how much do you spend monthly?

[poppin_fresh]

$1000!?! Holy hell!

Do you have Kill-a Watt Danamck? I would be be testing everything in my house to whittle that down! While I was switching to my 180, I had to heat it as well as my 72 bow, the 70 or so gallons of the basement sump/'fuge. This pushed my KWH usage to about 1400 which resulted in a $220 bill. By using my KaW, I determined that 60% of this bill was just due to heating. I'm going to insulate my sump better to hopefully save some $$.

[nay,kid]

I can't believe how much the little things add up in this hobby. I spent 300 dollars just in plumbing parts. I still have tons of misc. stuff to get. And bobby that goes for my wife too.

[lReef lKeeper]

Originally Posted by nay,kid

I can't believe how much the little things add up in this hobby. I spent 300 dollars just in plumbing parts. I still have tons of misc. stuff to get. And bobby that goes for my wife too.

well it sounds like we have got ourselves a deal.

[Danamck]

Originally Posted by poppin_fresh

$1000!?! Holy hell!

Do you have Kill-a Watt Danamck? I would be be testing everything in my house to whittle that down! While I was switching to my 180, I had to heat it as well as my 72 bow, the 70 or so gallons of the basement sump/'fuge. This pushed my KWH usage to about 1400 which resulted in a $220 bill. By using my KaW, I determined that 60% of this bill was just due to heating. I'm going to insulate my sump better to hopefully save some $$.

Yes - I've had one for over a year. I use it to test overall power consumption for each tank, but have not taken the time to test each device separately. I did create a chart of what each device uses (based on the manufacturer's specs) when determining what size generator I would need, so I have a good idea where the problem spots are. Primarily it is with heating. My garage is always very cool in the summer - so no chiller needed. The winter is another story. I crack the garage door during the day to keep the humidity down, and close up tight at night. Even still - the garage gets chilly on cold days. I need to see if a dehumidifier would be a better way to go. Among other things!

[CarmieJo]

Yikes! $1000! Under the heading of every little bit helps how about some Styrofoam sheets to insulate the back, bottom and perhaps sides?

[xtmreef]

Originally Posted by nay,kid

I can't believe how much the little things add up in this hobby. I spent 300 dollars just in plumbing parts.

I know exactly what you're saying. I built my own Ca Reactor and the plumbing parts and pump totaled to almost $300! Not to mention the time it took to build (2 weeks) at that price I could've bought a new Geo or Korallin and I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of building it. Oh well at least it's MY OWN design, lol

I try not to go to LFS's anymore. Everytime I go, I get suckered into something new... or some new equipment. Last night I visited this LFS and they had a nice T5 HO display... man I was blown!! That thing is BRIGHT and CRISP. Now I want one...

[gimmito]

I don't always want to know, but my expenses run about 150 bucks in electricity alone.

I've been pretty good about buying fish and corals. Unfortunately, I upgraded to a 75 gal last year:
>75 gal w/ custom stand & coralife pc's from craigslist = $175
> 8 bags of aragonite sand = $160
>20 lbs. lr = $80
>6 sps frags = $100
>7 fish = $250 ( It would have been a lot worse if I got that chevron tang I was eyeballing !)
> sump w/ fuge = I had a 40 aga I got from a garage sale for 10 bucks; 4 baffles = 30 bucks; 2 tubes of silicone = 10 bucks. Total $50

Of course I had to upgrade the pc's, so i got a aquatinics TX5 fixture w/ bulbs, legs, & shipping $500.

I wanted to automate/monitor everything, so I got a neptune aqua controller pro w/ probes from craigslist for $400.

Making my own food = $20.

When it gets cold, I just tell the wife and kids to throw on a sweater !