Green Interior Design

With so much of the country these days working on ways
of saving our planet and going green it is not
surprising that green has found its way into interior
design.

A building cannot be green on the outside without
being on the inside. Energy conservation is a key step
to going green so it only seems fitting that the first
step to a green interior design is to plan rooms with
energy sensitive lighting.

Green interior design can also reflect the energy a
home gives off and uses up. You want a home that can
be kept thermally comfortable while keeping the energy
consumption at a low.

Green methods of thermal comfort can include solar
heating units, thermostat set backs and good home
insulation.

Insulating the home is one of the biggest money
savers, and many people don’t realize that going green
may also have tax deduction advantages.

The approach of insulation can be applied to newer
homes as well as older ones.

Fine-tuning a green interior can take some work but it
can allow you to reduce energy costs without losing
design quality.

Additional ways to conserve energy in a home can
include covering walls with fabric gathered on a rod
at the top and bottom, using closets as buffers on
north or west walls, adding a heat lamp to a bathroom
to take the chill off on a cold morning, use thermal
wallpaper to insulate and using foil wallpaper to
reflect heat back into the interior.

Also, using filled bookcases on outside, non-mass
walls act as insulation, large decorative rugs,
tapestries or fabric wall hangings on outside non-mass
walls also add insulation.

There are many steps you can take to go green with
your interior design. A quick Internet search can give
you a lot of ideas.

Save Money by Cooking with a Crock-pot

First introduced in 1971, the Crock-Pot revolutionized the way we cook meals. The word Crock-Pot is actually trademarked by Rival Industries, but is used in every day conversations instead of the term slow cooker. Many recipes for the crock-pot require little preparation. The slow cooker can then safely be left to run unattended, making it a convenient cooking method.

Crock-pot meals can not only save you time in the kitchen, but they can also save you money as well.  The reasons are as follows:

1.    It keeps you out of the fast food line.  If you had not loading up the crock-pot with the ingredients this morning you’d likely be in the drive through line at the local fast food restaurant this afternoon after work, grabbing a meal for your family.  The average fast food meal for a family of four rings up over $20.

2.    Stretches your dollar.  Most crock-pot recipes and meals can truly stretch your food dollar.  Because you can put a whole chicken in the crock-pot to cook then cut it up for several meals, you can stretch your budget with the use your leftovers.

3.    Cuts your grocery budget.  You can save money at the butcher since the slow cooking process is especially useful to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat.

4.    Saves on your energy bill.  Instead of running a larger appliance like the stove you are running one small energy conservative appliance, the crock-pot, saving on your energy costs.

The convenience of the slow cooker not only saves you time, but will also save you money. Don’t you think it’s time to take it out of your closet (or wherever you have it packed away collecting dust) and make a Crock-Pot meal today?

About the Author:
Cara Mirabella is a WAHM with one toddler from New Jersey. She owns and manages TheHouseholdHelper.com – a site dedicated to saving your time, money and sanity when managing your household. Her site offers tons of information as well as e-books including <a href=”http://thehouseholdhelper.com/ebooks/CrockPotCooking.html”"Recipes For Every Occassion: 470 Crock Pot Recipes”.<a/>