This summer has brought record breaking temperatures to much of the country. That’s no exception for Texas where, in Houston alone, we have topped 100 degrees more than a few times this summer – a record that hasn’t been broken since 1980. Although we’re quite used to the heat, these higher than average temperatures have brought higher than average energy bills along with them. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and high electricity bills coupled with a down economy has many resorting to clever ways to save money.

That’s exactly what my mother-in-law did when she received an electric bill for more than $500 last month. First anger set in, and then came the ingenuity and resourcefulness her mother had used in the 1940’s when clothes dryers, television and dishwashers weren’t commonplace appliances. My mother-in-law challenged herself to discontinue the use of the clothes dryer and the dishwasher and unplug any unused appliances for the month of August, just to see how much it would reduce her bill.

She strung up a clothesline in the back yard and hand washed dishes every night. She unplugged other appliances immediately after using it. We’ll see if her efforts pay off at the end of the month when she receives the electric bill.

Times are tough, and most can’t afford to upgrade appliances to newer, energy efficient models. My mother-in-law’s efforts aren’t new fangled ideas, by any means. However, her actions speak to a timeless question – is it time to revert back to the ideas of generations past where people were thrifty, where you didn’t spend more than you made and you made do with what you had?

Makes you think twice about putting that load of laundry in the dryer, doesn’t it?

Update as of August 25:
As a follow-up, my MIL’s experiment worked. Her electric bill went from a whopping $550 to a more reasonable $350. What actions have you taken to reduce your bills? Did it work?

In honor of Financial Literacy Month, we created a microsite that offers 30 simple steps to financial wellness–one for each day of the month. To enrich the experience, we asked some amazing people to guest post during the month. Their dedication to financial literacy is truly inspiring! Today, the author of Finally Frugal talks about tools for success.

In cruising around the Financial Literacy Month website, I found the section entitled ‘Tools for Success‘ to be most useful. On this particular page, there are links to all sorts of helpful spreadsheets and resources, such as:

• The Income Worksheet
• Tips for Setting Financial Goals
• A Debt Payoff Calculator
• A-List Tips (featuring articles from PF bloggers we all know and love)

A big part of financial literacy is taking the time to learn about personal finance, as well as being responsible for that knowledge. Since no one knocked on my door and educated me about how to pay down debt, how to refinance my house, or how to spend my money strategically, I had to go out and find the information myself. I’m only now beginning to emerge from the fog of self-induced financial ignorance, but I’ve never felt more stable and in-control of my finances.

Each American has the same obligation to find and absorb the information, whether it’s at the public library, in the office of a financial advisor, or in the multitude of pages on the internet. Of course, with internet learning, we always have to be careful that the information we’re reading is reliable.

In addition to the Financial Literacy Month website, the U.S. government’s Financial Literacy and Education commission website is a wonderful resource. There, you’ll find all sorts of links concerning financial planning, paying for education, home ownership, and raising financially literate kids.

In my work with college students, “but nobody told me” is never an acceptable excuse for making a mistake. I’d posit that the same holds true of people who are financially under-educated. As I mentioned, no one is going to call you up one day and offer to give you, free of charge, the information you need (and I’d certainly be wary of anyone who did call with that sort of offer!)

Instead, we should all take responsibility for ourselves and our loved ones, with the helping hand of organizations like Money Management International and, yes, even the U.S. government.

Finally Frugal is a blog written by a woman who after twenty years of blindly spending more than she brought in, decided to live below her means. With her blog, she invites you to accompany her as she works to pay off debt, increase savings, and finally find financial independence!

Working for a company that helps people with debt has always made me feel a little like a wallflower.  Sure, people are really glad I’m there when they need me.  Until then, they’d rather I just take my budgeting materials and fade into the backdrop. 

For the most part, I have largely rejected the speak-only-when-spoken-to mentality.  Because while is great to help people recover from financial problems, my 50-year-old nonprofit is also very interested in preventing problems from ever occurring.  So, like the scrawny kid in the back row, I’ve been raising my hand and shouting “Pick me! Pick me!” for years.  

But recently, something’s changed. 

I’ve detected subtle shifts in the lunchroom at work, at the checkout line at the thrift store, and even as I gathered around the holiday tree.  My suspicions were confirmed at the recent Mom 2.0 Summit in Houston when BlogHer Founder Lisa Stone identified frugality as an up-and-coming trend.   It was all I could do from jumping up and yelling “Sweet!” (people do still say that, right?!) for being picked first.

So, how can I help you become a frugal trend-setter?  We’ve got articles, live webinars, webcasts, videos, quizzes, fun microsites, serious microsites, education programs, self-paced courses, teacher resources, forms and worksheets, calculators, advice columns, online counseling, face to face counseling, phone counseling, gadgets, a blog (obviously), tweets, and (coming soon!) an eBook.

Finally, frugality is the ugly duckling that has turned into a swan.   Sweet!