Yup, I can't be wasting money if I'm getting it for free! :) I use hay (did I mention it is free?), and while I probably don't lay it quite as thick as Dave mentions I do put down more as areas become thin over the long growing season we have here. Sort of like patching it up as it breaks down. Do I still get weeds? Of course! But it is maybe as much as 10% what I would get otherwise, probably less. If I had more time I could show you a side-by-side comparison of the herb garden that was bare when I left for the wedding 7 days ago (ran out of time to get the mulch down) and the garden which is mulched with hay. The herbgarden has so much grass, medic, and smartweed that it looks like lawn, the garden has a couple of spots of green here and there that aren't veggies. I think cold_weather said it best, there is no one size fits all weed control method, just the one that suits your time, budget, garden size, local resources, and level of energy. Cheers!

Happy new year! I would normally have replied much sooner, but everything has been so busy with Christmas, then new year and all the rest. Anyway, I have to agree that conservation is by far the best thing we can do right now, and I believe that it will allways be useful as almost all energy comes with a penalty. Both environmental and financial. I've been thinking about conservation quite a bit recently as I'm trying to get a rough idea how much it would cost to build an affordable house (you might have seen my posts about it?) and I want it to be economical to live in. This is partly an environmental concern, but also because it would be misguided to build an affordable house that isn't also affordable to live in. The majority of most anyone's wages go towards their house, so if I can build a house that uses minimal energy I can spend the money in other more enjoyable ways. I can also design it in such a way it comes in to the lowest possible tax category, but that's beyond the scope of this forum. One of the things that surprises me is when I say I want to build a low energy house that uses renewable energy, people tend to picture something very expensive and custom built. When I researched it I found that commonly they're high end houses built for wealthy customers who were willing to spend a lot of money to have luxury items, like solar PV panels and houses built half underground. I don't however see why houses that use very little energy have to be reserved for wealthy people building custom houses, after all one of the main attractions of a low energy house is the very small monthly bills. A low energy house design/concept that comes within (preferably below) average house prices is long overdue, and also has a massive market potential. Admittedly domestic energy use is a fraction of that used by industrial processes, and also accounts for a similarly small percentage of pollution, but I know nothing about industrial processes and (thankfully) don't pay the bills for them either. At least not directly. I do however know something about houses and how I believe they could work better. My main aim is to build it smaller, but use the space in such a way it's relatively spacious with plenty of storage. I also want to exchange traditional and generally energy wasting and expensive materials for newer materials that cost less. Insulation, and lots of it, is important. I also want high quality finishing materials, but avoiding ornate details and using a more minimalist style should keep the costs reasonable. The other main issue is using the most energy efficient appliances possible, and also installing some renewable stuff like solar hot water heating. At least in concept it seems to work, and hopefully one day I will be able to try it out.

I'm waiting until April 1st if I decide to send it in at all. I have to be sure that I am not dead by then. Also I will have to check the attic to see if Uncle Fester is still up there. Cousin It may be under the house. Some illegal aliens may be hiding out in the tool shed. I also have to make sure I read the the questions correctly. Apparently the first one is so complicated that they have to remind you about it in question 2 and again in question 10. (Oh if I only had a brain) LOL After all the care the hired hands too to write the questions I would hate to screw up the count. Redundant questions, redundant mailing and a redundant government. ACK

One of the biggest things I did to cut down on waste was to unplug my freezer. I'd buy things and never use them. And for a single person to need more than just the freezer on the frig is rare. I do need to clean out the frig and freezer both but I'm making dramatic improvements. I wasn't cooking at home much for a stretch of time. Wasn't eating right to start with (even for me!) and just not feeling well enough to stand and cook. So I started buying a few convenience foods to work my way back into cooking and it's gotten better. Been enjoying a lot of eggs lately! Even with the price that I complained about. Making a list helps a lot too. When I get home from the store and put the stuff away, I make a list of the perishibles I have purchase adding to a running list that I modify as I use up and it gives me ideas and reminders that, hey I have some chili in the freezer to use, or I have a lot of bacon right now, or I have whatever meat. Sometimes the biggest frustration can be deciding what to make! This way it gives me ideas. I also started to log my meals to see what I've been having. Check my eating patterns a bit. Had a number of times I just plain didn't eat all day. Put it off, was tired, whatever the reason, just didn't, and I know that I can skip a meal or two and not suffer that much but I know that I should be having some nutrition going through the body. I despise going to the grocery store. I'm seeing that coupons often contribute to a lot of waste, with buying things "because I had a coupon" and not using it, or liking it or whatever. Now, buy being more organized, using my checklist for commonly purchased stuff as a reminder, checking ads for TRUE sales, not just that markup/markdown scam and buy less at a time and a little more often. Less frustration, less money spent, less money wasted from less waste and less money spent overall I think. I do buy some better quality things now, and of course there's the price increases, but my grocery budget is still within reason I think. I got caught up in keeping too large a pantry supply. I'm whittling that down. Still keep some soup, canned vegs, pasta, rice, etc around so if there's a snowstorm, well I can usually get out anyway but I don't have to either. Plus when I get the right prices I do save this way. I do try to having something around that's simple, just in case I do get sick or if I'm extremely tired or whatever. Whether it's some summer sausage and cheese to snack on, can of soup or whatever. The other way I'm improving is to buy more appropriate sizes and then prepare for few if any leftovers. No waste that way, or at least minimal. Problem is that it's tough to make a small batch of good chili! If I had a garden, and prepared everything from scratch with no canned items, it would be different. Now for some frustration.... I wish more people would buy the small sizes of canned veggies so they could sell them at a reasonable price! The way it is, the little "single serving" size costs 50¢/can and the conventional size is on sale for 30¢! So even if I throw away half of it, I still save money buying the bigger size. I realize the packaging and shipping cost roughly the same for each so I understand why they're priced that way... but it's still frustrating. I have some baskets I'm going to try in the refrigerator to see if it helps for organization. Still have no ideas on how to organize the freezer on my top-freezer frig. I'm thinking some dishpans or heavy clear totes that will stack would help keep things from falling out as I open the door and let me see better what's in there or what I need. And it'd give me a chance to clean it out, wash it out and start fresh. I had to throw a bunch of stuff when we had a power outage a while back but I think there's still a lot that should be tossed. But at least it's not as bad as when I had the freezer going... Ah, the stuff freezing into the frost buildup. Don't miss it though!