hbrogan's Profile

@Kassie, I live in a house built in 1927 in New York state with original plaster walls and not much insulation. So...yeah. Drafty house, cold climate. I keep the house at 68 when I'm home and 60 when I'm out during the day and I am still dressing in layers and wrapped in a blanket most of the time. Monthly combined gas and electricity is less than $200. I have a pet bird and I won't allow it to get too cold in the house for his sake.

Now, in the summer I won't turn the AC on until it's into the 90s in the house, but I'm much more comfortable if I'm too warm than if I'm too cold.

I just started trying to "green" my home earlier this year. I've been switching to green cleaning products gradually as the old ones run out. So far, I love the Mrs. Meyers products (the dish soap smells lovely and non-soapy), and I've used the Method laundry soap which doesn't irritate my sensitive skin the way Tide would. I haven't picked up any Dr. Bronner's yet, but that's next on my list.

I haven't made the jump to re-usable bags yet, but I'm getting there. I've been looking at some of the cute reusable bags online. I also plan to make my own bag out of cut-up plastic bag "yarn", just as soon as I get around to cutting up the pile of bags in my pantry.

I love baking...always have, since I was a little girl with my kids' cookbook in hand. The problem is that I'm not exactly the cleanest baker. To me, you can't possibly be making something delicious unless you and your kitchen are covered in flour and melted chocolate. My father banned me from cooking in his kitchen, though I don't think he's any cleaner than I am. My fiance just stays out of my way when I'm baking and trusts that I'll clean it all up in the end. I usually do...