The Recession Proof Wives

Madison has a reputation as an upscale community: mothers zooming around in SUVs, ferrying their offspring to lacrosse practice, families weekending on Okemo Mountain, dads jogging, golfing and sailing, well-heeled retirees enjoying a gin and tonic at the Madison Beach Club.

Then, there’s the rest of us. Madison’s reputation has not caught up with reality. While a family may still be living in a winterized cottage by the beach, the dad in residence is home—all day—because he’s been laid off. Yes, we’re driving the same fancy car, but we’re clipping coupons and making sure we use our gas points at Stop & Shop.

For neighbors Robin Anders and Chris Loftus, reality hit in summer 2009, the time of the infamous stock market correction.

“We were really worried about the college fund,” said Anders, a garden designer and mother of one daughter who is a sophomore in college. “We saw it going down, down, down and Chris and I looked at each other and said ‘what can we do to cut costs?’”

Both women live in similar sized homes: four bedrooms, about 3,500 square feet. They decided to look at all their expenses with an eye toward cutting, but most were static: mortgage, gasoline, and tuition. The electric bill was one area that both women decided they could improve.

“We were very wasteful,” Anders recalls, dimming the lights in her kitchen during a recent interview. Electricity use was something she just didn’t think about, and her bill was about $180 a month.

The pair decided to compete to see who had the lowest electric bill. Their husbands dubbed them “the Recession-Proof Wives.”

“I just leave a voice mail saying ‘it’s $106,’” said Loftus, a nurse and mother of three. Despite having two boys living at home, while Anders’ daughter is away at school, she almost always wins the competition.

“It motivates you to really try to save when you are accountable to another person,” Anders said.

Mindfulness is the key, both women say. Each family saves $50 or more per month on their electric bill.

“I run the dishwasher every other day,” Loftus said. “I have my boys hang up their towels from swimming to dry instead of laundering them after every use. I’m always coming up with new ideas.”

In addition to the obvious – turning off lights when leaving a room-- Anders and Loftus have examined every minute of daily living and found ways to save energy, money and often time.

Here are their tips:

• Save hot water by taking shorter showers
• Limit dishwasher use by using a single coffee mug and water glass throughout the day
• Turn off computers when you are finished for the day
• Reduce laundry by wearing clothing items more than once
• Hang clothes outdoors on a clothing rack or clothesline; fluff in the dryer for a few minutes
• Use power strips
• Replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescents
• Iron multiple items in one session; don’t turn the iron on for one shirt
• Only use outdoor lights when company is expected
• Consider returning power-using DVR boxes to the cable company
• Turn off the sprinkler system; it uses electricity
• Get rid of that second fridge in the basement
• Make sure your central air conditioning has several zones throughout the house and use it only when necessary

"I’m doing more for the environment than Mr. Al Gore with all his mansions,” Loftus said. “I don’t particularly care about my carbon footprint, but if everyone did this we wouldn’t have to worry about the environment as much.”

Next week's topic: Happiness