Back on Track: How to Catch Your Breath After a Crazy Holiday Season

This is a sponsored post written on behalf of PPL Electric Utilities. All opinions expressed in this post and blog are my own. #ProjectEnvolve #GetEnvolved

I’ve finally caught my breath. Not, I’m not talking about chasing my five-year-old through a crowded department store at the height of holiday shopping season (although that did happen). I’m talking about finally getting back on track after the holidays.

If you find yourself still struggling to catch your post-holiday breath — and save electricity — today’s blog entry is for you. As always, this entry and the valuable tips it includes is brought to you by the folks at Project Envolve, which is sponsored by PPL Electric Utilities.

CATCH YOUR BUDGET BREATH

No doubt about it, the holidays can derail a budget faster than a box of cream-filled doughnuts can derail a diet. Instead of focusing on all the little costs that add up on a regular basis, focus on little energy savings, which can add up to big savings over the course of a year.

A handy little device like the Kill-A-Watt meter can help. It does that by telling you how much energy your electronic devices use (everything from your laptop to your TV to your refrigerator), which tells you how much energy (and money) you’ll save by using those items less often.

CATCH YOUR DIET BREATH

Remember the “Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution” cookbook I wrote about in a previous entry? That book is packed with recipes (like the gem below) that are not only good for your waistline, but will also help you save energy by using your crock pot instead of your stove.

I did that by making the Chicken and Wild Rice Soup on page 12, and it was the perfect dinner for a cold and rainy February evening. Here’s a tip within a tip: If you’ve got a bigger crock pot, make a bunch of a meal and freeze the leftovers for lunch or dinner another day.

And here’s a bonus tip (a tip within a tip within a tip?): Your freezer will work more efficiently when it’s packed as full as possible, so load that thing up! My ice cream-loving husband knows that lesson well. Below is a photo of our freezer packed to the gills with his usual assortment of frozen treats.

CATCH YOUR FAMILY TIME BREATH

So you’re saving electricity and saving calories, now it’s time to reward yourself with a little quality time with the family. Now that the holidays are over, put a family movie night (or date night) back on the calendar, pop some popcorn, and settle in for some cuddles and laughs.

Our movie night from this past weekend featured the adorably funny “Inside Out.” If you haven’t seen it, I definitely recommend it, even if your kids are “too old” for a movie like that. One last tip: Be sure to use a DVD or Blu-ray player with the ENERGY STAR label, which are 45 percent more efficient that conventional models.

For more money and energy-saving tips, check out PPL Electric Utilities’ Pinterest boards.