November 2007

The Catholic saint has long been believed to help with home-related matters. And according to lore now spreading on the Internet and among desperate home-sellers, burying St. Joseph in the yard of a home for sale promises a prompt bid.

With the worst housing market in recent years, St. Joseph is enjoying a flurry of attention. Some vendors of religious supplies say St. Joseph statues are flying off the shelves as an increasing number of skeptics and non-Catholics look for some saintly intervention to help them sell their houses.

According to the National Association of Realtors, existing-home sales fell 8% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million units, the lowest level in nearly 10 years.

Most statues come in a "Home Sale Kit" that is priced at around $5 and includes burial instructions and a prayer.

Demand for the statues has been growing. One website that sells the statues had to recently switch to all online orders because the increase in calls went from about two a week to 25 calls a day, and now reports selling about 400 statues a month, more than double the amount sold a year ago.

Methods of burying the statue vary. Instructions in one package give buyers several options, including burying it upside-down next to the "For Sale" sign, burying it three feet from the rear of the house and burying it next to the front door facing away from the home. Most detailed instructions are largely intended to prevent people from forgetting where they put their St. Joseph.

Once someone's home sells, custom holds, the statue should be dug up and put in a place of honor in the new home. But not everyone is aware of the follow-up step.

Some clergy aren't sure how St. Joseph would feel about his replica ending up on its head in the dirt, and suggest displaying it somewhere in the house instead. Theologians say there's no official doctrine that calls for the statue's interment.

In a down seller's market, St. Joseph appears to be making a comeback.  

Amid record setting oil prices and dire predictions about staggering heating oil prices this winter, people are looking for ways to reduce their heating and electricity usage and lower their utility bills.

Here are some No Cost and Low Cost energy saving measures:

No Cost Ways to Save Energy  

Heating

• Turn down the room thermostat by 2°F. This can save up to 10% on your heating bills, around $20-30.

• Don't put curtains or furniture in front of a radiator - they will block the heat.

• Close the curtains at dusk to keep the heat in.

• Pull on a jumper or warmer layers rather than turning the heating up.

Hot water

• Turn your hot water tank thermostat down to 120°F rather than add lots of cold water to your bath.

• Don’t waste hot water, put the plug in the basin or sink.

• An ordinary shower uses only two fifths of the water needed for a bath.  Power showers use as much as a bath, and sometimes even more.

Cooking

• Match the size of the ring to the size of the saucepan or you will be paying to heat air.

• Put a lid on saucepans, so the contents heat quicker and you use less energy.

• Pressure cookers and steamers are more efficient and allow you to cook several different foods on one ring.

• Microwaves use less energy than ovens.

• Only fill the kettle with the water you need.

Appliances

• Save up to $22 a year by switching off appliances such as televisions, videos, stereos, computers, and cordless phones by not leaving them on standby.

• Unplug equipment once fully charged – e.g. mobiles, shavers, batteries and electric toothbrushes – otherwise they keep drawing electricity.

Refrigeration

• Avoid leaving refrigerator doors open. Each minute the door is open takes three minutes of energy to cool down again.

• Avoid putting hot or warm food straight into the fridge; allow it to cool first.

• Defrost your fridge regularly to keep it running efficiently and cheaply. If it seems to frost up quickly, check the door seal.

• Keep the freezer in a cool room or garage.

• Fill up spaces in the freezer with newspaper.

Washing machine and dishwasher

• Wash on the low-temperature setting.

• Try to have full loads when using the washing machine and dishwasher.

Electric clothes dryers

• In summer dry your clothes outside and enjoy the fresh smell that only comes from line-dried clothes.

• Don't dry clothes on a radiator, which stops heat reaching the room, creates dampness and provides good growing conditions for mold.

• If you have to use an electric dryer, don’t put really wet clothes inside. Wring them out or spin-dry them first.

Lighting

• Keep window ledges clear of clutter to get the most daylight in your home. Pull curtains back during the day and keep plants trimmed so they don’t block incoming light. Keep bulbs and shades clean.

• Turn off lights when not needed.

• If possible, use lower wattage bulbs.

Low Cost Energy Saving Measures  

Heating

• Put aluminum foil behind any radiators fitted to outside walls. Ordinary kitchen foil will do, or you can buy specially designed panels from your local hardware store.

• Fit thermostatic radiator valves to give you greater control over your heating.

Hot Water

• Fit a good insulating jacket to your hot water tank if it does not have sprayed foam on the outside. Tank jackets cost just $20 or so and will pay for themselves within one year.

• Lag hot water pipes for around $20 to stop heat escaping.

Lighting

• Use fluorescent light bulbs in areas where lights are left on for long periods of time, or in difficult to reach places. They use about a quarter of the electricity and last up to 12 times longer.

• Dimmer switches reduce consumption and help create the lighting effect you want. It should be noted that fluorescent fixtures cannot be used with dimmer switches.

• Energy saving light bulbs use 80% less than ordinary bulbs, and last ten times longer.

• Outside lights can be arranged to come on automatically, instead of being left on permanently.

• Light-colored walls, ceilings and floors, as well as mirrors, reflect daylight, making maximum use of natural light.

Refrigeration

• Use a thermometer to check temperatures of refrigerators and freezers, fridges should be kept at 40°F and freezers at 0°F.

Windows, Doors and Draughts

• DIY simple glazing can provide a temporary alternative to double-glazing. This consists of a thin plastic film stretched across the window and fixed with heat from a hair-dryer.

• DIY draught proofing kits can be purchased from hardware stores from around $75 and can save you up to $30 per year on your fuel bills.