ecocheap

If you cook at home (and nearly everyone does), you’re probably looking for ways to reduce the cost of running your stovetop. The truth is, both gas and electricity cost about the same (for cooking purposes). But there is another choice: the induction cooktop.

Induction cooktops are electric powered, but they heat via magnetism. So the cooktop itself doesn’t actually heat, only the pans themselves heat. They are truly remarkable, and are very popular in Europe, Japan, and Australia.

A full cooktop is quite pricey, but you can order individual units on ebay for around $100.

Many Americans are looking for inexpensive, organic ways to clean their homes, protect their plants from pests, and any number of other things. There’s lots of solutions out there, but if you haven’t heard of (or tried) neem oil, then you’re really missing out!

Neem oil is used as a treatment for various maladies, illnesses, and afflictions. It is also used as a biopesticide (dilluted at a rate of 1 teaspoon per quart).

But probably the most remarkable use is as birth control (yes, you read that right!). Scientists have been studying this for quite awhile, and have conclusively proven that neem oil prevents pregnancy. And it gets better- this time the guys have to take “the pill.”

It can be really, really complicated to figure out how much any given electrical item costs in your home. Sure, with some of the bigger culprits (ie, water heater, a/c) you can guesstimate, but what about those smaller items….like computers, microwaves, and lights? Kill-a-watt is the solution.

Kill-a-watt meters allow you to determine what every single energy-sucking items is costing you per hour, day, month, and year. They’ll even allow you to input your local electrical rate (per kWh) and will calculate the cost of running those items.

Don’t have one? GET ONE! Using them is a serious addiction.

Do you have a retaining wall you need to build? Well today’s your lucky day, because we’ve got a great tip for you!

Concrete is an outstanding and versatile building material that makes great retaining walls. It’s exceptionally strong and easy to work with. But messing with pourmolds can be…well…messy.

Try this instead.

A great way to cut down on your water heating expenses is to simply wash all of your laundry in cold water. Many laundry mavens agree: there really isn’t much difference between using hot water for whites, and cold water all the time.

Of course, in certain circumstances there can be a benefit to using hot water (tough stains requiring overnight soaking, for instance). And powdered detergent sometimes has problems dissolving in cold water. But try it for just a week, and see if you don’t get comparable results using cold water instead of hot.

Pretty soon we’ll be rolling out a new feature here on ecocheap, called our “Tip of the Day.” Of course, the feature will be just what it sounds like. Everyday we’ll be bringing our readers a new tip designed to be earth AND wallet friendly (hopefully it will even be practical).

So be sure to check everyday for our newest ecocheap tip. You can also subscribe to our rss feed or have feedburner deliver directly to your e-mail box so you don’t miss a beat.