official notice this week that I qualify for a “stimulus” check from the federal government. It’s real nice of Uncle Sam to borrow money from China in order to buy my vote this year. But I plan to make my stimulus check mean something by following a policy I advocated during my recent political campaign.
I’m going to spend that money on something that reduces my carbon footprint and, of course, my energy bill. Because I own a dinosaur of a washing machine, I expect I will decide to buy a new, energy-efficient, low water-use model that will also leave my clothes drier at the end of the spin cycle. This would cut my electric bill for washing, my water bill and my gas and electric cost for those times when I use my gas dryer. (Ideally, I know, I should NEVER use my dryer — but my neighbor has two pit bulls chained full-time next to our common fence so my back yard smells like dog waste for most of the summer. Eventually those poor beasts will die or I’ll move. So it goes.)
And to multiply the local effect of my dollars, I will buy the new machine from a local appliance dealer instead of from a national chain store. That keeps more of my dollars in the local community and even if I pay a little more because the local vendor doesn’t get the big volume discounts that go to Sears or WalMart, the money will stay in Asheville a little longer and that benefits everyone who participates in the local economy.
My refrigerator is also old, but I’ll have to do some analysis of energy costs before I believe a new, smaller refrigerator would get me as much bang per buck.
I’ve already installed additional attic insulation, another place that I could have profitably spent my check, and the cost of adding insulation to the walls of this 1905 building would far exceed the amount Uncle Sam has promised me. I also have a bicycle in good working condition, another way a person could spend the bonus to reduce energy use.
Economists have pretty unanimously agreed that the stimulus checks are a sham that will have no appreciable effect on the U.S. economy, but at least by using mine to carve into my energy use I will be gaining a long term benefit for my personal economy. And as a final note: what’s with the Feds and the mail? I have received one mailing telling me about the program. Another telling me that I qualify and can expect a check soon. And, presumably, I will eventually get a check in the mail. Wouldn’t ONE mailing have handled all three?
If you missed the link in the story, click here to read the articles.
Well, how else will they support the Postal Service, since UPS and FedEx are killing it off?
Surprised we don’t get 10 a day.
A front load clothes washer that uses less water and detergent is an excellent investment. We bought our first before they were commonly available in the states, and ended up with a model that was disappointing. We now have a Frigidaire that is giving us good service. We found a larger drum allowed us to wash larger loads which ultimately saves time and money. The faster the drum spins the less water the cloths retain. Also check for for moisture problems. Front loaders are prone to mildew smells. We ended up wiping the sealing gasket after each load to ensure no odor. Good luck in your purchase.
Cecil, go see my friend Malinda at Ballard’s! Wait a week, though, cause she’s in South Africa this week for winning top sales prize as she is the best. Fuzz and I love our front-loading washer dryer. We get a gallon of liquid detergent from the co-op, and it lasts us more than a year. Cheers, H.