WoodStock

BEFORE
















AFTER





The first great wood experiment is coming to a close. All in all, it was fun, cozy and cool, and I will be doing it again next year. Did I save money? It's hard to say. My gas bills were around $400 less for this winter compared to last winter, but I purchased around $400 worth of wood from local folks.

On the surface, I seem to have broken even. But this winter was a lot colder than last winter...so who knows, maybe I came out a little ahead. If I want to save more money next winter I'll need to cut and transport the wood myself. The state of Michigan sells wood harvesting permits for $20 per season, and I remove up to 5 cords of wood from designated State Land for personal use. The up side to that is, I get to traipse around the woods. The down side is, I'll need to get a chain saw, some sort of vehicle strong enough to haul several tons of wood, and a whole lot of gasoline. In the end I may wind up blowing $400 for a whole lot more work. Another avenue I could pursue is to simply work on my house's insulation. Right now I don't think it has any...stucko, brick, plaster, paint...no insulation.

This spring, after each storm I drive slowly past neighbors houses and silently envy the fallen wood in their yards. I should work up the courage to ask them if I can relieve them of their dead fall.